Dear volunteers

The Middle Yarra Landcare Network (MYLN) would like to invite you to come and join a local citizen science project.
This will be an opportunity to learn more about and contribute to a local monitoring project to assess the threatening impacts of deer to native species and habitat.

The MYLN in partnership with the Jumping Creek Catchment Landcare area Group (JCCLG) and Manningham Council will be running a citizen science project this Winter-Spring 2021 in the Jumping Creek catchment area across both private and public land.
The project is an opportunity for local volunteers to participate in practical hands-on learning opportunities with local ecologist John Harris from Wildlife & Ecology, while contributing to a local citizen science project.
Volunteers will gain the opportunity to partake in hands-on activities to gain a better understanding of local vegetation communities, their biodiversity value and habitat for threatened species, monitoring and assessment techniques collecting important data on key vegetation attributes, and the threatening process of deer on these values.

By participating you will be helping contribute to a local project to improve our understanding of vegetation community and species habitat changes over time from the impacts of feral deer. Through increased awareness and skills gained through this citizen science project assisting local experienced ecologists from Wildlife & Ecology, volunteers will have the opportunity to continue to be involved in collection of important biodiversity monitoring data over time, as well as being able to take these skills to contribute to other citizen science monitoring projects.

This vegetation monitoring project will involve the following practical opportunities for participation:
Part 1: Saturday 21st August 2021 at Currawong Bush Park Conference Centre & bushland ~1-4pm.
• This is a three hour field day with John Harris from Wildlife & Ecology where you will learn about the project, the purpose of monitoring changes to vegetation condition over time, and discuss deer signs and impacts to vegetation communities, flora, fauna and their habitat. The field day will involve a workshop in the conference centre followed by refreshments and then a practical hands-on session in the bushland demonstrating the monitoring methodology that will be undertaken across the project area.

Part 2: Late Aug / early Sep – 1 Nov 2021 – field work across private & public land in the Jumping Creek catchment area.
• Participants will have a chance to volunteer their time to assist Wildlife & Ecology to undertake hands-on assessments monitoring 40 vegetation plots across private and public land. Volunteers have the opportunity to contribute and learn vegetation monitoring skills through collecting information on deer impacts to vegetation communities, structure, composition and abundance of flora life-forms and species.

Wildlife & Ecology – John Harris Bio
John Harris BASc (Biological Resource Management and Biology), GDipEd, Cert IV TAE
John has 35 years of experience undertaking fauna, flora and ecological surveys across much of Australia, either as a citizen scientist or as an ecological consultant for the past 8 years.
John has worked on flora and fauna projects across Victoria for a variety of clients from Government departments, to local government, large-scale engineering projects, construction companies and community groups. John has conducted numerous targeted threatened fauna surveys, general fauna and flora surveys and fauna salvaging (spotter/catcher role) across the Victoria and interstate.
Being a former teacher and TAFE trainer, John has a vast experience in delivering education programs both in the formal setting and to community organisations. He has been engaged by many local governments, Landcare and ‘friends’ groups to deliver workshops or information sessions on a wide range of ecological topics. Recently he has delivered presentations and or field trips for the likes of Nillumbik Shire Council, Nature Stewards and First Friends of Dandenong Creek.


You can contact me via e-mail myln@netspace.net.au or via mobile 0415 383 328 to register your interest
I would appreciate your earliest reply.