Upper Crabtree Landcare Group Inc

We are a group of neighbours who meet regularly both socially and as a Landcare Group and to discuss and implement particular projects. For the past several years, our primary focus has been dealing with foxgloves (and to a lesser extent Californian thistles) across approximately 14 private properties (~200ha) and road casements (eg the start of Jefferys Track). Some of our members are elderly or disabled living on have large steep and dense bush blocks, which have become infested with foxgloves. Foxgloves have established shockingly quickly and we realised we could not get them under control without more coordinated action and a landscape-scale effort. We have been working together to write grant applications, and to jointly help the people who struggle to manage their own properties and help one another. Our properties adjoin the Russell Ridge Conservation Area and Wellington Park, at the top of and upwind of the rest of the Crabtree valley. We therefore feel an especial responsibility to stop foxgloves getting into the reserves and also to reduce the spread of seed downhill and downwind. Since the much-needed declaration of foxgloves, we are all now in the Class A eradication zone. We are all nature enthusiasts and three of our members have covenanted properties. We would love to reach a point where we can move beyond the continual foxglove fight and do even more revegetation, install nestboxes and bat-boxes and other wildlife and native plant-friendly activities. We have worked together on the trapping of feral cats and strategies to reduce roadkill; we pick up litter and organise clean-ups. With the Valley Campground further down Crabtree Road, we organise the Crabtree Crop & Crafts Markets which happen four times a year. These are very successful and have been warmly received by community. Our overall aim is to be as environmentally-friendly as possible. We also discuss the need to build community climate resiliency and reduce our own emissions and waste. We share ideas and learning on home-composting, making biochar, keeping water on-property (eg with swales), regenerative grazing, and growing (and sharing) our own food. We have grown out of what was the West Wellington Protection Group, and then - after the successful establishment of the Russell Ridge Conservation Area in the forest agreement of 2012 - we became the Friends of Billy Browns Falls Wildcare Group. As the FOBBF we worked with PWS for a few years to create walk leaflets, get Billy Browns Falls included in tourism handouts, establish a parking area, undertake track clearing, weed management, create and install signage, sign-in book and install benches. As Billy Browns Falls gained recognition and popularity, it became clear that our efforts were no longer needed. We also really wanted to concentrate on our own and neighbouring properties, especially once foxgloves started to become a major problem. We are now an incorporated group and are registered for Recycle Rewards.