The Habitat Corridors forum was attended by over 60 people with an interest in conservation, art, environment and local habitat corridors.
Proceedings were started with a Welcome to Country by Amanda Levett and then the event was enthusiastically opened by Mayor Brian Ingram, who informed the guests about some of the conservation works Hilltops Council are undertaking.
Guest speakers included Lorraine Oliver from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment who spoke about the vital role that communities play in enacting change in the local habitats. Mary Bonet from Glideways talked through the massive project of linking the habitat corridors on the east coast of NSW into Queensland. Local landcare groups were given an opportunity to speak about local land care issues including the pygmy perch and linking biodiversity at a local level.
Artist Julie Ryder explained how art and science can link to create real outcomes for communities through highlighting some of the programs she has run in other regions as well as reflecting on the workshops and exhibition that was part of the Habitat Corridors program. A short film created by science communicator Dr Inke Falkner showed some of the processes and outcomes of the workshop.
Susan Conroy, Executive Director of Southern Tablelands Arts stated, “Creativity and science have always been linked and through the addition of artists, participants get a hands-on creative approach to learning about local ecology and environment issues.”
Through the program, participants learned about the local habitat regions native flora and fauna with a focus on squirrel gliders, scarlet robins, flame robins, superb parrots and quolls. Over the two weeks they dyed papers, cut feathers for a group artwork and made their own responses to the local landscapes.
The project was funded by Inspiring Australia for National Science Week.
