Councillor Don Palmer Providing Local Leadership & Working for You

Last night I heard my momma singin’ a song, cooee, chirpy, chirpy, cheep,cheep.

Where’s our trees gone might be the song we have been singing for the last 12 months. But now we can sing and rejoice the birds are coming back, thanks to DPTI, Council and our local school kids.

While we await replanting of lost trees (on a three for one basis) and aware of the impact these works of the impact that the Rail Revitalisation Project has had on flora within the western suburbs of the City of Unley, DPTI and Council have worked collaboratively on a Community Wildlife Project to provide nesting boxes through neighbouring streets, schools and private properties adjacent the rail corridor. Fundamentally the aim of the project was to provide alternative nesting sites for fauna that may have been displaced by the loss of vegetation, specifically trees from the rail projects.
DPTI worked with a Zoologist (James Smith) who teamed with schools within the area to build nesting boxes. This Community Wildlife Project was enthusiastically embraced by the community. This includes the kids of the Black Forest and Goodwood Primary Schools, Clarence Park Community Centre T.O.Y.S. Workshop (who provided the workshop for the kids to make the nesting boxes) and numerous other volunteers have all been valuable contributors, ensuring the environmental and educational outcomes sort have been achieved

The boxes have been placed in trees near the rail corridor (Goodwood Primary School, Forestville Reserve, Black Forest School, Devon Street & Railway Terrace, Lyons Parade, Cromer Parade and Goodwood Oval). The Council has supported this project and agreed to take on board the longer term maintenance of these boxes. In total 42 fauna boxes are located in trees near the corridor as part of this project.

Council already has 52 boxes located throughout the rest of the City (predominately to the east of the City). With the additional 42 provided from this project we are now close to 100 fauna boxes throughout the City.