Following the 2019-20 Black Summer fires and Wollombi valley floods in both 2020 and 2022, a group of landholders in Upper Yango Creek, Laguna banded together to seek grant funding and establish a program of recovery and resilience works.
Their website documents the impressive range of projects completed from essential road works, extensive riparian repair, habitat restoration, cool burning, to community fire training and equipment.
Habitat restoration works included creating artificial hollows in areas used by yellow-bellied gliders, refuge tunnels for small mammals, and revegetation of the riparian corridors. These works were supported by a wide range of fauna, flora, and fire recovery surveys.
North Sullivan from UYLA spoke at the NCC Bushfire Conference in 2025 on the power of community when neighbours are motivated by common goals to protect both their assets and the environment.
Links
Upper Yango Landholders Association:
https://www.upperyango.com.au/
NCC Bushfire Conference 2025:
https://vimeo.com/showcase/12013206?video=1098368112 (Skip to 1:09:07 to watch North Sullivan’s talk).
This article was written by Belinda Kenny, the acting Bushfire Program Coordinator with the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.
