About 150 Blue Mountains residents attended a 'Recovering Our Backyard' mini-expo in Blackheath on Saturday, February 29.
The event, hosted by Blue ARC and the Resilience and Preparedness Group, was a response, supported by the Recovery Wellbeing Committee, to concerns expressed by residents interested in helping to restore eco-systems after the fires.
Three speakers gave freely of their professional expertise on how residents can help, even in their own backyards. Dr Holly Parsons from Birdlife Australia spoke on the 'Dos and Don'ts' of supporting birdlife; Dr Kellie Leigh from Science for Wildlife advised on supporting wildlife; and Sue Cunningham from Blue Mountains Bushcare spoke on habitat restoration.
Participants were then able to browse the expo, to speak with representatives from nearly 20 organisations for more information or to volunteer with local groups. Videos of all three presentations, once edited, will be posted at http://www.mcrn.org.au and on the Blue ARC Facebook group. A workshop on installing nesting boxes was held at Blackheath Community Farm after the expo.