Forest Lake’s very own environmental group is back up and running and eager to make an impact on the area.
Desoto Place Bushcare Group leader Sarah Choudhury said the group welcomed people of all ages and backgrounds at its fortnightly meetups.
Ms Choudhury says that leading Grand Avenue State School’s nature club inspired her to step up and lead this group.
“It was so delightful to help the children engage with nature,” she said.
In the bushcare meetups, Ms Choudhary said the group used different plant and weed identification books to identify what’s living in the area, with their favourite activity called a ‘bio-blitz’.
“[Bio-blitzes are] used for a global citizen science platform that helps to get a better idea of what types of biodiversity are in different locations,” she said.
“We all went around with our phones and took photos of different plants, insects and birds and made our best guess as to what they were,” she said.
The group also aims to understand the “precious and valuable species” that are growing in the area.
Members chose to survey a spot bounded by Centennial Way, Grand Avenue and Carisbrook Circuit because it’s a “really valuable revegetation site just above the lake”, and looking after it is “good for wildlife … and water quality”, Ms Choudhury said.
Ms Choudhury recounted several highlights of her time as the group leader, including the time a butcher bird flew up and showed them the moth they had been looking for for hours, and when they found up to ten different insect houses on one tree.
The group is run by Habitat Brisbane, a Brisbane City Council initiative with more than 150 bush care groups across Brisbane.
Its goal is to encourage community involvement in a more sustainable Brisbane, preserve and enhance natural areas, provide hands-on experience in conservation, and promote biodiversity in bushland, parks, wetlands and waterways.
Desoto Place Bushcare Group meets every second Sunday afternoon, with the next meet-up on Sunday, 7 June.
You can find out more on the Desoto Place Bushcare Group Facebook page, or Habitat Brisbane website.
