The plains-wanderer project is delivered by the North Central Catchment Management Authority over five years with the Trust for Nature, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Traditional Owners, Zoos Victoria, Parks Victoria and the Northern Plains Conservation Management Network
As part of the project a documentary has been made, with a screening at the Echuca Paramount Theatre on Sunday, October 16 at 4pm.
Northern Conservation Management Network president Faye Bail is one of the many members of the local community featured in the film, along with her husband, Andrew Bail.
“Andrew and I were asked to be involved in the making as we have grassland on the Patho Plains and we have plains-wanderers that reside there,” Mrs Bail said.
“We were interviewed for the film about what we do and how we manage the land as habitat for the bird.
“We manage the grassland with sheep grazing by keeping the grass at a height that the plains-wanderer likes — it doesn't like it too short, it doesn’t like it too tall.
“We are doing everything we can to help the bird's long-term survival, with the aim to protect one of the only two core populations nationally.”
Activities in the project include placing covenants on grasslands to protect privately owned high-quality plains-wanderer habitat, revegetation to replace lost plains-wanderer food plants at key public grasslands, revegetation of Buloke Woodlands, reintroduction of a population of spiny rice flower and turnip copperburr, boxthorn control to improve habitat, and rabbit control to protect revegetation and regeneration.
“It is about the whole community and the whole community's actions to help save the plains-wanderer, with many local farmers involved in the film and the project,” Mrs Bail said.
“There’s parts in the film where you might shed a tear, but there’s also some very good humour involving our local farmers.”
The screening is hosted by St Mary’s Parish as part of a dedicated month of care for creation in September through to October.
St Mary’s Parish care and creation group member Christine Sebire explained that the Catholic Church was presenting the film as a response to the Pope’s call to care for creation.
“We thought the film was a great opportunity for us to highlight a great project that’s actually going on at our back door,” Mrs Sebire said.
“A species is literally being brought back from the brink of extinction, because of the goodwill and the efforts of local people and what they are prepared to do on their properties to look after creation, and hence look after the bird.”
Everybody's welcome to attend the screening. Tickets are available at the door, with refreshments after the screening, and Mrs Bail speaking about her involvement in the project.
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