COMING EVENTS

MUSIC ON MARS – Sunday 20 September, 2pm
Some interestingly different performances are planned for this popular event, not to be missed!
Click here for information to download a detailed brochure.

SPIDERS: a talk/presentation by HELEN SMITH – Sunday 25 October

END-OF-YEAR CELEBRATION – Sunday 8 November
As our 60th anniversary year draws to a close and we celebrate the work of our members, we will hold another open day with displays by City of Ryde Bushcare, The Habitat, Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre and, of course, our own Society. Included in the planning are family activities and our traditional barbecue lunch. Final details, including how to RSVP for lunch, will be published in October.

BIRD WALKS led by Cathy Goswell – Sunday 29 November - departures 8.30am and 10.30am

PAST EVENTS

“WHERE HAVE ALL THE TREES GONE?”
Professor Peter Davies gave a well-researched talk about the relationships between suburban development and the need for green spaces and tree canopy. There were some clever insights for maximizing the benefits of nature as the suburbs are more densely developed.

WILDFLOWER WALKS
The usual great displays of wildflowers in the Reserve did not appear this year. However, some flowers did start to appear later in July. Our guided walks were postponed owing to illness but, at the time of writing, they are rescheduled to be held on the first Saturday in August. Members, and all who originally registered, were notified.

YARNKNIT RUG RAFFLE PRIZE


Win a Yarnknit rug, in shades of green from aqua to emerald. Donated once again by Holy Spirit Yarn Group, you could be the lucky winner when the raffle is drawn at our AGM in early 2027.
Proceeds support the work of the Ryde Hunters Hill Flora and Fauna Preservation Society.
Give to a family member or friend, keep it for yourself or donate it to a worthy organisation.
Tickets are $5 each - buy at the Visitors Centre or online by transfer to our Bendigo Bank account:
RYDE HUNTERS HILL FLORA AND FAUNA PRESERVATION SOCIETY INC, BSB 633-000, Account number 190716589.
Include your name and “raffle” in the transaction description, and email your contact details to rhhffps@gmail.com

PRESIDENT’S NOTE -

Members may be aware that the proposal for the extension of the Woodside Browse Gas Project in North West Australia has been reopened for public comment. The project is to create 50 new gas wells off Broome in the Browse Basin, the home of the Scott Reef.
The Scott Reef is Australia’s most diverse coral reef system and the third largest coral reef in Australia and is under threat. There remain serious concerns about damage to rock art in the Murujuga National Park region nearby.
The project was approved in 2019 (EPBC No. 2018/8319) and Woodside later sought a variation to extend the life of the project to 2070. This was approved by the Minister on 12 September 2025 subject to environmental and heritage conditions. Subsequent to this decision an independent expert reported on 'End-to-End Attribution of the Browse to North West Shelf Project and Impacts on Coral Loss in the Great Barrier Reef'.
On 18 February 2026 the Environmental Justice Australia on behalf of the Australian Conservation Foundation requested the Minister to reconsider the project due to this substantial new scientific evidence linking the project's emissions to catastrophic coral devastation on the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Listed site.
The Minister officially accepted the request and opened the project to public comment.
Under the EPBC Act, an environmental assessment must consider both the direct and indirect impacts of an action.
The downstream emissions generated by transporting and burning the gas extracted from the Browse basin constitute a significant indirect impact of the project. It is no longer scientifically or legally tenable to assess the local impacts of an offshore facility while ignoring the catastrophic global and local damage caused by the project's total lifecycle emissions.
The new scientific evidence demonstrates the link between the burning of the gas by overseas buyers and the impact on the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area. Scott Reef is listed as a State Heritage Area and Australian Heritage Area but the impact on the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is the key consideration.
Submissions closed on 21 July 26 and the Society will be monitoring the decision by the Minister.
Frank Breen, President

About RHHFFPS

The Society has been active in local conservation issues since 1966 and is well networked with the broader conservation movement across NSW.

The Society's Constitution states its Aims and Objectives as:

a. The education of the members and the community, particularly in the local area, in nature conservation and protection of the environment;

b. To promote ecologically sustainable land use and development;

c. To promote nature conservation including an adequate system of national parks, wilderness areas, nature reserves, wildlife refuges and corridors and urban bushland reserves; adequate protection measures for native wildlife;

d. Achieving satisfactory measures to safeguard the environment from all forms of pollution to ensure clean air, clean water and a healthy environment;

e. To work for the permanent retention and conservation of all natural areas in the local district and an increase in the area set aside for nature conservation and

f. To undertake the management of the Field of Mars Reserve with Ryde City Council as a major conservation project

We have a regular newsletter Wallumetta which is issued six times a year which attempts to update members on both local environmental issues and issues of wider impact. Our volunteer members keep the Visitors Centre open each weekend. Please contact us if you have concerns about threats to our local natural areas and the precious native fauna which depend on our sensitive bushland areas and waterways.