Photo: Supplied.
Ranger Stacey Thomson is Principal Adviser – Community Education (Redland City Council)
With Christmas just around the corner, that familiar festive vibe is in the air – Christmas trees, decorations in homes and shops, choosing gifts (preferably sustainable), and menu planning for the big day ahead!
Food is one of my favourite things, especially on December 25. But all the hard work and hours of prepping, cooking and preening to make everything special can be daunting. In a way, it reminds me of the tenacity and hard legwork of our very own native mound-building brush turkey. What the male of this species does to prepare the humungous nest for eggs is extraordinary! He’ll adjust the amount of leaf litter to set the incubation temperature between 33 and 38 degrees Celsius. To test that it’s just right, he pops his trusty bill into the mound, like an inbuilt thermometer. After 49 days, when the chicks hatch and emerge, they are totally wild and independent, ready to face the big wide world!
As we round out 2024 it’s also a good time to reflect on our own achievements, gained through tenacity and hard work.
I’m lucky to be part of Redland City Council’s Environment and Education team based at IndigiScapes. Once again, it’s been a busy year of nature-based activity. Collectively, we’ve achieved a lot with native plant propagation and plantings, environment workshops, support and advice for private landowners to enhance native habitat, wildlife protection and research, school programs that engaged more than 3,000 students, koala survey walks and talks, special events, school holiday fun and eco markets. The Indigi café team served thousands of plates of food created with love and a bush-flavoured twist, including around 2,000 slices of signature Indigi cake!
Thanks to a dedicated bunch of volunteers, the Redlands 24-hour Wildlife Rescue Service responded to almost 10,000 calls for help. Many more volunteer hours were spent at community bushcare events and IndigiScapes native plant nursery.
I’m grateful to work with like-minded people who strive to make a difference every day, encouraging others to tread more lightly on the planet. The recycling station at IndigiScapes received items totalling 1,500 kilograms, everything from old thongs to blister packs, proving small actions by individuals can add up to big results.
Looking forward to a bigger and better 2025. Hoping 2024 has been happy, healthy, and productive for you!
Until next time … Stay Wild!
