Latest News

Hello HEN members and supporters,

The HEN Committee has been busy trying to come up with ideas for projects to protect and improve the Hawkesbury through collaboration with other groups in the area. We expect to receive some additional Federal funding in the near future and hope to be able to improve the health of the people, the natural environment and the river. Please get in touch with HEN if you have project ideas.

HEN may soon have an office at the Earthcare Centre inside the University where we can work, hold meetings and see people who would like to get involved with HEN projects. We are exploring this at the moment. 

After the July floods we have again lost many of our plantings of local native sedges, rushes, casuarinas and other small trees at Pughs Lagoon.  We will wait to see if the predicted heavy rain causes more damage before we act on this. Our Hawkesbury Wetlands and surrounding farms and people have again been devastated by the most recent floods. Many are very tired and disillusioned after so much cleaning up. We hope to be able to help here with the new injection of funds!

The Wetland Forum which was held in Winter was well attended and garnered lots of interest from local residents and Councillors from Hawkesbury and Hills Councils. Wetland protection has moved up the agenda!

HEN has held two morning teas for locals and the final one is next weekend in Kurrajong. It will include a bird walk and is booked out. We would like to hold more events like this including bushwalks if our members tell us that is what they want. Please let us know!

Our AGM will be held in the Windsor Library 2nd or 3rd November (tba) in the evening. The theme this year is Changes to the Hawkesbury River Following Recent Floods – Future Planning. So far we have two speakers confirmed and expect another soon. 

Please contact me with any questions or feedback at info@hen.org.au or directly at jocelynhowden@gmail.com

and if necessary please renew your membership at hen.org.au !

Thank you!

Dear HEN Members and Supporters, Welcome to HEN in 2021. We hope it will be a better year than the last one and that we can achieve some wins for our precious Hawkesbury Environment. There is a lot happening so far this year. The HEN Committee continues to work on the Communities Grant targetted at improving and restoring vegetation at Pugh’s Lagoon. We are also working closely with Katherine Clare from Local Land Services (working out of Hawkesbury River County Council) on another Commonwealth grant to record water quality, vegetation and wildlife at 30 Hawkesbury wetlands. We have visited some beautiful wetlands over the last year which host many waterbirds and provide habitat for varied aquatic animals and plant species. Many of these wetlands are on private land and it’s good to see that most of the owners value and take good care of their wetlands. World Wetlands Day  HEN members celebrated World Wetlands Day on Tuesday the 2nd February at Pugh’s Lagoon, Smith Park, the location of HEN’s current project restoring the lagoon margins. Melissa Medo from Ecotune spoke about the importance of wetlands and Chad Beranek told us about his PhD work entitled “Restoration Ecology of the Green and Golden Bell Frog”. Both talks were very informative and interesting, highlighting the complexity of wetland ecosystems.  A group of wonderful volunteers helped out by weeding around the new sedges and shrubs planted last year. The wet summer has resulted in plenty of healthy new growth. You are invited to join us on Tuesday March 2nd  for our next planting Day at Pugh’s Lagoon. Just contact Jocelyn on 0407 254415 if you would like to participate. Clean-up Australia Day 2021 will be held on Sunday 7th March at Pugh’s Lagoon. Please come along if you are Covid-safe. Hawkesbury City Council Draft Zero Emissions and Water Efficiency Strategy  HEN supports HCC’s strategy to reduce energy and water costs across the region. Implementing more efficient technologies that will lower our emissions and save water will benefit both rate payers and the environment. Given that Hawkesbury’s households generate nearly 60% more emissions than the average household in Greater Sydney this is a strategy we can all support.The consultation period closes on Monday 15th, February so if you have not already responded please consider providing feedback on this important draft strategy. HEN’s next Committee meeting will be held on Monday 15th February in the Windsor Library Tebbutt Room at 6.30 pm. Paid-up members of HEN are welcome to come along to hear about our plans for 2021. Please let us know if you plan to come via info@hen.org.au  As a not-for -profit organisation we depend on membership and donations to fund our on-going operating expenses. Funds are needed to maintain the website, our PO Box and other minor admin costs such as printing flyers for events. You are receiving this newsletter because at some time you have joined HEN or shown your support. We are most appreciative of those members who renew their membership annually (it’s only $15 and easy via the website). Please visit  HEN Facebook  where many events show up: Please Like us! Keep in touch and encourage your friends to join up and be part of our campaigns! We are really keen to attract new paying members to HEN.

Kind Regards, Jocelyn Howden, Vice Chair Christine Watson, Secretary

Dear HEN Members and Supporters, We hope you are all still managing to stay safe, happy and busy during COVID19 and all the trials that a pandemic brings! Hawkesbury Environment Network will be celebrating our 10th anniversary Saturday 24th October. We would love all current and past members and volunteers to join us. We hope to hold our AGM and Anniversary event at Earthcare Centre, UWS Richmond on that day with the theme “Self-Sufficiency in Isolation”. COVID rules state that sixteen people are permitted to be in the building for a meeting, so we hope to be able to have a webcast running as well. This should give our members the opportunity to join in without being present in person. Council is allowing people back to do volunteer work in the Hawkesbury as of last week, so some HEN members and others have attended the COVID and general WHS reminder training in person or via Zoom. If you would like to know more about this training, contact Patricia.SUNDIN@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au Our watering stations for wildlife project is on hold at the moment and the components are stored at the Community Nursery. We should be able to get on with construction of these soon, I hope.  Volunteers will be welcome to help. Don’t forget HEN now has an easy-to-see donate button on our website where you can make a contribution to all our work.  HEN has been able to resume work recently at Pughs Lagoon on our Commonwealth Government grant from the Communities Environment Program. The project is “Valuing Our Wetlands – Smith Park Pughs Lagoon”.  HEN is working in collaboration with Hawkesbury City Council, Ecotune (a small local bush regeneration company) and the Wetlands Working Group to achieve the outcomes for this grant. Please contact me at hen.org.au if you would like to be a volunteer on this project – weeding and planting new trees and grasses. HEN is continuing to  support Koalas in 2020, working to raise awareness of the vital need for habitat protection of this iconic species which has been so devastated by fires this summer all across Australia. HEN continues to monitor progress on the Richmond Bridge duplication, the proposed raising of the Warragamba Dam wall, sand mining in and around the river, and PFAS contamination. Please visit our website (below) and look at  HEN Facebook  where many events show up. Keep in touch and encourage your friends to join up and be part of our campaigns!  Remember to renew your membership each year and please attend our AGM either in person or via the webcast. Email me if you would like to attend – we will need your details to zoom you in.