‘The Glen’, in the Abercrombie State Conservation Area, is a popular location for people and wildlife. It “is such a diverse area, it has so much to offer 4WD enthusiasts,” says Black Diamond Recreational 4WD Club president, Lee Dunstan. “It’s great that [25 members] could help out this weekend and give back a little.”

Home to gliders, Booroolong frogs and the Macquarie Perch, the400 food trees and shrubs will enhance habitat, reduce erosion and improve water quality. The trees are an important food resource for several glider populations as well as other nectar-feeding birds, bats and mammals.

“These animals, many of which are threatened species, depend on ready access to flowering shrubs and trees throughout the year,” says Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala conservation partnership coordinator Mary Bonet.

“While neighbouring Abercrombie River National Park is the largest intact patch of open forest on the NSW Central Tablelands, the Abercrombie Reserve is in poorer shape having suffered the impacts of various land uses over time.

“The loss of flowering shrubs and hollow-bearing trees puts species such as gliders at risk of extinction from the local area, so repairing habitat and planning for future resilience is really important.”

Kanangra area ranger Jules Bros, agrees saying it is fantastic to have the 4WD groups embracing the conservation cause. “It’s a social club with a strong emphasis on families and environmentally sound practises. It really demonstrates their interest in taking care of the bush and the natural environment,” she says.

The Black Diamond Recreational 4WD Club’s efforts are part of a wider relationship between the NPWS and the NSW & ACT Four Wheel Drive Association which has seen the clubs help maintain camping areas and participate in conservation activities across the State.

The community planting day was part of a range of projects aiming to restore and re-connect habitat in the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala (K2W) supported by Taronga Zoo, Boeing, the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, the NSW Environmental Trust and Local Lands Services.

The Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala (K2W) Link forms a major natural connection between the sandstone forests of the Greater Blue Mountains and the hilly countryside around Wyangala Dam. Following the line of the Abercrombie River, the K2W Link is rich in culture and heritage and includes a particularly diverse range of plant and animals. Several significant protected areas sit within the area, including Kanangra-Boyd and Abercrombie River National Parks, Copperhania Nature Reserve and the Wyangala State Recreation Area. K2W is home to five of the six glider species found in Australia – the Squirrel Glider, Yellow-bellied Glider, Feathertail Glider, Sugar Glider and Greater Glider.