Yass Valley Council, environmental groups to safeguard Yass Gorge

YVC’s natural resources and sustainability officer Rebecca Widdows said a management plan will guide actions to protect the area into the future.

“The Yass Gorge is important not only as a rare vegetation community and a key piece of habitat for our native animals and birds, but as an easily accessible place of natural beauty right in the centre of town,” Ms Widdows said.

“The plan of management is a commitment to make sure future generations can experience it too.”

The Yass Gorge is an environmental corridor in the centre of Yass town, stretching from Flat Rock Crossing to the Yass dam wall.

The gorge is important as it is home to a significant patch of Natural Temperate Grassland (a critically endangered ecological community) and other unique environmental and cultural features.

Responsibilities and timeframes are allocated within the management plan. Friends of Yass Gorge will conduct a large amount of the actions, showing a high level of community ownership of the plan.

“The Yass Gorge is unique because it exists within the urban environment of Yass and, yet, for many years, it was hidden away by massive growths of blackberry and willow,” Friends of Yass Gorge founding member Jill McGovern said.

“In recent times, Yass Landcare, Yass Valley Council with Green Army support, the local Aboriginal community and other local organisations worked together to remove the noxious weeds and create trails through the gorge," she said.

A grant received through the 25^th anniversary Landcare grants enabled Yass Landcare to engage expert grassland ecologists from Kosciuszko to Coast to formulate a management plan for the Yass Gorge Natural Temperate Grassland.

This scientific document has been used as a basis for the plan of management that YVC is seeking feedback on to protect this natural community asset.

The draft plan of management is on exhibition. YVC encourages the community to engage with the document and make submissions, which are are invited up until 5pm on Friday, August 18.