Blackville Public School has joined the TreeTroff Program!

On Tuesday  I (Liverpool Plains and Gunnedah Local Landcare Coordinator) had the great pleasure of joining the students and staff of Blackville Public School, and Wes Leedham and Carl Holmsby  from the NSW DET Environmental Education Centre at Coonabarabran, to install a Tree Troff in the playground.  Tree Troff program in NSW is a wildlife conservation initiative, primarily led by WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue, and Education Service), which provides arboreal water drinkers for tree-dwelling native animals. The program aims to mitigate the impact of drought, extreme weather events, and climate change on wildlife by providing a safe, supplementary water source high in the trees, protecting animals like koalas, gliders, possums, and birds from dehydration and ground-based predators.

Many locals will have heard of the TreeTroff, (previously known as the “Blinky Drinker) designed by Gunnedah local Rob Frend from Wildsip Pty Ltd, Mullaley to assist koalas to safely get a drink during dry times.  TreeTroffs are now in 38 NSW schools.  They have a camera installed which captures data on the nocturnal visitors.  Students download data on sightings of all biodiversity using the TreeTroff to the Atlas of Living Australia and report on a semester basis to this ongoing NSW  Education Department Project.  The Atlas is a national database of Australia’s national biodiversity database,  providing  free, online access to information about Australia's amazing biodiversity. It supports research, environmental monitoring, conservation planning, education, and biosecurity activities.  With this activity, students at Blackville Primary School become eco-scientists!

Wes and Carl presented solid information to the students and staff in a most engaging manner, and all became involved in the construction of the TreeTroff.

Many thanks to Rob Frend for the original concept,  design and manufacture,  and thank you to W.I.R.E.S. for providing the Tree Troff.   The initiative has been run by WIRES in collaboration with the University of Sydney (whose research supported the need for the drinkers), WWF-Australia, and other partners such as Local Land Services and NSW Department of Education, and Tamworth Regional Landcare whose Local Landcare coordinators are supporting several schools to implement this project.

Landowners, community groups, and councils in drought and fire-affected areas can apply for free Tree Troff drinkers to install on their property.  For the most current information on the program and how to apply for a drinker, it is recommended to visit the official WIRES website and look for their "Water for Wildlife" section.