Latest News

24th February 2023:

New in our shop! Hot off the printing press!

A 16-page booklet about the Helmeted Honeyeater, with a focus on their breeding stages. There are quick facts, stunning pictures, and children’s activities that the whole family can get involved in.

Content developed by Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater (2022).

– Suitable for 3-12 year old children, their families and carers

– Suitable as a teaching resource

– Design by FoHH volunteer, Michelle Gray-Shields. Thank you Michelle!

– 100% of profits go toward supporting our on-ground projects. It’s a win win!

Head to our shop.

7th February 2023:

32 people, all keen to learn how to spot and ID reptiles, were out in Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area with the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater, learning from the expertise of Professor David Chapple and research assistant Jules Farquhar from Monash University. We visited a few different habitat types within YNCA where Dave and Jules talked about how these often shy creatures, including two species expected to be listed soon as threatened on the EPBC Act, Swamp Skink and Glossy Grass Skink, might be making use of the different vegetation types. It is suspected that they are. Jules emphasised the value to researchers of community observations being uploaded to the citizen science platform iNaturalist (see our ‘Yellingbo and surrounds’ iNaturalist project HERE).

YNCA is known for being home to the critically endangered Helmeted Honeyeater and Leadbeater’s Possum, but we are very mindful of the ecosystem as a whole and that no species survives in isolation. In 2023, Dave Chapple and his team at Monash Uni will be starting comprehensive surveys for lizards and snakes throughout YNCA, and through the comparison of reptile diversity and abundance in remnant, revegetated, and disturbed sites, determine whether conservation efforts for the Helmeted Honeyeater have had a positive benefit for reptiles in the YNCA. Watch this space!

3rd December 2022:

On 11 Nov 2022, we called for a new Treasurer (volunteer role) to join our Committee of Management.

This position was filled at our AGM today. Welcome David! In welcoming David, we extend our sincere thanks to Suzanne who held this position for 6 years. Thank you Suzanne, and we look forward to seeing you at the Friends events in the years to come.

We also thank Alan Clayton, who steps down from the President role, having contributed enormously to the Friends current position, and takes on a General Member role on the committee. We welcome into the Joint President role, Andrew Kelly and Virginia Wallace.

11th November 2022:

LAUNCH OF FAUNAL EMBLEMS CASE STUDIES TO HELP VCE STUDENTS UNDERSTAND EXTINCTION ISSUES

A valuable VCE resource addressing the critically endangered Helmeted Honeyeater is being launched today at the Environment Educators Victoria Environmental Science Teachers Conference.

Read more about the conference and case study here.

Click HERE to get your free download of our VCE Helmeted Honeyeater Case Study.

The Leadbeater’s Possum Case Study, prepared in conjunction with the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum, is close to finalisation and will shortly be available on the Friends website.

50th Anniversary News

In 2021 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our State bird emblem, the Helmeted Honeyeater and State mammal emblem, the Leadbeater’s Possum being proclaimed. Both are Critically Endangered.

The Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater and the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum are running a whole year program of events to help celebrate a message of hope for our treasured native species. See pages 3 & 4 of the Autumn edition of the Heho Herald for information about the events we are holding this year. Some events are members only, and others are open to the public.

Once common in Victoria, around the Yarra Yalley and south down to the Bass River, Helmeted Honeyeaters are now only found in a single location in Yellingbo, about 50 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD. A decade ago, it was estimated there were only 50 Helmeted Honeyeaters in the wild. Thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Helmeted Honeyeater volunteers and a multi-agency recovery team, today there are around 250 birds in three separate colonies.

The Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum are tireless advocates in their efforts to preserve known habitat of both the lowland and highland populations of the Leadbeater’s Possum.

The species is Critically Endangered and the small lowland colony at Yellingbo is under especially severe pressure. Unfortunately, efforts to breed the possum in captivity have so far been unsuccessful and a trial translocation was abandoned due to cat predation. We must continue our efforts as a volunteer community group to do all we can to protect our unique species in the forests where they live.

16th October 2021:

Symposium – Celebrating 50 years of our faunal emblems being proclaimed.

On 16 October we hosted our FREE Symposium, where we shared the challenges and successes of threatened species conservation as it relates to our Victorian faunal emblems.

UPDATE: We recorded it. Please click here if you missed it!

Read our media release here.

15th July 2021:

CALLING WILDLIFE ARTISTS TO DONATE ART FOR EXHIBITION

We are calling for passionate artists to donate work for an art exhibition celebrating our State Faunal Emblems. The exhibition will run from 16 October to 14 November 2021 and will be held at Burrinja Gallery in Upwey.

We are asking wildlife artists to join us by donating their work to this exhibition.

Please click here for the media release
Please click here for the species list
Please click here if you are interested in exhibiting and would like more information.

Exhibition Dates: 16 October to 14 November 2021
Gallery: Burrinja Gallery, 351 Glenfern Road, Upwey
Artist contact: Marita Hanigan, 0487 048 225

25th May 2021:

Internationally renowned pianist Coady Green, composer Dr Jane Hammond and leading musicians are premiering a new musical work celebrating the Regent and Helmeted Honeyeaters on Wednesday 26 May 2021 at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

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