Hello Members, Staff, Board and Associate Members,
Happy New Year to each and every one of you. I hope you have all had a chance to down tools and take a bit of a break from Landcare, though I know that some of you have been working through and tending to your plantings during the hot spells we have experienced over the last month. We are certainly in the grip of a rather prolonged hot spell at the moment and I hope that you are taking care of yourselves first and foremost while we endure these 40+ degree days!
As I get my head back into work mode I am excited by the projects and events that are taking shape for 2026 and I am looking forward to sharing these with you as the year unfolds.
We are trialling less frequent communications this year with network updates planned monthly and bulletin’s/ the annual report every 3 months. We hope this will free up your inbox somewhat but still keep you connected with what is going on locally in the world of Landcare.
Jo
Welcome to our New Gardens 4 Wildlife project officer
I would like you to join me in welcoming Jess Robinson as our new G4W project officer. Jess comes to us with a wealth of experience in the Landcare space as a project officer with Up2Us Landcare Alliance based at Mansfield and she will continue in this role while also supporting WULN with our Gardens 4 Wildlife Program.
Jess can be contacted at jess@wodongalandcare.org.au or 0425 416 616.
Jess will be working from home and her work days will generally be Thursday and Friday. Jess will be attending the Baranduda Fields Office opening on the 19th February and I encourage you to take this opportunity to introduce yourselves.
Welcome Jess, we are excited to have you as part of the WULN Network.
Operational Committee Meeting Reminder
Our next operational committee meeting is Sunday 15th February, 2026 at the Baranduda Fields Office. I encourage all Coordinators to attend. If there are specific issues you would like raised or addressed, please send me an email and I’ll add it to the agenda!
EOI- groups wanting to install nest boxes
Parklands Albury Wodonga (PAW) has been successful in securing a WIRES grant to install a number of nest boxes for gliders around Wodonga. I met with Ant Packer to discuss thoughts on where these boxes should be located and in the first instance we are calling for expressions of interest from all our groups. Please send through an email to me if you are interested installing nest boxes on your patch, with an indication of how many nest boxes you would like.
PAW will also be and conducting training for volunteers in coming months on monitoring of nest boxes including the how, when, and why we should monitor our nest boxes and use of the field maps app and the nest box portal. Keep your eyes peeled for more information on training sessions.
Landcare branded work shirts
Some groups have been requesting Landcare branded work shirts instead of the Landcare vests. Currently WULN is unable to fund this request, however if volunteers would like to purchase their own long sleeved work shirts then I can provide to Coordinators the information on the company which currently holds our logo information. The cost of printing as @ December 2025 was $13 per shirt for printing on both the back and front. Please get in contact with me if you need more information.
Baranduda Fields Ecohub Opening
Invitations were sent out late last year to all network members for the upcoming Baranduda Fields Office opening. A reminder that this event is on Thursday, 19 February 2026 at 1:00pm. This event marks an exciting milestone for Wodonga Urban Landcare Network, and we would be honoured to have our volunteers join us to celebrate the occasion.
Please RSVP by close of business on Tuesday, 17 February 2026 using this link.