Habitat project to attract fauna to City reserves

The City of Armadale is urging residents in bushland areas to participate in a habitat enhancement project to provide homes for fauna.

Following a successful grant from the State Natural Resource management Office, the City will embark on a habitat enhancement project in a number of the City’s reserves including Bungendore Park, Armadale Settlers Common, Lloyd Hughes Park and Fletcher Park.

The project will install habitat boxes for endangered species that have previously been recorded in the reserves including brush tailed possums, brush tailed phascogales, Forest Black Cockatoos and quenda. Micro bat boxes will also be installed.

The project will complement previous projects by the City in installing Cockatubes in bushland reserves to encourage breeding of the endangered Forest Black Cockatoos.

Once installed, volunteers from the Bungendore Park Working Group and Armadale Settlers Common Working Group will assist in monitoring the habitat boxes.

City of Armadale Mayor Henry Zelones OAM JP encouraged residents to install similar habitat boxes on their own properties.

“People that live in residential areas should consider installing micro bat boxes in their back yards as the bats assist in insect control,” he said.

“Those in bushland areas can attract native wildlife back to their yard through planting native plants and installing a bird nesting box or possum box.”

“Armadale Primary School students will be building some of the possum and bat boxes for the City, and designs are available from the City’s Environmental Office on request”

Those wishing to participate in the program and install habitat boxes can contact the City of Armadale on 9394 5000.