Bat boxes built by Dookie Men's Shed members will help provide homes for micro-bats in the Broadford area.Dookie Men's Shed co-ordinator John Sims said the group had only been operating for about eight months and the bat box-building project was one of its first projects.
Bat boxes built by Dookie Men's Shed members will help provide homes for micro-bats in the Broadford area.Dookie Men's Shed co-ordinator John Sims said the group had only been operating for about eight months and the bat box-building project was one of its first projects.
"Shepparton Men's Shed co-ordinator Gary Gray has been instrumental in helping us get this project up and running, and liaising with the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (CMA), Bunnings, who supplied some initial materials, and Shepparton Sporting Shooters Association, who supplied the wood," Mr Sims said.
"Men's sheds promote fellowship and creativity. Knowing that we've built something useful for these micro-bats has made this a good project to be involved in."
The group has also built nesting boxes for pardalotes and traps for myna birds.
Goulburn Broken CMA Landcare Corporate Partnership Facilitator Karen Brisbane said the 12 micro-bat nest boxes were delivered to the South West Goulburn Landcare group last month.
"South West Goulburn Landcare received funding from the Goulburn Broken CMA as part of the state-funded Biodiversity in the North and Central Victorian Biolinks project to protect paddock trees on properties," Ms Brisbane said. "Paddock trees need to be protected as they are generally older trees that provide the hollows and crevices micro-bats, and other species, need to nest. Micro-bats are quite a secretive, relatively unknown species, and often overlooked for the benefits that they provide to their local environment; for example they can eat approximately half their body weight in insects, including mosquitoes, each night."
Ms Brisbane said the boxes built by Dookie Men's Shed members would be put up on properties to provide additional habitat for micro-bats.
"Over the next few months Landcare group members and landholders will monitor the boxes to check that they are being used by micro-bats," Ms Brisbane said.
"We really appreciate the Dookie Men's Shed members' contribution to help protect and enhance the Goulburn Broken Catchment's unique biodiversity."
The Dookie Men' Shed meets at the Dookie showgrounds on Friday mornings. New members are welcome. Please phone John Sims on 5828 6469 for more information.
For more information about Landcare projects in the Goulburn Broken CMA, contact Karen Brisbane on 5820 1100 or email
karenb@gbcma.vic.gov.au
Dookie Men’s Shed members Don Bryant, John Milligan and John Sims.