We protect what we love

FRIDAY . 27 . 05. 22 .

Good morning wonderful humans of For Wild Places.

Wow! What a great election result. Here at FWP virtual headquarters, we're all pretty happy with the 'greenslide' of voters, who preferred candidates that support climate action over the long-standing pro-coal Libs. This greenslide demonstrates a collective conscious of the pressing issue of climate change, and are demanding action on climate. We're absolutely stoked that more people have voted Greens than ever before. We're also stoked about the immediate changes that our new PM has invoked, such as adding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to the podium.

In this week's newsletter, we're linking you with some educational resources for National Reconciliation Week (which is next week) and recap the importance of mangroves in our inter-tidal zones.

Happy reading folks.

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK: 27 MAY - 3 JUNE

"Be Brave. Make Change."

Whilst we believe that First Nations culture and truth telling should be celebrated and embedded into everyday life, National Reconciliation Week puts a spotlight on this and promotes this process. This years theme "Be Brave. Make Change" challenges all Australia's (individuals, families, communities, organisations and governments) to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation, so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.

Here are a few resources to help you to be brave to make change:

• Social tiles and banners demonstrate an awareness, make visible your commitment and educate others.
• Circulating a digital poster or putting up posters/flyers in your workplace can be great conversation starters and demonstrate that organisations commitment to reconciliation and celebrates aboriginal culture.
• You're never too young to start learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history, which is why colouring-in activities for kids are a great resource.

If you're like me, and enjoy learning on the go, then here are some great podcasts that collectively play an important part in increasing self-awareness of the Indigenous community and its achievements, and feature a range of conversations that provide a critique of society, politics and culture.

Along with many people around Australia, we were grateful for our new Prime Minister to acknowledge country and promised action on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. You can learn more about what the Uluru statement means here.

As trail runners, we believe that acknowledging the country and traditional owners of the land in which we are running on is a very first step in the healing process. "This practice can raise awareness of histories that are sometimes forgotten, or, intentionally suppressed, and be an important reminder that Indigenous peoples are still here" - Lydia Jennings. Adding traditional country to your Instagram post or Strava comments is a great place to start - maybe others will start to do the same.

30 WEEKS TO 100 MILES: WEEK 2

The Mangroves of Bobbin Head, Ku-ring-Gai country

Epic ultra-runner and all-round good human Sophie (aka @therunningdietitian) showed me the trails of Bobbin Head in Ku-ring-Gai country - land of the Durramurragal people. Pouring rain did not deter us (I've forgotten what it's like to have dry feet when running) and we enjoyed three hours of trails. Here's a little bit of what I learnt about Ku-ring-Gai's indigenous heritage and mangroves (which are found in the area).

ABORIGINAL HERITAGE

Approximately 350 Aboriginal sites have been recorded in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. They include rock engravings, burial sites, axe grinding grooves and places that show evidence of Aboriginal occupation. These sites are the most visible reminders of the area's rich Indigenous culture.

Aboriginal rock engravings. Credit: National Parks.

The Aboriginal Heritage walk (located in West Head - a little bit north of Bobbin Head) highlights some incredible art and historic rock engravings of the traditional owners, including the most well known Red Hands Cave. For those who may not be able to reach the site due to accessibility (it's not wheelchair-friendly), there is the option of a virtual tour of the track and cave.

MANGROVES

Mangroves form part of an intertidal community that grow on the foreshores of coastal lakes and estuaries.

The Grey Mangrove, characterised by its long thick leaves. Credit: John Spencer, National Parks.

Some facts that highlight just how significant they are:

The Grey Mangrove, Avicennia marina, is the most common species of mangrove found within intertidal zones across Australia.

• They have adapted to salty conditions which most other vegetation cannot tolerate
• They provide a really important feeding ground and an essential breeding habitat for fish, birds and crustaceans
• Mangroves collect and recycle nutrients and filter contaminants from run-off to help maintain water quality and protect the water body from the impacts of humans. Think of them as coastal kidney's
• Absorbing the energy of storm surges (e.g. wind and wave action) and act as a buffer to prevent erosion and flooding of local areas
• Coastal wetland ecosystems capture 66 x more CO2, and store 5 x more CO2 then terrestrial ecosystems such as forests

Impacts

Sadly, mangroves have been undervalued and considered to be wastelands (the bad smell probably doesn't help). You can learn about human impacts on mangroves here.

How we can help these amazing ecosystems

The most successful restoration is achieved by creating the right conditions for water flows to enable natural regeneration or recolonisation. Whist many initiatives need to happen at a council level, there's a few things that you can do to help:

• By reading this newsletter, you've ticked off the first thing - that's educating yourself on (a) the importance of mangroves and other tidal ecosystems and (b) human-induced impacts. You can continue to learn about mangroves - they're pretty cool.
• You can join an OzFish Mangrove and Saltmarsh Restoration project
• Removing rubbish tangled in their roots if you're visiting the area

🌱

Take some time to get outside, find inner peace on the trails and we'll catch you next week.

And, as always, thank you for taking the time to support wild places!

Elanor & the For Wild Places team.

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We acknowledge the the First Nations people who have been custodians of land, waters and culture for tens of thousands of years. We pay respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.

This email was compiled on Gadigal lands of the Eora nation. To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.