21 August 2026

One year ago today, we launched our campaign to save Canberra’s critically endangered and culturally significant Western Edge. The campaign has been a huge success so far, but we are not stopping. The next big action is only one month away - Canberra's Biggest Nutbush on the 19th of September to call on the ACT Government to follow through on their promise of setting 🎵💃 Canberra City Limits! 🕺🎵 Find out more and register here to make this a fun, record breaking event!

In case you missed it, NEW Western Edge T-shirts and Calendars are now available and a flash sale of our past merchandise at very reduced prices is now live too! Take a look at our shop to get yours!

We've also got some great events coming up for Threatened Species Day, including a short film screening on the Tallaganda Forest Campaign and a Threatened Species Day Symposium.

Later down the track, our AGM will be held on 26 November in the evening. We will release all relevant details over the next weeks and months.

Until next time,

The Conservation Council team.

As a non-profit, non-government organisation, the Conservation Council ACT Region relies on the donations of our generous supporters.

STAND UP FOR NATURE PROTECTION
AND CLIMATE ACTION BY GIVING TODAY

Canberra's Biggest Nutbush: Line up for our City Limits!

Ready to kick up some dust and pull out some moves for our bush capital? Join us for Canberra’s Biggest Nutbush where we’ll be lining up for our city limits!

More information and registration here.

We currently have 150 people registered which means we need another 200 people for this to be Canberra's Biggest Nutbush! Please invite your friends, family and community groups so we can make this a fun, media-worthy and history-making event!

New Western Edge T-shirts and Calendar

Our new shirts and calendar are now available to purchase in our shop! These t-shirts not only look amazing, but will be a great way to raise awareness for the Save our Western Edge campaign out in public while also helping raise funds for future campaign activities.

With our Western Edge 2027 Calendar featuring 13 annotated photos, be transported each month to a new part of our Western Edge and see why this beautiful landscape is worth protecting for present and future generations to come!

A huge thank you to our photographers and community members for providing their beautiful photography for this and to campaign volunteer Remus Douglas, (@larrikinfound) for creating amazing designs for the t-shirt as well as the Calendar.

A win for wombats in the ACT!

On 22 July 2026, the Minister for Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Suzanne Orr MLA, confirmed that the ACT Government has no current intention to declare wombats a Controlled Native Species or to pursue lethal population management practices. Read more.

Have you heard of Canberra’s rarest insects? They need your help.

The habitat of two beautiful insects - The Perunga Grasshopper, Perunga ochracea and the Canberra Raspy Cricket, Cooraboorama canberrae - found in our region’s remaining patches of intact natural grassland is in decline — so much so that the ACT Government has proposed their listing as threatened, at the level ‘Endangered’, under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). These beautiful species need your help! Read more.

Threatened Species Day Events

Short Film Screening: Tallaganda

Featuring the ANU Fenner School's researchers, expert forest ecologist Professor David Lindenmayer and glider conservation researcher Dr Ana Gracanin, the film highlights the conservation issues facing the greater glider, the researchers who work to understand them and the activists seeking to protect their habitat in Tallaganda, Badja and Glenbog State Forests, which are still under threat from logging. Read more and register.

ACT Threatened Species Awareness
Presentation Night

To mark Threatened Species Awareness Day, join us for a special presentation evening. Hear from local experts and volunteers as they share stories of hope, conservation and action — from protecting Gang-gang Cockatoos and mapping potential Gula (Koala) habitat, caring for Grey-headed Flying Foxes during extreme heat, bringing Green and Golden Bell Frogs back to the ACT to mapping threatened native orchids after bushfires. Read more and register.

AI webinar series #1

During the first webinar of this series we will take a closer look at AI and its applications to conservation, dive deeper into privacy settings to use AI safely and data management. We will also discuss different AI solutions / tools - and provide guidelines around the verification of outputs created with AI and their reliability. Register here.

Webinar: Understanding the Waragul (Dingo) - Evolution, Genetics, and Ecological Role

We had a great webinar this week on understanding the warugul (dingo) and its role in Canberra's natural ecosystems.

Few Canberran's would realise that only 40 minutes from the nation's capital, an apex predator roams the high country as it has for millenia - the Waragul (Ngunnawal for Dingo).

Yet, despite their long presence on our island continent, confusion still remains regarding the dingo’s evolutionary history, genetic makeup, and what actually constitutes a dingo versus a ‘wild dog’. The dingo’s role as an apex predator in Australian ecosystems is also contentious - debate continues over how to weigh their ecological value against the challenges they pose for land managers and livestock producers.

Watch the recording on youtube to find out more about this amazing species.

Branching Out: Canberra Nature Walks

We invite the Canberra community, especially people with no, or very little, experience with our nature to engage with us to learn about and enjoy the beautiful nature spaces the ACT has on offer.

Upcoming walks:

23 Aug, 10:00 am: Explore Nursery Swamp in Namadgi National Park with Gregory Andrews

10 Sep, 10:00 am: Branching Out: The plants and animals of the Cotter walk and beginner photography

Community News

Citizen COP

Final reminder that Expressions Of Interest (EOI) for Citizen COP will be closing at the end of August. If you are planning to host an event, now is the time to lock it in and submit your EOI.

Questions or want to chat?

Wednesday 26 August, 12–1pm. Use this link to join us: https://meet.google.com/hxv-qpbe-cyz

Caring for Country Ranger Position - Aboriginal identified position (female)

The Ginninderry Conservation Trust is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to conserving and enhancing riverine landscapes, threatened species, and ecosystems along the Murrumbidgee River Corridor in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Established in 2018 as part of the award winning Ginninderry sustainable community development, the Trust currently manages a 280 hectare conservation corridor that protects biodiversity, cultural heritage, and environmental health. The Corridor will expand to approximately 600 hectares as the urban development expands. Through partnerships with government, private sector, and local communities - including strong collaboration with Traditional Custodians - we deliver programs in ecological restoration, research, education, and community engagement. Our work includes flora and fauna surveys, weed management, water monitoring, and cultural tours, all aimed at fostering harmony between urban development and nature conservation. Find out more.

“George and Gertie” Gang-gang a poem by Edwina Smith

Read Edwina's poem here.

Support ending native forest logging

Get your free yard sign: show your neighbours, local MP and election candidates that you care about protecting forests. You can show support for the Great Southern Forest or Ending Native Forest Logging – or both! Click links below to find out more about each campaign and order your sign today.

I support ending native forest logging or I support the Great Southern Forest

The Draft Southern Gateway Planning and Design Framework

Have your say! on the long-term plan for the Southern Gateway corridor, which extends from Parliament House to Farrer.

Draft National Recovery Plan for the Gang-Gang Cockatoo

Feedback is now invited on the draft National Recovery Plan for the Gang-Gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) (Read more.)

Inquiries into Artificial intelligence and data centres

Federal - submissions close 1 September 2026

Artificial intelligence and data centres, with particular reference to:

the effectiveness of existing regulatory frameworks in managing the growth of data centres in Australia, including in relation to existing and future deals between the Government and global Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies;
the potential impacts of AI and data centres on Australian communities, industries and the environment, water and energy; and
any other related matters.

More details are here. A NSW Have Your Say on data centres is here.

Website(s) of Interest

The government's own assessment identifies almost 300 native species and subspecies at high to extreme risk from H5 bird flu – and for some, that risk is extinction.

Why Climateflation Will Drive Food Prices More Than War

Volunteer With Us

If you'd like to get involved with Conservation Council, whether that's helping out on our campaigns, researching and writing policy submissions or something else entirely, we would love to hear from you! You can find out more and get in touch here.

Sign a petition to protect nature and ensure a safe climate future

Give Australian wildlife a fighting chance against bird flu calling for a Wildlife Resilience Fund: an initial two-year, $200 million investment to strengthen vulnerable wildlife populations, repair critical habitat and ease the pressure from feral cats, foxes, rats and other invasive threats already pushing species to the edge.

Make Polluters Pay - E-Petition
The ACT is experiencing increasing natural disaster as a result of climate change. This includes heatwaves, severe storms, bushfires and associated smoke and flooding, placing pressure on local infrastructure, services and community wellbeing, and rising costs experienced by all Canberrans.

Save our Western Edge! With Canberra’s urban boundary being set by the ACT Government in 2027, we have to tell our government now, before decisions are made, that we want our Western Edge protected — not developed — so it can continue to provide vital services to our community.

Upcoming events

August is Platypus Month

August is platypus month with dusk and dawn surveys all over town (organised by Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch). Find out more.

What to do about Bird Flu with Professor Hugh Possingham, President of BirdLife Australia

24 August, 7- 8pm, online

Hosted by Amy Blain, Professor Hugh Possingham will speak to us about actions we can take. We will use the last fifteen minutes to provide you with the tools and actions you can take to help mitigate this impending crisis and call for government support. Professor Possingham will be available to answer any questions. Read more and register.

Australian Conservation Foundation’s Vision for the future: Standing up for nature and climate in the era of the polycrisis

26 Aug, 6-6.45 pm, online

Cost of living pressures, global instability, the spread of disinformation and bad actors sowing division and fear is changing politics and public life as we know it. If the environment movement doesn’t acknowledge and tackle these issues, we’ll never get on top of the climate and extinction crisis that threatens the very planet we live on - our one and only home. Register here.

Spring Community Planting Day at Gibraltar Creek ACT

12 September, 1-2pm

Spring is the perfect time to get outside, lend a hand and help bring new life to a local creekline.

Join us for a Community Planting Day at Gibraltar Creek on Saturday 12 September 2026, where you can get your hands dirty, plant native trees and shrubs, and help create habitat for local wildlife as part of the Australian River Restoration Centre’s ... Read more and register.

National Ride2Work Day

14 October

Canberra, get ready to ride! National Ride2Work Day returns on Wednesday 14 October 2026, bringing together thousands of people across Australia who choose to swap four wheels for two and experience the benefits of riding to work.Whether you're a regular commuter or considering riding to work for the first time, Ride2Work Day is a chance to enjoy a healthier, more active journey and be part of a city filled with people on bikes. Read more and register. Also, check out the Find A Guide here!

Nature Artlabs

3 - 24 August, 9.30am–12.00pm

Making Art Journals with Sharon Peoples
Join Dr Sharon Peoples for an enjoyable introduction to bookbinding and discover how to create your own handmade art journals. Book.

5 - 6 September , 9.30am–4.00pm

Wattles in Watercolour
Celebrate one of Australia's most iconic native plants while learning techniques for painting foliage, flowers, colour transitions and botanical detail in watercolour. Book.

17 - 18 October, 9.30am–4.00pm

Orchids in Watercolour
Explore the elegance and complexity of orchids while developing confidence with colour mixing, transparency and botanical illustration techniques. Book.

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We acknowledge the Ngunnawal (Ngunawal), Ngambri and Ngarigo Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live and work, extending respect to all other First Nations people with connection to this region. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and we benefit from stolen Country. We recognise the deep and continuing connection that First Nations Peoples have with land, sea, culture and community. We are striving to stand in allyship with First Nations communities for self-determination and environmental justice.

Conservation Council ACT Region

info@conservationcouncil.org.au

(02) 6229 3200