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We feel that the true impact of COVID‑19 is yet to be realised, and this especially applies to the more vulnerable in our community.

To remove one small concern, the Society is extending all memberships by three months.

That is, no memberships will be due for renewal for the time being. For further information, please contact our Membership Secretary, Ross Coster, on membership@bluemountains.org.au

The Society's Annual General Meeting was held online (see below), our nursery has closed, and all our bushwalking activities and the Plant Study Group walks have been curtailed for the time being.

The March Management Committee Meeting was held outdoors, was kept to a minimum and Social Distancing was observed.

It is proposed to hold the April Management Committee Meeting using Zoom.

We are aware that the next few months will be challenging and the Society will endeavour to keep members' spirits up by ensuring that we continue to be active (even if in cyberspace) and advocate for nature!

Further Information

For further information about COVID‑19, please refer to the NSW and Australian Government websites -

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The NSW Government has commissioned an Independent Inquiry into the 2019-20 bushfire season to provide input to NSW ahead of the next bushfire season.

The Society has made a submission to the inquiry

Our submission includes twenty recommendations that range from

• the obvious (action on climate change, funding for NPWS, and increased resources for fire-fighting);
• to considerations on methods of hazard reduction and fire-fighting;
• to much needed research and surveys into biodiversity and threatened species and communities.

Contributors to the submission included Peter & Judy Smith, Ian Brown, Ian Baird, Margaret Baker and Madi Maclean.

The deadline for submissions is 17 April 2020, but this can be extended for those directly affected by the fires.

Here's how to make a submission

Feel free to get ideas for your submission from ours, and include references to it. Personal submissions matter - just include your view on issues that concern you.

Here's the draft The Nature Conservation Council's submission. In addition they have prepared a submission writing guideline.

In these COVID-19 days, our Bushfires webpage (see below), may help you remember the sheer scale of the bushfires.

It is important to tell this Inquiry your concerns and experiences.

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Our Bushfires webpage contains a detailed analysis of the bushfires and their impact on the Greater Blue Mountains - including maps, an assessment of areas burnt and the loss of wildlife. This analysis was prepared by Peter Smith.

Initial information on recovery and What You Can Do is there, plus some articles on Firefighting written by Ian Brown.

We have also gathered credible articles and provide links to these.

All the bushfire information that was on the home page, is now on this webpage.

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The rapid spread of COVID-19, restrictions on public meetings, and providing a duty of care to our members, compelled us to hold our 2020 AGM Online.

Members were given the opportunity to vote on all AGM motions. All motions were overwhelmingly carried.

All nominations for positions on the 2020-21 MC were accepted - no voting was required as there was only one nomination for each position.

Tara Cameron was elected President.

We say farewell and thank you to Christine Davies (Newsletter Editor), Don Morison (2nd VP), Jeanette Robertson (Admin Officer), Judy Smith (Threatened Species Officer) and Di Shanks (Katoomba Airfield Officer).

The irrepressible Lachlan Garland (President) and Kerry Mills (NP & WH Officer) had stepped down during the year.

We welcome Caroline Druce (Admin Officer), Susan Crick (Newsletter Editor), Valda Low (Social Media Officer) and Alan Page (2nd VP).

Special thanks is given to Christine Davies for her 24 years as Newsletter Editor. Christine’s contribution has been outstanding and her ability to put together a diverse and engaging publication will be sorely missed.

Christine became a life member of the Society in 2015.

Here's the President's, Nursery and Land Use Reports and Office Holders

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Our Destination Pagoda movie was shown to a full house at Mount Vic Flicks on 2 July.

We are now reviewing options for the next screening.

To support the Destination Pagoda vision for a Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area, write a letter to the Hon. Paul Toole, Member for Bathurst and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, seeking his support for our detailed reserve establishment plan called Destination Pagoda. Mr. Toole’s electorate includes the Gardens of Stone unprotected area.

Here's how to send a letter.

It's very important that Mr. Toole hears from supporters on this proposal. The proposal is at a critical time.

Destination Pagoda proposes a world class tourism and conservation reserve on Lithgow’s doorstep. A new reserve, called the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area, will complete Myles Dunphy’s visionary 1932 Blue Mountains National Park scheme.

A key design element of Destination Pagoda is the creation of low-key visitor opportunities close to Lithgow beside upgraded existing road access linked to the town. The gentle plateau terrain with its distinctive pagoda rocks contain many sites for a variety of family-suitable, low-key visitor facilities that combine to give Lithgow’s Gardens of Stone great potential to attract visitors interested in experiencing nature.

The beauty of the Destination Pagoda scheme is that new visitor facilities can be established beside pagoda landscapes of great scenic beauty around Lithgow that are need of restoration and rehabilitation, while more remote, pristine landscapes are protected.

The forests next to Lithgow are amongst the most diverse in NSW and contain 84 threatened plant and animal species, including the Blue Mountains Water Skink and Giant Dragonfly, as well as 16 rare and threatened communities. They deserve effective conservation management by the NPWS.

Visit our Gardens of Stone webpages.

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