Friends of Silvalite Group Formed

A new group has been formed in Wagga to promote and enhance the Silvalite Reserve for its conservation and tourism benefits. Group spokesperson Graham Parton said that the Silvalite reserve is important because of its position as one of the last publicly accessible 60 hectare patches of remnant vegetation in the region, all this in the most-cleared bio-region in the state – White Box Grassy Woodland.
"The reserve is rich in biodiversity and is home to a number of threatened species, including the Squirrel Glider and the Superb Parrot" says Graham Parton. "It is also visited by the Swift Parrot which flies in from its nesting sites in Tasmania, and the endangered Ground Cuckoo Shrike, the last officially confirmed sighting of which was in Uranquinty in 1996."
"There aren’t any other places of this size where the public can go and experience that kind of contact with threatened species."
"The area is also noteworthy as a tribute to the fantastic effort by the local urban Landcare group and other volunteer organisations that over the years have put in over two and a half thousand hours of volunteer work. They have planted nearly 11,000 trees and shrubs. The result of that effort is the creation of a biodiversity "hot spot", and we think the people of Wagga would want to know more about this."
The group was formed after a public meeting on the site, followed by a tour of the forested areas. Its priorities are to promote the reserve as an asset to the local community that can be incorporated into other local eco-tourism activities, and to foster research into threatened species.
"We believe the site can also be used by environmental scientists and other researchers working on nature conservation projects such as the squirrel glider recovery plan", said Graham Parton.

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