Oatley Flora & Fauna Conservation Society

Oatley Flora & Fauna Conservation Society would like to acknowledge the Bidjigal people of the Eora nation, the Traditional Custodians of the Land and pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Latest news & Posts

NSW Detrimental Housing Policy

June 29 Field Day – Centennial Park

June 16 General Meeting – Insects in our…

OFF Walk Reports

Birds of Oatley Park

plants of oatley park

Local Walking Tracks

The objectives of the Society are:

To stimulate interest in Australian flora and fauna;
To act to protect and foster an interest in the natural environment, particularly at the local level;
To foster an understanding of the need to conserve the natural environment and resources; and
To cooperate with other groups to achieve these objectives at local, state, national and international level.

Become a Society Member and Get Involved!

Members get access to monthly walks and regular evening talks on a range of fascinating topics. Our family memberships cost $25.00.

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🌿Celebrating Our 70th Year🌳🌳🪰🪲🐛🐜🏡🪰🦋🐌🪳🌿Meet the Insects in Your Garden! Discover the tiny creatures living in your backyard with retired biologist Liz! 😇● Learn how insects help your garden thrive● Find out how to garden *without* pesticides● Bring your insect photos—Liz will help identify them!📚 Insect books available to browse for members. #Everyone welcome! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Tomorrow Night | 7:30pmOatley Uniting Church Hall (Letitia & Frederick Sts)Or join via Zoom: 👇 [us02web.zoom.us/j/3742141020](us02web.zoom.us/j/3742141020)Meeting ID: 374 214 1020 … See MoreSee Less

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🌿Celebrating Our 70th Year🌳🌺🌼🌸🌿💮🌺💮🌿🌸🌼🌺"Winter blooms in our gardens!" … See MoreSee Less

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🌳Celebrating Our 70th Year🌿🌿🦉🐳🐸🦋💧🪼🐦🐛🦅🌳World Environment Day today, we’re celebrating a great win for our community, the NSW Government’s decision to reinstate funding for the vital Beachwatch NSW program.🦉🌳This is a positive step towards ensuring our communities continue to benefit from reliable water quality monitoring without added financial pressure on local councils.Beachwatch is essential for safeguarding public health and preserving the integrity of our local waterways, including Carss Park, Oatley Bay and Jew Fish Bay Baths.We thank Councillor Peter Mahoney: committed to advocating for long-term funding of this important program so that local communities are not left to shoulder the costs of this essential public health and environmental service. 😇💧👏The future is also looking bright, with young environmental stewards from St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Oatley actively participating in the Streamwatch program — learning firsthand the importance of healthy waterways and environmental responsibility.We’re especially excited to have finally received our photos from the recent Streamwatch Award Night, held by Greater Sydney Landcare. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 … See MoreSee Less

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🌳Celebrating Our 70th Year🌿👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🌿👩‍🌾🥾🐦🌳🚘🦎👨‍🌾🌿👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 OFF Advocates for Strong Environmental Action in Council’s 2025–2026 BudgetOver the past fortnight, OFF and other organisations/associations has been out in the community, distributing 15000 flyers, talking to residents, and raising awareness about the NSW Government’s Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy.We’ve been focused on how this policy will impact our biodiversity, the Georges River, and our local character and amenity. OFF has also actively contributed to Council processes by attending meetings, making submissions, and advocating for stronger environmental protections—including harsher penalties for tree offences, and better support for tree planting and maintenance.🗣 Our Call to Action: Fund These 5 High-Priority Environmental Projects!As Georges River Council finalises its Draft Delivery Program 2025–2029 and Operational Plan 2025–2026, we’re urging support for five specific projects—drawn from 175 proposals (see pages 91–99 of the Draft Budget). These are critical to achieving our local sustainability and liveability goals.💧 1. Lime Kiln Bay Wetland Upgrade (p. 97)The LKB wetland is vital for managing stormwater and protecting local ecosystems—but it’s now overwhelmed and degraded. We strongly support the redesign based on Water Sensitive Urban Design and call for funding to implement this upgrade in 2026. This project will restore habitat, support threatened shorebirds, and improve water quality.🌳 2. Tree Canopy Improvement Projects (p. 91–94)With the new housing policy threatening tree coverage, we must act now. OFF supports key initiatives to expand and protect our urban canopy and recommends funding sufficient to increase tree coverage by 2% annually, starting in 2025/26.We also encourage incentives for private landowners to plant and retain trees—vital to reaching the 40% canopy target by 2038.🌿 3. Environmental Levy Community Consultation (p. 92)It’s time to explore a dedicated Environmental Levy. Similar programs in other councils have successfully funded:* Bush regeneration* Climate action* Renewable energy* Sustainable waste and stormwater managementLet’s plan now for a secure, long-term funding source that aligns with Council’s Sustainability Goals and Environmental Resilience Action Plan.♻️ 4. Shift Away from Carbon Offset Purchasing \[ENV046-24] (p. 91)OFF does not support carbon offsets as a core emissions reduction strategy. We urge Council to invest instead in direct, measurable climate action—like renewables, energy efficiency, and sustainable transport.Let’s focus on real impact, not accounting tricks.🧪 5. Prevent Microplastic Pollution from Synthetic TurfMicroplastics from synthetic turf are polluting our waterways. We urge Council to adopt the Precautionary Principle and invest in:* Kerbing/bunding around turf* Advanced filtration* Monitoring systemsProtecting the Georges River and its ecosystems requires proactive planning today.A heartfelt thanks to our incredible volunteers, partner groups, and supporters who have helped with this campaign—from handing out flyers to speaking at Council. 👏Special thank you to our partners:Kogarah Bay Progress Association Inc Lugarno Progress Association – LPA Save Mortdale Village Project Penshurst 2222 Friends of Oatley National Parks Association of NSW (SS Branch)Together, we’re working to ensure our community thrives—ecologically, socially, and sustainably—for generations to come. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Let’s make sure the final 2025/26 budget reflects our shared environmental priorities. … See MoreSee Less

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🌳Celebrating Our 70th Year🌿🌿👨‍🌾🌳🦎🦋☕️🦉🐦🌿👩‍🌾🌳Streamwatch at Dairy Creek today We had an unusually long and insightful Streamwatch session today, with a special visit from Mark Secombe, Streamwatch Manager at Greater Sydney Landcare (GSL). Mark observed our Quality Assurance testing on samples provided by GSL, offering valuable guidance. His input helped clarify several processes and highlighted opportunities to improve our data collection, logging, and uploading practices to better demonstrate the positive impact of our work.Following the QA session, we conducted our regular testing at three sites. The effects of recent heavy rainfall were clearly visible:Site 1 (Glen Rd/Cromdale St intersection): The creek morphology has shifted significantly. An “island” has grown in size due to stones—similar to those found in nearby gabions—being carried downstream.Site 3 (near the outlet from the last pond): Heavy water flow has flattened many of the reeds.General observations: Despite the recent rains, water quality remained within normal parameters, with the exception of low oxygen levels at Site 3. The Gross Pollutant Trap (GPT) and ponds now require cleaning, as silt accumulation is very high.Litter Report (from Kim):We began litter collection assuming the floodwaters had washed away most debris. However, we discovered a significant amount left behind along the strand-line—the high water mark along the creek banks.Most test sites were relatively clean, with only minor litter at Site 2. However, the strand-line revealed:Over 20 plastic drink bottlesAt least 10 plastic ballsSeveral Nerf gun sponge dartsNumerous plastic soy sauce fish containersMore than 200 pieces of polystyrene packagingAnd… one pair of blue undies—please contact us if they’re yours! 😁These items do not belong in our waterways and highlight the need for greater community awareness and action.Thanks to everyone involved for their continued commitment to protecting Dairy Creek. 😇 … See MoreSee Less

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🌿Celebrating Our 70th Year🌳🌳🐦🌳🦆🌳🦋🌳🦉🌳🦇🌳We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night at 7.30pm at Oatley Uniting Church hall, cnr Letitia/Frederick Sts, Oatley.😇Alternatively, you can join us on Zoom using the link 👇us02web.zoom.us/j/3742141020?omn=84979733419 Meeting ID: 374 214 1020 … See MoreSee Less

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