Hello Mates,

My name is Graeme Miller and I am the Victorian Consultant and Team Leader for the Australian Rainforest Foundation in this part of the country. My job is to make sure your incredible generosity and amazing donations keep going to great use down here where the Black Saturday fires of earlier this year, have left an indelible mark in the forests and in the population's mind.

But out of the damage and destruction came hope and life again in many parts of the damaged bio-rich ecosystems in National Parks and on private reserves where citizens registered the conservation protection status. Birds, koalas, wombats and more have found their way back to some of these areas, and these are the areas where we are focusing our efforts. The pictures I have enclosed with this report show how life is naturally regenerating back to some degree.

Now, with the help of government agencies and other conservation groups, the Australian Rainforest Foundation is assessing the regenerated areas, mapping and designing wildlife corridors to link to National Parks and/or other private reserves, and working on how to bolster these corridors. These corridors will need pest control and tree irrigation work, rehabilitation efforts like planting trees and raising seedlings in nurseries and concluding assessments on other infrastructure like wildlife fencing and structures used for maintaining registered nature reserves.

In my next field report, I will introduce you to one of our project partners, landowners that have taken it upon themselves to register their land as nature reserves so bio-rich ecosystems and wildlife could thrive and have protection.

Our Manager of American Operations, Paul Medici, tells us that GlobalGiving's donors and institutional partners such as eBay, MissionFish and Yahoo, and stores such as the Gap and Old Navy, have all played a big part in helping the ARF get to work here in Victoria. Thank you! Paul also said many of you might have questions on certain activities and upcoming operations. Please ask away and if you could just call or email Paul, he'll be sure to contact me with your questions.

Cheers,


Graeme

Pictures:

• Mapping wildlife corridors (JPG)
• Just a rest area now, but future home again with our help (JPG)
• Kinglake, Victoria (JPG)