GlobalGiving.org: Restore Australia’s Forest after the Wildfires

Why We Need Your Help Now

Paul Medici — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:10:09 GMT

Cyclone Yasi

Dear Mates,

This Project Update will be short and to the point. We need your help today. If history teaches us anything, it is that time is of the essence right after a major catastrophe. Although Cyclone Yasi had mercy on the bigger metropolitan cities of Far North Queensland, it showed no such restraint on wildlife habitat. The Cassowary Coast took a direct hit and many parts of the Daintree rainforest were damaged as well. There is a lot we can't do, but there is an awful lot that we can do. But we need your help and we need your financial support.

Fruit trees are a major source of food for wildlife and most of these trees have been defoliated--stripped clean. Major food operations are underway including setting up food stations near known heavy wildlife traffic, aerial food drops in the denser jungle regions and a massive restoration and revegetation program to extend the rainforest and protect the old-growth/mature rainforest. Below are key reasons why we need to act now and get the job done:

1. More habitat loss

2. Massive food shortages--up to 3 years possibly

3. Wildlife corridors destroyed that connected fragmented rainforest to the large intact rainforest

4. More wildlife (cassowary, tree kangaroos, Musky-Rat Kangaroo, etc.) now out in the open

5. More wildlife will be hit/killed by cars because of having to forage for food in riskier areas and crossing roads

6. More wildlife will be attacked by dogs when leaving the jungle to enter towns starving and looking for food

7. More wildlife will be attacked/die by hungry feral pigs

8. More wildlife will enter a period of lower fertility rates from the stress of the cyclone, risking their status

The list goes on just like the work we have before us. The need is great and we appreciate any and all donations. Your donations will be used to help counter the 8 problems listed above. The next Project Update will report on the first actions taken and our on-the-ground response.

Thank You!

Paul Medici

Cardwell

Cyclone Yasi Damage

Cyclone Yasi Devastates Cassowary Coast!

Paul Medici — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:49:00 GMT

Damage from Yasi

Dear Donors,

The Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF) is headquartered in Cairns, Queensland, part of Tropical North Queensland. Our GlobalGiving project, Protect Vital Rainforest in Australia for Climate, is located where Cyclone Yasi hit. Our main work is located here and our tropical rainforest reserves are here. Please visit project #1842 and see why we would love to earn your support today. The Project Update that follows is the update we provided for Protect Vital Rainforest in Australia for Climate donors. Thank you!

Cyclone Yasi Update--3 the /2/2011 at 14:30 hours.

Cyclone Yasi has devastated the coastal area between Innisfail, Mission Beach and Tully. This is prime rainforest habitat (called the Cassowary Coast) for the endangered Southern Cassowary, the 'Gardener of the Rainforest' in Tropical North Queensland. Not a tree standing in downtown Mission Beach. 90% of banana production destroyed. The World Heritage Listed Daintree rainforest wasn't hit as hard. This is prime cassowary habitat as well, along with rare and endangered flora and fauna, tree kangaroos, wallaby, cockatoos, etc...

ARF has a rainforest block (145 acres) in the worst hit area--Mission Beach. As of tonight, no word on condition of rainforest which was 90% old-growth rainforest. I will update this project again tomorrow night. Please know--this is shaping up to be a wildlife and habitat tragedy in this part of the region. The only good news (possibly) is that the World Heritage Listed Daintree rainforest might have been spared a real heartbreaking loss. We'll know more about this tomorrow. But World Heritage Listed rainforest and its wildlife south of Cairns is in real serious trouble. We have a lot of work to do! Please donate if you can and please ask a friend. Updates on First Response/Disaster Recovery operations will be forthcoming.

Paul Medici

Yasi damage

Man & Nature in Harmony?/Please Vote for GlobalGiving!

Paul Medici — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:19:08 GMT

Merlot resting on a project site

Hi Mates!

The summer heat is fast approaching in Southern Victoria and many, many seedlings have been planted. The seedlings are rainforest canopy trees from a local nursery. Some of the trees include the following: Blackwoods and Mountain Ash, Myrtle Beach and Southern Sassafras and also some Mountain Grey Gums. These trees are helping put up a natural defense to possible future bushfires since they are far less flammable than Eucalyptus trees. These trees will also help provide more forest canopy which is a major habitat for many species. We are creating a home and helping the environment all in one!

The Australian Rainforest Foundation is very pleased with the work we have been engaged with in Victoria and we will soon be determining our next project site since a good deal of the planting in the project area has already been completed. There are major conservation issues in this part of the country that are so important to the environment and the Australian Rainforest Foundation wants to work and do the most good in areas where our resources, staff, agents and volunteers can be the most effective.

Thank you very much for your continued generosity. We appreciate it greatly and please know your support helps the foundation with the on-the-ground efforts as well as in getting these important conservation messages across. I don't know if Man and Nature can ever be in complete harmony. Organizations like the Australian Rainforest Foundation are trying to right a few wrongs and bolster nature up as much as possible. Of course, much of the reason for this work is Man itself, and nothing can ever be 100% replicated. But we'll keep doing our best and try and learn some new lessons along the way.

Also GlobalGiving donors, please read the following from Alison McQuade at GlobalGiving:

"GlobalGiving is a finalist for a Classy Award in Most Innovative Use of Social Media, and we NEED YOUR VOTE! We're in SECOND place with only TWO days left to vote. It's fast and free to vote, so we'd really appreciate it if you took a minute to vote GlobalGiving for Most Innovative Use of Social Media in the DC Classy Awards. And please share this link with friends, family and your Facebook and/or Twitter networks. Thank you!"

Link is http://www.stayclassy.org/classy-awards?city_id=19 Thank you donors. I hope you will join me and help support GlobalGiving by voting for them. Voting ends Friday!! GlobalGiving's Social Media Team is a big reason why this Project is succeeding and your vote for GlobalGiving can help raise invaluable awareness and support for causes such as Climate Change, Animals, Poverty and Education here in the states and around the world.

Cheers,

Paul Medici

Merlot standing near a burned tree

Watching from a growing canopy

Like a Tornado on the Sun

Graeme Miller & Paul Medici — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:31:36 GMT

Hope Sleeping

Dear Donors, Our project, Restore Australia's Forests After the Wildfires, has some very, VERY exciting news!! So exciting--we even changed our main project picture. Our project has seen our mission evolve from a rescue and recovery operation after the Black Saturday and other Wildfires of Jan/Feb 2009 to a rehabilitate and restore operation. In some cases in fact, even beyond merely restoring the forests by designing and planting natural defenses and buffer zones in and around the forests so wildfires like the record breaking ones last year don't sweep in and burn as fast as before. This is a very important fact because in a minute, the Australian Rainforest Foundation is going to introduce you to our 2nd project beneficiary, Mr. and Mrs. Alan and Stella Reid of Wildhaven outside of Melbourne, Victoria where the Black Saturday Wildfire stormed in like a tornado on the sun. Wildhaven (at St. Andrews) is a wildlife shelter in the Australian state of Victoria and is located south of Melbourne. As Stella puts it, " Wildhaven is a property dedicated to caring for the beautiful natural wildlife of Australia." At Wildhaven, the animals roam free and if they can't be re-introduced into the wild after triage, treatment and/or other rehabilitation purposes, they live out the rest of their lives at Wildhaven. Wildhaven was completely and utterly destroyed on 7 February 2009. Every kangaroo, koala, wombat, wallaby, etc...at Wildhaven at the time was killed. Alan and Stella Reid were lucky to get out alive. This is why the Australian Rainforest Foundation started this project in February 2009. We knew that with the help of GlobalGiving and GlobalGiving Partners such as eBay and MissionFish and of course, GlobalGiving donors such as yourself, we could help raise much needed funds for people like Alan and Stella Reid and for Richard Appleton and the work we are involved in with restoring these forests and designing and planting the natural buffer zones. The good news folks is that Alan and Stella Reid are determined to bounce their way back and never give up on their passion and true love for the wildlife. Wildhaven has just completed stage one of the shelter re-build, which includes a 4.5 acre enclosure with four shelters/feed sheds inside as well as a five stable complex for the large injured kangaroos brought in and a well stocked first aid room for triage and treatment purposes. This is a big and important operation friends and operations like this cost money, lots of money. The Australian Rainforest Foundation (thanks to all of you GlobalGiving donors) is helping fund Wildhaven's general operating expenses which vary greatly throughout the year. On average, these costs could range from about $2,000-$2,500 a month. For example, a bag of powdered milk for the joeys to drink costs $500 Australian dollars, plus you have bandages, tape, medicine, food, etc.. and again these things aren't cheap. But our commitment is solid and we will continue to raise funds for operations such as Wildhaven and for our forest projects in bushfire affected areas in Victoria. We are enclosing pictures of Wildhaven, the Reid's and of course the incredible kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and more. Stella names all the animals living at Wildhaven--whether the animals are there for a quick triage and rehab or permanent members of the Wildhaven family. In time, you will get to know these incredible animals and hopefully take pride in the fact that your donations will help keep their tummies full and their cuts and scratches clean. The Australian Rainforest Foundation is very happy to be engaged in this two-tier operation of helping rehabilitate wildlife and restoring their habitat. The two go together and we hope all of you will continue supporting our vital efforts here in Victoria, Australia. Thanks again and we'll be updating you again real soon on Wildhaven and on our work with Richard Appleton and the vital habitat. Cheers Mates!

Too Cute!

Good Morning Little Wombat

Where Wildlife and Forest Meet

The Rise of a Natural Defense against Bushfires

Roger Phillips & Graeme Miller — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:03:07 GMT

Feeling the difference one person can make

Hello Mates,

We at the Australian Rainforest Foundation are happy to be reporting back to you. The field report is below. I would like to announce that on 16 June (next Wednesday), GlobalGiving is having a Matching Day for all donations!! Please, if you are thinking about possibly donating to our project, the 16th would be a great day to do it. Also, if any of you work for a company that offers a Gift Match Program and/or a Charitable Contribution Program, donations via your employer-sponsored benefit would double (and even sometimes triple) the giving power. The ARF is also working on setting up a promotion fit for companies where the ARF would give away trips for two to Australia. Trips would include getting your hands dirty and helping us rehabilitate the rainforest, wildlife treks and of course great sightseeing of the Daintree rainforest, Great Barrier Reef and much, much more. Please contact Paul Medici, Manager of American Operations, for more details. We would love to see some of you mates out here with us!! Paul's email is medicipj2@yahoo.com

Roger Phillips, CEO, ARF

Hello GlobalGiving donors! My name is Graeme Miller and I am the Australian Rainforest Foundation's Project Manager for rehabilitation operations in bushfire territory. Below is a field report from one of our project beneficiaries, Mr. Richard Appleton. Thank you for all your kind giving and for the care you have shown us down here in bushfire territory. Means a lot to know that people so far away are interested in our work. Cheers Mates!

“So far we have:

- Grown all of the seedlings to a plantable size, and started to harden them off. It is important that they become acclimatised to the cold and frost in the relative protection of the nursery before going out into an exposed environment. The optimum time for planting is during the colder, wetter months, June-July-August, so they establish themselves before the heat of summer.

- Purchased the materials for the tree guards and constructed the guards. They have been transported to the site, ready for the planting to start.

- I have also been lucky to obtain some mature (2-3 year old) seedlings of rainforest canopy trees from a local nursery. We may be able to get some of these planted using project funds if planting the buffer trees takes less time than anticipated. The contractors have told me they are prepared to provide extra work within the quoted price if this occurs. If not, I will plant them myself. I have also bought 200 young Myrtle Beech (rainforest canopy) cuttings for growing on and planting over the next few years at my own expense, within the gully that will be buffered by the project planting.”

Richard Appleton

ARF staff and volunteers at work

Donor Lunch in N.Y.C. This Summer

Paul Medici — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:49:59 GMT

Hi folks,

We will be posting our next field report real soon. My name is Paul Medici and I am the Manager of American Operations for the Australian Rainforest Foundation. Great to be writing to you all. I am going to be in New York City this summer (looks like middle July) and I wanted to put on a little donor appreciation lunch for everyone in the area that would like to meet. I think this would be a great way to just say hi, talk openly about operations and thank all of you for all you have done. I will also have some information, reports and Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF) merchandise on hand to give out.

If you are interested in learning more about this lunch in the city this coming July, please send me an email at medicipj2@yahoo.com. Thank you and the ARF looks forwarding to updating all of you on project news soon.

Cheers,

Paul

Main Project Site Ready!

Roger Phillips & Paul Medici — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:54:13 GMT

Richard Appleton, Landowner and Rainforest Guardian

Hello Mates— We at the Australian Rainforest Foundation hope all of you had a great Holiday Season. Exciting news on the Restore Australia’s Forest after the Wildfires front! After an extensive vetting process, the completion of scientific reports and land surveys, the Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF) has begun the ground operations in a very special place that we know you will be very proud to be apart of.

The driving mission is forest and habitat restoration including protection, extending and recovery of bushfire affected areas. Holding true to our mission, we have chosen a property at the Balook area in the Strzelecki Ranges approximately 200 km south east of Melbourne. The owner of the property, Mr. Richard Appleton, is a true conservationist and the property is composed of 42 hectors, in which 19 hectors are fully protected with conservation easements and 21 hectors with a modified easement. The number one reason why the Australian Rainforest Foundation chose this area and Mr. Appleton as the beneficiary of your generous giving and genuine concern is because this property supports populations of native wildlife, and acts as a transit corridor for other native wildlife. Given the damage to the area by the bushfires, the access by native wildlife to this habitat and the transit corridors is particularly important.

The exact location of this property is located on the northwest corner of Grand Ridge Road (a popular tourist route) and Cooks Road. To the south is Tarra Bulga National Park. A Google map search using the corner of Grand Ridge Road & Cooks Road Balook will provide a map of the area and also a remarkably clear satellite image of the property. The property supports its own populations of koalas, lyrebirds, wallabies and other native animals & birds.*** This fire destroyed close to 40% of the koala habitat in the area. The koala population in this area is very important as it is the only koala population in Victoria and South Australia that maintains its original gene pool. There have not been any koalas from other areas introduced into this region therefore keeping it genetically pure.

So GlobalGiving donors, in a nutshell, your project here is offsetting the temperate (cool) rainforest loss from the wildfires with a rehabilitation site at the edge of the fire front to give a future buffer to nearby rainforest and provide a seed bank for more extensive rehabilitation of lost rainforest. The trees being planted are less flammable than the Eucalyptus and this will help put up a great natural defense. Some of the on-ground operations will include planting 200 trees, Blackwood and Mountain Ash, at the western end, being the head of a small gully to provide a buffer against the elements. A further 300 trees will then be planted on another gully as well to provide a canopy. These trees will be Myrtle Beech and Southern Sassafras. We are also going to plant some Mountain Grey Gums (don’t know how many yet) to provide more koala habitat. Please bear in mind that there will be occasional modifications to the on-ground operations due to on-going ecological and environmental assessments. Thank you very much mates. We will be sure to keep you up-to-date on all the on-ground work. This is a very big conservation project the Australian Rainforest Foundation and GlobalGiving donors are engaged in. And it is not an exaggeration when we say that without you, this work wouldn’t be possible. We needed you last February, March and April when together, we answered the call to help in the Aftermath, and we need you now. Mr. Richard Appleton has given all of us the opportunity to help not only him and the incredible habitat that makes up his wonderful property, but the opportunity to protect, recover and extend vital wildlife and bio-diverse habitat for future generations. Your donations are getting trees in the ground, food for the koalas, birds and other wildlife, machinery for other site preparation work, on-going ecological surveys, wire netting tree guards and boots on the volunteers. The enclosed pictures are of Richard Appleton, the area we will be working in and around and of a big koala on the property. The next pictures will be of ground operations to date. Any questions fellow conservationists? This is your money we are working with here. We want to hear from you!! Thanks again and we will continue to do our best to make sure you are proud of the work we are doing.

Cheers,

Roger Phillips and Paul Medici

A Good Mate

Matching Opportunity! Give More, Get More!

Paul Medici — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:24:43 GMT

Forests Take a Hit

Dear Mates,

Thank you for your continued support of the Australian Rainforest Foundation. We wanted to let you know about an exciting opportunity that we are participating in through our partners, GlobalGiving.

When a donation is made to our project, Restore Australia's Forests after the Wildfire--www.globalgiving.com/2555--on GlobalGiving between November 10 and December 1, GlobalGiving will match that donation at 30%, 40% or 50%. And if we raise the most money or get the most donations, we are eligible for bonus awards up to $10,000. Matching funds are limited, so act quickly.

You can help us raise more money and earn the GlobalGiving prize money by spreading the word!

1) Pass along this email to your friends and families and ask them to tell others. 2) If you are planning to make a donation this year to the Australian Rainforest Foundation, please do so by going to our project on GlobalGiving--www.globalgiving.com/2555.

Thank you very much mates and I hope you have a happy and safe Holiday Season!

Paul Medici Assistant Project Leader ARF

P.S. Pass this email along to friends and family!

Graeme getting your next field report together

Majesty returns albeit one leaf at a time

Graeme Miller — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:35:40 GMT

Mapping wildlife corridors

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

Just a rest area now, but future home again with our help

Kinglake, Victoria

A stake in every bit of good we do

Roger Phillips and Paul Medici — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:29:18 GMT

An order of eucalyptus leaves to go please...

Dear friends,

So much has happened since we last updated you, we will be sending you another project update in the next 10-14 days. First of all, on behalf of the Australian Rainforest Foundation, we would like to thank each and every one of you for helping us answer the call and commit to helping rehabilitate key conservation areas that were damaged and or destroyed by the 2009 Wildfires. These wildfires hit Australia with its worst natural disaster in recorded history. Over 2,000 acres of land and forest with special conservation easements placed on them were damaged which took an enormous toll on some of Australia’s most beloved natural icons such as the koala, wombat, cockatoo and kangaroo. But thanks to all of you, real help is on the way.

After the wildfires ended, a long and methodical inquiry commenced by the Victorian Royal Commission (as well as other local inquiries) that looked into the causes of the fires, system of communication warning, evacuation plans and more. The Black Saturday fires (as they are referred to) killed 173 people and destroyed over 2,000 houses. Because there was so much damage in certain areas, many landowners have decided not to return, while many others who live in key wildlife and conservation areas, are in desperate need of scientific surveying, rehabilitation planning, a nursery full of different tree and seedling species and wildlife specialists. These private landowners, who took it upon themselves to register their land as protected nature reserves so that koalas, kangaroos, wombats and more would always have a home, needed our help the most and this is where we have decided to center our efforts. These are the beneficiaries you will be hearing from throughout this operation and maybe even beyond; “This could be the start of a beautiful friendship…” Much of Australia’s wildlife lives on private land, not reserves, sanctuaries and National Parks. The Australian Rainforest Foundation creates reserves, wildlife corridors and even donates some of our corridors and reserves to the National Park system.

It has taken us a long time to survey the land, talk with land owners, scientists, wildlife experts and government agencies about matters of priority, and we are now at the stage where we can continue doing the most good with the donations you have so generously provided us. Donor accountability is a high priority of the Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF) and GlobalGiving. All operations need to be fully vetted before we commit your money to rehabilitation efforts such as clearing damaged areas, wildlife fencing, tree irrigation, nursery work and tree planting and getting veterinary services out to areas where needed. The next project update will be a field report from our Team Leader in Victoria. He will report on all the prep work we have been doing (mostly consulting with various groups in the area) and what will be done next. In the meantime, we would love to hear from you mates and get your thoughts on the colossal operations ahead. Again, we couldn’t do this work and aid the wildlife and people who take care of the wildlife without you. Donors are the stockholders of our Foundation and you have a stake in every bit of good we do. It’s your right to have your questions answered and it’s the least we can do. Please email Paul Medici, Manager of American Operations at medicipj2@yahoo.com, and we will tend to your needs. Also, please enjoy the photos we have included and I hope you appreciate that in hard times, a little sense of humor can go a long way.

Cheers,

Roger Phillips and Paul Medici

It's not the Ritz mate, but it will do

Project beneficiaries doing their bit

Selected for a Great Matching Opportunity!

Roger Phillips — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:59:53 GMT

Bushfire Aftermath

Hi Mates,

Project Leader Roger Phillips here. I have some great news to share with you!

If you donate now to help Restore Australia’s Forest after the Wildfires, your generous gift will be matched. That's right! In honor of Earth Day 2009, GlobalGiving has offered to match all donations at 50% (up to $5,000 per individual). The match will be available from April 4 – April 28 or until $25,000 in matching funds have been depleted.

In addition to matching funds, we are also competing for prizes! The three projects receiving the greatest number of donations will receive prizes of $5,000, $2,500, and $1,000, respectively. Even if matching funds are depleted, the challenge portion of the campaign will continue until April 28th.

We need to act fast! By donating now through GlobalGiving, you will be supporting our project to help Restore Australia’s Forest after the Wildfires. We appreciate your generous support to date and we look forward to updating you again very soon on ground operations. A lot of land protected by conservation easements was damaged by the fires and the Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF) is working to restore this vital habitat. Some of Australia’s most famous natural icons (like the koala and the wombat) live on this land, and the ARF appreciates your “global” reaching out.

We are very grateful that GlobalGiving selected us for this bonus opportunity. Please help us make the most of it. It's an easy way to get more impact from your donation dollars right now!

Cheers Mates!!!

Roger Phillips

Wildfires in Australia