T4W Membership For Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater

Help To Save Victoria’s Critically Endangered Avian Emblem

The Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater have worked for the last thirty years to sustain this critically endangered bird which is Victoria’s state avian emblem. Over this time the Friends have managed to see the numbers of Helmeted Honeyeaters in the wild increase from around 50 to over 200. The Helmeted Honeyeater remains in great peril, largely due to the destruction of its unique habitat – the sedge rich Eucalyptus Camphora swamp.

The major contribution to the rescue of the Helmeted Honeyeater is the restoration of this habitat. The Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater have operated an indigenous nursery for more than two decades supplying plants indigenous to the area, particularly the habitat plants that support the Helmeted Honeyeater. This nursery grows these plants from seed. Income from the Nursery is also a major contributor to the long term economic viability of the operations of the Friends Group.

The Friends have seed collecting volunteers who gather the seed and a dedicated volunteer who sorts and stores the seed. The seed sorting operation is currently conducted in an old steel shed which is very hot in summer and cold in winter and where the seed is not completely safe from the predation of rodents. The variation in temperature affects the viability of the seed stored.

The Friends are wishing to raise money for a dedicated seed sorting area that utilises the technology adopted by leading seed operations elsewhere. Specifically this would involve a temperature controlled double cool room and a compactus unit. The cost of the cool room (fully installed) is $14,400 and that of the compactus unit is $4,720. The total amount sought is $19,120.

Please help to secure a safe future for Victoria’s endemic Helmeted Honeyeater.