Bega Valley Shire Council and Atlas of Life are pleased to present the next Life in our Cemeteries event at the Rocky Hall cemetery on Saturday 21 October from 11am to 3pm.
"We've had a huge amount of interest in previous events. It's such a unique opportunity to visit your local cemetery to learn about the history and document the plants and wildlife that live in and around them," Council's Environmental Management Officer, Erin Moon said.
"By identifying the biodiversity at the site and detecting any changes, programs like this help to inform the future management of our shire's cemeteries.
Chairperson of Atlas of Life, Raymond Daly said everyone who joins the event will explore the cemetery and document what they find on the iNaturalist app, so the identity of the plant, insect or animal can be confirmed.
"Participants will explore the threatened ecological community with botanist, Jackie Miles and discover the extensive history of Rocky Hall cemetery with historian, Fiona Firth," Mr Daly said.
"Jackie Miles says Rocky Hall cemetery contains the threatened ecological community called Lowland Grassy Woodland, which is renowned for its diverse grassy understorey on relatively fertile granite-derived soil in a coastal rain shadow valley, with an open woodland featuring the iconic Forest Red Gums and Rough-barked Apple Gum.
"However, Forest Red Gum is absent in the Towamba valley, which includes the Rocky Hall cemetery, with Snow Gum, a relic from the last Ice Age, forming the woodland instead.
"Potoroo Palace's Anna Lindstrand will give a wildlife rescue talk, Deb Taylor will lead a walk and talk on the resident invertebrates and Erin Moon will give a platypus talk. A light lunch will also be provided."
Atlas of Life assures the community that full care and respect for the cemetery and those interred will be maintained during this event.
The Atlas of Life is a not-for-profit organisation and an ongoing citizen-science project.
