South West Catchments Council participated in the annual Dolphin Festival family event on Saturday 17th October 2020, holding a stall to promote western ringtail possum conservation and related projects in the Greater Bunbury Region. This year stall visitors could enter a draw to win a ‘possum salad bar plant’ for urban fences and walls as an alternative to the traditional Peppermint tree plant draw.
“Often we don’t have enough room to support a mature tree as habitat for western ringtail possums so instead we can make use of vertical space like fences and walls to grow climbing plants for possums. Species such as Hardenbergia comptoniana, Kennedia lateritia and Billardiera fusiformis grown in vertical spaces will provide a food source for possums utilising these structures as they move around urban areas. Climbers also beautify these bare areas in our yards and should encourage possums to stay up high and separated from dogs.
We can all contribute to western ringtail possum conservation even in our backyards. A study from UWA Albany suggests that gardens could contain sufficient resources to support wildlife. As part of the study, 20 western ringtail possums were fitted with radio-transmitter collars and tracked for a 3 month period with results showing that the possums relied on private gardens and did not venture into areas outside of gardens. South West Catchments Council congratulates the winners of the ‘possum salad bar plant’ draw.
Native wisteria winner Joyce White with Project Manager Jaya Vaughan
