IT was the devastation of Australian wildlife due to recent bushfires that brought these community groups together.
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As the images of singed koalas wrapped in bandages and kangaroos attempting to flee from walls of flames have been plastered across the media in recent weeks, many Australians have felt hopeless in the face of the destruction of not only people's homes, but of important ecosystems.
In addition to the many human lives lost, scientists are estimating that millions of animals - from terrestrial animals such as kangaroos and koalas to birds, reptiles, frogs, fish and invertebrates - have been killed in the fires.
Many of these animals were endangered before the fires ripped through their habitats and the extent of the damage has not yet been determined, including if any species have been pushed to extinction.
It was viewing this devastation that sparked a desire for the Bush Pixies Landcare Group's Rebekah Tottle and Paige Kuchel and Sebastopol Scout Group leader Fiona Wright, also a member of the Landcare group, to want to help.
Ms Wright said that while there has been a lot of support for the human populations through the bushfire recovery agency and many donations to wildlife shelters, when the fire grounds clear what will be vital for surviving wildlife populations will be safe habitat.
Having survived the fires and already struggling to locate food and water, the extent of habitat destruction in many areas has left many wildlife populations susceptible to attacks by cats or foxes.
"I thought helping to prepare nesting boxes for wildlife would be a practical way we could help out while learning some new skills along the way," Ms Wright said. "So then we will be able to build them for our own backyards and at reserves locally."
Gaining support for the project from Bunnings, which is supplying all of the materials for the community to build the boxes, more than 300 small and medium boxes will be built to be used by animals such as the Eastern Rosella, Ringtail Possum, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Rainbow Lorikeet, Crimson Rosella, Eastern Rosella, Dollarbird and microbats.
Organising the project has been a multi-group effort, with the 1200 pieces of wood that will be nailed together to form the boxes being cut by four members of the Ballarat East Community Men's Shed.
While many groups are building larger boxes for use by possums, Ms Wright said it was also important to build temporary habitat for the smaller creatures to ensure biodiversity.
The boxes, which will be painted to blend into the environment, will be built during three different sessions and then transported to a hub in Bairnsdale to be dispersed, believed to be to East Gippsland.
The Bush Pixies Landcare Group was only formed late last year and already has more than 170 members on Facebook.
Focusing on environmental care, sustainability and waste minimisation, group members have taken part in several tree planting events and other projects.
What is truly special about the group is the fact that its 10 most active members are all young people - in contrast to the membership of many other Landcare groups in the area.
Founder Rebekah Tottle said one of her main intentions was to increase the participation of young people in the volunteering projects, such as this one.
The workshops are free and so are ideal for people who may want to contribute to assisting support for bushfire victims but who may be unable to make a monetary or material donation.
"This is something that a lot of people can do. You don't need a lot of skills to build the boxes so it's one small thing anyone can do to help," she said.
This was reiterated by group member Paige Kuchel.
With the few smoky days that we've had here, I think the impact of the fires is really hitting home for people in Ballarat. We are lucky the resources have been donated and so we can all come for a couple of hours and make a big difference to animals.
- Paige Kuchel
The first workshop will be hosted at the Creswick Rd Bunnings store on January 18 at 11am. The following two workshops will be hosted at the Delacombe store on January 22 from 4pm and February 1 from 10.30am, with the East Ballarat and Scarsdale Men's Sheds and Sebastopol scouts members to assist.
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