Women connect for conservation

ONLINE for a second year in a row, the annual Chicks in the Sticks event is back.

The female-only event is hosted by the North Central Catchment Management Authority and is designed to bring women to front of the discussion around environmental and agricultural issues.

In its ninth year, North Central CMA regional Landcare coordinator Tess Grieves said the annual event encourages women with similar interests to dress up, get online, listen to presentations and share their ideas.

She said the theme for this year’s event is Grassland for Good – celebrating farming and conservation and will focus on the North Central’s CMA Plains for Wanderers project.

“That project is working with landholders to permanently protect and enhance plains-wanderer habitat on the northern plains grasslands,” she said.

“The plains-wanderer is a critically endangered bird and sits alone on its own branch of the evolutionary tree.”

Event presenters include Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation board member Rebecca Phillips, Werribee Open Range Zoo’s Yvette Pauligk, Trust for Nature’s Deanna Marshall and Kirsten Hutchinson and local farmer and president of Northern Plains Conservation Management Network Faye Bail.

“We didn’t let COVID-19 stop us from getting together last year, and we won’t again this year,” Ms Grieves said.

“Chicks in the Sticks is a great way to have a bit of fun and be inspired by like-minded women telling some amazing stories.”

The event is on Saturday, 9 October from 10am to 12.30pm. Registrations can be made via Eventbrite and prizes are on offer for those that register early.