Land Donation to South East Forest National Park
In 2010, Mark Adams and Lynnette Eggleston donated their $50,000 property 'Windaree' to the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife.
The Foundation gained permission from the Minister for Climate Change and Environment to donate this land to the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. It will become part of the South East Forests National Park.
The 15.6 hectare property is a strategic addition to the national park for the protection of the water catchment, under-represented forest ecosystems and threatened fauna species.
The property contains escarpment dry grass forest, flats wet herb forest, bega wet shrub forest, and hinterland wet fern forest. Slopes rising from Stockyard Creek supported an open forest of White Stringy, Coast Grey Box and Ribbon Gum, with a grass and fern understory. Upper slopes supported complex of White Stringy, River Peppermint, Ribbon Gum and Coast Grey Box, with open understory of scattered Cassinia and Bootlace Bush, with Pomaderris prominent in some areas.
Protected drainage lines on the steep lower slopes of Big Jack on the northern boundary supported dense stands of Olive berry, Mutton wood and Lilly pilly. A vegetation survey by Miles (2000) identified species of regional conservation significance including two Port Jackson fig (Ficus rubiginosa) saplings growing in tree stumps on the property. This species is at its southern limit in the region, with Pericoe being the southernmost known record.
Mark and Lynnette have sighted two vulnerable fauna species on 'Windaree', including the Glossy Black Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami and the Grey-headed Flying Fox Pteropus poliocephalus.
