Loves Bay Landcare local residents on site ahead of the group’s launch in late February. Photo: Landcare Illawarra.
Two new community Landcare groups have started in Kiama and are looking for keen new members to help care for the environment.
Landcare is a community-based, volunteer-led movement, with new groups formed by residents who want to work together to look after their local environment.
Loves Bay and Jerrara Dam Reserve groups will join Kiama’s existing Landcare groups, four of which work on private land and seven on Kiama Council land.
The Jerrara Dam Reserve group held its initial working bee earlier this month and its next gathering will be on Sunday 22 February from 2 pm. Landcare will also trial a Thursday session, starting at 9 am.
The reserve is a 54 ha site surrounded by farmland. The group will start by working in small blocks, focusing on weed management and encouraging natural regeneration of the many rainforest species already thriving in other parts of the reserve.
Jamberoo resident Ros Neilson is passionate about the reserve’s value as an important parcel of community land.
“This new group will focus on small, practical actions to support the regeneration of rainforest and wetlands in the face of ongoing weed pressure,” she said.
“The site contains valuable and endangered remnant rainforest species and what was once Jerrara Dam has naturally evolved into a wetland that provides important habitat for migratory birds and other native fauna.”
Ros hopes the formation of a Landcare group will support continued public engagement with the area, which is already well-used by birdwatchers, wildlife carers and walkers.
Residents who would like to attend can contact Ros at [email protected].
Members of the Jerrara Landcare group held their first working bee in early February. Photo: Landcare Illawarra.
The new Loves Bay group was initiated by Kiama Heights resident Alan Woodward, who lives near Loves Bay which is the starting point of the final stage of the Kiama Coast Walk.
The group will start in the council reserve at the end of Elanora Road, Kiama Heights and its long-term aim is to restore a corridor of littoral rainforest that would once have extended from Saddleback Mountain to the sea through this area.
Alan approached Landcare Illawarra in late 2025 after recognising the opportunity to improve the ecological health of the area for the benefit of nature and the community.
“Loves Bay is a beautiful place, but it could be better with the regeneration of vegetation and the environment around the creek that flows into the bay,” he said.
“Already there are remnants of the rainforest that once covered the local area, with plants, seeds and waterlife that could thrive through the removal of weeds and native plantings. This Landcare project will restore a truly unique coastal place for the future.”
The first meeting of Loves Bay Landcare will be held on Saturday 28 February at 9 am. Residents who want to attend should contact Alan at [email protected].
All community members are welcome to attend working bees at both sites and no previous experience is required.
Landcare Illawarra vice-chair Michael Andrews said the organisation was proud to support new community-driven initiatives.
“At Landcare Illawarra, we’re always excited to support new grassroots groups who are taking action to care for the places they love,” he said.
“Community-led projects like these don’t just improve the environment on the ground – they also show decision-makers at all levels how much our natural places matter.
“We’re proud to support volunteers with the training, knowledge and technical support they need to make a real, lasting difference.”
For more information on these groups and others, visit Landcare Illawarra.
