Challenge
The Regent Honeyeater is critically endangered native songbird living in southeastern Australia. One of the few remaining breeding sites for existing breeding pairs is in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park in North East Victoria.
The plight of this bird is indicative of the loss of its breeding habitat across the grain belt of Southeastern Australia due to clearing for agriculture over the past 150 years; the national park is one of the few remaining intact White Box-Ironbark Gum forests that provide suitable breeding sites in the region.
Approach
The Victorian Department of Environment, Lands, Water and Planning approached The Comms Doctor® to increase public awareness of the Regent Honeyeater and the national park that surrounds the small township of Chiltern; this is situated on the Hume Highway, the main arterial road between Sydney and Melbourne.
Department officers particularly wanted to make local townspeople more aware of the bird. and increase their involvement in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot National Park. They decided a giant mural commissioned with a local artist at the local football and netball ground would help achieve this goal. The Comms Doctor® saw potential to go a little further with this communication project.
Outcomes
- A giant mural titled ‘Reflections’ created by local outdoor artist Kirrily Anderson at the Chiltern Recreation Gound. The installation was managed by The Comms Doctor®;
- Three interpretation and information signs located in front of the Chiltern mural and in two rest bays on the nearby Hume Highway;
- three podcasts recorded and produced by The Comms Doctor®; these described the conservation project to save the Regent Honeyeater from extinction through local and national collaboration, and how the town benefitted from the bird and the surrounding national park;
- Access to the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas and VBA-Go.
- a competition for visiting children (and their parents) to find (endangered) jewel spiders on the mural;
online access to maps of various walking trails around the national park; and,
- a website that explains each of the 27 native plants and animals depicted in the mural, it also provides links to downloadable podcasts, walking maps and the competition ‘answers’, all accessed by mobile phone and a QR code printed on the signs.
Endorsement
“Wes was great to work with; his easy-going, approachable and adaptable attitude meant that what was initially a tricky project, juggling State and local government requirements, community ideas and needs and the creativity of the artist, turned out really well for all. Having a diverse set of skills, he brought the ‘Reverence’ mural in Chiltern to a broad audience through podcasts (linked by QR codes), interpretive board creation and website design. He was able to interpret government jargon to user-friendly and interesting information. His eye for detail, design and layout has resulted in the interpretative boards being a standout in communication. His collaborative skills meant that the mural and other products have reached far and wide.”
Elizabeth Wemyss, Hume Region, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning