Join Club BUSHY and AABR NSW/ACT for a walk-and-talk on fire management in Sydney’s North Shore.

Mark Schuster (Strategic Bushfire Officer, Ku-ring-Gai Council), Erryn Blacklock (Bush Regenerator, Bushy Landscapes), and Liz Blacklock (Ecologist, Bushy Landscapes) will discuss the opportunities and challenges of urban fire management.

Our walk will take us from the historic St Ives Showground along the beautiful Showground fire trail to the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Gardens. We traverse a number of differing ecological communities, many with very restricted flora and fauna, with differing fire regime needs and a complex fire history. Together, we'll explore the reality of balancing ecological burning and asset protection, review the goals and outcomes of urban fire management. We will return to the Showground along the same route and end at Picnic Area Number 4 on the Showground.

Snacks will be provided, drinks by @drink_bobby, plus a small gift from @zorali.

About Club Bushy

Welcome to Club BUSHY! A space to make friends, walk tracks, read stories and share knowledge.

Club BUSHY is a space for our community to come together and celebrate Sydney’s ecology! We’re curating experiences that foster a deeper connection to the land and to each other. We’ll hear from a range of experts and storytellers, share meals, and spend time outdoors together as we learn and grow.

Club Bushy is an initiative created by BUSHY Landscapes that supports our mission to strengthen people’s connection with their local environment, empowering them to better understand and manage natural systems.

We recognise a strong need for ecological restoration services to become more prevalent within the built environment. The residential sector, in particular, is in serious need of accessible, high-quality, science-led services that better support individuals to engage in conservation. We aim to address these issues with an integrated team of bush regenerators, ecologists, landscapers, horticulturalists, and designers.

www.bushylandscapes.com.au

About Mark Schuster

Mark Schuster has lived, breathed (and often dreamt) fire planning, fire regime research and fire ecology for quite a few decades – first researching fire regimes and lizard populations at Bauple State Forest, Queensland in 1977.

He has worked in Queensland and NSW local governments, conservation and national park agencies as a fire ecologist, planner and technical fire ranger for much of this time. His deep appreciation and knowledge of landscapes, fire behaviour and the ecological aspects of fire regimes allow him to develop and implement fire management frameworks, strategies and management plans for both long-term ecological resilience of natural values and minimisation of risks to people and property.

Mark incorporates the latest in fire research into the planning sphere and then translating this to on-ground fire operations. He now applies his knowledge to his beloved ‘Southern Sandstone’ – working for Ku-ring-gai Council.

We acknowledge that this event takes place on the traditional lands of the Darramuragal people of the Darug Nation, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. We recognise the deep knowledges that have shaped and cared for these landscapes over many generations, and honour the enduring connection to Country and knowledge that continues to guide how we care for these landscapes today.

We acknowledge that this event takes place on the traditional lands of the Darramuragal people of the Darug Nation, and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. We recognise the deep knowledges that have shaped and cared for these landscapes over many generations, and honour the enduring connection to Country and knowledge that continues to guide how we care for these landscapes today.

Location:

St Ives Showground, 450 Mona Vale Road St Ives NSW 2075

Meeting Point : The Showground cafe, a lovely coffee – and maybe an Italian treat – very reasonably priced!!

Link to St Ives Showground Webpage:

Public transport:

Forest Coach Lines has two bus services available, routes 196 and 197.

Both routes connect with Gordon train station. For timetable information visit Transport NSW.

Parking:

Free parking

Your AABR Host for the day will be Peta Lilley
m: 0402096623
e: whatson@aabr.org.au

BUSHY:

https://bushylandscapes.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/bushylandscapes

https://www.instagram.com/bushylandscapes

Drink Bobby:

https://drinkbobby.com

https://www.instagram.com/drink_bobby

Zorali:

https://www.zorali.com

https://www.instagram.com/zorali

Contact the host of Urban Fire Management Walk & Talk with Club BUSHY 2026