{"id":11051,"date":"2026-06-23T10:43:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T00:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/?p=11051"},"modified":"2026-06-23T10:43:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T00:43:35","slug":"case-study-crafting-possum-dreys-to-support-local-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/case-study-crafting-possum-dreys-to-support-local-wildlife\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Crafting Possum Dreys to Support Local Wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<header>\n<p class=\"lead\">During the summer school holidays, the Riverina Highlands Landcare Nursery buzzed with excitement as 15 young nature enthusiasts joined the Hollows for Homes workshop. Presented by Cherie White from Riverina Local Land Services, the free event introduced children to the fascinating world of animals that rely on tree and aquatic hollows\u2014 including fish, birds, reptiles, and possums. Participants even got a close-up look into a real gum tree hollow using a special camera and then rolled up their sleeves to craft hand-made possum dreys to take home and install.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div id=\"content-core\">\n<div id=\"main-content\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-xs-12 col-md-8\">\n<div class=\"content-block issue-block\">\n<h2>The issue<\/h2>\n<p>Across New South Wales,\u00a0hollow-bearing trees are declining at an alarming rate, largely due to land clearing and fire. This loss has been officially listed as a\u00a0key threatening process to biodiversity, impacting countless species who depend on hollows for shelter, nesting, and breeding. Without intervention, many native animals face a loss of essential habitat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-block solution-block\">\n<h2>The solution<\/h2>\n<p>The Hollows for Homes workshop gave children and families the chance to\u00a0take practical action\u00a0for wildlife. Participants learned about the importance of natural hollows and created\u00a0artificial possum dreys\u2014snug, safe alternatives to help bridge the gap as tree hollows disappear. Cherie shared tips on how to install dreys effectively:\u00a0secure them off the ground, choose a sheltered position, face openings away from prevailing winds, and ensure they\u2019re firmly tied to prevent swinging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-block impact-block\">\n<h2>The impact<\/h2>\n<p>The session fostered hands-on learning, environmental awareness, and community connection. Each child left with both a drey to install and a deeper understanding of how small actions\u2014like creating wildlife homes\u2014can make a real difference in local ecosystems. The event strengthened ties between\u00a0Landcare, Local Land Services, and families, inspiring the next generation of habitat protectors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-block learnings-block\">\n<h2>Learnings<\/h2>\n<p>Simple, practical activities\u2014like building and installing possum dreys\u2014can empower communities to actively support biodiversity. By understanding and addressing habitat loss, even at a small scale, young people can contribute to the long-term health of New South Wales\u2019 native wildlife.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-block author-block\">Author:\u00a0<em>Rachel Cullen<\/em><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/mli.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Murrumbidgee-Landcare-Inc-Hollows-for-Homes-\u2013-Crafting-Possum-Dreys-to-Support-Local-Wildlife-Case-Study.pdf\">Case Study: Hollows for Homes \u2013 Crafting Possum Dreys to Support Local Wildlife<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"tag-line\">Capacity building\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0LEP23_036_LLC7_7<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;11049&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; style=&#8221;vc_box_rounded&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;] During the summer school holidays, the Riverina Highlands Landcare Nursery buzzed with excitement as 15 young nature enthusiasts joined the Hollows for Homes workshop. Presented by Cherie White from Riverina Local Land Services, the free event introduced children to the fascinating world of animals that rely on tree and aquatic hollows\u2014 including fish, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":11049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","iawp_total_views":3,"footnotes":""},"categories":[341],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lep-case-studies","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11052,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11051\/revisions\/11052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}