Release: Over 60 tortoises were released this year. The Friends Group participated with the Minister for the Environment, Bill Marmion, to release 30 at TSNR on the 6 Aug. The others were released a week earlier by DEC staff at Moore River. Because of good following rains, no tortoises had to be returned to the Zoo because of lack of water in the swamps.

Affiliations: We remain members of 2 umbrella groups, the Conservation Council and the Urban Bushland Council, and we have also joined the Western Australian Wildlife Rehabilitation Council Inc, and the Turtle Oblonga Rescue and Rehabilitation Network in WA and the Tiaro Landcare who are attempting to help the endangered Mary River turtle in Queensland.

2010 signified the change to bi-monthly meetings of the group. This has ensured a quorum at all meetings. This seems to have worked well. As most members are on email, it is an easy matter to contact members between meetings if necessary. Some of our meetings have been a comedy of errors, with such problems as the gate being locked by a concerned neighbour who didn’t realise a meeting was to be held, and the padlocks being changed ensuring we all got a bit of extra exercise. Hopefully, these hiccups have now been sorted out.

Fifteen Western Swamp Tortoise hatchlings were released at Moore River this year. 10 will return to the zoo because of the poor followup rainfall, but there are still a couple out there. It was great to see the number of children involved. I’m sure they will remember it for years to come.

In collaboration with our sponsors, Edgecombe Brothers Winery, we held a very successful ‘Foodlovers’ Tour of the Swan Valley’ in March 2009. Our guide, Julie, took us to some of the unsung local venues for everything from fresh vegetables to fig jam.

We held a very successful meeting in March, with guest speaker Amy from SERCUL telling us all about stormwater. We are planning to stencil tortoises on the drains in the Ellenbrook area to remind homeowners about the impacts of pollution in the stormwater on the tortoises’ habitat. One of the participants in the stormwater meeting was Gane Doyle from the WA Reptile Park in Henley Brook, who kindly allowed us to erect a display at the park, and leave our brochures for visitors.