For the first time in history, a threatened species recovery plan for Night Parrots was drafted on country with help from rangers, setting a benchmark for government partnerships.

Fire management activities are well underway across Martu country. Following the Incendiary Machine Operator (IMO) training earlier in the year, each ranger team has undertaken aerial burning operations. This work is linking fire scars from previous years to produce fire breaks, and breaking up large areas of unburnt country — the rangers truly are managing fire on a landscape scale.

The Jigalong rangers have been working around Pinpi (Durba Hills) and Kaalpi (Calvert Ranges) to conduct monitoring work on the warru (black-flanked rock wallaby) population, to search for signs of a wiminyji (northern quoll) population and to carry out mankarr (bilby) surveys.

Some of the Martu Leadership team spent time in Melbourne attending a series of workshops, meetings and delivering presentations. They focussed on how companies run, who owns them and the role of members, directors, CEOs and staff.

The last three months of cooler weather have seen rangers engaged in fire management activities across Martu Country.

In April, Kunawarritji rangers had a chance to mix with other central desert ranger groups at Central Land Council’s (CLC) Ranger Camp at Glen Helen, NT.

The Martu Leadership group met for the first gathering of the year at a two-day meeting held in Roy Hill Mining Camp. This meeting enabled the group to reflect on the work that had been done in 2018 and to start planning what they would like to focus on this year.

In April, KJ rangers gathered at Nifty Mine to undertake Incendiary Machine Operator (IMO) training; a critical role in aerial burning operations.

Rangers and elders have conducted helicopter mapping and waru work out of Parnngurr and Punmu. Two very important rock holes were found — Jiman and Juntiwa — as well as having the chance to capture elders’ stories.

Recently, the Kunawarritji rangers took a couple of Newman police officers out on country. The group ventured to soaks, checked tourist permits and visited a number of important sites. Read the diary entry from the team.