Kimberley Fire Institute
The Kimberley Fire Institute provide a life saving, prevention and education program to tackle the destructive bush fires that surround our rural everyday life and our wildlife wellbeing.
You can learn more about the Kimberley Fire Institute on our Facebook page.
Land Care
We promote education for the care and protection of our native land, contained fauna, Nature and wildlife.
Photo courtesy of Danny Carter | A Higher Perspective
De-Neem
Project
The Kimberley is being overrun with the Neem tree, a weed that was introduced to Kununurra less than 30 years ago. We’d like your help in their control and eradication.
The Neem only takes 5 to 7 years to reach maturity and start producing thousands of olive pip size seeds. The larger Kimberley birds love the seeds and so the Neem spreads to wherever they rest or grab another feed. It’s quite common to see a dense forest of Neems around the base of a boab tree or a nice roosting tree. Even fruiting shrubs are ideal places for the Neem to germinate in the several hundreds and to quickly outgrow the native shrubs.
The Neem is a highly competitive weed tree thanks to its deep tap root system and extensive lateral roots making it an expert at survival. There are impenetrable thickets of the Neem along the waterways and then dense clumps around larger native trees and fruiting shrubs.
The Neem is now a declared weed in the Kimberley
ALLAN WEDDERBURN
Consultant,
Aboriginal Economic Development
Tackling the problem head-on
ONE TREE AT A TIME – KANE has created a Facebook page called 'Neems To Go – Kimberley' to create awareness of the issue, provide practical information and inspire others to take action.
The most effective way to manage the Neem is by manually pulling out the Neem seedlings during the wet season, ensuring the whole tap root is removed. This is effective for Neems up to 1 to 2 meters. Just dump the seedlings around the base of a tree as mulch – they won’t regrow.
For larger Neems, basal spraying with a mix of 20ml Garlon and 1 litre of diesel is the most effective and quickest management process. Don’t waste time cutting the tree and painting neat Garlon on the stump as the Neem resprouts from the base. Fire does not kill the Neem – it just regrows as a multi stemmed tree that is harder to basal spray. Basal spray, basal spray!
Any assistance is appreciated to improve and maintain our wonderful local environment by reducing the spread of the Neem. Happy De Neeming the Kimberley!
You can now help the environment, and kane!
KANE Inc is a non-profit organisation between a group of dedicated volunteers who provide extensive care and rehabilitation for all creatures in the East Kimberley.
We rely heavily on the kind donations and help from local businesses and the caring community. The Containers for Change scheme is just one way that you could make a difference and support or organisation.
Scheme ID: C10274916
Temporary Care or Adoption
Not everyone is in a position to be able to offer home care, but if it is something that you and your family may consider, providing temporary care or even adoption for some of our animals is an invaluable resource for our organisation, and can prove to be a very rewarding time for yourself.
Lookout for Injured or Abandoned Animals
Simply being aware of nature and wildlife in your everyday surroundings and providing information or reports to the services helps to identify and keep our animals safe. It is impossible to put a price on extra pairs of eyes in and around our neighbourhood.
Volunteer Your Time
They say every little helps, but it really does. Even volunteering a small bit of your time to KANE can really make a difference. It may just be transport or a simple administration task, but it frees up precious time for our vets and rescue teams. Your time is invaluable to us.
Donations & Fundraising
Almost half of our funding required for day-to-day operating costs comes from kind and generous donations, fundraising efforts, or the new Containers for Change initiative. We are eternally grateful for every gifted donation. If you were able to help spread the word, provide ideas or help with a fundraising event, or encourage others to show their support through the container recycling scheme, every little help does make a great difference.
How you can get Involved
Educate & Inform
At KANE we promote education for the care and protection of our native land, contained fauna, nature and wildlife. We educate the public about threatening processes such as Ecanis, Cane Toads and the protection of our unique native species, and so much more.