Wildlife rescue group WIRES offered care for the animal and then encouraged some extra feeding once it was released to help with the transition. Surprisingly given the species’ vulnerable status, other gliders turned up too.

“People started to hear about it and would go and watch the feeding and they would go and see gliders, so the community awareness basically grew from that moment,” Lou Bull said.

On World Environment Day Burrumbuttock added to its squirrel glider history with the unveiling of a new information display on the Urana Road bus shelter.

It’s an initiative of the Burrumbuttock squirrel glider Local Area Management Plan that began in 2013 and winds up this year.

Ms Bull, who is the project officer, said the map-based plan built on the will already within the community to help sustain animal numbers.

“Squirrel gliders have the ability to move between trees if the trees are not too far apart,” she said.

“This project has looked at where the gaps in the landscape are and aiming to fill those gaps.

“By the end of the project, we would have put in probably 25,000 plants or more.”

Squirrel glider LAMP project steering committee member Owen Dunlop said 31 Burrumbuttock landholders had supported squirrel glider conservation works on their properties.

“So far, 420 stock-proof tree guards have been installed to create important stepping stones in the landscape and 109 hectares of revegetation has been undertaken to connect and enhance existing patches of habitat,” he said.

Supported by government funding, the project is a partnership between Petaurus Education Group, Murray Local Land Services, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, West Hume Landcare, Greater Hume Council and Burrumbuttock landholders.

Ms Bull said the plan had offered a new way forward in squirrel glider conservation.

“It hasn’t been quite so targeted before so hopefully this now sets the scene for replicating this style of approach,” she said.

With the project nearing its end, the bus shelter display represented a permanent legacy of this work.

“For me personally this project has been really positive just to see the goodwill of wanting to do something for future generations around an animal that’s vulnerable,” Ms Bull said. 

“It’s really fun working with these landholders who are learning along the way about an animal you don’t often see.

“That’s really exciting when people get on board to do that sort of thing.”

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