South Cape York Catchments

01/09/2026

Last week, the Balgnngarrawarra Melsonby Rangers hosted a school camp for young people studying conservation and land management at Cooktown State School.

Visiting the base was a chance for students to put their classroom learning to use. Students worked alongside the rangers and were quick to pick up tools and help out. They learned about preserving cultural sites, fire management, and pest control.

A highlight was visiting a rock art site, where students cleared the area by removing debris and invasive species from around the rocks. Work like this preserves the art so future visitors can appreciate it. The trip also included wildlife spotlighting, BBQ sausages, and of course, afternoon fishing on the Normanby River.

Thank you to the Rangers for sharing this experience with the students; trips like this allow keen young people to apply their knowledge, ask questions, and get their hands dirty!

31/08/2026

It's beach clean-up time!

Along with our partners, the Gamaay Traditional Owners, QPWS, and Tangaroa Blue, we look forward to getting our local volunteers over on to North Shore for another fantastic day!
Details to follow, keep an eye out.

07/08/2026

A tricky start to the early burning season brought plenty of drizzly rain and gusty winds across south-eastern Cape York, but the Normanby and Balnggarrawarra Melsonby Ranger teams have now completed their planned burns.

This year, the Rangers have undertaken many burns in partnership with QPWS, Cape York Natural Resource Management, and their neighbours, which leads to better outcomes across the region. Cultural burns have been done around rock art sites, strategic firebreaks have been maintained, and hazard-reduction burns have reduced fuel loads in case of wild fire later in the year.

Ahead of the wildfire season, everyone has a role to play. Cook Shire Council is hosting Backyard Burning 101 next Friday 14 August from 5:30pm at the Shire Hall. This is a workshop for local people to learn how to prepare their own properties. We'll be there to share some practical knowledge. See the flyer for all the details and to RSVP 🔥

30/07/2026

Today is World Ranger Day, a moment to appreciate the work of Rangers everywhere who manage and protect land, wildlife, and cultural heritage. SCYC is proud to support three Ranger teams, Laura, Normanby, and Balnggarrawarra Melsonby, and to work alongside many others.

Here are some snaps from the last few weeks showing what the Rangers have been up to:

The Laura Rangers have been out on the water in Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park with Rinyirru Lakefield Aboriginal Corporation and Sharks And Rays Australia surveying endangered sawfish.

The Normanby Rangers have conducted wetland assessments on their lagoons with Cape York Water Partnership.

And in the last photo you can see a Balnggarrawarra Melsonby Ranger keeping an eye on one of their controlled burns near an important rock art site.

These photos capture just a small part of the work Rangers do every day. From working with scientists to hosting school students on Country, the Rangers take it all in their stride.
On a day dedicated to them, we want to thank all Ranger teams for the hard work they put in every day, all across the world.

28/07/2026

Jess & Xanthe had a great morning with the Endeavour Christian College Prep Class exploring the beautiful Mulbabidgee / Keatings Lagoon!

The Preppies have been learning about Australian flora and fauna, and so were excited to spot magpie geese, Burdekin ducks, and rainbow bee-eaters, and learn about paperbark trees, mistletoe, and water lilies. The students also learnt how wetlands provide important habitat, and how this one is protected by a pig-exclusion fence. It was wonderful to see their curiosity and enthusiasm as they shared their observations and stories.

The students asked lots of thoughtful questions and behaved beautifully, they should be very proud of themselves. We could spot a few future rangers, environmental scientists, and zoologists in the group. Thanks for a wonderful morning ECC, we can't wait to go adventuring with you again!

17/07/2026

The Laura Rangers are back in the field with The Agayrr Bamangay Milbi Project team! 👏

16/07/2026

Every week, SCYC teams up with Holy Spirit College, Cooktown Campus to run field trips for their young people, providing students opportunities to care for the country around them while learning new skills.

Yesterday we visited the Balnggarrawarra Melsonby Rangers on their Country. The Rangers taught young people about their land management work, and shared cultural knowledge about finding ochre, crafting traditional knives and axes, and looking after rock art sites.

The group even got to visit a rock art site to put this knowledge into action, helping the rangers to clean around the rocks and hearing the stories behind the paintings.

A massive thank you to the Balnggarrawarra Melsonby Ranger team for their generosity in hosting the group and for making time to teach the young people. Thanks also to the Holy Spirit students who were really respectful and engaged, and worked hard alongside the Rangers!

Our Young Cape York Leaders program strives to provide regular learning opportunities like this for young people. If you work to look after our country or community and are keen to share that wisdom through hosting an activity, drop into the Charlotte Street office for a chat.

29/05/2026

This National Reconciliation Week, we confirm we are All In for reconciliation with the Rangers we work alongside, with our partners, and with all Indigenous people. We are proud to work shoulder to shoulder on Country with Traditional Owners whose cultural knowledge has shown them how to manage these lands and waters for many millennia. We are honoured that they choose to share some of this knowledge with us.

Reconciliation is not just something we talk about during one week of the year. It is reflected year round in the relationships we have built, the opportunities we create together, and the commitment we have all made to working together.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters where we work and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

18/05/2026

11/05/2026

We really enjoyed supporting the Holy Spirit College, Cooktown Campus students to work with our local Queensland National Parks Rangers to tidy up Keatings Lagoon Conservation Park after a big wet season! The students put in a huge effort to get things ready for the many visitors who will visit Mulbabidgee (Keatings Lagoon) this year.