Who’s involved
Specialists, beginners, and everyone in between.
We exist because this place is worth caring for — and because sustained community involvement makes that care more effective, more visible, and more enduring.
In 2021, the Town of Cambridge published its Perry Lakes Reserve Management Plan 2021–2031, endorsed by Council in November of that year. One of its explicit objectives was to encourage community stewardship of the reserve through the establishment of a Friends group.
The Town hosted two community meetings in October and November 2021 to gauge interest. The response was clear. Friends of Perry Lakes was formed, and the work began.
We are a young organisation — but the reserve we care for has a much longer story, and we take that seriously.
What we do
Conservation, restoration, and a long-term presence.
Our purpose is to participate in and advocate for the conservation, restoration and enhancement of Perry Lakes Reserve — for the enjoyment of current and future generations. In practice that means:
01
Monthly and weekly weeding sessions removing invasive species from the lake margins and woodland
02
Annual planting days that have put more than 12,000 native plants in the ground since 2021
03
Ecological monitoring — water levels, water quality, groundwater, bird surveys and fauna records — building a long-term dataset that informs management decisions
04
Citizen science programs that turn community observations into credible conservation evidence
05
Educational walks, talks and events that deepen the community’s connection to the reserve
06
Advocacy for the water levels and habitat quality that native wildlife depends on
Who’s involved
Specialists, beginners, and everyone in between.
FoPL is governed by a volunteer committee and supported by a growing membership of local residents, families, scientists, naturalists and people who simply love this place.
Our members range from specialists with professional ecological expertise to people who had never pulled a weed before their first session — and everything in between. What everyone shares is a genuine attachment to Perry Lakes and a belief that their contribution matters.
Our partnership
Town of Cambridge and FoPL — neither does it alone.
Friends of Perry Lakes operates under a formal arrangement with the Town of Cambridge. The Town retains responsibility for infrastructure, water management, major vegetation works and professional ecological management. FoPL contributes community labour, monitoring data, education and advocacy.
This partnership is what makes the model work. Neither organisation achieves alone what both achieve together.