Great Eastern Ranges

Squirrel Glider Crossings

Travellers on the Hume Highway 50 km north of Albury will find themselves motoring under an animals-only overpass slung across the busy 4-lane carriageway. The rope bridge, looking like something from a pirate ship, has been erected so local Squirrel Gliders can cross the highway safely.

Squirrel Gliders are sparsely distributed in the Slopes to Summit area of southern New South Wales – land clearing and other threats have made them a vulnerable population. Normally they glide from tree to tree, but highways and other clearings limit their ability to move about.

Recently volunteers planted 500 Silver Wattle trees on either side of the rope bridge to create a conservation corridor through which local Squirrel Gliders can move. The trees will also be a future food source for the Squirrel Gliders and other species.

The planting was part of the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative, which is focussing efforts on establishing a conservation corridor along the NSW section of the Great Eastern Ranges.

View Squirrel Gliders video...