#WhyIMap: Advancing Ulladulla LALC Priorities at the Indigenous Mapping Workshop
Jayden Perry is a Murramurrang man from the south coast of New South Wales. He works as a Senior Ranger at Ulladulla Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC). Ulladulla LALC is one of the biggest landholders in the Shoalhaven district, responsible for 44 land holdings within its estate. Their Country spans from Narrawallee to Tabourie Lake, and inland to Nerriga.
We first met Jayden at the National Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW) - Narrm (Melbourne) in 2023. Back then, he attended the workshop with a number of his colleagues and the organisation’s CEO, Leanne Brook. Reflecting on his experience at that initial workshop, he candidly admitted to having “no idea” what he was doing. Fast forward three years, and Jayden is confidently navigating the Esri suite, now in a position to train others on his team.
Jayden, with his colleague Hudson, in the Share Easily with Storymaps: Tips for Impactful Storytelling session.
Initially, Ulladulla LALC began their mapping journey with QGIS. However, in the interim between the Narrm workshop and Boorloo workshop in 2024, they changed tact, ultimately finding Esri’s suite of products to be more suitable for their needs. At the National IMW - Boorloo, they enrolled in the Esri stream, picking up helpful tips to enhance their use of the software. This is one of the key benefits of the workshop, Leanne had noted, “The IMW offers a great suite and a lot of choices of courses and information you can learn.” Having made their choice of software, they were able to begin refining their skills in this specific area.
“I did a StoryMaps session with Joel last year. That was the catalyst for building this StoryMap. We’re still building it out.” Jayden says, as he showcases his StoryMap to us, which includes embedded dashboards, maps, and imagery of all the projects Ulladulla LALC has been working on.
Save the Glossies - Using Maps to Help the Vulnerable Black Cockatoos
One of the significant projects Jayden and his team are currently undertaking involves tracking glossy black cockatoos, a vulnerable species in NSW. Glossies, as it turns out, are very selective about their food. “They’ll only eat from about three species of tree. But even amongst those species, they are very particular about which tree they will eat from. We’ve had instances where there are two of the same variety next to each other, yet the glossies will only eat from one and not the other.” This is all valuable data that their organisation is able to capture and visualise on a map.
Map containing data about glossy feeding sites, sightings and flight paths.
Ulladulla LALC balances a range of responsibilities for its members; land claims, land management, compensation claims, exploring economic opportunities and managing grant funding to name a few. These priorities are bolstered by GIS.
“Our staff need to be well informed about the land that we have and what use cases it has. This information is passed on to our members so that informed decisions can be made on how our Country is utilised.”
Standing Up For Country - Field Mapping Illegal Waste Dumping
Another pressing issue ULALC are addressing at the moment is illegal waste dumping. Jayden explains how they use FieldMaps to collect the data on dumping sites and the various types of waste, displaying this information in a pie chart and map. From this data, they have developed targeted strategies to combat this issue affecting their Country.
Data breakdown of the types of illegal waste dumped on Ulladulla LALC’s estate, with a map of the sites where the illegal dumping was found.
Despite his growing expertise, Jayden continues to return to the IMW. More than anything, he loves having subject matter experts on hand to work through challenges. This year, he was able to sit down with Jennah Williams, a National Science and Education Manager from Esri and our own staff, Joel D’Antoine and River Bali, two experts in GIS, to get specific advice relating to mapping projects Ulladulla LALC is working on.
“Although I have attended the last two Winyama workshops, every time I have come out with new knowledge on mapping and drones.”
Jayden sits in the front row, smiling with the rest of the National IMW 2025 cohort.
Are you ready to build geospatial capacity within your own organisation? Join us at our next Indigenous Mapping Workshop, or join us online on IMW On Demand.
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