LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

 

Dear Members and Friends

 

Greetings all and welcome to the latest NRPG news.  It’s that busy time of year again with many weeds surfacing ready for removal, and it’s also dry-ground planting time!

 

Karen Britza from Shire of Kalamunda reports that more than 5,000 plants have been allocated to 19 Friends groups – an effort to be praised!  A further 1,900 will be planted by the bush regeneration team in Shire reserves.  Local seed was used by local nurseries to germinate the seedlings, which is a really important step to protecting local flora and preventing colonisation of plants not necessarily suited to local conditions.  Seed is available to Friends groups any time through to August – contact Karen to organise.

 

If there are articles you’d like included or workdays to mention in the next newsletter, please contact me on 0400 708 466.  Happy reading!

Alison McGilvray

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NYOONGAR SEASON

MAKURU

 

The two-month Nyoongar season Makuru extends from June to July.  This is the time Nyoongars travelled inland to various hunting places, using fire as they went for cooking, tool making, hunting and warmth.  Stems from the balga grasstree (Xanthorrhoea preissii) were used to make fires.

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WHAT HAPPENED AT THE AGM??

 

The 2006 NRPG AGM was held on 22 March.  Approximately 30 people attended: a diverse group of committee members, co-optees, current members and some new faces.

 

The following members were elected to the 2006 committee:

 

President:                    Steve Gates

Vice-president:            Tony Fowler

Treasurer:                   Margaret Fowler

Secretary:                   Darrell McCarthy

 

Committee members: Elaine Sargent, Murray Ryall

 

Co-optees:                  Alan Evans, Candy Gordon, Alan Hill, Alison McGilvray

 

Thank you to Vin and Sue Marelich, outgoing committee members who have been active members of NRPG since 2001.

 

The guest speaker for the evening was Yvonne Garnsey, a Docent (or volunteer guide) from Perth Zoo.  Yvonne spoke about the zoo’s Australian native species breeding program, focussing on the Western Swamp tortoise.  Other programs are the dibbler, Gilbert’s potoroo, and numbat.

 

Where the Western Swamp tortoise once existed from Pearce Airbase in Bullsbrook to Perth Airport, it survives now in only two reserves in the City of Swan.  To try to reduce risk of extinction, a recovery plan was drawn up by the Natural Heritage Trust and WA government.  Perth Zoo has produced 240 tortoises that have been released to Twin Swamps reserve, and a third of the population is being established at a new location, Mogumber Nature Reserve in Gingin.

 

June and Lloyd Butcher briefed attendees on the latest proposal for relocation of Kanyana Wildlife Centre to the 15 acre Paxwold property in Lesmurdie.

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INCREASE IN FEES

 

It was voted at the AGM to increase NRPG annual fees to $8 for individuals and $15 for family.  The increase is to cover, amongst others, NRPG’s membership with umbrella conservation groups, and provide sufficient funds for administration costs.  The new fees will come into effect from March 2007.

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WEEDS IN THE MEDIA

 

Margaret Fowler, NRPG treasurer, was invited to attend a National Weeds forum organised by the Co-operative Research Centre (CRC), which is funded by Department of Education, Science and Training, and assisted by the Department of Agriculture and Food.

 

The forum targeted both the nursery industry and the media.  Well-known personalities such as Neville Passmore (Gardening Gurus) and Josh Byrne (Gardening Australia) were in attendance.  The only local government member was Linda Kirchner representing EMRC and Shires of Kalamunda and Mundaring.  Diane Matthews from Environmental Weeds Action Network (EWAN) and some members of the nursery industry were also present.

 

Kate Blood from CRC and Andreas Glanzig, senior policy advisor from WWF Australia, gave particularly informative and interesting presentations.

 

In summary, weeds create:

o   environmental damage;

o   health issues like allergies and asthma, and

o   loss of agricultural production.

 

Weeds cost billions of dollars per year, with lower farm incomes, higher food costs, impacts on human health and the natural environment, and the many hours invested by the ‘volunteer army’.

 

Australia currently has 2,800 exotic plants established in the natural environment with 20 or more added to the list each year.

 

Some weeds are herbicide resistant, particularly in WA.  76% of Australian weeds originated as garden plants and have become both agricultural and environmental problems.

 

A major concern is the number of weeds coming through mail order and the general post.

 

So what is being done?  The National Weed Strategy launched in 1997 is currently being revised to provide a consistent framework for weed management.  The Agriculture and Related Resources Protection Act 1976 (which ‘declares’ a number of agricultural and environmental weeds) is soon to be replaced by the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Bill.

 

The nursery industry has engaged an environmental issues officer, and is keen to follow best practice.  It aims to produce booklets promoting plants other than potential invasive weeds, which will be called ‘Grow me instead’.

 

Some solutions to the weed problem are management of herbicide resistance, development of new techniques like molecular control of reproduction, management of the weed seed bank, biological control, education at all levels (particularly with the nursery industry), and more comprehensive and informative plant labels.

 

Given the importance of weed suppression to our revegetation projects, the forum proved to be constructive and well-worth attending.

 

For more information – www.weeds.org.au; www.weeds.crc.org.au/publications/factsheets.html

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RECENT GRANTS

 

The Minister for the Environment grants were announced earlier this year, and included funding for affiliated NRPG groups Crumpet Creek and Lower Toornarrt Creek.  They received $2,618 and $2,294 respectively for weed control in both creeklines.

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SPOTLIGHT ON

FRIENDS OF VERNALLEN WAY

 

Friends of Vernallen Way in Lesmurdie has been going for some years now – in fact it was one of the original groups when NRPG started in the late 1980s!  The main instigators of the group were John Dowst and Bill Versey.

 

Friends group co-ordinator Darrell McCarthy has been working at the reserve for 7 years.  Just before he started, playground equipment in the area was removed and works began to restore the natural bushland in its place.  Darrell says there is a good range of plants, and he would love to survey and identify all species present.

 

The reserve has been found dieback-free.  Interestingly, after a complaint that leaves in the reserve were thought to be a fire hazard, the fire department identified that this was actually an asset, as the native leaves controlled weedy grass growth, a much greater fire threat.

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PEST OF THE SEASON:

ARUM LILY

 

Introduced from South Africa as a horticultural crop, arum lily has created havoc in natural bushland in the south-west of WA.  It invades wet swampy areas and can impede water flow.  It also forms dense stands in pastures under trees.

 

Arum lily, or Zantedeschia aethiopica, spreads both vegetatively and by seeds, which are widely dispersed by birds and water movement.  It flowers from late winter to early summer, with the conspicuous white flowers up to 15cm across.  It stands about 60 – 90cm, and has dark green, spade-shaped leaves.

 

This invasive plant is a declared weed in WA, under the Agricultural and Related Resources Protection Act 1976.  It is listed as P1 and P4.  P1 states that movement of plants or their seeds is prohibited throughout the state.  P4 relates to control requirements – infested areas must be managed in such a way that prevents spread of seed or plant parts within or from the property; infestations must be treated to destroy or prevent seed set of all plants:

 

• within 100 metres of the boundaries of the infested properties;

• within 50m of roads and highwater mark on waterways, and
• within 50m of sheds, stockyards and houses.

 

Properties with less than two hectares of infestation must treat the entire population.

 

Control is possible through mechanical or chemical methods.  If plants are removed mechanically or physically, care must be taken to remove the entire plant and all root fragments.  Rotary hoeing over a few years provides reasonable control.  The flowers can be cut to prevent birds spreading seeds.  Glyphosate is relatively ineffective, but metsulfuron and chlorosulfuron can be used, and should be sprayed in late winter before the flowers start to wither.  Plants can be wiped near sensitive or natural vegetation.

 

The good news is that after 31 August this year, arum lily can no longer be sold or traded in WA.

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DATES FOR THE DIARY

 

16 July	Fungi foray Maida Vale Reserve Bush Skills for the Hills
25 July	Wildflowers of Kulin and Julatin Rock Joan Francis and Brian Moyle Wildflower Society, Darling Range
28 July	The roof of Australia Eric McCrum Wildflower Society, Eastern Hills
5 August	Success stories – south of the river Naragebup/Rockingham Regional Environmental Centre Skills for Nature Conservation
6 August	Weed control I Bush Skills for the Hills
19 August	After the sun goes down – nocturnal activities Piney Lakes Environmental Centre Skills for Nature Conservation
22 August	Plants and people Eng Pin Tay Wildflower Society, Darling Range
26 August	Success stories – north of the river Bus trip – details TBC Skills for Nature Conservation
9 September	Wetland management on private land Wandi Skills for Nature Conservation
16 September	War on watsonia Boya Bush Skills for the Hills
26 September	Members and visitors show and tell Wildflower Society, Darling Range

 

·         To register to Skills for Nature Conservation events, contact the Swan Catchment Centre on 9374 3333.

·         For Bush Skills for the Hills workshops, RSVP to Robbie at the EMRC on 9424 2216.

·         Darling Range Wildflower Society meetings are held at the Kalamunda library, generally starting at 7pm.

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IF YOU NEED HELP…..

 

Karen Britza	Environmental Reserves Officer
Shire of             Kalamunda	9257 9806
Linda Kirchner	Ecologist/Bush Care Officer
Shire of             Kalamunda	9257 9999
Nicola Johnson	Environmental Officer
Shire of             Kalamunda	9257 9999
Chris Dunne	Dieback Officer
Shire of             Kalamunda	9257 9999
Stephen Lloyd	Eastern Hills NRM Coordinator
EMRC	9424 2222
Craig Wansborough	E.Hills Water Management Officer
EMRC/Kalamunda	9424 2222
Sonya Stewart	E.Hills Natural Diversity Officer
EMRC	9424 2222

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