MT ROGERS NEWSLETTER MAY 2017

A new sign
We have received notification from Minister Fitzharris, as Minister for Transport Canberra & City Services (TCCS, formerly TAMS), that $2,000 has been allocated by the department towards the cost of providing a sign for Mt Rogers. It will replace a wooden sign with galvanised posts that has long been missing from alongside the carpark at Wickens Place, Fraser.

The new sign consists of a large boulder engraved with the name Mt ROGERS and supported by smaller rocks. The engraving will be carried out by Phil Nizette of Wellspring Arts and Design.
Phil selected the boulders from the Mitchell Rocks depository on 1st February and he then quoted $3,000 for his several days’ on site work + GST.

TCCS will contribute to the project by moving the boulder and associated rocks and positioning them at Wickens Place under Phil’s supervision. Two of our Mt Rogers community members have offered contributions. If anyone else would like to make contributions the Landcare Group would be most grateful.  6258 4724 for details of how to send the money via the Ginninderra Catchment Group.
If you like the idea we could obtain further approvals for adding some hardy native plants around the rock sign….but of course they would need watering-in and continual care and monitoring and Wickens Place is a challenging environment for groundcovers and shrubs.

It’s coincidental that sections of the decrepit fencing at Wickens Place have been replaced by boulders. These will complement the new sign well and vice versa.

Weeds mapped
Steve Taylor, ACT Weeds Officer, has prepared a map showing where weed species (African Lovegrass (ALG), Serrated Tussock, Chilean Needle Grass and African Parramatta Grass) have been sprayed within Mt Rogers’ 65 hectares. The map records Steve D’s volunteer efforts as a landcarer and those of contractors who are contracted by TCCS to treat weeds.

As sites go Mt Rogers is relatively ‘clean’ but even so it’s not surprising that the main problem areas are along the tracks used by feet, paws and wheels. The dense and probable source of much ALG infestation at Wickens Place is not mentioned however.

As you know, the main vectors of weed seeds are the mowers. Landcaring groups throughout Ginninderra Creek’s Catchment have raised this issue for decades trying to ensure that mower supervisors insist that the areas most free of weed species are mown before infested places.

Grassland ‘special places’
There has been some progress in that the value of native grassland places at Evatt and Latham has been recognised by specific mowing procedures and directions.

Mt Rogers is a Grassy Woodland ecosystem and does, as you know, have a few small areas of very good native vegetation that are also relatively weed free. They’re the focus of our detailed weeding and monitoring efforts.

Tree of Heaven
Two working bees have focussed attention on the large Tree of Heaven infestation. The Ailanthus altissima has suckered from a parent tree from, I assume, 40–50 years ago. We sought advice from the Urban Weeds Officer but there are insufficient funds for the TCCS unit to tackle this intractable problem. Phil G delved into the diverse research sources and we have applied a combination of methods against 2/3 of the visible seedlings and interconnected small trees. If you walk past the site you may notice the debris. The cut-off stumps are a major trip hazard hidden amongst the rank grass.
We welcomed Colin P to the Monday 1st working bee and I hope we didn’t wear out his sawing muscles. On Sunday 23rd Phil, Ted, Anne C, Ivan, Angharad, Ann M and I began the effort. We used the cut & daub method but also tried Frilling some of the thicker stems. (Photos from that day are in the April blog post, below.)

Steve D is poised to spot spray new growth and new leaves once spring arrives. With the whole plant being toxic one really does wonder at the logic of importing this species in the first place. The trees’ autumn colour is interesting but there are many other species that provide that feature.

Early Wattle
I noticed from the bus and on the cutting sides of College Street that Early Wattle, Acacia genistifolia, is in flower. The Guides planted a few just in from Wickens Place in 2010 so their pale cream flowers may be visible on Mt Rogers. (The photo of this species, below, is from a site at Jerrabomberra in 2014, by Andrew Zelnik.)


Colour
Scarlet Robins are back in some of their usual cool months haunts. They are increasingly threatened by encroachment of housing in this region so are worth reporting if you see them. Even more spectacular was a sighting at Giralang Ponds of an Azure Kingfisher. Sacred Kingfishers are attractive in their own right and regulars in the ACT region but the intense Azure blue of the “rare vagrant” in the ACT is a natural wonder. 

This photo is by Duncan McCaskill.



Natural Playgrounds
I’ve recently had three inspiring experiences with natural areas as children’s play spaces.

a) The Open Gardens Canberra scheme introduced The Children’s Garden in Holt. The parents allowed their garden preferences to adapt to the arrival of children, now 6, 8 and 10. Large climbable trees shade the garden where a deck is an outdoor room, where there are chooks, a sand pit, an orchard area including plots for each of the children’s vegetable preferences. A pile of soil proved much more popular for unstructured play than the large sandpit. This possibly proved that the young bodies instinctively knew that making mud pies, getting ‘dirty’, experimenting with ‘clay’ and water provided their bodies with beneficial microbes to enhance their developing immune systems and gut biodiversity. The family also adopted and weeded part of the easement alongside their place. This extended their play space into public land and also allowed the children more play opportunities with minimal supervision.

b) There was a meeting of many of the Urban Landcare Convenors where three examples of reclaiming public garden spaces were explained. They were near Curtin shops, an easement through O’Connor and the Lyneham Commons garden not far from the shops. In each case community groups, like ours, had formed to achieve restoration and reimagining for a public place. Other locals had been drawn in, and TCCS personnel had provided assistance and links for supplied materials including plants. They’d helped communities apply for grants to cover costs.

c) Nature Play Canberra invited Adam and Jill Bienenstock to explain how their Natural Playgrounds had evolved in Canada. Spend some time browsing www.naturalplaygrounds.ca/adam-bienenstock to discover how, time and time again, children choose natural structures such as grassy slopes, logs, rocks, piles of soil, hay-bales, nearby trees and natural collectables for their play over manufactured slides, plastic seats and expensive, adult-designed climbing equipment. They use their imaginations, communicate, collaborate, help each other to climb, classify found objects, get messy and clean up after jumping in puddles or making mud pies. The improvement in in-classroom skills, work and enthusiasm after outdoor, unstructured play is incredible.

The session was attended by Early Childhood teachers amongst other interested folk.  It’s to be hoped that more ACT schools and Child Centres are able to overcome the shackles imposed by litigious parents and the insurance industry to give more children the natural, outdoor childhood their bodies and minds need. Mt Rogers gives health to us. We know there’s plenty to offer curious and observant people outdoors. Let’s hope schools can rethink their definitions of playgrounds and even use the bush near most schools to extend their students’ experiences on a daily basis.
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Our next WORKING BEE dates are Sunday 28th May and Monday 5th June.  For both, meet at 09.30am. We’ll go after Cootamundra Wattle saplings in the eastern part of the reserve. On the Sunday, meet at Mildenhall Place, Fraser; and on the Monday meet at Snow Gum Corner ‘above’ east Schwarz Place, Flynn.

Rosemary 6258 4724