On Thursday 17th an exceptional turnout of Mt Rogers Landcare community members put 18 coir logs in position down the eroded track from the summit. There are four photos of this below.
The hardest part proved to be creating a hole through each log four times so the stakes could be driven into the ground.
We loosened the compacted soil, scattered native grass seeds and covered the seeds. Some Capeweed plants were dug up to prevent them seeding but, as the second photo might show, the flowers continued to bloom. They still turn to the sun four days later….!
The alternative track across the grass to the north is being used….there are several others in the vicinity including the main vehicle tracks.
Thank you Margaret for surprising us with warm-from-the-oven morning tea that we eagerly ‘washed down’ with our supplies of water.
Julie, Kerri-Ann, Mark, Michael, Neil, Phil G, Phil N, Ted have new skills for their CV’s and there were apologies from Angharad, Colette, Helen and Jennifer and Steve.
On Sunday 27th our next working bee is scheduled.
I suggest we meet near the Flynn playground again and at 09.30am
There are several areas of native vegetation that have flatweed, thistles, prickly lettuce, capeweed, fumitory interfering with their wildflowers’ potential.
Most of these pull out in the dampened soil at the moment…though hand weeders are currently the best tools for the job.
The growth of oats, introduced grasses is phenomenal and one must wonder how the ash from the prescribed Hazard Reduction Burn in 2018 (plus rain) has helped these grasses and weeds recreate the fuel load the HRB’s are supposed to reduce………
Angharad reported that the Frogmouths had abandoned the nest she found.
I came across an Echidna near Snow Gum Corner today. Whilst showing it to Tracey I learned that there’s a pair again nesting in Schwarz Place trees.
I heard Friarbird calls today up near the Summit. They are returning to our region to breed.
Margaret had a wonderful observation of Superb Parrots feeding “a baby”….this very early breeding record has intrigued the COG*
There will be a gathering in the Kuringa Woodland (parallel to Kuringa Drive) on Sunday October 18th with the aim of introducing the woodland's habitats to their Fraser and Spence neighbours, from 10am. ALL WELCOME.
This is being organised by ecologist, Michael Mulvaney, of EPSDD (the “environment department) and Sarah Sharp, retired grassland ecologist. Perhaps a Landcare Group will eventuate for that area.
On Saturday 19th there was a walk around the new wetlands at Melba. A similar walk is planned on 26th at the Evatt wetlands below the dam wall. Entry from Croke place and starting at 3pm.
The native grassland experimental plots there will be explained.
Both events are organised by Ginninderra Catchment Group (GCG) to show how water entering GInninderra Creek is filtered by such installations and how sediment is trapped by aquatic plants in the wetlands’ settlement ponds.
The catchment group is the umbrella group for Landcare Groups in our area, supporting what volunteers do and what they hope to achieve for the special places we love.
For the erosion work we had a great deal of partnership help from TCCS ‘rangers’, the operations team at Charnwood Depot and from the GCG staff…..your rates working for Mt Rogers (as well as all the other reserves around the bush capital).
Cheers,
Rosemary
*Canberra Ornithologists Group members I passed the record on to.
