Saturday 17 October - election day - on Mt Rogers

 Two images from a brief walk on Mt Rogers today, Saturday 17 October 2020. 

The top photo shows the glorious bronze, feathery grass from the native Spear Grasses group. 
As you walk round, check for these determined clusters as they do battle against the rampant wild oats and other introduced grass species that are the descendants of grasses imposed on native grasses and wildflowers to improve grazing for stock as land around the area was cleared.  

The lower photo shows a cluster of the saprophytic Broomrape, Orobanche. It’s a native of Europe, not Australia. Here the flower-spikes are pushing through a local native ground cover, Stinking Pennywort Hydrocotle laxiflora. We have often wondered about the Hydrocotle as we’ve been taking a stance against the incredible growth of invasive species since the drought broke. 

Congratulations to Mt Rogers Landcarers both present and past for the incredible efforts made against Paterson’s Curse over the decades. 

We have only to look across to the hills or drive past paddocks or other reserves to see how fortunate the reserve’s 65 hectares are in comparison to other places. 

There are other species waiting for their chance to colour the landscapes of course but 25 years of being weed-conscious has paid off (I’d better say “for now”).

I hope you have been able to take walks in different reserves over the past few weeks and enjoyed seeing how local wildflowers have made the most of the rain and La Nina. 

Birds are busily incubating eggs or feeding young. Koels’ calls have been heard in other suburbs. No doubt these cuckoos are watching for when Red Wattlebirds try for a second brood. Currawongs are hoping small birds will make errors that reveal where their nests are. Today I had a ‘conversation’ with an Oriole calling “Ori…ole” alongside Ginninderra Creek at Evatt’s new wetlands. And yesterday was famous for the thousands of Caper White butterflies that migrated through the ACT during the afternoon. Where had they hatched? Where are they heading? How do they know where to navigate to? On which plants will they feed or lay their eggs?

I have put up extra Snakes live here… signs this year because we’ve welcomed hundreds more people to Mt Rogers since Covid began; people who may not realise we share the place with these usually-wary natives. 
They’ve been placed at the main entry or approaches to the gravel path ...

but inexplicably some of these snake awareness signs have been taken down.  

Thank you for your caring for Mt Rogers, in whatever form that takes. It’s all community-caring, all Landcare!

Rosemary

6258 4724

September work & progress. And on Oct 18, come and learn about Kuringa Drive !

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.

  

  

Mt Rogers news September 2020

The eroding track down from the Trig Point towards the east

Previous newsletters reported on February’s efforts when twelve Mt Rogers Landcare Group volunteers had process discussions and began work on allowing the eroded track to and from the Trig Point to repair itself.

The track is straight up and down, and so feet, wheels and the effects of drought, wind and water-flow have worn away the thin soil and exposed rocks and tree roots. To avoid this track becoming a narrow but deepening and dangerous gully the group decided to initiate repair processes via a partnership with the Land Managers at Transport Canberra & City Services (TCCS), the Ginninderra Catchment Group and TCCS’ operational staff based at Dunlop Depot.

Here is an update from the project’s volunteer managers:

Mt Rogers Landcare Group is committed to meeting strong community requests to attempt to rehabilitate the summit track.  Accordingly a plan has been developed and the following measures will soon be implemented via a working bee (timing TBA) as well as some individual and TCCS effort.  This includes:

1. Temporary, physical barriers at the top and bottom of the track,

2. Signage explaining the action and the need for repair,

3. Coir logs across the slope to limit runoff, to limit erosion of soil and silt and to encourage regrowth of grass and other ground cover species.

4. Some planting of natural grasses,

5. Preparation of an alternate route to the summit which traverses across the slope a little further to the north rather than straight up, to limit the potential for erosion. 

 We’re close to having during-the-week dates for installing the coir logs, planting out grasses and covering the track and its sides. Branches will be used encourage seeds in the soil to germinate undisturbed and to prevent kangaroos eating any new plants.

Please let me know if you can spare a couple of hours to be part of the rostered working team for this project. No previous Landcare experience or attendance at our working bees is needed….enthusiasm for contributing muscle-power to Mt Rogers is probably the most needed attribute!!

 

And here’s the signage that will accompany the Summit Track EROSION works:

    

ATTENTION MT ROGERS COMMUNITY

 

·    THIS AREA IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED

·    TRACK REHABILITATION AND EROSION MITIGATION IS IN PROGRESS

·    PLEASE USE ALTERNATE ROUTES TO ALLOW NATURAL REGROWTH

·    YOUR COOPERATION AND ASSISTANCE IS APPRECIATED

THANK YOU

Mt Rogers Landcare

Explanatory note:

A combination of drought and increased use by people during COVID-19 has resulted in increased erosion of this already badly degraded track. In response to strong community concerns to protect this site, erosion mitigation measures and seeding of native grass will be undertaken.  For these measures to succeed, we have temporarily closed the area for community use. Please use the main vehicle tracks or alternate routes and avoid steep direct pathways straight up and down the hill – kindly “zig zag” or “contour” the slope to prevent erosion gullies developing.  This project is a joint initiative of your local Landcare Group and the ACT Government.

 

For more information please call
Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

 

Please note that it is an offence to interfere with ACT Government approved works and property.

HOW MANY OF THESE EVERYDAY GARDEN WEEDS ARE NEAR YOUR PLACE THIS YEAR?

Each year weather conditions, together with rainfall amounts and sequences, lead to variety in the herbaceous weeds commonly found in gardens and on nature strips around the region. Once native plant diversity was altered after European settlement, seed banks of introduced plant species built up in the soil. The seeds wait for ideal germination conditions. I’ve not included grasses (except Wild Oats), though African Lovegrass is rampant on suburban nature strips.  

Species in bold are over-successful this year!

The species listed are those I’ve noticed in north Belconnen. Other areas may report additional or different species. In 2020 these weed species area also present in the territory’s reserves. Plant species are known as weeds when they have no predators, grazers or harvesters to control their numbers. Some species are edible for humans, at least when the plants are young. See The Weed Forager’s Handbook for details.

RED

• Red-flowered Mallow  Modiola caroliniana Horizontal suckering stems
• Scarlet Pimpernel  Anagallis arvensis Occasionally has blue flowers
• Poppy  Papaver dubium Has a capsule where seeds are shaken out
• Sorrel  Acetosella vulgaris Said to favour acid soils. Suckers grow through soil.
• Bartsia  Perentucellia latifolia Crimson rather than red.

PINK

• Fumitory  Fumaria muralis Pinky-crimson.
• Centaury  Centaurium erythraea
• Proliferous pink  Petrorhagia naneuilli  Thousands of seedlings germinating in bush & reserves
• Onion-grass  Romulea rosea  Grass-like leaves from bulbs dug up by Galahs & Cockatoos
• Cranesbill geranium  Geranium molle
• Storks-bill  Erodium species Seed capsules are shaped like a stork’s bill.
• Mallow  Malva neglecta & M. nicaeensis. Very prolific after the rains came.
• Sandspurry  Spergularia rubra Tiny plant likes bare or stressed ground
• Haresfoot clover  Trifolium arvense  Pinkish flowers embedded in fuzziness.
• Willow herb  Epilobium species
• Common vetch  Vicia sativa
• Broomrape  Orobanche minor Pinkish-beige. No chlorophyll. Parasitic on plants’ roots. 

PURPLISH

• Small flowered opium  Poppy Papaver somniferum
• Periwinkle  Vinca major Canberra’s “favourite weed”. Strong suckering stems
• Salsify  Tragopogon porrifolius Huge seed-heads. Seeds blow away like dandelions’
• Paterson’s Curse – Salvation Jane  Echium plantagineum Significant pasture weed.
  Toxic to horses.
• Wild Sage  Salvia verbenaca  Might be mistaken for Paterson’s Curse though more purple than blue.

BLUE

• Creeping Speedwell  Veronica persica  Low-growing small plant.

YELLOW

• Dandelion  Taraxacum Often amongst grass. Flower-heads can have 170 seeds each.
• Flatweed  Hypochaeris radicata  Similar flower-head to dandelion, thinner stalks. More numerous.
• Catsear  Hypochaeris glabra Similar to Flatweed but smaller. 
• Capeweed  Arctotheca calendula Pale yellow daisy-flowers. Massive numbers. Use for daisy-chains!
• Milk Thistle and other thistles.
• Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens
• Caltrops Tribulus terrestris  Summer, path-side weed. Spikes of seed-capsules penetrate soles & tyres.
• St John’s Wort  Hypericum perforatum Orange-yellow masses spreading from paddocks.
• Hairy Mustard  Hirschfeldia incana  Lemon-yellow flowers. Cabbage family.
• Great Mullein  Verbascum Thapsus  Tall flower-stem grows from rosette of ‘furry’ leaves.
• Oxalis species  Also other colours. Bulbs are difficult to completely remove.
• Prickly Lettuce  Lactua serriola.  Germinating  prolifically by October 2016.
• Evening Primrose  Oenothera stricta Pale yellow
• Skeleton weed  Chondrilla juncea Appears to have few leaves.
• Goat’s beard  Tragopogon dubius Huge seed-heads. Seeds blow away like dandelions’
• Hop clover  Trifolium campestre Small clover-like cushion-plants.
• Mexican poppy  Argemone ochroleuca
• Pigweed  Portulaca oleracea Germinates in late summer. Succulent-like. Low-growing.

ORANGE

• Californian poppy  Eschscholzia californica Brilliant colour but very invasive.

WHITE

• Common bitter cress  Cardamine hirsuta  Small white flowers. Disturbed ground
• Chickweed  Stellaria media Weak-stemmed spreading annual in veg. gardens etc.
• Mouse-eared chickweed  Cerastium fontanum Similar to chickweed but hairy.
• French Catch-fly  Silene gallica  Increasingly common by 2020.
• Nightshade  Solanum nigrum Has red then black berries when they’re ripe.
• Shepherd’s Purse  Capsella bursa-pastoris  Smallish plant with semi-heart-shaped capsules

BEIGE 

• Fleabane  Conyza bonariensis.  One of several species whose seeds easily blow away.

GREEN FLOWERS

• Ivy  Hedera helix  Has enough berries for birds to spread them. Tough, climbing stems.
• Sticky weed  Cleavers  Goose grass Galium aparine. Weak stems & round capsules fasten-on clothing.
• Petty spurge  Euphorbia peplus  Has caustic white sap. Can grow to 15cm tall.
• Euphorbia species  Popular feature plants which are “going bush” from gardens.
• Common cotula  Cotula australis Tiny plants which grow in spaces on bare ground.
• Fat hen  Chenopodium album  Bluish-green foliage. Tiny, gritty seeds.
• Wild Oats Avena species Grow 1m tall  in good seasons & ripen, being a bush fire risk in reserves.

INSIGNIFICANT FLOWERS

• Wireweed  Polygonum aviculare  Slightly reddish flowers & gritty seeds.
• Dock Rumex  species  Reddish small flowers. Some are native species.
• Plantain  Plantago lanceolata  Blackish blob flower-heads on long stalks. Ribbed leaves.
• Goosefoot  Chenopodium carinatum  Tends to appear in later summer.
• Stonecrop  Crassula sieberiana  Minute succulent of bare ground. May be reddish-orange.
• Chilean Whitlow wort  Paronychia brasiliana Small, lush-looking plants in bare spaces.
• Purple Cudweed  Gamochaeta purpurea & Euchiton species. Greyish foliage.

These weeds are accepted for high-temperature composting at the Green Waste sites…such as Corkhills’ and Canberra Sand & Gravel’s yards.

At home: if the weeds have set-seed put the seed-heads in a black plastic bag to ‘cook’ in the sun rather than putting them in a home compost bin or heap that may not be hot enough to kill the seeds.

Many households now have green bins to which weeds can be added for commercial composting.

 

Rosemary Blemings August 2020.

Working bees 23 August and 7 September, and a swollen creek!

Here is a view of Mt Rogers in the misty, middle distance as taken from the Umbagong section of Ginninderra Creek at Latham on Sunday 9th August. 

We had some spectacular falls of rain in August 2004 when ‘records began’ on our newly acquired Rain Gauge but Latham folk reckoned this was the highest they’d seen a flood since 1974. 

So just in case you ever wondered where rain on the east, south and west side of Mt Rogers ended up here is one answer. And rain from the north of the ridgeline ends up in Gooroomon Ponds Creek. The confluence of the two creeks is beyond Dunlop and Jarramlee.

To return to the topic….our next working bees are scheduled for Sunday 23rd August and Monday 7th September. Let’s aim for a 09.30am start. 

On Sunday 23rd we’ll meet near the Flynn Playground off Rechner Place and mostly be using hand weeders to dig out the Flatweed and other invasive herbaceous plants that threaten the area near Rechner which is richly biodiverse. 

There’s no need to KNOW what the target weeds look like as we’ll be showing you plenty of examples. 

We’ll see how we go for a venue for Monday 7th but you’ll have noticed that there’s no shortage of Capeweed just waiting to begin flowering….good for the bees and teaching children about daisy chains but the seeds will top up the seed bank for future years on Mt Rogers and around the suburbs. 

Thanks for all you do, in diverse ways, for Mt Rogers,

Rosemary

MOUNT ROGERS NEWS Mid-July 2020

Earlier this afternoon I opened an email from Elan saying: 
“Just wanted to let you know I was very rudely abused by a man walking two little dogs on leash.  He yelled at me saying Ringo should be on leash.  When I told him it is an off leash area he said it is not because it is not sign posted.  Ringo was nowhere near his dogs.” 

I was spurred into finalising the wording below, to which several of you contributed several months ago. I will send this off, asking Domestic Animal Services for ‘dog behaviour’ – OFF LEASH signs.

“Welcome to Mt Rogers

Mt Rogers is a dog off-lead area where all dogs under control of their handlers are welcome.

Please make sure your dog is either under good voice-control or on-lead if you have trouble recalling your dog. 

If your dog harms another animal or person, you could face legal action.

Pick up any dog faeces left by your dog and put it in the bin provided at Wickens Place or take it home with you.

Dog poo bags are available near the bin at the car park for those who forget the legal requirement to carry poo bags.

Because this is an off-lead area, any walkers who are nervous around dogs, or do not like dogs, may prefer to walk in places where dogs are not allowed off leash.

Mt Rogers is shared by walkers without dogs, and naturalists, joggers and cyclists, so consideration for others is always appreciated. Cyclists need to be aware of keeping their speed low since dogs and children are unpredictable.

Please respect Mt Rogers reserve. Its habitats, native animals and plants are protected by law for the well-being of all.

Mt Rogers Landcare volunteers”.

Signs explaining that Mt Rogers reserve is an OFF-LEASH area were ‘promised’ after the 2014 debacle of our having to spend hours of submission writing defending the off-leash status against the perceptions of ACT government ecologists.

I met several late-afternoon dog-walkers as I cable-tied the signs at the carpark. One lady said she was unnerved for a week after being berated for having her dog on a leash when Mt Rogers is off-leash.

Over the years there have been horror stories of attacks by dogs off- and on-leash: of kangaroos being chased, of people being knocked over by boisterous dogs, and of the huge vet bills that have been incurred by members of our community. The increased numbers of newcomers to Mt Rogers and all open spaces, since Covid19 altered people’s exercise and outdoor habits, has been remarkable. It is small comfort to regularly hear how much the visitors enjoy the spaces they have discovered if there are such upsetting results when people have more time to spend in areas treasured by the locals. 

Claire reported three youths on pee-wee motorcycles herding kangaroos eastward in their habitat alongside Kuringa Drive on Friday 17th. Others have dug up soil, rocks and native grasses north of the Second Summit to increase the adrenaline rush from their bike track towards the telecom tower.

New bike track works from Second summit.

If only these magnificent lichen-covered boulders could tell their story
and how the view to One Tree Hill has changed in 200 years! 

Technicians have been working at the tower, and the crane was present on Friday - it was visible as I returned from Hall. Apparently the strength of the tower is to be increased by the pole that was inserted by the crane.

As a result of Angharad reporting that a vehicle had been driven over wire fencing, rocks have been placed along the fenceline augmenting the boulders that went in several years ago. The rocks look more natural and will keep some vehicles out, though not motorcycles.
Phone Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or the police 131 444 depending on the severity of the incident but always consider your own safety first even if considering taking photos.

We may need to also consider safety from rogue magpies soon. Many people are reporting pre-breeding and breeding activities observed in a range of species around the ACT. I have several of those Swooping Bird signs in the garage if you need them for somewhere where you walk. Access Canberra usually actions reports of magpies rapidly;
phone 13 22 81.

We’ve had two well attended working-bees recently concentrating on the green herbaceous weeds that have germinated as a result of the rain reaching the species’ seed banks. Mustard, Prickly Lettuce, Fumitory, Cranesbill, Wild Oats, Capeweed, Paterson’s Curse and wild oats have turned the drought-affected areas lush. There are swathes of Plantain and numerous Verbascum in places, and scattered Flatweed seedlings. Some Mallow plants are huge, taller than the weeders from some reports. Dandelions are in flower.

We’ll be continuing work against these introduced species for our next working bees on
Sunday 26^th July and Monday 3^rd August
also taking out any woody invasives we come across as we wander and weed.
Meet at Wickens Place carpark on each day at 09.30.

Jesse has been taking photos of Mt Rogers plants, and reporting some he didn’t know to Canberra Nature Map and creating a photographic species list as a herbarium. Ted has continued to carry and apply a weed wand when he’s on his daily walks and Phil has drawn up plans for erosion mitigation…newcomers during Covid19 don’t know about walking and riding bikes along the contours to reduce erosion of the thin soils.

The Ginninderra Catchment Group has a new Co-ordinator - Kat McGilp. Kat and the Group are working on a submission against a Defence Housing plan to build houses too close to the Natural Temperate Grasslands (NTG) on the one-time Naval Transmission Station at Lawson. Such NTG are critically endangered in southern Australia, and it’s another theft of habitat from native wildlife both rare and everyday species. 

Rosemary

Convenor, Mt Rogers Landcare Group. 6258 4724

Dog-poo-bag dispenser and other progress, July 2020

Thanks to Allan McLean of TCCS who responded to a request for a dispenser for dog poo bags we now have both a dispenser and a bin at the Wickens Place carpark entry area (as in the photo below). 

Mick Lee, of TCCS’s depot at Charnwood organised the crews for the dispenser’s installation. At one stage there was also talk of a second dispenser location near the Schwarz Place entry but we’ll wait and see. 

Mt Rogers folk who keep the place litter-free will be able, I assume, to put your daily collections into this bin rather than take the bags of litter home. 

The ACT Litter patrol will continue regular, weekly patrolling of Wickens Place.

Two sections of the wire fencing have been deliberately flattened by vehicles. We have previously shown TCCS Operations team personnel the easily penetrated nature of the remaining fencing but having more boulders installed wasn’t feasible then. 

When Mick phoned about the latest fencing breaches I suggested that boulders were the best solution for vehicles even though they still allowed motorbikes through in the Wickens Place area.

Today Mick and TCCS Operations colleagues have been on site to assess the Wickens fencing situation. Eventually the wire fencing will be replaced with some boulders in the SW area where some boulders are already on that fenceline. Today I took the photo below, surprised to find those smaller rocks there. Perhaps a bobcat is on its way to position them.

 Mick proposes TCCS cementing bollards in round the edges of the carpark area to prevent vehicles driving into the reserve. This would include bollards at the first-reported fenceline nearest the ’swing gate’, I understand.

Full marks to Allan and Mick and his crews for turning our observations into restoration action. 

Rosemary

Mt Rogers Landcare Convenor

8 July 2020