MT ROGERS: THE BEGINNING OF 2017’S AUTUMN??

Our next Landcaring dates are Sunday 26th March and Monday 3rd April. Details later.
Angharad, Ann, Anne, Ivan, Ted and I contributed 21.45 hours work on February 26th & March 3rd. Diana surveyed for 1 hour. $35 per hour is now utilised in calculating the value of volunteers. We’ve saved ratepayers over $700. We’ve improved the biodiversity of Mt Rogers by destroying invasive weed species that compete for space, water and the soil’s nutrients.
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After greengrocery shopping at Choku Bai Jo at Lyneham it was 10.15 am before I reached Mt Rogers. It had been quite misty earlier and the mist was only slowly lifting. Did the sun appear in time for the Canberra Day weekend Balloons’ lift-off? Do plants contribute to mistiness through transpiring moisture through their leaves at night? There’s precious little moisture around apart from the lakes. In spite of 15 mL of rain a week ago everything is still so parched & beige.
The cloud patterns as the sun burnt off the mist were varied & delicate. Looking at clouds or for birds is a dangerous pastime in places where the gravel has been eroded off the path. I have sent in photos and a request for the surface to be maintained. The main section is that which passes the Flynn playground. Would some of you please phone the Ginninderra Catchment Group 6278 3309 to ask that they relay the message about the path’s state to the City Services people. There are many such requests to prioritise but it’s high time Mt Rogers’ gravel path received attention again, isn’t it?
Butterflies were already out presumably looking for plant species for egg-laying as there were few sources of nectar from flowers. They were followed by Yellow Winged & smaller species of Grasshoppers. There were quite a few walkers out also enjoying the day’s cooler start & aiming to be home before the 29 degrees established itself. People were asked if they needed a Mt Rogers brochure for new neighbours and about 7 were handed out.
There were several dog poo deposits on the path and no sticks in sight to move them out of people’s way. Time to ask the ACT Government AGAIN for signs about off-leash dog etiquette– if it could be guaranteed that the oblivious owners would read official signs or our own signs. The other day there was a report of kangaroos being chased by a dog when the owner-walker was present.  
Today one young dog owner had come from Florey. It’s almost impossible to see where Florey is these days as the trees and shrubs our adjacent suburbs host mask patches of grass. The vegetation is providing vital connectivity for bird species and linking the suburbs with Ginninderra Creek’s natural corridor. Ginninderra Catchment Group has organised many working parties to manage the growth of weed species along the creek over the years. This is in addition to the ongoing efforts of the Landcare groups at Evatt and Umbagong (between Latham & Macgregor), and Macgregor’s and Dunlop’s teams of dedicated volunteers. Upstream there are groups at Giralang and Crace Ponds.
Today’s conversations included several “It’s such a great place to walk round and take in the views”. It would be wonderful and so valuable if more people took time to write to ministers or phone them at the Legislative Assembly to express these feelings about our special places. Say how reinvigorated a walk makes us feel. Explain that being outdoors in nature lifts the spirits and improves our health. Show how we value the conversations we have each day. Unfortunately quantifying how people benefit from being amongst nature, plants and animals is difficult. It’s sometimes avoided by those who ‘hold the purse-strings’ so that inadequate amounts of money are allocated to reserve management and landcaring.
At around the time of the ‘backpacker saga’ $100,000,000 was allocated to Landcare by the Federal Government. With 5,400 Landcare Groups and 100,000 volunteers Australia wide that money won’t go very far. Some have the perception that ‘the environment will look after itself’. You all know that’s a fallacy because you’ve seen what a difference volunteers make over time through work that gives native species the chance to thrive in their habitats. Ginninderra Catchment Group is closely watching for the money’s allocation.
One or two people today mentioned not having seen me for a while. I have been lax in not reaching Mt Rogers. The hot days have played a part in this situation. I’ve taken the quick way out of walking around Flynn when the evenings’ cooler temperatures & breezes arrive. One of the main reasons is being part of the teams trying to prevent the Ginninderra Falls area from being overwhelmed by the Ginninderry development that’s emerging in West Belconnen.
Both the Ginninderra Falls Association & the Ginninderra Catchment Group want to see the reserve re-opened to the public. The Riverview Group has spent 7–8 years planning the Ginninderry development on land leased or owned by the Corkhill family and 5 other landowners on NSW land nearer the Ginninderra Falls. The planning has involved ground-breaking attention to ecological detail & retaining landscape features. The Murrumbidgee River in the ACT is protected by a Conservation Corridor & associated Conservation Management Plan.
However nearer Ginninderra Falls the developers are asking Yass Valley Council to change the E3 Zoning from Environmental to R1 Urban in order to maximise the number of dwellings that will be near the edge of the Falls forest in future decades. Loss of the E3 Zoning would threaten the survival of several endangered species including the Rosenberg’s Goanna. Here is a link to a short video illustrating the uniqueness of the Callitris Pine forested gorges that surround Ginninderra Creek’s last kilometre before reaching the Murrumbidgee River west of Parkwood  https://vimeo.com/207234386   The privately owned Ginninderra Falls was closed in 2004 when insurance for visitors using the nature park became impossibly expensive.
You may have heard of an announced feasibility study into the establishing of a National Park that would include the Mulligans Flat, Goorooyarroo, Mt Ainslie and Mt Majura reserves of Canberra Nature Park. There will be chances for the public and agencies to have input into the proposal. This proposal raises many questions including: how is a national park defined?, and what would be the benefits of this change of status?
My preference, stimulated by the Ginninderra Falls situation, would be to have the ACT and NSW jurisdictions work together to protect the Murrumbidgee River corridor in perpetuity. The natural vegetation and complex habitats of the river and its numerous tributaries deserve protection. In the huge swathe of land between Yass, round to the ACT’s east and south up to the High Country there are many vital connectivity corridors that allow birds and other mobile species to move through the landscape as they and Indigenous peoples have done for millennia.
There are already numerous landholders in the region who manage land in genuinely empathetic ways. Some have worked with Rivers of Carbon (riversofcarbon.org.au) and Greening Australia to fence stock out of creek and river zones, to revegetate the banks and to encourage rainfall to spread across the landscape as nutrient rich water once did. These creek corridors could provide links with other vegetation on properties throughout the region. 

Photo showing some of the region's connectivity, taken from a hill near Gundaroo NSW.

From Mt Rogers we’re able to see conservation and connectivity in action. That’s reflected in our bird list that includes overflying Pelicans, Cormorants, Eagles, Ducks. Non-resident species such as Choughs, Black-Shouldered Kites, Gang Gang Cockatoos, Varied Sitellas forage or hunt in the reserve. Scarlet Robins, Whistlers and some Honeyeaters are residents for part of each year. Butterflies come to find mates on Mt Rogers. Kangaroos may still be spooked up to Mt Rogers though we now have ‘our’ resident mob.
I’d like to see the whole National Capital region declared a Conservation Zone. Those who already live in this ‘corner’ of Australia would be stewards of the land. Our water and food supply would be protected through continued wise land-use practices. Carbon would continue to be sequestered by the trees, shrubs, forbs and grasslands and our soil and air would remain unpolluted. We’d continue to celebrate the rich tapestries of Indigenous and ‘White-fella’ culture and heritage by preserving our ancestors’ artefacts, technologies, creativity and customs.
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Any time now Scarlet Robins and Whistlers should be visible on Mt Rogers. There have been reports of these species returning to other reserves around the ACT from higher altitudes. We’ve had such a racket of Cockatoos around the middle of Flynn. I assume they’re roosting near the Flynn playground. Twice I’ve witnessed a parent Cockatoo regurgitating food for a begging youngster. There have been Galah begging calls also. Thornbills were enjoying the bird bath’s water a few days ago. Magpies seem to find something to dig for amongst the beige grass every time they visit.
So much to see!

If you want a change of scene and don't mind a clay footpath in places try walking round the West Belconnen Ponds in Dunlop. There's parking off Percy Begg Circuit. the views across to the ranges in the west are beige but fascinating. Plenty of waterbirds to watch. There's also safe open space for children to run around on as Jarramlee park is between the houses and the water. Two playgrounds and a half basketball 'court' and several seats give other opportunities.

Rosemary
Mt Rogers Landcare Group.  Phone 6258 4724    

11.03.17 & 14.03.17