Bringing Back the Beach Scrub

Land managers, including local government and community groups, are invited to be involved in a new cross-regional project Bringing Back the Beach Scrub being delivered by the Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Group, BDTNRM and the Fitzroy Basin Association in partnership with the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency. Funding has been provided by the Australian Government.

Beach scrub has a range of scenic, scientific and educational values as well as providing protection for coastal dunes and adjacent properties from extreme weather conditions. The total area and condition of beach scrub has been gradually declining with common threats including clearing for urban/residential development and agriculture, weed invasion, inappropriate fire regime, and unrestricted access for recreation and stock.

The project involves assessing the values of beach scrub (vineforest/rainforest on coastal dunes) between Thuringowa and Rockhampton and funding on-ground work to protect and rehabilitate these scrubs. Funding is available for a range of activities including weed control, revegetation, stock fencing, and watering point construction.

For more information, or to be involved, please contact the project manager Kerri Woodcock, Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Group, on 4957 7158, 0488 765 106 or kerri@mwnrm.org.au

Burdekin Water Quality Improvement Plan Workshop

A one day expert panel workshop to identify high ecological values (HEVs) for the Burdekin waterways will be held on 11 October.
For further information, contact Sarah Connor on 4724-3544 or sarah.connor@bdtnrm.org.au

Kangaroo Excluder

Alan Horsup from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has kindly provided two photos of the kangaroo excluder design being used in BDTNRM’s wombat project. These exclusion cages prevent all but the smallest kangaroos and wallabies from taking food and water inside set out for wombats.

The daytime photo shows a caretaker provisioning food, and the second (taken with a remote infra-red camera) shows a wombat passing through the swing door. These excluders are working well.

Note that in Victoria, swing doors are used in sheep fences to allow common wombats to pass – the wombats would otherwise dig under the fences. For information on BDTNRM’s wombat project go to: www.bdtnrm.org.au/bio/bio/pgm/bio/nhw.html

Caring For Country Conference, Cardwell 9-12 October

Registrations are filling fast for this forum of Indigenous Land and Sea Management. For more information about the presentations (including case studies), or registration go to: www.caringforcountry.com.au, or contact Joanne Keune on 4066-8300 or conference@girringun.com.au.

Wetlands Competition Tour

Adam King from Conservation Volunteers Australia led a visit to Townsville environments by East Ayr State School students (won as the second prize in the recent Townsville Bulletin's Wetlands Scrapbook Competition). The class took turns at observing the artificial wetland in the vicinity of Loam Island and walking the Baroona Trail to the macro-invertebrate sampling site.

The wetland was formed as a by-product from the weirs built on the Ross River to maintain a more permanent water supply for Townsville (superseded by the building of Ross River Dam in the early 1970s). Pollution-sensitive macro-invertebrates such dragonfly and damselfly nymphs were found by the students, suggesting the water quality in this area was in a good state.

After lunch they viewed a different wetland environment at the Townsville Town Common where they saw a variety of birdlife (brolgas dancing, baby jabirus, pelicans, spoonbills, egrets) and pandanas palms covered in dwarf tree frogs. A walk out over the salt pan provided the experience of being in a tidal wetland at low tide and to view the multitude of animal tracks left in the mud. Their visit to Townsville finished at Reef HQ.