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Specialising in natural resource and social planning; community consultation and facilitation; values mapping and consensus building, mediation and conflict resolution; policy development; program and organisational diagnosis and development.
Grassy White Box Woodlands |
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project outline |
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Project Update: Summer 2000 - 2001Changes to GWB projectJane Elix and Judy Lambert - Community Solutions In mid 2000, the Taking Action Now! (TAN!) Project team was asked by Federal Environment Minister Robert Hill to work with another project - the Conservation Management Network - to produce a joint application for our third and final year of funding. The Minister felt that there was some overlap between the projects, and it was clear that the Taking Action Now! project would only continue to receive funding as part of a collaborative project. The project managers for both projects worked very hard throughout July, August and September to develop a joint application for a project which became known as Grassy Box Woodlands in New South Wales: a model for Integrated Conservation. The application was successful, and this means that our work in grassy box woodlands will now continue until June 2002. The new project team involves
The Rural Liaison Officers will now be called Rural Liaison Officers and will continue to work in much the same way as to date. We will continue our small grants programs, and we will continue pursue all of the objectives of the TAN! project. We anticipate that our work will be enhanced by the closer interaction with the Conservation Management Network, and the broad representation on our new project team. If you would like to talk about any of these changes, please contact Geoff, Ray or Toni, We will continue to keep you informed with these seasonal newsletters, and thank you for your ongoing interest in our woodlands work. Primary school children learning about woodlandsIn 2000, the TAN! project provided financial assistance to the Manilla Central School to support the development of a woodlands work unit for Stage 2 primary students. The following article by Toni McLeish - RLO in the north - reports on how the work is progressing. Manilla Central School Teacher Marg Pike has created units of work that complement both the K-6 science curriculum and the K6 Human Society and its Environment curriculum for stage 2 and 3 primary students. Marg's enthusiasm was contagious, resulting in Julie Kennelly from the Thalgarra Field Studies Centre Armidale becoming involved as well. Julie's unit is field work based and has been trialed with year 3 and 4 from Manilla Central at Borah Reserve Upper Manilla. The 2 day trial was a great success with the children learning about
Marg's focus is on looking at two Australian plant communities and comparing and contrasting them. She has chosen to compare woodlands (because they are the forgotten plant community), with rainforest because of its popularity and the wealth of reference material. ( Oh, to have the same reference list for woodlands!!!) In her curriculum material, Marg asks:
Rainforests are approached in the same way with the same questions but, for most of the questions, very different answers. The curriculum work makes it relatively easy to compare and contrast these two distinctive plant communities. Marg also asks students and teachers to "Develop their understanding that rainforest and woodland communities are under threat and that people can make a difference to their survival." We aim to have these units available on the Internet by the end of Term 1 2001. For futher information - please contact me. Hume RLPB successful in gaining funding for Ten Chain ReserveArticle by Ray Dowling - RLO in the south The Ten Chain Reserve at Bowna, 30 km east of Albury, is in a very special location. The surrounding countryside has been very heavily cleared of native vegetation, and most of the replanting has been of exotic trees. The high rainfall and fertile soils have ensured the land has been very heavily farmed and grazed, thus removing all the native understorey plants. The Ten Chain Reserve is some 90 ha in area, running from the waters of the Murray River's Hume Weir to the Hume Highway. This remnant contributes a significant, long, wide corridor of mature trees 200 m wide X 5 km. The setting is spectacular with the snow covered Victorian Alps Mt Hotham and Mt Bogong to the south east, and the waters of Lake Hume along the southern boundary. The reserve is well wooded with White Box, and some Yellow Box and Blakeley's Red Gum. The White Box trees are large with many hollows, providing nesting sites for many native birds. Significant regeneration of Yellow Box has occurred in the last 5 years, but no regeneration of White Box is yet apparent. The understorey has been altered by the grazing management , heavy grazing has been used to control the weeds such as St Johns Wort, Hoarhound, Cape weed and Paterson's Curse. A small area has been fenced to allow some replanting of native species and to prevent grazing . The dominant grasses include natives known to increase in abundance with grazing, Red Grass Bothrichloa macra, Speargrasses Stipa spp, and Wallaby Grass Danthonia spp. Weeping Grass Microlaena stipoides is common on the cooler aspects. Native Geranium Geranium solanderiand Wattle Mat-rush Lomandra filiformis, being grazing tolerant, are scattered throughout. A small area of Snow Grass Poa sieberiana/labilladieri, is also present and it is hoped that the numbers will increase with protection from grazing. The Hume Rural Lands Protection Board is adopting a plan of management, to modify their grazing practices, to promote the native grasses, and reintroduce Kangaroo Grass Themeda australis. A weed eradication program is going to work on the problem weeds Hoarhound and thistles. Five adjoining land holders along with help from Greening Australia will also be involved in this work. 
Allan Scammell, Managing Ranger - Hume R.L.P.B., Dr. Kevin Thiele & his son Sam Thiele inspect Ten Chain Reserve Congratulations to recipients of Taking Action Now! grantsThe following were successful applicants for the latest round of small incentive grants.
Mangoplah Landcare Group The Taking Action Now! Project is designed to support landholders who are involved in creative strategies to protect their GWB remnants, especially those which involve partnerships with a number of stakeholder groups. Clearly, the activities listed above will require liaison between landholders and managers, scientists with skills in the management of remnant vegetation and others in the community. Application is open to landholders willing to form a group with others in their area, Landcare and other community groups, Local Governments, Rural Land Protection Boards and schools in relevant areas. Your local Rural Liaison Officer (see below) will be able to provide useful information to help you to prepare your application. Weed WatchCentral West Rural Liaison Officers Geoff Tonkin and Mollie Whitehorn have noticed with concern the amount of St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum) infesting remnant vegetation in their district. As any broadacre spraying is usually impossible in remnant vegetation this only leaves expensive and time consuming hand spraying to deal with the problem. Our message to landmanagers is to make yourself aware of these problem weeds and watch out for them in your remnant vegetation. From the Email Q&As - pest grassChilean Needle Grass Nassella neesiana is a native of South America. It was first noted in Australia in the 1930s and is now localised throughout south-eastern Australia. Chilean Needle Grass (CNG) produces large quantities of seed, can persist in the soil for at least five years and germinates freely in bare areas, run down pastures or remnant vegetation. It is estimated that CNG has the ability to spread over a much wider area than it is at the moment, so early identification is important. An infestation discovered at Tamworth in 1996 was estimated to have been there 30 years!! Chemical control is expensive and difficult and the grazing value of CNG is limited. Identification is difficult as it is very easily confused with Tall Speargrass Austrostipa bigeniculata. Key features to look for on CNG are hairy leaves and a membranous ring around the base of the awn. The email Q&As support group for managers of remnant vegetation continues to grow and now has over 100 members, approximately half of which are farmers. The other 50% are scientists/academics and agency people with an interest in remnant vegetation. A wide range of issues is discussed. If you have email facilities and would like to receive these newsletters then send your request to Geoff Tonkin: geoff.tonkin@bigpond.com Yam Yam YamArticle by Geoff Tonkin - RLO in the Central West In previous newsletters I have written about an 8 hectare grassy white box remnant on Murrabar near Cumnock in the central west of NSW. Fenced off in 1994, the remnant has had no grazing apart from kangaroos since that time. I have deliberately chosen not to graze the site because it is remote, has no water and contains few exotic species that are causing any problems. In the Spring of 1999 we found two yam daisies (Microseris lanceolata) on the site in different locations. Last Spring (2000) where one was found last year there where none and at the other site where there was one, we counted at least 50 in an area 25x25m. I have put pegs in the ground near these and will watch what happens next Spring with interest. The native species list has continued to grow on the site and has now reached 81. This year I have fenced off another site which is very seriously degraded and in fact apart from the white box (Eucalyptus albens) contains only one other native species, dock (Rumex brownii) The site is quite small (2 ha), contains about 40 large healthy trees and is connected by corridors of young trees to other sites. What I hope to do is try and turn this site around and trigger some regeneration using grazing management. Last Spring 920 sheep were used twice to graze and completely flattened knee high barley grass and capeweed. This was successful in stopping any of the weeds seeding. What happens next I am not sure but if/when a regeneration event occurs then I am prepared to exclude stock until the new plants can withstand grazing. The alternative as I see it is to just stand back and watch these big trees slowly die and say "What a pity". Bon Voyage to MollieMollie Whitehorn has been an Rural Liaison Officer with her partner Geoff Tonkin since the beginning of the Taking Action Now! Project. Now she has announced a major new stage in her life. She will soon be departing for Mindanao, Philippines to take up the position of Landcare Facilitator/Trainer with ICRAF (International Centre for Research in Agroforestry). The position was initiated by Australian Volunteers International. Thank you Mollie for you excellent work on the Taking Action Project - you will be missed! A good read - recommended by a member of the Email Q&As listI highly recommend Life in the Tall Eucalypt Forest by David Lindenmeyer. It is for the not- so-technically minded with great photographs and excellent text giving a structured account of how the forest ecosystem works. The book is laid out in chapters that go through the different layers in the forest and what species are found in each layer. It starts at the top, canopy, and works down to the all important litter layer. Some interesting facts do come out, like old mature trees produce 50 times more blossom than young trees. It is well worth a read and great value at $30.00. Pat Murray Rural Liaison Officers (RLOs)
Toni McLeish
Geoff Tonkin
Ray Dowling
Team Leaders and Heather Pearce: ph/fax (02) 9818 2684 and email: heather@sydney.net
Please make contact with one of the above people if you would like to be placed on the mailing list for this regular Update.
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CONTENTS:Primary school children learning about woodlands Hume RLPB successful in gaining funding for Ten Chain Reserve Congratulations to recipients of Taking Action Now! grants From the Email Q&As - pest grass A good read - recommended by a member of the Email Q&As list |