Autumn morning on Mt Majura. View south from above the old sheep camp (Tristan Armstrong, 08.05.2012)

When: Sunday, 20 May 2012, from 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Where: Meet at the old sheep camp at Mount Majura ridge, an approximately 20 minutes walk from the Hackett water reservoir to where the Casuarina Trail hits the Mt Majura Summit track. If walking from Antill Street click here for a map. If walking from Mackenzie Street click here for a map. People unfamiliar with the locality can meet Jenni at the parkcare notice board opposite the water reservoir at 12.30pm for a walk up to the planting area. If walking from Rivett Street or planning to meet Jenni at the parkcare notice board then click here for a map.
Bring & Wear: Sun protection, sturdy boots, garden gloves, a bucket and a trowel, if you have one; wrap up warmly.
Enquiries: ph 6241 5553 or e-mail admin@majura.org
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Drooping She-oak, Allocasuarina verticillata, seed cone and female flowers (photograph Waltraud Pix). Seeds of She-oaks are the only food source of Glossy Black Cockatoos, a declining woodland bird which is declared vulnerable in the ACT.

We will be planting Drooping She-oak, Allocasuarina verticillata, and Native boxthorn, Busaria lasiophylla which are important habitat plants for local woodland birds and other wildlife. You will be rewarded with splendid views and the satisfaction of having contributed to enhancing your local environment.

Friends of Mount Majura started to restore the 5 hectares sheep camp in 2004. They removed more than 45 truck loads of weeds by hand, hand pulled and sprayed weed regrowth, collected seeds of groundcover plants, trees and shrubs, direct seeded grass and forbs, raised seedlings and planted tubestock. They also assist Parks and Conservation Service with the control of rabbits.

Click on sheep camp for further information on the project.

Have you noticed a wide range of toadstools and mushrooms this wet and mild summer?

Join Heino Lepp for a ‘fun-guy’ stroll on Mount Majura and learn about the secrets of fungi, their diversity & ecological importance.

Bring a camera & magnifying lens if you have one. Wear sturdy shoes and sun protection. A gold coin donation to support FoMM conservation work would be appreciated.

When : Saturday, 14^th April, 2.00pm to approximately 3.30pm

Where: Helms Place park entrance (between 99 and 101 Rivett Street), click here to view a map

Enquiries: Ph 6248 8955 or admin@majura.org

When: Sunday, 15 April 2012 from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm, come for an hour or the whole time.
Where: Meet at the Nature Park entrance Kellaway Street / Phillip Avenue; view this map for the meeting point.
Bring & wear: Sun protection, sturdy boots, and body covering garden clothing.
Equipment, information on woody weeds and refreshments will be provided.
Enquires: phone 6247 7515 or e-mail admin@majura.org
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Novice Weeders are encouraged to be early for an induction on target weeds and on the save handling of tools and herbicide.

The method we will be using is cut-&-daub and frilling (stems larger than 10 cm at the base) using the herbicide Glyphosate.

If you don’t want to use herbicide help with the control of  Fleabane by pulling or cutting seed heads off and placing them in bags for removal from site; view photographs of Fleabane (and other common herbaceous weeds) in the FoMM Flickr Group Herbaceous Weeds.

Learn more about Woody Weeds in the nature reserve: What are they? How do they impact on wildlife? And what can be done?

Certainly no couch potatoes are (from left) Jeanette of the Mount Ainslie Weeders, Liese, Friends of Mount Majura (FoMM), Noel (FoMM), Annette (Mount Ainslie Weeders) and Jenni (FoMM), posing after the 2011 annual joint woody weeds working bee at the “Common”. The “Common” is situated between Mount Ainslie and Mount Majura and sports large numbers of Cootamundra wattles and other woody weeds as well as dumped furniture, burned-out cars and other waste.

Due to the rain forecast for Sunday 4 March we postpone the walk to the following weekend:
Sunday, 11 March 3-4.30pm
Meet at Helms Place off Rivett Street, Hackett; click here to view a map

You can also join the ant walk on Mt Ainslie on Sunday 18 March; for details see below.

Join ANU myrmecologist Ajay Narendra for a glimpse into the fascinating world of one of the most dominant animals on the planet. Learn amazing things about jack-jumpers and other ants that live on Mount Majura on a Sunday afternoon stroll.

How many ants live in this nest?

Sunday 4 March 2012, 3-4.30pm
postponed to Sunday 11 March

Kids accompanied by adults are especially welcome.
Please bring a magnifying lens if you have one and wear covered shoes and sun protection.
It is important to notify us if you are allergic to ants or bee stings.

Limited places! Bookings essential!

Booking and enquiries: Ph 62488955 or admin@majura.org

A gold coin donation to support the conservation work of the Friends of Mount Majura parkCare group would be much appreciated.

The Mount Ainslie Weeders parkcare group will host an ant walk in the Mt Ainslie nature reserve:
When: Sunday 18 March,  3-4.30pm
Where: meet at Canning St entrance to the Nature Reserve.
Booking and inquiries: Ph 62475561 or email mclough@netspeed.com.au

Ajay Narendra (right) and Sam Reid study visual guided behaviour of bulldog ants on the Mount Majura ridge.

Ajay Narendra is part of the research team studying navigation strategies in Jack Jumpers (Myrmecia croslandi) in Hackett. Find out about Jack Jumpers and other ants on Ajay’s website at  http://web.mac.com/ajaynarendra

Sweet Briar, Rosa rubiginosa, a native plant of Europe and West Asia, is a major weed particularly of dry and hilly disturbed land. The seeds are spread by birds and foxes which eat the red fleshy fruits (rose hips). Briars were introduced to Australia as garden and hedge plants in the early 1800s (Photograph Waltraud Pix, 23.11.2011).

Cootamundra Wattle, Acacia baileyana, is an Australian species, which does not naturally occur in Canberra. It was introduced to the ACT as a garden plant. The highly invasive species is now widespread in Namadgi National Park and the suburban nature reserves of the ACT.

How to tell-apart from look-a-likes. The compound blueish-grey-green leaves of a Cootamundra wattle (top in the left panel) resemble those of the local species Sliver wattle, Acacia dealbata, which native to the Mount Majura and Mount Ainslie nature reserves. The leaves of Cootamundra wattles have 3-4 pairs of leaflets arranged along the leaf stem, the lowest pair is shorter and embraces the branch to which the leaf is attached. The leaves of Silver wattles have 8-20 pairs of leaflets arranged along to the leaf stem and the lowest pair does not embrace the branch.

When: Sunday, 22 January 2012, 9 am to 1 pm

Where: Meet at the Hackett reservoir off Rivett / French Streets, Hackett (click this map to view the meeting point)

Wear and bring: Sun protection, sturdy shoes, old garden clothing with long sleeves & pants

What: Control of woody weeds at the drain ditch close to the reservoir; installing wire mesh tree guards around the shrubs planted in 2011.

Give as little or as much time as you want. We provide the tools and morning tea with delicious cakes.

Please come early for an introduction.

Enquiries: Ph 6247 7515 or Email admin@majura.org

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was on the Sunday, 16 October, from 9am to mid-day
near the Hackett water reservoir (at the corner of Rivett and French Street)

We turned up at Hackett water reservoir at 9am with our sun screen, broad brimmed hats and sturdy shoes. After a quick intro talk we got to work watering and re-protecting seedlings.

This is how we watered and re-protected the seedlings:

1. We removed waste matter and guards from around seedlings
2. We placed moist newspaper around the seedlings
3. We placed straw cut from nearby grass around plant
4. We put plant guard back around plant
5. We put sticks around the plant protector

We had a great day in the sun protecting and watering plants. Plus morning tea was provided (Mmmmm!).

Amount of people who came:

• About 8 Adults
• 7 Kids (most from Mount Majura scouts)
• 1 Dog(she was very fluffy)

You can see our photos on Flickr here

Where : Entrance to the Nature Park at the end of Phillip Avenue. Plenty of parking available off Kellaway Street.  Here is a map of parking and entrances.

• Meet the local ranger and hear about the project
• Learn how to identify active warrens
• Adopt a mapping block
• Sign up for a GPS training session

For more information email to : fomm.committee@gmail.com

If this time or date is not suitable for you but you are interested in helping out please email fomm.committee@gmail.com to let us know.  Rabbit mapping is not a difficult task, very basic GPS skills are required but we can show you all you need to know.  Taking part is a wonderful way to get to know our mountain better as it gets you off the regular paths!

Please download this poster to spread the word about this meeting