• Planting Party Old Sheep Camp – Sunday 20 May
• Centenary Trail News
• Report recent events

Dear Friends

We are now heading into the planting season as temperatures move south. For a start we will be planting a small number of hardened-off Drooping she-oak and Native boxthorn at the old sheep camp at Majura ridge on Sunday, 20 May. Peter already dug the planting holes, Luke, Parks and Conservation Service ranger will cart water, seedlings, tools and material to the planting site, Louisa prepared brilliant maps that show how to get there (available on our website and nature park entrances), Jenni volunteers to meet newcomers at the Hackett water tank to take them up to the planting site and Liese will be the contact person; see below for more details or click here to visit the website link with the maps.

Planting Party Old Sheep Camp
When: Sunday, 20 May 2012, from 1.00pm to 4.00pm;
Where: at the old sheep camp, Mount Majura ridge where the Casuarina Trail hits the Summit track; if you are not familiar with the site meet Jenni at 12.30pm at the ParkCare notice board opposite of the Hackett water tank;
Bring & Wear: Sun protection, sturdy boots, garden gloves, a bucket and garden trowel, if you have one; wrap up warmly.
Enquiries: ph. 6241 5553 or e-mail admin@majura.org

Centenary trail news. Jeanette, the Mt Ainslie Weeders co-coordinator and I met with the Director of PCS, Daniel Iglesias on Tuesday, 1 May to discuss the proposed Centenary Trail. Daniel informed us about the most recent decision that the Centenary trail will now not include new cut bike tracks to the top of Mt Ainslie as originally planned, that the proposed track segment through Mt Majura grassy woodland is off the table and that the entire route on Mt Ainslie and Mt Majura will follow the existing peripheral tracks. It took a year with many meetings, submissions, discussions and headaches to arrive at this point. I’m pleased with the outcome – and very relieved.  I’d like to thank the many people who provided input and help. A planned meeting with the Chief Minister will still go ahead.

At the April working party jointly hosted with the Mt Ainslie Weeders we removed nine large wool bags of Fleabane; the weeds are now turning into fine compost at Canberra Sand and Gravel. Luke, ranger with Parks and Conservation Service showed us how to frill woody weeds with a tomahawk and we immediately applied the new and efficient method to tackle Cootamundra wattles. Many cotoneasters, firethorns and briar roses lost their life, we sprayed thistle rosettes with a selective herbicide and we cut and daubed Asparagus, a perennial garden escape which has been recently declared a Weed of National Significance. Delicious cakes prepared by Margy and Margaret lifted spirits and we hope the novice weeders who attended the party will come back for more. Carpets of Common Everlasting are now spreading in the area that was once a weed disaster – solid proof that we make a difference. Thank you everyone who gave a hand.

Thank you also Heino Lepp for generously sharing his time and extensive knowledge with almost 40 participants of a most interesting talk and walk on fungi on Saturday, 14 April. Jenni organised the event on very short notice and prepared a brief report which you can find below; many thanks Jenni.

Warm regards
Waltraud

Fungi walk with a ‘fun guy’
A large group of people participated in an information-packed stroll through the woodlands at the base of Mt Majura with Heino Lepp an honorary associate of the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

We learned about the mechanics of puffballs with and without puff, fungi with gills (mushrooms & toadstools), or with pores (bracket fungi & boletes), paint fungi. We discovered many more growing in the ground and on living and dead trees, on roo poo and even on a dying insect, and found a yellow gilled fungus –which turned green when touched. Colour changes when bruised can help with identifying some fungi.

The part of the fungus that we see such as a mushroom or a puff ball, is the fruiting body which produces spores. This is only a small fraction of the total size of the fungus which sometimes consists of a huge network of tiny threads (mycelia) in the ground or timber or whatever it is growing in. Therefore, picking the fruiting body does not harm or help the fungus. For many plants such as Eucalypts, fungi growing in close association with their roots (mycorrhiza) is essential for healthy growth.

Sometimes it is quite difficult to tell the difference between a toxic and non toxic mushroom. Don’t rely on its smell as some mushrooms which smell and taste delicious can be extremely toxic, even fatal. As Heino said, “You can eat a poisonous mushroom once…. “ (but you will get very sick or die if you do!)

For more information on Fungi go to the Australian National Botanic Gardens Fungi website: http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/

A more detailed report on this walk will soon be available on the FoMM website.

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
Download this poster for promotion

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.

• Report sightings of Swift Parrots
• Fungi Walk – Saturday 14 April
• April working party – Sunday 15 April
• Other news

Dear Friends

It is the time of the year to watch out for highly endangered Swift Parrots. The parrots have been observed in a number of years from end of March to begin of May mainly around the Hackett reservoir and the Majura paddock. They fed on nectar of Bundy, Eucalyptus goniocalyx which is profusely flowering right now. If you see Swift Parrots please contact FoMM at admin@majura.org or 6247 7515. We would be interested in the date of observation, the time of the day, the locality and the number of birds. Please click on Swift Parrot for more information including photographs and a profile of the species.

Fungi Walk, Saturday 14 April. Join expert Heino Lepp for a “fun-guy” stroll on Mount Majura and learn about the fascinating biology and ecological importance of a group of organisms that are known for their secret lifestyle for most of their life-cycle, that thrive on dead matter and that are held in high regard by human connoisseurs.
When: Saturday 14 April 2pm
Where: Helms Place off Rivett Street, Hackett
Bring & wear: Bring a camera and a magnifying lens if you have one and wear sturdy shoes and sun protection. A gold coin donation to support FoMM conservation work would be appreciated.
Click here for more information including a map of the meeting point.

April Working Party, Sunday 15 April. At our monthly working party jointly hosted with the Mt Ainslie Weeders we will be tackling woody weeds in an area below the saddle between Mt Majura and Mt Ainslie which we call the “Common”. We will be using herbicide to cut-&-daub and frill. If you don’t want to use herbicide you can pull and bag abundant Fleabane or collect litter in the vicinity of the nature park entrance. Novice Weeders are encouraged to be early for an induction on target weeds and on the save handling of tools and herbicide.
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.
Bring & wear: Sun protection, sturdy boots, and body covering garden clothing.
Equipment, information on woody weeds and refreshments will be provided.
Enquires and further information: click on Working Party.

Other news.
Friends of Mt Majura together with the Mt Ainslie Weeders and the Red Hill Regenerators wrote to the Chief Minister to request a meeting on the proposed Centenary Trail. Our concern is that the proposed construction of new trails in pristine areas and large scale events will severely compromise conservation values of the reserves. Click here to view information and submissions of the parkCare groups.

Volunteers completed the mapping of rabbit warrens on Mt Ainslie and Mt Majura and control work by Parks and Conservation Service contractors is well under-way.

See you on the mountain.
Warm regards,
Waltraud
1 April 2012

Swift Parrot, Lathamus discolor. Photograph by Geoffrey Dabb.

Swift Parrots visited Mt Majura in previous years from end of March to begin of May. Most observations were from around the Hackett reservoir and the Majura paddock east of Rivett Street where they fed on nectar of Bundy - currenly in flower - and lerps of Yellow Box.

If you observe Swift Parrots please contact FoMM with information on the date of observation, the time of the day, the location and the number of birds.

Click here to learn more about the Swift Parrots.

To view photographs of the species click on the Swift Parrot Gallery of the Canberra Ornithologists Group.

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

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• Screams on Mount Majura
• Ant Walk Sunday 4 March postponed to Sunday, 11 March
• Final Rabbit Mapping Session on Mount Ainslie – Saturday, 10 March
• March Working Party –  Sunday, 18 March
• Rabbit control update

Dear Friends

I had a recent request to place the most important item on top of the newsletter because people won’t have the time to read a lengthy text. What is the most important item – news on threats, wildlife, working bees? I guess everyone has priorities, so please scroll to the item that interests you most.

Screams on Mt Majura. Last time I’ve asked if anyone has a suggestion about the screams heard at night time on Mt Majura. Thank you for the responses. Everyone agreed that the most likely source is an owl of some sort. Some people suggested a Sooty Owl, also known as the ‘Screaming Woman’ bird, and some suggested a Barking Owl, which is rare but can occur in Canberra. Tony sent a link of a Barking Owl call, click here to listen. Unfortunately I don’t have an Audio output and I can’t listen to it myself.

Ant Walk, Sunday 4 March postponed. Due to the rain forecast for this Sunday, 4 March we postponed the ant walk to Sunday, 11 March, 3.00pm to 4.30pm. The Mt Ainslie Weeders will be hosting a second walk on Sunday, 18 March. For further information and booking details please click on Ant Walks.

Final Rabbit Mapping Session on Mount Ainslie. Margaret, who coordinates the rabbit mapping, requests experienced rabbit mappers to help map rabbit warrens on parts of Mt Ainslie that were closed to the public for the last three months. A concerted mapping action will start at 9am on Saturday, 10 March. If you can help on Saturday or at another time that suits you better, please contact Margaret at mclough@netspeed.com.au, Ph 62475561 or Mob 0418 713240. See Margret’s progress report on the rabbit control work at the end of this newsletter.

March Working Party. Our monthly working party will be at the Majura paddock. We will be cutting and daubing woody weeds along the drainage line close to the little dam which requires the use of herbicide, hand-weeding herbaceous weeds around the young plants, and replanting some of the seedlings that succumbed to grazing. Please choose your pet activity.

When: Sunday, 18 March, 9.00 am to 1.00pm
Where: meet at the parkCare noticeboard close to the reservoir off Rivett/French Sts intersection.
Wear and Bring: Sun protection, sturdy shoes, body covering (old garden) clothing.
Tools, herbicide, gloves, drinking water will be provided.
Enquiries and further information: www.majura.org

See you on the mountain.

Warm regards,

Waltraud

Rabbit control update from Margaret Clough

If you have been on the mountain in the past few days you will notice a marked decline in the number of rabbits racing about.  This may be partly due to the wet weather, but is also an indication of the success of the rabbit baiting program.  The contractors report an excellent uptake of bait – in many cases the bait stations were totally eaten out by morning, which is unusual.  Baiting has now finished and the contractors are working their way across the two mountains, fumigating and filling in warrens. The Mt Ainslie contractor said he was amazed at our mapping efforts and couldn’t believe how we had found some of the well-concealed ones.  Some of the large warrens will now be ripped using more effective equipment which can be used in difficult terrain.  Ripping is by far the best way to destroy a warren, but the process can be very damaging to the surrounding area – this equipment will minimise that damage.

This site contains resources for our planting event in 2012.
Lists and other resources are not final and subject to change.
Last update: 12/05/2012

Minutes NTD2012 committee meeting 05032012: click on pdf

National Tree Day Planting Spreadsheet (Excel)
This file contains below lists (pdf)

• List of tasks
• List of tasks
  

Draft Maps:

• National Tree Day 2012 map
  

this map is published on the FoMM Flickr Group at
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1785320@N21/

• Map with planting schedule

List of species:

• 2012 NTD List of species – text with photos (pdf)
• 2012 NTD List of species – text (doc)

Draft posters:

• A4 poster
• A3 poster

Invitation pollies template:  Invitation (NTD 2011)

‘How to plant’ instructions:

• A5 format
• A4 format

Direction arrows:

• NTD arrow left_right
• NTD arrow vertical

Click on National Tree Day Planting Party on Mt Majura (31.07.2011) to view the webpage announcement of the 2011 event. This page contains

• poster
• press release
• Plant Ark registration link

Links to FoMM website announcements of National Tree Day events:

NTD 2010: http://majura.org/2010/07/04/national-tree-day-2010-community-planting-01-08-2010/

NTD 2009: http://majura.org/2009/07/05/plant-a-tree-on-national-tree-day-2009/

NTD 2008: http://majura.org/2008/06/22/plant-a-tree-on-national-tree-day/

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
Download this poster for promotion.

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.