Friends of Mount Majura (FoMM) Newsletter – March 2019

Working Party @ The Fair – Sunday 17 March 2019, 9am to 1pm
Calling all volunteers!! Join in the working party at The Fair next Sunday 17 March and help tackle suckers of English Elm, removing tree guards that are outgrown by their inhabitants and spreading mulch around plantings. You can give as much time as you like, however we ask volunteers who intend to control woody weeds to come at 9am for an introduction (target weeds, the method of control, safe use of herbicide and equipment).
Where: Nature reserve east of The Fair, North Watson; access and volunteer registration at park entrance Tay / Ian Nicol Streets; view this map.
Bring: Garden gloves, sun protection, drinking water and wear sturdy shoes.
Enquiries: ph 6247 7515 or Email
Click here for more information.

Mulching at The Fair in February 2019. (Photo: Waltraud Pix)

Progress at the old stock camp
A big thank you to the team of the Majura Pines Trail Alliance MPTA and the ANU Intrepid Landcare crew who joined two members of FoMM on Sunday 20 January 2019 to continue work at the old stock camp on Mt Majura ridge north of Blue Metal Road. Luckily the morning started quite cool after a scorcher week with temperatures in the low 40s. The well organised MPTA team arrived with own tools and wheelbarrows and by noon the team, enforced by several young hard working helpers in the around 10 years cohort, had completed their task to distribute wood chips of three large piles. They finished a successful morning with a well earned picnic. The ANU Intrepid gang began work by follow-up weeding a site where they previously removed horehound and continued digging and pulling out large horehound plants downhill into the open forest towards the upper Hackett reservoir. It was extremely satisfying to see the piles of mulch disappearing and the piles of weeds growing. Read more.

The mulching gang, members of the Majura Pines Trail Alliance, after work. (Photo: Waltraud Pix)

Other news and events:

ParkCare Volunteer ‘Fringe Forum’ – Managing Fire in the ACT – Thursday 7 March 2019, 4.30-6pm
Location: Dame Pattie Menzies House, 16 Challis Street Dickson (Ground floor function room)
The ACT Parks and Conservation Service Fire Management Unit invites all ParkCare volunteers to come along and learn about how fire is managed in the ACT. ACT Parks and Conservation are developing the next Regional Fire Management Plan (RFMP) for the 10 year period 2019-2028. The RFMP consists of a series of maps, which describe all the proposed fire related works and fuel treatments on Parks and Reserves and lands managed by Parks and Conservation. This will include prescribed burning, physical removal, slashing and grazing as well as trail-related works amongst other treatments over the period. This is part of the preparation of the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan (SBMP) which covers the entire ACT by the Emergency Services Agency, and is reviewed on a 5-yearly basis. Several public consultation forums are planned for April 2019, however we want to engage with key stakeholders to explain the process and provide information before the formal consultation period commences. You can RSVP through the training section of the ParkCare Hub (don’t forget to sign in to your profile first!) or by emailing the Volunteer Programs Manager Alison McLeod
Fringe Forums are open to ALL ParkCare volunteers and are a chance to come along and learn more about a specific topic which is of interest to our community.

Practical Herbicide Application for Volunteers – Wednesday 20 March, 9am – 12pm
As ParkCare volunteers, some of our work involves using herbicides to treat weeds in our parks and reserves. Some of this requires volunteers to hold a current AQF3 (ChemCert) qualification, and some does not (such as cut/dab herbicide application under certain circumstances). Regardless, it’s sometimes hard to remember our initial herbicide training. We might forget the rules regarding transporting chemicals, which gloves to wear, what PPE is required…
The ACT Parks and Conservation Service is partnering with Transport Canberra and City Services so that ParkCare and Urban Landcare volunteers can get together for an informal training session where we can ‘refresh’ our knowledge about practical chemical application.
The training will cover:

  • personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • transporting chemicals
  • safe handling of herbicides
  • filling and using assorted spray equipment
  • clean up arrangements
  • necessary paperwork/ record keeping

Location: the PCS Stromlo Depot, 500 Cotter Road, Weston.
What to bring: as we will be working in a depot environment, please wear a hat, long pants/ sleeves and closed shoes.
RSVP: through your profile on the ParkCare Hub or by emailing the Volunteer Programs Manager Alison McLeod.

Autumn Plant Sale – Australian Native Plant Society Canberra – 16 March 2019, 8.30am – 1.30pm
Located at the Australian National Botanic Gardens Southern Car Park, a wide range of native plants suitable for Canberra’s climate will be available. Bring your own bags and boxes and come early for best selection! Click here for more information and to download the plant list.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Comments are closed.