Welcome to the November 2015 edition of the FoMM newsletter. The wildflowers this Spring have once again been delightful and were on show during the recent Wildflower Walk on the mountain. And more orchid populations were found on the Rare Plant Survey, highlighting how precious Mount Majura is. However, it takes much effort to look after this special place and we would love your help! Even if you can only join us for one working bee a year, and for only one hour, every little bit helps! And you are guaranteed to learn a bit more about your local environment at the same time.
See you on the mountain.
Jo Lynch
FoMM Secretary
FoMM activities and news:
Weeds Working Party – Sunday 15 November, 9am – 12noon
Join FoMM’s weeds working party and help remove Privet and other woody weeds growing in and around the drain close to the Hackett reservoir and Horehound in the nearby Majura Paddock. Come early for an introduction and give as much time as you want. You need no experience to attend this event; instructions and tools will be provided on site.
Where: Meet at ParkCare notice board opposite of the water reservoir off Rivett Street and French Street intersection.
Bring and wear: Sun protection, body covering garden clothing and sturdy shoes.
Inquiries: ph 6247 7515 or this email.
Drainage line near Hackett reservoir in November 2013, which used to be overgrown with Ivy, Honeysuckle, Privet and other woody weeds. The continuous supply of seeds from nearby gardens requires annual woody weed removal. (W. Pix)
Help us remove Patersons Curse!
The wildflowers are not the only plants growing well at the moment, so are the weeds! Particularly Patersons Curse. One way you can really help us out is when you go for a bushwalk, take a plastic bag with you and and spend 5 minutes patrolling and removing any Patersons Curse plants you can find, especially at Majura Paddock and surrounds towards the Casuarina Track, and at The Fair. The plants are very easily pulled from the ground but they need to be bagged at this stage as the flowers are already producing seeds. Also, you don’t need to remove the roots as it is an annual plant. Its bright purple flowers make it easy to spot, however please make sure you can confidently identify Patersons Curse before you remove it. Click here, here and here for more information and help with identification. Thank you for any assistance you can provide.
Patersons Curse. (W. Pix)
FREE Chemcert Training Opportunity – Saturday 20 February 2016, 9am – 4pm
Can you help us spray weeds? The ACT Parks and Conservation Service (PCS) is running some Chemcert training for volunteers involved in weed treatment as part of their involvement with ParkCare and Landcare activities on TAMS managed land. Volunteers wishing to undertake weed treatment in ACT parks and reserves using herbicides are required by the ACT Government to have this training. The one day course is paid for by PCS and includes safe use, storage and handling of herbicides. For more information, please contact the TAMS Volunteer Co-ordinator on this email. The training is for those undertaking the training for the first time as well as renewals.
When: Saturday 20th February 2016, 9:00 am-4:00pm
Where: Hume Weighbridge, Hume on Tralee St
If you are interested in attending please RSVP with your name, contact details and associated volunteer group to this email by Wednesday 16th December 2015. This course is limited to 12 participants. If they receive a lot of interest a further course may be held in March or April 2016.
FoMM volunteer spraying Patersons Curse. (W. Pix)
Canberra Nature Map update
Michael Mulvaney from the ACT Government’s Conservation Planning and Research, Natural Policy Branch has recently compiled the following statistics which tell the great story of Canberra Nature Map over the last one and a half years. The ACT Government is using this information on a daily basis in its development, planning and land management decisions. They are about to extend the site to include reptile, frog and butterfly species. Well done to all those who have contributed.
- Time CNM has been operational – just over 1.5 years
- Number of contributors – 274
- Number of individual plant records – 10,487
- Number of individual fungi records – 113
- Number of orchid records – 1500
- Number of weed records – 1026
- Number of rare plant records – 2143
- 40% of all rare plant locations ever recorded in the ACT have come via Canberra Nature Map including about 20 plants that hadn’t been recorded in the ACT for 50 years or more, and at least doubling the known locations of the endemic Canberra Spider Orchid along with a further 28 rare plant species.
- Identification of around 30 species as actually common widespread species, whereas the previous recorded locations suggested that they were much more restricted. This enables everyone to redirect management priorities towards actual species in need of special care.
- Identification of several new or emerging weed species such as Spanish Heath, French Lavender, Cobblers Pegs, Madeira Vine, Clockweed, Cobblers Pegs, Sulphur Cinquiel and Moth Vine. Many of the newly reported infestations have subsequently been destroyed.
- Identification of Eggleaf Spurge and Gazania as much more significant weeds than previously thought.
- Establishment of a comprehensive photographic library of ACT’s native and weed plants, which can be accessed by species or via lists of particular areas of interest such as a nature reserve.
- Over 300,000 visits to the site within a year.
One of the orchids on Mt Majura recorded by Canberra Nature Map, Rosy Hyacinth Orchid (Dipodium roseum). (S. Bittinger)
