Welcome to the September 2016 edition of the FoMM newsletter. Spring has sprung, unfortunately so have the weeds! If you have time please join FoMM at the Spring Working Party @ Majura Paddock on Sunday 18 September for some weeding and removing of tree guards. Thanks to the 10 participants at the August Working Party, and some Green Army sessions, we have finished mulching and layering woody debris around the 400 National Tree Day plantings @ the Fair, and many of the old guards around the Cassinia plants have been removed and replaced with debris.
See you on the mountain.
Jo Lynch
FoMM Secretary
Spring Working Party @ Majura Paddock – Sunday 18 September, 1pm – 4pm
Spring into action at the FoMM spring working party at the Majura paddock. Help remove protective guards that are outgrown by their plant inhabitants or go on weed patrol and tackle the last pesky Paterson’s Curse that grow on the paddock.
Meet: at the ParkCare notice board opposite the Hackett water reservoir off Rivett / French Streets intersection and give as much time as you like.
Bring: sun protection and garden gloves if you have them. Tools and tea will be provided.
Inquiries: email here
Click here for more information.
Majura paddock with plantings bathed in evening light. (Photo: T. Armstrong)
Birds in Spring Walk – Sunday 11 September, 8am – 10am
Meet at Mount Majura Nature Reserve entrance off Mackenzie St, near Grayson St, Hackett. Walk through the woodlands in early spring with bird enthusiast Peter Miller to spot, observe, listen to, identify and learn about birds of Mount Majura. Expect to see a variety of early spring migrants, possibly even early breeders -cuckoos, gerygones and honeyeaters. Bring binoculars, walking boots, water, and a Gold Coin donation for a bird list.
The Spotted pardalote lives in the woodlands of Mt Majura. (Photo: canberrabirds.org.au)
2016 FrogCensus is on 16 – 22 October – Training sessions 22 September and 1 October
Dates for the main training events are out. New this year is that they will run the Introduction Seminar and Field trip on the same night. This will still allow new and seasoned Frogwatchers to attend one or both training events. However, it will make life a little easier for people with keen interest in both training events but with limited time. To book your spot, simply follow the links below, or check out the webpage. Alternatively, go straight to the Jerrabomberra Wetlands events webpage. Both sessions will be held at the Jerrabomberra Wetlands. The Introduction Seminars will run from 6pm- 7:15pm. The Field Trip will run from 7:15pm – 8:30pm. Dinner and hot drinks will be provided. Bring warm clothes. Register here for 22 September,
and here for 1 October.
The Pobblebonk (Limnodynastes dumerili) lives in the ACT. (Photo: frogs.org.au)
Other news and events:
ParkCare Fringe Forum – ‘PCS Wildlife Program’ – Thursday 8 September, 5pm-6pm
Hear a presentation on the PCS Wildlife Program from the Coordinator, Brad Green. This will include: the location of Canberra’s wildlife ‘hotspots’; the movement of wildlife within the Canberra Nature Park Reserve system; explaining where 40% of an Urban Ranger’s time goes; an insight into the information that is given to the general public regarding snake and magpie awareness; and an insight into the process followed for an injured animal.
Where: Dame Patti Menzies Building, North Building, 16 Challis Street Dickson. Ground Floor Function Room
RSVP: Friday 2 September to Philip Selmes, Acting ParkCare and Volunteer Coordinator, on Ph. 6205 7384 or email. Also, if there is a subject you’d like Brad to cover please let Philip know.
Wandiyali Habitat Restoration & Education Day – Threatened Species Day Wednesday 7 September
You are warmly invited to the Wandiyali Habitat Restoration and Education Day this Threatened Species Day. Come along and be part of the habitat restoration work that is being undertaken by the Wandiyali Restoration Trust in conjunction with Queanbeyan Landcare, the Molonglo Catchment Group, Greening Australia and Conservation Volunteers Australia and see what can be achieved when communities come together to improve habitats for locally threatened species. You will have the opportunity to take a tour of the Wandiyali property and learn about locally threatened plants, birds and animals from OEH Threatened Species Scientific Officer Rob Armstrong. Plus you can join in the fun, with the chance to roll up your sleeves and get involved in planting action. Free BBQ lunch provided. Limited Places Available. Bookings Essential.
ACT Healthy Waterways (Basin Project)
Canberra’s lakes and waterways are under increasing pressure, largely due to urban development, past land and water management regimes, climate change, and a general lack of awareness about the kinds of activities that affect water quality. Stormwater pollution affects water quality, posing risks to public health and aquatic life. It also threatens the many social, economic and environmental benefits our lakes and waterways generate. ACT Healthy Waterways is a joint initiative of the Australian and ACT governments to protect and improve long-term water quality in the ACT and the Murrumbidgee River system. The project will reduce the level of nutrients and sediment entering our lakes and waterways that, in turn, have a significant impact on Australia’s iconic Murray-Darling Basin. More than $80 million will be invested in up to 25 priority projects, as well as programs to raise awareness about water quality issues and how residents, businesses and visitors can help look after our waterways. Your feedback is sought. Click on each catchment area to find out more about the projects and provide your feedback. The six week consultation runs until Friday 30 September 2016. For more information visit www.yoursay.act.gov.au
Australian Association of Bush Regenerators (AABR) walk and talk at Bathurst – Saturday 24 September 2016
Join AABR member and Senior Strategic Local Land Services Officer, Diana Kureen for a tour of local woodland, riparian and Regent Honeyeater habitat around Bathurst in the Central West of NSW. The day will include visits to: Box Gum Grassy Woodland – Endangered Ecological Community; restoration sites on and around Mount Panorama; various creekline restoration projects, including Schauberger Sills, and a site that is looking to restore Regent Honeyeater habitat. Time: 10am until 3 pm. Meet: Bathurst Visitor Information Centre. If sufficient numbers of people are in Bathurst on Friday evening, there will be a talk on protecting and improving habitat for the Bathurst Copper Butterfly and also a cat-tracking program run in Lithgow – with very interesting results. This talk would be held at the Council offices around 5:30pm to 6:00pm, followed by dinner at a local pub. Click here for more information
Conserving Eucalypts: the Why and the How
The papers from the Royal Society of Victoria symposium on Conserving Eucalypts, held earlier this year, are now out. They have been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Volume 128 Number 1 (18 March 2016). PDFs are available here (free downloads).
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