July 2005 newsletter

In this edition

  • Summary of latest events and activities
  • Horehound blitz
  • Petition: Impact of a dragway on the nature reserve
  • Friends of Mt Majura Action Committee meeting
  • Fund raising: Volunteers wanted

Recent events and activities
The last couple of months have been quite busy. We prepared and lodged an ACT Environment fund application for the rehabilitation of the Majura twin dams off Mackenzie Street, launched a Friends of Mt Majura webpage (www.majura.org), organised and held walks and talks, continued with weed removal, and wrote articles for the Hackett Neighbourhood Watch (HNW) newsletter.

The Mt Majura Firewalk (14 May), the talk on Birds of Mt Majura (18 May) and the World Environment Day Walk Talk and Tea on Mt Majura (5 June) have attracted about ninety people altogether, which proves the great interest in our reserve and its wildlife. A grass and shrub planting session and a picnic, both planned for June, had to be postponed to spring due to a very welcome reason – rain.

Members of FoMM met the first time with members of the Watson Woodland Working Group, Greening Australia, ACT Horse Paddocks, and ACT Wildlife Research and Monitoring to explore ways of working together to retain run-off and implement wildlife corridors at the Majura Horse Paddocks.

We are not resting on our laurels nor hibernating during winter.

Horehound waits on the old sheep camp on Majura ridge. It is a wonderful weed to be pulled during winter months, so come along next Sunday for a pleasant Horehound Blitz from noon onwards. Do not wear a woollen jumper, Horehound burrs tend to attach themselves. Susan looked like a hedgehog at the end of a weeding session last Sunday.

Petition. Impact of proposed dragway in Majura Valley on Mt Majura nature reserve.
Please consider to support the petition by signing and collecting signatures. Return the petition by latest this weekend to FoMM, 9 Selwyn St, Hackett ACT 2602. Last week I circulated a petition that requests the Chief Minister and Minister for Environment to investigate the impact of a dragway proposed for Block 51 in Majura Valley on the Nature Reserve and its users.

So far more than 100 people have signed the petition. The petition was firstly tabled at the Hackett Information Night on 28 June. Other signatures were collected mainly during several door knocks in the Selwyn Street neighbourhood, during an afternoon weeding at the Majura ridge camp and in the Hackett shop.

FoMM Action Committee Meeting
Thursday 28 July , 7.30 – 8.30 pm, 9 Selwyn St, Hackett.
Draft Agenda: Twin dam rehabilitation project – work coordination.
Everyone is welcome. Please rsvp to Waltraud.

Fund raising
Are you interested in money? We are looking for volunteers who would help raising money for the group.

We have successfully applied for a small equipment grant (brush-cutter), received gift vouchers from Magnet Mart for buying tools, and refreshments from the Hackett shop for our Walk Talk and Tea event.

However, it costs money to run a group. So far group members have paid for administration including bank charges – we had to open a bank account in order to receive grant money – name registration for our WebPage, advertisement, phone-calls, copying, petrol, etc. Some group members simply cannot afford to continue to pay these costs out of their own pockets.

Waltraud
FoMM coordinator ph/fax 62477515

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