Woody Weed Working Bee Sunday 19 April 1 pm – 4 pm
Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica one of the garden escapees spreading in the area of the reserve adjacent to the Hackett houses. It sometimes has lobed young leaves, but older leaves are not lobed, as shown in this photo. It is a skin irritant so avoid contact and the berries are poisonous.
Photo by Waltraud, courtesy of Canberra NatureMapr.
Friends of Mt Majura Park Care group will host another woody weed working bee between Hackett House track and the powerlines, further to the north of the area tackled in February. We warmly welcome all weeders with or without experience.
When: Sunday 19 April 1 pm – please arrive on time to meet work buddies and weeds.
Where: Nature reserve gate, Mackenzie St car park, near Grayson St, Hackett – see meeting point on this map .
What: Remove shrubs and seedlings, mainly garden escapees.
Bring: Enthusiasm, drinking water, sun protection, and wear gardening clothes
and sturdy shoes. Bring personal garden tools such as a hand mattock, secateurs and gloves, if you have them.
We provide experienced weeding buddies, tools, gloves and delicious cake for afternoon tea.
More information on FoMM’s website here.
Enquiries: secretary@majura.org
Reports
Woody Weeds Whacked on 15 March
Ranger Marty Bajt joined a group of regular volunteers on a Third Sunday working bee to tackle some very diverse garden escapees growing behind the houses east of the Antill St nature park entrance gate. Max laid out an impressive display of some 30 weeds so we could identify what we were whacking; it included exotics we had not come across previously like Spearleaf Swampmallow Pavonia hastata and Garlic Chives Allium tuberosum but also old enemies like Ash trees, Grevilleas and Wisteria vines. Several recreational walkers stopped to observe Max’s display.
Three volunteers attack the Wisteria growing along the fence line with a pile of the removed vines in the foreground.
Photo by B. Read.
Marty’s chainsaw was well used to remove quite large Ash Fraxinus sp. trees and Argyle Apples Eucalyptus cinerea, a gum which is not a true local species but planted ill-advisedly in times past and now expanding into the reserve woodland. The recruits have been removed but more will undoubtedly arrive from the very large parent Argyle Apples.
Barbara pulls up a wisteria runner near a clump of Jasminum mesnyi bushes while ranger Marty removes a large Ash tree in the background.
Photograph by W. Pix.
Margy provided a delicious apple cake for our morning snack – thank you!
Mondays @ The Fair in March
Woody weeds have continued to be the main focus of the group, but small patches of Serrated Tussock or St John’s Wort have been attacked as well.
Max stands beside a non-local Needlebush Hakea sericea found near the Centenary track. We needed to use loppers and secateurs to cut off the “nuts,” which shed their seed as the woody fruits open when they dry out.
Photo by abread111, courtesy Canberra NatureMapr.
Preparing for Planting in a Gully at The Fair
The next exciting stage of the rehabilitation of the gully, which was previously infested with Sweet Vernal Grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, is site preparation for planting Tall Sedge Carex appressa tube stock. With favourable recent rainfall, the plants should get a great start.
Rohan and Iggy wield mattocks to dig holes in the gully where Sweet Vernal Grass was treated by solarising under black plastic in 2025.
Photo by B. Read.
Come along and join the crew at Mondays @ The Fair – enjoy the greening landscape, see the improvements in the vegetation where weeding and planting or seed spreading have been carried out. Share the feeling of achieving something worthwhile for the environment of the reserve while being part of a friendly group of like-minded people. We meet every Monday at 9:30 at the Tay St gate to the reserve in North Watson.
News and Stories
Conservation Council ACT Region against any culling of wombats – see here
National Parks Association in the ACT (NPAACT) – Plans and Reports
Gudgenby Bushies here have done regeneration after pines
Namadgi planning here beyond habitat restoration for Gudgenby
More stories in Burning Issues, the monthly e-newsletter from the NPAACT. More recent issues here where you can subscribe.
NPA Bulletin newsletter from the NPAACT- here for more extensive reports and programmed events.
NPAACT Plan for a Goanna Zone in Ainslie-Majura. This plan recommends community consultation and education, and engagement with neighbouring rural landholders -see here for the plan and here for a media release from Don Fletcher.
Upper Murrumbidgee Focus
Nyadinang Najung – an Upper Murrumbidgee area restoration story from Greening Australia’s new on-line magazine Understories. Nyadinang Najung means ‘river water.’ To read this story and subscribe to the magazine see here.
Forgotten River journey here and see a video showcasing some of the issues and values of communities along the river.
Upper Murrumbidgee Recovery Reach – background information and history – see here.
Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach (UMDR) Draft Plan here – includes the sections in the ACT.
Rivers of Carbon – excellent resources for rehabilitation of stream banks, applicable elsewhere. See for example advice on site preparation and planting tube stock here.
Antia Brademann (UMDR facilitator) gave a talk following the last meeting of the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Network (UMCN) on the invasive Box Elder Acer negundo tree, its impacts in the riparian environments of the upper Murrumbidgee and the difficulties of controlling it. See the Box Elder profile. The UMDR weed control project operates via Adventurous volunteering using kayaks and rubber ducky boats to transport volunteers into river gorges to tackle this particular priority woody weed and others they happen to come across. See more photos here.Box Elder seedlings do occur in Mt Majura, particularly near the drainage line close to the Hackett ICON water tank.
Bush Heritage’s Scottsdale Reserve – on the Murrumbidgee just south of the ACT – see stories here. Scottsdale collaborates with the Rivers of Carbon and Adventurous Volunteering.
Macquarie Perch – Here is the data sheet about this iconic native fish and here is Mark Lintermans’ recent webinar about it in the Upper Murrumbidgee where restoring healthier flows will be essential for its survival.
Look at Upper Murrumbidgee webinar videos on native fish species, Platypus and Rakali here.
The UMCN is reviewing its current 2021-2026 Strategic Plan and wants feedback about how useful it has been so that they can produce a new plan for 2027–2032. FoMM is a member of this Network.
The summary in a diagram of the current UMCN plan.
The UMCN operates under and has received funding from the ACT and Region Catchment Management Coordination Group, a multi-jurisdictional body which fosters cooperation in the region across many areas of interest with a 30 year strategy2016 -2046 reviewed every 5 years. The Group’s recent annual reports are available here.
Forgotten Creeks of the Murray Darling – see a Conversation story here on why they matter to the Murray – Darling basin and should be included in the current review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Other Recent Stories
March edition of Field Natter has stories on Bogs and Fens, Lerida TSR, and Bogong Moths – with a photo of a tagged moth. See here.
Autumn is the season for Fungi Forays – see here
Fungi to Fight Fungi – here
Use iNaturalist for identifying fungi as recommended by Fungimap
Have you seen this Ballerina ?
Honey for HealingSee a good news story here
Rabbit Bio-Control -see here for an update
Nature Conservation and Climate Change
Climate – World Report story from The Conversation here
Australia’s Environment Report 2025 from TERN – see here
Environmental Report Card for the ACT for 2025 – an average year in many respects. Extracted from the TERN website.
And look at the 25-year summary of changes in Australia’s environmental indicators here. While many indicators look OK, for biodiversity since 2000 “741 species were added to the threatened species list — a 53% increase. Main threats include habitat loss, invasive species, and changes in climate and weather extremes.”
Yes, feral cats and foxes really have driven many Australian mammals to extinction – a story from the Conversation.
Geoengineering not the answer – see here.
Biodiversity Credits – can help fund restoration – see here
Events
ANBG is Australian National Botanic Gardens, Clunies Ross St, Acton
Easter Sunday is 5 April and school holidays are the first half of the month.
Take the children to the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) and explore the “bush” for creatures, especially the small ones. Get a map leaflet from the Visitor Centre. Go to the tree house in the paperbark forest, walk through the rain forest, see the bee hotel, find traces of the many animals that live in the Gardens – this booklet gives ideas. Splurge on ice-creams from the Visitor Centre bookshop. Or use the booklet to do the same thing on a ramble in the bush on Mt Majura! (But sorry, no bookshop with ice-creams on Mt M.)
Thursday 2 April 12:30 at ANBG Theatrette Linda Swift ‘Australian plants as bonsai’. Booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/DHLQV
Until Monday 6 April at ANBG Visitor Centre Gallery Dhulwa/Banksia re leaf – art exhibition by ceramic artist Amanda Andlee Poland. See here.
Tuesday 7 April 10:30-11:30am and repeated on 9, 13, 15 and 17 April at ANBG Secrets of the Australian Bush – a family adventure
Discover the amazing secrets of the plants that live in the Australian bush on this family-friendly tour at the ANBG. Travel on our magical Flora bus, walk through the Rainforest Gully, visit the Red Centre Garden and finish at the Paperbark Treehouse.
This tour is designed for children 4-10 years, who must be accompanied by an adult.
Bookings essential as numbers are limited. Check Eventbrite for booking links.
Thursday 9 Apr, 10am – 11am, 2026 Basin Plan Review (the first review of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan) with two speakers from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, as part of the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Network’s Catchment Conversations. This event will share a brief overview of the issues and options shared in the Discussion Paper and how to make a submission with public feedback open until 1 May 2026. Attendees will then be invited to ask questions and share their suggestions to improve the Basin Plan. Register here for this online event.
Thursday 9 April: 12:30 at ANBG Theatrette. Pat Wright “Who’s the Smartest, Plants or Animals?” Booking link.
Thursday 9 April @ Yarralumla Woolshed Building Resilience in ACT Pollinators workshop – 2 sessions, both sold out. Organised by ACT Biosecurity and bees@act.gov.au Disappointed? Let them know.
Friday 10 April – Sunday 3 May @ ANBG Visitor Centre Gallery Wetlands – Botanic Art Group Exhibition by members, featuring artworks of native flora, with a special focus on wetland plants and habitats.
Saturday 11 April 8:30am – 11:30 am Branching Out: Nature journalling and guided walk at Stromlo Woodland – more information and tickets here.
Thursday 16 April: 12:30 at ANBG Theatrette – The National Seed Bank ‘Taking our science and practice to the global and regional stage’. Booking link: https://www.trybooking.com/DHLRC
Friday 17 April 10 am – 11 am @ Wildbark, Throsby -see here for free tickets for Nature Connection Walk. Or choose the first or third Friday in May or June. Nature connection walks are facilitated experiences that encourage participants to slow down, engage their senses, and build a deeper awareness of themselves and the natural environment. More information at the ticketing link or here for other events at Wildbark.
Saturday 18 April 8:30am – 10:30 am Branching Out: The plants and animals of Stromlo Woodland walk – more information and tickets here.
Saturday 25 April 2:00?pm – 5:00?pm Toolbox Repair Café at Common Ground Dickson – see here for more information and here for more SeeChange organised events.
Anytime online Scanning Electron Microscope Radiolarian Art here. What are Radiolarians? Tiny beauties… have a look and see!
Save the Date
Sunday 24 May – Planting Day in a paddock newly added to Mt Majura Reserve, east of Antill Street. More details next month.
Final Feature
Parks and Conservation are putting up new notices at the gates to Majura and Ainslie reserves to encourage all to think about protecting our goannas. Find (by scrolling down) the latest Goanna News here.
