Hand weeding horehound at the old stock camp 20th January 2019
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 the Friends of Mt Majura (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 40ies. 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 10years cohort had completed their task to distribute wood chips of three large piles. They finished a successful morning with a well earned picnic.
The mulching gang, members of the Majura Pines Trail Alliance after work.
Members of the ANU Intrepid weeding team hand removing horehound.
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.
There are more weeds to be tackled particularly along the road and the fence that separates the reserve and the rural lease and there will be a constant need to follow-up weeding due to the large weed seed bank of the soil. However, as you walk along the ridge you will be spotting many native plants such as Clustered everlastings, native geraniums, as well as young yellow box eucalypts, wattles and Cassinia and even local grasses that have began reclaiming this wonderful site.
A pile of wood chips (gone now)
Last not least, we like to thank Martin “Marty” Bait, ParkCare ranger for the supply of wood chips and all the support for our work.
W. Pix,
FoMM project coordinator
February 2019
