Avalon Rock Pool Baby Fish Rescue By Residents
January 30, 2020
Dozens of people, including youngsters from the van der Wallen family, rescued lots of fish from a putrid Avalon rock pool this morning and in the afternoon. They relocated them nearby so the high tide would allow them to go back to sea. They were very weak so everyone hopes they recover before the new tide.
Those there state 'not enough oxygen or else the seaweed tannin too strong, they were all gasping on the surface....nice to ''sea'' so many people caring.'
Photos by Adriaan van der Wallen include, with thanks to Andrew Boomer, “among these are a Sydney Surgeon Fish, a Pygmy Leatherjacket, Saver Tooth Blenny, next ones down in the green net look like Archer fish which is a good find, and a small Grass Trumpeter, and prawns! lots of them”
Bangalley Head Landcare Group
The Bangalley Bushcare group meets on the second Sunday morning of each month. We're working near the track entrance at Whale Beach Rd. Bush regeneration has transformed this area from dense weeds since the early noughties. The next work morning will be on Sunday February 9 from 8.30-11.30.
Contact us for more info, or just come along wearing long pants, long sleeves, light gardening gloves and enclosed shoes. No experience needed. Good company guaranteed, tools and morning tea provided. It's not all hard work!
Bangalley Head Landcare group was set up in 2012. Our aims are to care for this very special reserve, and help the property owners - Landcare members - who have bushland on the land adjoining the reserve. The reserve is near Avalon Beach, Sydney. We've now completed a 3-year grant of $55 000 from Greater Sydney Local Land Services. This paid for bush regeneration contract work on members' land, as well as boosting funds for ongoing Council bush regeneration work in the reserve. With grant funds in May 2018 we had planting day on a degraded part of the reserve behind a property in Binburra Ave.
Bangalley Headland is the highest point on the Sydney coast between Sydney Harbour and Broken Bay, higher than Barrenjoey Head. The old Trig Station is 116m above sea level.
Warriewood Wetlands Twilight Walk
Hosted by Dragonfly Environmental
Sunday February 2nd, 2020 at 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Katoa Close, North Narrabeen
Details: It is a magical time of the evening to listen and watch Warriewood Wetlands come alive as the sun sets and the creatures of the night come out to play.
Geraldene Dalby-Ball, one of Australia's leading experts in ecological restoration, will be guiding you through the underground and freshwater systems of the wetlands whilst sharing her knowledge from the Original Peoples of Australia.It will be an evening not to miss.
This is a free event and suitable for all ages.
Pack a water bottle and feel free to bring your camera and binoculars. Meet at Katoa Close at 6.15pm to start the walk at 6.30pm.
Please respond HERE to let them know you're coming.
Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon February 2020 Forum - Catchment Secrets Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment: Discoveries So Far In The 21st Century
Next Forum: 7pm Monday Feb 24, 2020Coastal Environment Centre, Pelican Path
Lake Park Road, Narrabeen
Catchment Secrets of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment: Discoveries so far in the 21st Century
Speaker: Jayden Walsh
Jayden is always inspiring, telling us about finding various creatures in the wild. He will describe and show images of some of the very special wildlife that is in the catchment of Narrabeen Lagoon, especially recent sightings.
As of the time of writing this, bushfire has not impacted the catchment. Here’s hoping this remains the case for the sake of the wildlife. Check that February 24 is in your diary and, so that you don’t miss out, book your ticket early by emailing Judith Bennett email@narrabeenlagoon.org.au
Night time Wildlife Walk
Jayden Walsh is offering a special guided night walk at Katoa close from 7:30 to 9:30pm on Friday, the 28th February, at Warriewood Wetlands to meet some of the creatures that he will talk about on the previous Monday. (See item above bout the Forum.)
Bookings essential: jayden.sydneybirder@gmail.com
Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment: Bushwalks 2020
Sat 8/2/ 2020 Walk & Weed.
If dry conditions: Meet 7.30am at Deep Creek near dog training area; walk 1hr next to Deep Creek and contributory creek. Weeding (2hrs):small leaved privet, Crofton weed, Ludwigia peruviana and possibly some grass. Walk back and finish at 11:30am.
If wet, but not too wet: Terrey Hills to Morgan Road, with some weeding along 5 Mile Creek track.
Sun 1/3/2020 walk & plant identification
Meet 8am near 27 Morgan Rd for Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment Transverse.
Carpooling required as we finish at Deep Creek.
Sun 26/4/2020 Cromer Circle
Cromer Circle with 1 hr for weeding grasses along the track of Aboriginal carvings. Fabulous views over the lagoon and its valleys, and viewing of carvings.
10am - 3pm. Limited numbers.
Sat 23/5/2020 Explorative Walk
9am explorative walk from Morgan Rd to N/W catchment corner.
Sun 21/6/2020 walk & weed.
Meet 9am at Deep Creek near dog training area; walk 1hr next to Deep Creek and contributory creek. Weeding 1hr—crofton weed, Ludwigia peruviana etc. Continue walk to Baha'i temple and carpool back ~ 2pm.
Bookings essential http://www.narrabeenlagoon.org.au/Activities/activities.htm
PNB 1st Meeting For 2020: Habitat Protection
Thursday, February 27, 2020: 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Transhed Art and Community Centre
1395 Pittwater Road, Narrabeen
Our first meeting of 2020 focuses on protecting our bushland, eco-systems and habitats.
Permaculture Northern Beaches (PNB) is an active local group based on Sydney's Northern Beaches. We are an independent organisation registered as an association in NSW.
PNB hold monthly permaculture related events on the last Thursday of each month at the Tramshed Community Arts Centre, Lakeview Room, 1395A Pittwater Road, Narrabeen. Buses stop directly at the Centre and there is also car parking. Doors open at 7:15 pm. Meetings are February to November.
Bushcare In Pittwater
For further information or to confirm the meeting details for below groups, please contact Council's Bushcare Officer on 9970 1367
BUSHCARE SCHEDULES
Where we work Which day What time
Avalon
Angophora Reserve 3rd Sunday 8:30 - 11:30am
Avalon Dunes 1st Sunday 8:30 - 11:30am
Avalon Golf Course 2nd Wednesday 3 - 5:30pm
Careel Creek 4th Saturday 8:30 - 11:30am
Toongari Reserve 3rd Saturday 9 - 12noon (8 - 11am in summer)
Bangalley Headland 2nd Sunday 9 to 12noon
Bayview
Winnererremy Bay 4th Sunday 9 to 12noon
Bilgola
North Bilgola Beach 3rd Monday 9 - 12noon
Algona Reserve 1st Saturday 9 - 12noon
Plateau Park 1st Friday 8:30 - 11:30am
Church Point
Browns Bay Reserve 1st Tuesday 9 - 12noon
McCarrs Creek Reserve Contact Bushcare Officer To be confirmed
Clareville
Old Wharf Reserve 3rd Saturday 8 - 11am
Elanora
Kundibah Reserve 4th Sunday 8:30 - 11:30am
Mona Vale
Mona Vale Beach Basin 1st Saturday 8 - 11am
Mona Vale Dunes 2nd Saturday +3rd Thursday 8:30 - 11:30am
Newport
Bungan Beach 4th Sunday 9 - 12noon
Crescent Reserve 3rd Sunday 9 - 12noon
North Newport Beach 4th Saturday 8:30 - 11:30am
Porter Reserve 2nd Saturday 8 - 11am
North Narrabeen
Irrawong Reserve 2nd Saturday 2 - 5pm
Palm Beach
North Palm Beach Dunes 3rd Saturday 9 - 12noon
Scotland Island
Catherine Park 2nd Sunday 10 - 12:30pm
Elizabeth Park 1st Saturday 9 - 12noon
Pathilda Reserve 3rd Saturday 9 - 12noon
Warriewood
Warriewood Wetlands 1st Sunday 8:30 - 11:30am
Whale Beach
Norma Park 1st Friday 9 - 12noon
Western Foreshores
Coopers Point, Elvina Bay 2nd Sunday 10 - 1pm
Rocky Point, Elvina Bay 1st Monday 9 - 12noon
Where we work Which day What time
Avalon
Angophora Reserve 3rd Sunday 8:30 - 11:30am
Avalon Dunes 1st Sunday 8:30 - 11:30am
Avalon Golf Course 2nd Wednesday 3 - 5:30pm
Careel Creek 4th Saturday 8:30 - 11:30am
Toongari Reserve 3rd Saturday 9 - 12noon (8 - 11am in summer)
Bangalley Headland 2nd Sunday 9 to 12noon
Bayview
Winnererremy Bay 4th Sunday 9 to 12noon
Bilgola
North Bilgola Beach 3rd Monday 9 - 12noon
Algona Reserve 1st Saturday 9 - 12noon
Plateau Park 1st Friday 8:30 - 11:30am
Church Point
Browns Bay Reserve 1st Tuesday 9 - 12noon
McCarrs Creek Reserve Contact Bushcare Officer To be confirmed
Clareville
Old Wharf Reserve 3rd Saturday 8 - 11am
Elanora
Kundibah Reserve 4th Sunday 8:30 - 11:30am
Mona Vale Mona Vale Beach Basin 1st Saturday 8 - 11am
Mona Vale Dunes 2nd Saturday +3rd Thursday 8:30 - 11:30am
Newport
Bungan Beach 4th Sunday 9 - 12noon
Crescent Reserve 3rd Sunday 9 - 12noon
North Newport Beach 4th Saturday 8:30 - 11:30am
Porter Reserve 2nd Saturday 8 - 11am
North Narrabeen
Irrawong Reserve 2nd Saturday 2 - 5pm
Palm Beach
North Palm Beach Dunes 3rd Saturday 9 - 12noon
Scotland Island
Catherine Park 2nd Sunday 10 - 12:30pm
Elizabeth Park 1st Saturday 9 - 12noon
Pathilda Reserve 3rd Saturday 9 - 12noon
Warriewood
Warriewood Wetlands 1st Sunday 8:30 - 11:30am
Whale Beach
Norma Park 1st Friday 9 - 12noon
Western Foreshores
Coopers Point, Elvina Bay 2nd Sunday 10 - 1pm
Rocky Point, Elvina Bay 1st Monday 9 - 12noon
Gardens And Environment Groups And Organisations In Pittwater
Post-Bushfire Logging Makes A Bad Situation Even Worse, But The Industry Is Ignoring The Science
January 30, 2020.
Opinion: By Professor David Lindenmayer, Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU College of Science.
Australians have expressed extraordinary levels of concern about our native animals and the ability of environments to recover from the recent catastrophic wildfires. The bush and the animals it supports are a core part of Australian culture and psyche.
Yet, just as the trees are sprouting green shoots and the first signs of forest recovery are beginning to emerge, the forest which survived the fire is threatened by post-fire logging. Multiple independent, peer reviewed studies show logging forests after bushfires increases future fire risk and can render the forest uninhabitable for wildlife for decades or even centuries.
Yet logging of burnt areas is exactly what logging industry lobbyists are pushing for right now.
On January 15, the Australian Forest Products Association sent a briefing note to MPs with an "interest in forest industries" that outlined "the massive bushfire recovery harvesting operation that must occur in the coming weeks and months to recover as much of the burnt trees for timber as possible — within environmental, safety and market constraints — before they deteriorate and become unusable".
"It is vital that all levels of Government work together to ensure these operations occur in a timely manner and prepare the land for regeneration (in the case of native forests) and replanting (in the case of plantations)," it read. The science shows that post-fire logging would significantly impair regeneration, yet the industry ignores it.
Post-fire logging is a loss-making exercise
Burnt trees are not used for sawn timber (such as to make furniture or roof trusses). They are woodchipped. Post-fire logging is often a large loss-making exercise for the taxpayer-owned companies and contractors which do it (native forest logging is generally done by State Government-owned businesses, hiring contractors).
In fact, hardly any native forest timber is used for anything but woodchips or paper pulp, even when it is unburned. For example, 87 per cent of all native forest logged in Victoria goes to woodchips and pulp to make paper. Plantations provide 88 per cent of the sawn timber in Victoria and also in NSW. The percentage of native forest going to woodchips will only further increase following these fires.
The impacts can last for decades
A major body of scientific research spanning hundreds of studies from Australia and around the world over the past 20 years shows that so-called post-fire "salvage logging" is the most damaging form of logging in native forests. Its impacts can last for decades or centuries and seriously impair the recovery of animal, bird and insect populations. With so little intact forest left, this will spell disaster for native wildlife.
Studies following the logging after the tragic Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria in 2009 found post-fire logging had profound negative impacts on birds, soils, and plants. Hiring helicopters to drop food to surviving animals while logging what remains of their habitat seems counterproductive to say the least.
Research has also shown forests that are logged post-fire and then regenerated have an increased risk of burning in high-severity crown-scorching fires. This extra fire risk lasts for about 40 years after logging. That is, a burnt forest which is logged tomorrow will still carry an elevated fire risk in 2060.
A global review published in 2009 showed that links between logging and elevated fire risk is a problem seen in wet types of forests worldwide. In 2016, an Australian study published by the Ecological Society of America found tree fern populations crashed by 94 per cent after post-fire logging.
Recovering trees are essential for animal survival
Long-term monitoring shows that most burned areas recover well if we leave them alone.
This has been documented countless times since the birth of the discipline of ecology in the 1920s. Many burnt trees that look dead now will re-sprout in the next few weeks or months. This is already occurring in the burnt coastal forests of NSW.
These recovering trees must not be logged. They are essential for the survival of animals like gliding possums — research shows that these animals are unlikely to return to forests that are logged immediately after burning for 180 years (if they can return at all).
Heavy logging machinery will kill many of the plants that germinate in the nutrient-rich bed of ashes on the forest floor. Animals that have miraculously survived in burnt areas can also be killed in logging operations.
Pioneering research from southern Australia has shown that fungi and nutrients in soils can take up to a century or even longer to recover from salvage logging. Mass movement of soils in areas logged post-burn can choke rivers and streams and trigger fish kills as well as kill many other kinds of animals.
It's time to listen to the science
Australia's forests and its wildlife have been badly impacted over the past few months.
More than a billion animals are likely to have been directly killed and some species are now close to extinction. Some ecosystems have burned that should never be exposed to wildfire. Species and ecosystems need time to recover without further disturbance by logging. Our wildlife and the forest that support them cannot take another beating now.
It's time for politicians and the media to listen to the science. We must keep Australians safe. Perhaps it is time to start hiring logging contractors to use their skills on machines as full-time firefighters.
PHOTO: Studies following the logging after the Black Saturday bushfires found it had profound negative impacts. (Supplied: David Lindenmayer)
ADF Helicopters Fly Corroboree Frog Rescue To Kosciuszko
January 30, 2020: NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, NSW Government
The Australian Defence Force recently flew threatened species experts to remote Kosciuszko National Park sites to assess wildfire impacts on endangered Southern Corroboree frogs.
Environment Minister Matt Kean thanked the ADF for safely and promptly delivering the experts to remote enclosures where early inspections revealed that three of the four Corroboree frog sites were burned by the recent fires, with the fourth site still threatened by an active fire.
ADF Helicopter at the Corroboree Enclosure - ADF NPWS photo
“The team of experts evaluated populations of the critically endangered Southern Corroboree frog affected by the fires and began efforts to ensure the surviving frogs had adequate refuge sites and food,” Mr Kean said.
“Unfortunately, there has been damage to the habitat inside the enclosures and also to the irrigation equipment, but luckily the fences surrounding them remained secure.
“Sadly, a number of the frogs perished and so all our efforts are now focused on protecting the remaining frogs by reinforcing moist habitat refuges in the enclosures and checking there’s enough food for the colourful but tiny amphibians.”
Mr Kean said that while this is a set-back for the conservation of Corroboree frogs in the wild, the species remains secure with captive populations continuing to do well at Taronga Zoo, Melbourne Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary.
The Corroboree frog recovery team will now work with NPWS to repair and provide more robust watering systems for all the field enclosures. The Southern Corroboree frog has been heavily affected by the amphibian chytrid fungus, which is responsible for major frog extinctions worldwide.
Brought back from the brink of extinction by the large-scale captive breeding program, wild populations have been re-established into disease-free fenced enclosures located throughout Kosciuszko National Park. Other amphibians which may be carrying the chytrid fungus are excluded.
Corroboree frog Survivor - ADF NPWS photo
Find out more
- Threatened species: Southern corroboree frog profile
- Help save our threatened species
- Corroboree Frog Habitat Trial Is A Hop In The Right Direction: 17 March 2017 - NPWS, NSW Dept. Of Environment
Bogong Biccies And Water Stations Delivered To Mountain Pygmy-Possums
January 29, 2020
A team of experts has installed custom-built food and water stations for the endangered mountain pygmy-possums in Kosciuszko National Park, which have been affected by the recent bushfires.
Environment Minister Matt Kean said that so far, 20 stations stocked with specially developed bogong biscuits have been installed at three possum sites within Kosciusko National Park. At these sites, remote cameras have also been installed to record possums at the feeders and drinkers.
Mountain Pygmy Possum Waters and Feeders Photo Credit DPIE/NPWS
“The biscuits were developed by Melbourne Zoo and baked by our Saving our Species team from a nutritionally-verified powder of natural ingredients, replicating the nutritional value of Bogong moths, one of the possums’ main foods,” Mr Kean said.
“The fires are still not contained in Kosciuszko National Park, with general park access still closed, so our threatened species officers led by Dr Linda Broome and assisted by NPWS fire crews, were the first to access the fire grounds to provide an emergency response for Mountain Pygmy-possums.
“The Dunns Road fire went through sites where we know the possums live, with reports that temperatures in those areas were close to 70 degrees, so the priority was getting access to these spots to check on the possums.”
Mr Kean said we’re hoping that the possums, which usually live under boulder fields, burrowed down to shelter from the fires. Although we don’t yet know the impact of the fires on the possum population, our teams are working to determine this as we get access to more areas within the park.
“We’re hoping that possums living at higher altitudes in the park weren’t impacted by the fires. Altogether, 50 feeder and 50 drinking stations have been built, stocked with 10 kilos of the nutritional bogong biscuits to provide emergency food and water to the possums,” Mr Kean said.
Mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus) seen while installing food and water - Photo Credit DPIE/NPWS
Mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus) seen while installing food and water - Photo Credit DPIE/NPWS
More information
Saving Our Species January 2020 Newsletter
January 30, 2020
The first weeks of 2020 have been unspeakably difficult for Australian people, our environment and our plants and animals, which have faced unprecedented bushfires, soaring temperatures and severe drought across large areas of the country, including New South Wales.
Our threatened species are now facing a crisis in the wake of these catastrophic conditions.
The Saving our Species (SoS) team is working tirelessly to assess the impact of the bushfires on our vulnerable animals and plants, so we can adapt our projects and deliver intervention on-the-ground, where it's needed most.
In this special issue of SoS news, we're calling on you, as our supporters, to do whatever you can to help make a difference, whether it's reporting injured animal sightings, providing water sources for wildlife in your own backyard or making a donation to our hard-working partners or SoS.
We’re also sharing how SoS is responding to the bushfire emergency through its on-ground interventions to protect threatened species and habitat.
What Saving our Species is doing during the bushfire emergency
With over 1000 threatened animals and plants in New South Wales, Saving our Species is investing in more than 450 threatened species and communities, but the recent fires have impacted a lot of our threatened species sites.
The impact of these bushfires is heartbreaking to our entire community, including our staff, who have worked so hard to manage hundreds of threatened plants and animals.
We don’t yet know the full impact of the fires or the exact numbers of threatened animals and plants lost mainly because we are unable to safely access many of our fire-affected sites. However, our priority is to identify the practical actions we can do now to help the plants and animals in bushfire-hit areas.
Many on-ground interventions to protect threatened species and their habitat have started:
- Feral animal control – This will involve fox baiting programs, as well as targeted trapping and shooting of feral cats and intensive control measures for goats, pigs and other feral animals.
- Provision of extra food, shelter and water – Extra food is being delivered to threatened species such as brush-tailed rock-wallaby colonies; extra shelter, such as artificial hollows, will be deployed and watering points are being provided for animals.
- An intensive weed control program will be deployed to protect sensitive habitats from invasion weeds, such as bitou bush and orange hawkweed.
- Translocation, reintroduction and replanting programs will be used to protect and restore local populations of fauna and flora.
- Conservation fencing will be used to protect sensitive habitat and exclude feral animals.
- Advice and support are being provided to local wildlife carers.
The Saving our Species team will continue to work tirelessly to assess the impact of the bushfires on our vulnerable animals and plants, so we can adapt our projects and deliver intervention on-the-ground, where it's needed most.
NPWS staff preparing to load carrots into a helicopter for dropping to wildlife Photo: John Spencer/NPWS
Five ways to care for our native animals during bushfire season
40-degree days are tough on everyone, including our native wildlife. Here’s how you can lend a helping hand to desperate Aussie animals when the mercury rises.
With fires and drought creating difficult conditions across New South Wales, there have been reports of displaced animals travelling long distances to access food and water.
There are a few simple measures everyone can take to create a more hospitable environment for animals and birds during heatwaves and bushfires.
If you’re seeking advice on how to care for wildlife in an emergency situation, please read these guidelines from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (the Department).
1. Leave out water
Whether it's in a bowl or bird bath, leaving out fresh and clean water is an easy and practical way to help thirsty local animals.
Shallow dishes are best to reduce the risk of smaller animals and birds drowning in the water and you should position the dish out of reach of domestic pets.
Those with bird baths and water fountains are reminded to give them a good scrub to remove dirt and algae and keep the baths disease-free. You should always use a natural product to clean water vessels that will be used by wildlife, such as a white vinegar solution.
For more information, download the Department’s guide to wildlife drinking stations.
2. Cover your pool
With some animals becoming more desperate for water, they're looking high and low for fresh water and your pool is the ultimate temptation.
Keeping it covered keeps your pool clean and helps to prevent animals from becoming trapped or drowning.
3. Keep pets inside
On very hot days, it's best to keep domestic animals inside where it's cooler.
This also means that any wild animals looking to take advantage of your water bowls can do so safely, giving them the opportunity to enjoy a well-deserved drink.
4. Be cautious on the roads
We spend a lot of time travelling on the roads in the summer months, putting our wildlife at a higher risk of collision.
If you can, avoid travelling during dusk and dawn – which is when many animals are most active – and slowdown in areas wildlife is known to inhabit.
5. Report injured wildlife
If you find or see a sick, injured or orphaned native animal, you should always seek help from the closest veterinary clinic (contact a 24-hour vet if necessary) and report the incident to a wildlife rescue service rather than trying to help it yourself.
Vets will usually assess native animals for free – give the vet a call to let them know you're coming in and they can let you know their procedure. Some wildlife carers, like WIRES, can deal with the vet directly to bring the animal into care after it’s been vet-assessed.
Can you help support our koalas?
Up to 25% of koala habitat in New South Wales has been impacted by bushfires in the last 6 months. Saving our Species and its partners are on the frontline of koala rehabilitation, helping to save this unique and iconic species from extinction.
Wildlife carers need your help as they rescue and care for koalas affected by fires.
Donations to our partners will help to fund food, medication, bedding and other vital supplies.
Donate to Saving our Species
Current conditions have put nearly 1000 threatened native species in New South Wales at even greater risk. Our task of securing the future for these plants and animals has become more challenging and important than ever before.
Donations to Saving our Species help to fund our conservation actions to stabilise, secure and increase populations of threatened species in bushfire-hit areas through initiatives such as food and water drops, feral animal and weed control and other targeted interventions.
Every dollar makes a big difference.
Brush-tailed rock-wallabies (Petrogale penicillata). Photo: Piers Thomas/DPIE
Pulling Out Weeds Is The Best Thing You Can Do To Help Nature Recover From The Fires
January 28, 2020:
By Don Driscoll, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University
First published in The Conversation
Many Australians feel compelled to help our damaged wildlife after this season’s terrible bushfires. Suggested actions have included donating money, leaving water out for thirsty animals, and learning how to help the injured. But there is an equally, if not more, important way to assist: weeding.
An army of volunteers is needed to help land owners with judicious weed removal. This will help burnt habitats recover more quickly, providing expanded, healthy habitat for native fauna.
Other emergency responses, such as culling feral animals and dropping emergency food from aeroplanes, are obviously jobs for specialists. But volunteer weeding does not require any prior expertise – just a willingness to get your hands dirty and take your lead from those in the know.
Why is weeding so critical?
The recent bushfires burned many areas in national parks and reserves which were infested with weeds. Some weeds are killed in a blaze, but fire also stimulates their seed banks to germinate.
Weed seedlings will spring up en masse and establish dense stands that out-compete native plants by blocking access to sunlight. Native seedlings will die without setting seed, wasting this chance for them to recover and to provide habitat for a diverse range of native species.
This mass weed germination is also an opportunity to improve the outlook for biodiversity. With a coordinated volunteer effort, these weeds can be taken out before they seed – leaving only a residual seed bank with no adult weeds to create more seed and creating space for native plants to flourish.
With follow-up weeding, we can leave our national parks and reserves – and even bushland on farms - in a better state than they were before the fires.
Weeding works
In January 1994, fire burned most of Lane Cove National Park in Sydney. Within a few months of the fire, volunteer bush regeneration groups were set up to help tackle regenerating weeds.
Their efforts eradicated weeds from areas where the problem previously seemed intractable and prevented further weed expansion. Key to success in this case was the provision of funding for coordination, an engaged community which produced passionate volunteers and enough resources to train them.
Following recent fires in the Victorian high country, volunteers will be critical to controlling weeds, particularly broom (Scotch broom and related species), which occurs throughout fire-affected areas .
Fire typically kills these woody shrubs but also stimulates seed germination. Without intervention, broom will form dense stands which out-compete native plant species .
However, swift action now can prevent this. Mass germination reduces the broom’s seedbank to as low as 8% of pre-fire levels, and around half of the remaining seeds die each year. Further, broom usually takes three years to flower and replenish its seedbank. So with no new seeds being produced and the seedbank low and shrinking, this three-year window offers an important opportunity to restore previously infested areas.
Parks Victoria took up this opportunity after the 2003 fires in the Alpine National Park. They rallied agencies, natural resource management groups and local landholders to sweep up broom . Herbicide trials at that time revealed that to get the best outcome for their money, it was critical to spray broom seedlings early, within the first year and a half.
Broom management also needs to use a range of approaches, including using volunteers to spread a biological control agent.
Plenty of work to do
Parks Victoria continue to engage community groups in park management and will coordinate fire response actions when parks are safe to enter. Similar programs can be found in New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and the ACT.
A wide range of weeds expand after fire and warrant a rapid response. They include lantana, bitou bush, and blackberry.
Managing weeds after fire is currently a high priority at many sites. At the edges of the World Heritage Gondwana rainforests of southwest Queensland and northern and central NSW, there is a window to more effectively control lantana. In many forested areas in NSW, Victoria and South Australia, fire has created an opportunity to address important weed problems.
State government agencies have the mapping capacity to locate these places. Hopefully they can make these resources easy for the public to access soon, so community groups can self-organise and connect with park managers.
All this needs money
Emergency funding is now essential to enable community-based weed control programs at the scale needed to have a substantial impact. Specifically, funding is needed for group coordinators, trainers and equipment.
While emergency work is needed to control regenerating weeds in the next 6-18 months, ongoing work is needed after that to consolidate success and prevent reinfestations from the small, but still present, seed bank.
Ongoing government funding is needed to enable this work, and prepare for a similar response to the next mega-fires.
Want to act immediately?
You can volunteer to do your bit for fire recovery right now. In addition to state-agency volunteer websites, there are many existing park care, bush care and “friends of” groups coordinated by local governments. They’re waiting for you to join so they can start planning the restoration task in fire-affected areas.
Contact them directly or register your interest with the Australian Association of Bush Regenerators who can link you with the appropriate organisations.
Scotch broom, a native shrub of Western Europe, has infested vast swathes of Australia. Gunter Maywald-CSIRO/Wikimedia
A Good News Story From Sydney Wildlife Mobile Care Unit
January 30, 2020:
Today Sydney Wildlife captured and treated a rare subspecies of primate - a species known as Homo sapiens extraordinaire. They were then released back to their natural habitat.
Thank you, Tony and Gary, for our beautiful new enclosures inside the van! The Mobile Care Unit is almost ready now (despite already having been in the fire grounds for 3 weeks!).
Tony is part of the management team that runs the wonderful Forest Community Men’s Shed and volunteered his time to build us these amazing cages, using all recycled materials. Gary was helping today with installation. We met Tony at the Lions Club of Frenchs Forest and he has been a treasure.
You guys are indeed extraordinary.
Thank you.
NB: Sydney Wildlife Mobile Care Units' Facebook page can keep you up to date with their work.
Lime Cordiale Hottest 100 Success
Congratulations Lime Cordiale – all 4 eligible songs in this year’s hottest 100!
- No: 7 Robbery - Lime Cordiale
- No 13: Inappropriate Behaviour - Lime Cordiale
- No 17: I Touch Myself {triple j Like A Version 2019} - Lime Cordiale
- No 32: Money - Lime Cordiale
Also congrats to Ocean Alley: 2 in Top 100!
- No 24: Infinity - Ocean Alley
- No: 54 Stained Glass - Ocean Alley
This week Lime Cordiale released their new single 'Addicted to the Sunshine', which premiered on the triple j Breakfast show. Oli and Louis Leimbach explained that the song's sunny tone hides a little darkness, with a subtext about the growing climate change crisis.
"The lyrics ended up moving into a more critical look at Australia," Oli told hosts Sally Coleman and Erica Mallett. "Everyone's frothing on summer - the beach, summer vibes, summer festivals. But then, there's a part of Australia that doesn't respect or protect the environment."
An accompanying statement expands on the message: "The sun is our creator, it’s our life source and we’re addicted to it but we're letting it destroy us. It’s heating the planet and we’re cooking. This song is about getting up off our towels and changing bad habits. We need to consume less, offset our shi**y actions and respect the sunshine and environment that we love.”
Co-released with the new song is the Addicted to the Sunshine T-shirt 100% of profits will go towards FEAT. initiative Get yours here
FEAT. (Future Energy Artists)is an Australian artist-led renewable energy movement, a platform that will allow musicians to build and invest in their own solar farms.
'We're uncompromising about the future we need, staunch about the solution, and building a powerful new environmental legacy for the music industry. Join us to make it happen faster.' their website states Visit: https://www.feat.ltd/
Cloud Control, Midnight Oil, Vance Joy, Regurgitator, Big Scary, Peking Duk and Jack River have already signed up.
Lime Cordiale have a gruelling tour schedule coming up. Next weekend their part of the Party in the Paddock 2020, Feb 6 - Feb 9, at White Hills in Tasmania. On February 18th they will be at an already sold out show at the Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles. They're in NZ for 2 shows in February on the 22nd and 23rd, then back to the US for an April 11th show in Milwaukee - their second with Tones and I , who are originally from Australia's Mornington Peninsula, and more US dates.
On May 3rd they commence an extensive U.K. and Europe tour, with gigs booked on practically everyday until June 11th, in Barcelona.
Below is their new song - in which you may notice some familiar faces and places. The Credits read:
Management: Chugg Music and London Cowboys
Director - Jack Shepherd
Producers - Lena Buchanan & Jack Shepherd
Assistant Directors - Lena Buchanan & Thomas Austin
Cinematographer - Jack Shepherd
1st AC - Thomas Austin
2nd AC/Sound - Luke Fuller
Production Designer - Lena Buchanan
Editors - Ed de Carvalho, Oli Leimbach & Jack Shepherd
Titles - Lewis Oxenbould
Colourist - Matt Campbell @ Matua Film
Starring - Oli & Louis Leimbach, Kath Ebbs, Lambert Majambele, Glenn Jefferies, Hiromi Ozaki, Felix Bornholdt, Dylan Rayner & Thomas Austin, Emily Bester, Micheal Chugg and Andrew Stone.
Thanks to Lemac Australia, Borough Studios, Prop Co, Terry Hills Community Centre, Sam Williams & Adam Roberts.
On Monday January 27th, 2020 the Sydney Bus Museum marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of Mona Vale Bus Depot by operating bus shuttles around Mona Vale and through the depot. Included are a few photographs from the day. Our thanks go to State Transit who invited them to help mark this significant anniversary of a key part of our local public transport story. Thanks once more to the Sydney Bus Museum for sharing these photographs taken on the day with Readers.
The Sydney Bus Museum has an extensive collection of New South Wales Government and Private Bus Services buses, and tells the story of the history of bus transportation, particularly in NSW, through Australia’s largest collection of historic buses and bus memorabilia.
Visiting groups have the choice of a group tour under the guidance of a knowledgeable volunteer or of wandering free within the museum to concentrate on buses and exhibits that most interest them.
Visitors are able to see a wide variety of buses on display and gain insights into the way in which bus transportation has changed and continues to change people’s lives. At the end of their tour or individual inspections, visitors may care to spend time in the Museum Shop where there is a wide range of bus models, transport literature and memorabilia for sale.
Tours are expected to last about 90 minutes and are available on Wednesdays, Saturdays and the 1st & 3rd Sundays of each month (Museum public open days). A vintage bus ride is also available upon prior arrangement; there are two bus journeys to pick from: a short 25-minute return trip to the City, and a longer 45-minute trip to Huntley's Point and return.
This week was a rare opportunity to see inside a working bus depot, with the community invited to a ride-along through Mona Vale Depot on two historic double-decker buses from the Sydney Bus Museum.Between 10am and 2pm there were tour departures from the City-bound B-Line bus stop at Mona Vale (Pittwater Rd) to Ponderosa Street. The round trip took around 15 minutes.
A donation for those taking the bus ride was requested - all put towards the Bushfire Relief Fund.
The Sydney Bus Museum provided these rides using two former Northern Beaches double deckers: an Albion Venturer SPCX19W and a Leyland PDR1A/1 Atlantean.
Leyland OPD2/1 2087 was one of the first buses allocated to Mona Vale in 1970. It is followed by a Northern Beaches staple, Albion CX19W 1892. Sydney Bus Museum photo.
PNHA Bushcare Grants For Mona Vale Dunes And Avalon Golf Course: A Great Option For Duke Of Ed. 2020 Aspirants
In mid December 2019 the Pittwater Natural Heritage Association (PNHA) received a grant of $12 215 for bush regeneration on Mona Vale Dunes. This comes from the Federal electorates Communities Environment Program and will pay for contract bush regenerators to tackle more of the awful weeds on the dunes. Work will begin in February 2020. Northern Beaches Council will provide about 800 native plants to speed revegetation of the very degraded site.
The grant is very welcome to the volunteers of the Mona Vale Bushcare group who have been planting and weeding on the dunes near the end of Golf Ave since 2005 and seen huge improvements. The Yellow area on photo shows where first work will begin. The volunteers have been working north of this area toward Golf Ave. All hands are welcome to join this bushcare group - they meet on the 2nd Saturday +3rd Thursday each month 8:30 - 11:30am - they're morning teas have become the stuff of legends - find out more in: Mona Vale Beach Dunes Bushcare
Just before Christmas 2019 PNHA, on behalf of Avalon Preservation Association, received a very welcome grant of $10 000 for bush regeneration in the bushland of Avalon Golf Course.
Over 120 native species, including some unusual ones in the Pittwater area, grow on this land. The project will be managed in partnership with Northern Beaches Council; work will probably start in early February. The grant comes from the Communities Environment Program, through the Federal Electorates. More hands are welcome here too, Duke of Ed. 2020 aspirants; maybe this could be for you?
Find out more in: Avalon Golf Course Bushcare
Photos: Flannel Flowers and the shrub Jacksonia scoparia, or Dogwood (from its strong odour when burning, not tested by us!!) -
A FORMER SYDNEY LANDMARK : THE BENT-STREET FOUNTAIN.
In the background is the old Australian Club building, at the corner of Bent and O'Connell streets. A FORMER SYDNEY LANDMARK: THE BENT-STREET FOUNTAIN. (1932, March 5). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 9. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16845817
OLD LANDMARK.
The Bent-street Fountain.
(BY T. S. CHAMPION.)
Old Government House, as the records tell, stood till 1845 at the corner of Phillip and Bridge streets, at a convenient distance from the Tank Stream. The drawers of water, in proceeding to the stream, went the shortest route, which was down Spring-street (then called Spring Row) to about where the A.M.P. offices now stand, or a little nearer. Spring Row was so called from a spring jutting from under a rocky boulder at the junction of Bent-street with O'Connell-street. While the Tank Stream continued to satisfy all the requirements of the residents little notice was taken of the spring, but when through a dry period, or because of the necessities of the increasing number of colonists a time of drought threatened, recourse was had to the spring which had not decreased in volume over a period of years. After it had been ascertained that the water was of splendid quality, the spring acquired importance and ultimately became established as a public drinking fountain by order of Governor Macquarie. Over the spring a stone octagon fountain of a capacity of several tons of water was erected, and this fountain, according to the "Sydney Gazette" of October 19, 1816, "received later the addition of a much larger cistern, in the centre of which is placed a fine pump, by means of which the largest vessels are filled without delay."
The fountain remained as originally designed for nearly 90 years, but it had outlived its usefulness, as water from the Nepean supplied the requirements of Sydney from 1886. Not-withstanding the public outcry at the removal of such an interesting landmark of old Sydney, it had, eventually, to be dismantled to make room for the electric trams, which first ran down Bent-street in July, 1905.
YOUNG-STREET BUILDINGS.
Near to the fountain was a plantation which had previously been curtailed for traffic purposes, but is still represented in the palm patch just below the Metropole. To get to this little garden plot, I have taken you from the fountain up the hill, past the old Australian Club House and the Creswick Club Hotel (both now replaced by Dalgety's fine building) towards the Metropole, the building of which was completed in 1901. Prior to this a triangular block of land at the Junction of Bent and Young streets was occupied by Hanson's monumental yard; next to it was the Survey Office, and then followed, down Young-street, several houses which are still standing. Two of these stone-fronted houses, on either side of Longueville Chambers, are interesting as they were erected by J. G. Raphael (alderman and M.L.A.), a well-known character in his day, always to be seen in his walks abroad, accompanied by his favourite dog. Both houses bear his name cut in stone; in that which gives the date of erection as 1866 he lived, and the other, built in 1877, he gave as a marriage gift to his daughter, who became Mrs. Rosenthal.
Raphael's houses were rented by the Government for quite a long period of years as offices for the Education Department and the Statistician's Department.
The story that Raphael, who was of the Hebrew faith, objected to the letters A.D. before the date 1866 on the first house and ordered their removal, appears to be borne out by an inspection, as of the letter A only a single point remains and the D resembles a rosette. The offending letters do not appear on the second house.
NEW GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
Though the Governor (Sir George Gipps) utilised the grounds of the new Government House to hold the usual levee on May 24, 1845, he did not move into his new home until the following month, and on June 26 there was a "house warming" in honour of the Queen's accession and coronation days. The old building was pulled down soon after, and Bridge and Phillip streets extended.
A terrace of four houses (still occupied as offices for the Government Statistician) was built in Young-street at the corner of Bridge-street, and extending to Raphael-place. The backyards of this terrace abutted on the western side of old Government House and the stonework of the floor of the Governor's stable can still be traced.
OLD LANDMARK. (1932, March 5). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 9. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16845814
For more visit: Busby's Bore by George Repin
Platypus On Brink Of Extinction
January 21, 2020: University of New South Wales
New research calls for action to minimise the risk of the platypus vanishing due to habitat destruction, dams and weirs.
Australia's devastating drought is having a critical impact on the iconic platypus, a globally unique mammal, with increasing reports of rivers drying up and platypuses becoming stranded.
Platypuses were once considered widespread across the eastern Australian mainland and Tasmania, although not a lot is known about their distribution or abundance because of the species' secretive and nocturnal nature.
A new study led by UNSW Sydney's Centre for Ecosystem Science, funded through a UNSW-led Australian Research Council project and supported by the Taronga Conservation Society, has for the first time examined the risks of extinction for this intriguing animal.
Published in the international scientific journal Biological Conservation this month, the study examined the potentially devastating combination of threats to platypus populations, including water resource development, land clearing, climate change and increasingly severe periods of drought.
Lead author Dr Gilad Bino, a researcher at the UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science, said action must be taken now to prevent the platypus from disappearing from our waterways.
"There is an urgent need for a national risk assessment for the platypus to assess its conservation status, evaluate risks and impacts, and prioritise management in order to minimise any risk of extinction," Dr Bino said.
Alarmingly, the study estimated that under current climate conditions and due to land clearing and fragmentation by dams, platypus numbers almost halved, leading to the extinction of local populations across about 40 per cent of the species' range, reflecting ongoing declines since European colonisation.
Under predicted climate change, the losses forecast were far greater because of increases in extreme drought frequencies and duration, such as the current dry spell.
Dr Bino added: "These dangers further expose the platypus to even worse local extinctions with no capacity to repopulate areas."
Documented declines and local extinctions of the platypus show a species facing considerable risks, while the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently downgraded the platypus' conservation status to "Near Threatened."
But the platypus remains unlisted in most jurisdictions in Australia -- except South Australia, where it is endangered.
Director of the UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science and study co-author Professor Richard Kingsford said it was unfortunate that platypuses lived in areas undergoing extensive human development that threatened their lives and long-term viability.
"These include dams that stop their movements, agriculture which can destroy their burrows, fishing gear and yabby traps which can drown them and invasive foxes which can kill them," Prof. Kingsford said.
Study co-author Professor Brendan Wintle at The University of Melbourne said it was important that preventative measures were taken now.
"Even for a presumed 'safe' species such as the platypus, mitigating or even stopping threats, such as new dams, is likely to be more effective than waiting for the risk of extinction to increase and possible failure," Prof Wintle said.
"We should learn from the peril facing the koala to understand what happens when we ignore the warning signs."
Dr Bino said the researchers' paper added to the increasing body of evidence which showed that the platypus, like many other native Australian species, was on the path to extinction.
"There is an urgent need to implement national conservation efforts for this unique mammal and other species by increasing monitoring, tracking trends, mitigating threats, and protecting and improving management of freshwater habitats," Dr Bino said.
The platypus research team is continuing to research the ecology and conservation of this enigmatic animal, collaborating with the Taronga Conservation Society, to ensure its future by providing information for effective policy and management.
Gilad Bino, Richard T. Kingsford, Brendan A. Wintle. A stitch in time – Synergistic impacts to platypus metapopulation extinction risk. Biological Conservation, 2020; 242: 108399 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108399
Nano-Thin Flexible Touchscreens Could Be Printed Like Newspaper
January 24, 2020: RMIT University
Australian Researchers have developed an ultra-thin and ultra-flexible electronic material that could be printed and rolled out like newspaper, for the touchscreens of the future. The touch-responsive technology is 100 times thinner than existing touchscreen materials and so pliable it can be rolled up like a tube.
To create the new conductive sheet, an RMIT University-led team used a thin film common in cell phone touchscreens and shrunk it from 3D to 2D, using liquid metal chemistry.
The nano-thin sheets are readily compatible with existing electronic technologies and because of their incredible flexibility, could potentially be manufactured through roll-to-roll (R2R) processing just like a newspaper.
The research, with collaborators from UNSW, Monash University and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET), is published in the journal Nature Electronics.
Lead researcher Dr Torben Daeneke said most cell phone touchscreens were made of a transparent material, indium-tin oxide, that was very conductive but also very brittle.
"We've taken an old material and transformed it from the inside to create a new version that's supremely thin and flexible," said Daeneke, an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow at RMIT.
"You can bend it, you can twist it, and you could make it far more cheaply and efficiently that the slow and expensive way that we currently manufacture touchscreens.
"Turning it two-dimensional also makes it more transparent, so it lets through more light.
"This means a cell phone with a touchscreen made of our material would use less power, extending the battery life by roughly 10%."
The ultra-thin and ultra-flexible electronic material could be printed and rolled out like newspaper, for the touchscreens of the future. RMIT photo.
DIY: a touchscreen you can make at home
The current way of manufacturing the transparent thin film material used in standard touchscreens is a slow, energy-intensive and expensive batch process, conducted in a vacuum chamber.
"The beauty is that our approach doesn't require expensive or specialised equipment -- it could even be done in a home kitchen," Daeneke said.
"We've shown its possible to create printable, cheaper electronics using ingredients you could buy from a hardware store, printing onto plastics to make touchscreens of the future."
Thick and thin: how to turn an old material new
To create the new type of atomically-thin indium-tin oxide (ITO), the researchers used a liquid metal printing approach.
An indium-tin alloy is heated to 200C, where it becomes liquid, and then rolled over a surface to print off nano-thin sheets of indium tin oxide.
These 2D nano-sheets have the same chemical make-up as standard ITO but a different crystal structure, giving them exciting new mechanical and optical properties.
As well as being fully flexible, the new type of ITO absorbs just 0.7% of light, compared with the 5-10% of standard conductive glass. To make it more electronically conductive, you just add more layers.
It's a pioneering approach that cracks a challenge that was considered unsolvable, Daeneke said.
"There's no other way of making this fully flexible, conductive and transparent material aside from our new liquid metal method," he said.
"It was impossible up to now -- people just assumed that it couldn't be done."
Patent pending: bringing the tech to market
The research team have now used the new material to create a working touchscreen, as a proof-of-concept, and have applied for a patent for the technology.
The material could also be used in many other optoelectronic applications, such as LEDs and touch displays, as well as potentially in future solar cells and smart windows.
"We're excited to be at the stage now where we can explore commercial collaboration opportunities and work with the relevant industries to bring this technology to market," Daeneke said.
The researchers acknowledge the support of the RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility (RMMF), RMIT's MicroNano Research Facility (MNRF), the National Computational Infrastructure National Facility, the Pawsey Supercomputer Centre and the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) in the Victorian Node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF).
Robi S. Datta, Nitu Syed, Ali Zavabeti, Azmira Jannat, Md Mohiuddin, Md. Rokunuzzaman, Bao Yue Zhang, Md. Ataur Rahman, Paul Atkin, Kibret A. Messalea, Mohammad Bagher Ghasemian, Enrico Della Gaspera, Semonti Bhattacharyya, Michael S. Fuhrer, Salvy P. Russo, Chris F. McConville, Dorna Esrafilzadeh, Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, Torben Daeneke. Flexible two-dimensional indium tin oxide fabricated using a liquid metal printing technique. Nature Electronics, 2020; 3 (1): 51 DOI: 10.1038/s41928-019-0353-8