Category Archives: Bushcare

What is Bushcare?

Well the answer is different depending which volunteer you ask.

During last year whilst we were celebrating our 30th anniversary of the Council funded Bushcare and Landcare program we really wanted to hear from the volunteers what the program was to them.

Here are some of the answers

Bushcare Awards 2021 – Celebrating our Volunteers

Once again, we are celebrating our Bushcare volunteers through the eyes of the digital world.  2021 became the year bookended by COVID shutdowns much to the dismay of all. When lockdown lifted at the start of June last year we saw the impressive resumption of the Bushcare Program – a tribute to our dedicated Bushcare volunteers. And we know that with the same passion and dedication we can come out of this next shutdown with the same gusto!

Our Award Ceremony was held as a Zoom ceremony so everyone could view Mayor Mark Greenhill present the awards and hear the acceptance speeches live on their home computers.  Congratulations to Rae Druitt receiving the Bushcare Legend Golden Trowel Trophy and our recipient of the Junior Bushcare Ryan Memorial Shield – Daemon Silk.

We thank David King, Gundungurra man, for the Welcome to Country and talk. We included a couple of talks with John French and Fiona Lumsden showing their recent survey Birds in The Gully, and Megan Halcroft talking about native bees in preparation for pollinators week.

Our ‘Thank you” gift to our volunteers is a cool Cooler lunch bag that will be presented to you by your Bushcare Officer when you all come back together onsite – with the personal touch!!

Photos: Golden Trowel and Junior Shield Award and the Cooler Lunch Bag Thank You gift to our volunteers Credit: BMCC

Group Awards

Celebrating years of service to Bushcare

25 Years 
Charles Darwin /Jamison Creek BushcareWentworth Falls
Sublime Point BushcareWentworth Falls
20 Years 
Mt Riverview BushcareMt Riverview
15 Years 
Glenbrook Lagoon BushcareGlenbrook Lagoon
Valley Heights (Benoit Park) BushcareValley Heights
Long Angle Gully LandcareWarrimoo
North Lawson HomeschoolersLawson
5 Years 
Bush Place BushcareGlenbrook
Raymond Street BushcareBlaxland
Seed Collection GroupVarious
Celebrating 25 Years of Bushcare for Charles Darwin Bushcare Group CREDIT: BMCC
Celebrating 25 Years of Bushcare for Sublime Point Bushcare group CREDIT: BMCC

Individual Awards

The 2021 Bushcare Legend Rae Druitt at Wentworth Falls Lake with her Golden Trowel Trophy CREDIT: David Coleby
Previous Legend Ross Day passing on the Golden Trowel to Rae Druitt CREDIT: BMCC
Fiona Lumsden accepting the Masters Award from Mayor Greenhill CREDIT: BMCC
Recipient of the Hard Yakka Award – Ian Power onsite at Valleyview Swampcare CREDIT: BMCC
Mayor Greenhill with Ian Power accepting Hard Yakka Award CREDIT: BMCC
The Landcare Legend Vikki Willmott-Sharp with the Mayor CREDIT: BMCC
Ryan Kembrey receiving the Environmental Warrior award from Mayor Greenhill CREDIT: BMCC
Daemon Silk accepting the Junior Rian Strathdee Shield from Jasmine Payget CREDIT: BMCC

Gecko Newsletter Spring Issue

Welcome to the 2021 Spring issue of the Gecko Newsletter.

In this issue read about:

  • Bushcare and COVID-19 update
  • The ‘Rights of Nature’ – an Australian first
  • Creating Habitat around The Gully Lake
  • Blue Mountains Aboriginal Advisory Council’s ‘Statement of Recognition and Commitment’ endorsed by Blue Mountains City Council
  • ABC Post-fire ongoing healing of country video for NAIDOC Week.
  • The Butterfly Effect
  • Farewell Malcolm
  • Project Plant It – 80 trees planted for koalas at deanei forest
  • Popes Glen Big Day Out – post-fire Gorse treatment
  • Repairing the Australian bush in the 1890s
  • Book review: “Twenty-Five Years of Bushcare’ Sublime Point Bushcare
  • Spring has Sprung – Photo competition
  • Vale Jeanell Buckley
  • Vale Fred Lyford
  • Bushcare Gecko is now online
  • Events Webinars: Eucalypts of the Blue Mountains, Launch of “Twenty-Five Years of Bushcare’ Sublime Point Bushcare

Gecko Winter Issue No. 85

  • Acknowledgement of Country
  • Saving Koalas – Science for Wildlife Project Updates (see links below)
  • Join Bushcare
  • Giant Dragonfly sighted by Council’s Natural Area Operations Team 
  • Giant Dragonfly – an ancient peat-swamp survivor in the Blue Mountains
  • Should we plant or not?
  • Regenerating a native ground layer from Trad at Bellata Park Bushcare
  • Congratulations Lis Bastian – Environmental Citizen of the Year Award
  • Native Plant Propagation Workshop
  • How did your environment fare last year? Australia’s Environmental 2020
  • Connecting Kids to Nature program update
  • Congratulations to our new Environmental Manager
  • Seniors Week Recognition Awards
  • Clean Up Australia Day in The Gully
  • What’s On
  • Save the date – Bushcare Picnic 30 October 

The Giant Dragonfly an ancient peat-swamp survivor in the Blue Mountains

Article by Dr Ian Baird

Petalura gigantea (Family Petaluridae), commonly known as the Giant Dragonfly or Southeastern Petaltail is a very large dragonfly which may have a wingspan up to 12.5 cm. It is recorded from peat swamps, bogs and seepages along the coast and ranges of NSW from near the Victorian border to around the Qld border. It is listed as Endangered in NSW under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, with habitat loss and degradation identified as the main threats. In addition to the large size and widely separated dark eyes, the species (and genus) is characterised by a long pterostigma (darkened cell) towards the end of the leading edge of the wings, and large, petal-shaped, anal appendages in adult males (Figure 1). Adult females lack the conspicuous anal appendages and are somewhat bulkier than males (Figure 2). These features distinguish it from other very large dragonflies such as Austrophlebia costalis. Various Bushcare and Swampcare sites in the Blue Mountains include peat swamp habitat of Giant Dragonflies.

The Petaluridae (“petaltails”) can be traced back to the late Jurassic and currently includes 11 known species around the world, including the endemic Australian genus Petalura with five species. The family is unique amongst dragonflies, in that larvae of nine of those species (including all Petalura species) excavate (sometimes complex) burrows which extend below the water table in peaty soils and which they occupy and maintain for their entire larval stage. The deepest burrow recorded for a petalurid worldwide was a P. gigantea burrow I investigated, which was 75 cm deep. These dragonflies have very long larval stages; extrapolation from recent studies suggests a larval stage of at least six years in P. gigantea, and possibly 10 or more in some situations. Larvae reach a length of 4.5-5 cm. Larvae feed on a range of small invertebrate prey within their burrows, including worms and nematodes, and are likely to act as ambush predators of larger prey from within their burrow entrances, feeding on above ground invertebrates, such as spiders, crickets, cockroaches, and perhaps small frogs, such as Crinia signifera. Larvae with submerged burrow openings in shallow pools can also prey upon other dragonfly or damselfly larvae within those pools. It is possible (but unknown) that they also leave their burrow openings temporarily to forage under suitable conditions, such as at night and during rain. I have recorded above ground chambers above their burrow openings, within litter layers and Sphagnum hummocks, which they may use for foraging purposes. Larvae leave their burrows and climb the nearest shrub or sedgeland vegetation to undergo emergence (ecdysis) to the adult stage, usually leaving their larval skin (exuvia) attached to their shrub or sedge emergence supports. The presence of exuviae confirms a site as a successful breeding site. Emergence may commence in early October in some years in some sites and extend into January, but normally appears to commence during November, at least in the Blue Mountains.

Adults live for a maximum of one summer flying season, which extends into February at least, with occasional late flying individuals having been observed on one occasion as late as mid-March in the Blue Mountains. Adults are predatory upon other flying insects during flight and consume a range of prey, including other dragonflies and damselflies, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, cicadas, wasps, and various types of flies, including crane flies. Adults typically return to a perch to consume prey. Adults spend much time perched in sedgeland and shrub vegetation, interspersed with generally short flights associated with foraging, mating, and in the case of males, territorial interactions. Adult females typically leave their larval swamp habitat following emergence and only return to a swamp habitat for breeding purposes. There is no courtship behaviour and mating generally occurs in swamp habitat with the pair perched in sedge or shrub vegetation. Egg-laying (ovipositing) involves insertion of the ovipositor into the wet, organic-rich soil substrate, into fissures in the substrate, or amongst or under live or decomposing plant material overlying the substrate. Females typically walk along the soil surface or perch within covering vegetation or on litter while ovipositing. They do not appear to oviposit into substrate covered by more than 1-2 mm of water. Most adults encountered in swamp breeding habitats are males, who are typically territorial in swamp habitat. Predation of adults by birds, skinks and spiders has been observed and dead individuals have been found in spider webs.

Petalura gigantea is considered to be an obligately groundwater-dependent species. Although the burrowing larval habit confers ecological benefits, including increased environmental stability, and some protection from the effects of fire, flood, drought and above ground predators, the species groundwater dependence and restriction to peat swamp habitats places it at increased risk in the event of any reduction in groundwater levels (e.g., due to groundwater abstraction, tunnel or pipeline boring, and longwall coal mining), more intense fire regimes, and the potential compounding effects of rapid climate change. Loss and degradation of habitat as a result of urban and transport infrastructure development, agriculture, forestry, and longwall coal mining continue to threaten the species through loss and degradation of habitat.

Figure 1. Male Petalura gigantea perched on razor sedge, Lepidosperma limicola, in a Blue Mountains Swamp. Note the conspicuous petal-shaped appendages at the end of the abdomen. Photo: Ian Baird

Figure 2. Female Petalura gigantea perched on Acacia ptychoclada in a Blue Mountains Swamp. Photo: Ian Baird

March 2021 Gecko Newsletter – Autumn issue

Welcome to the 2021 Autumn issue of the Gecko Newsletter. In this issue read about:

  • Actinotus forsythii Pink Flannel Flower
  • A brief Bushcare internship
  • Saving the Trees – one Gecko at a time
  • Wentworth Falls Lake
  • Crayfish Count Regenerate Project
  • New Narrow Neck Bushcare Group
  • Allendale Landcare Group
  • Report a Koala Sighting
  • Butterfly Hill-topping site at Lawson
  • New Blackheath Community Farm Landcare
  • Poison Hemlock
  • Snowy Mountains Humpback Slug
  • Feral Scan – Fox Scan
  • What’s On

Click here to open the latest Gecko

https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/documents/gecko-newsletter-autumn-2021

Environmental Citizen of the Year – Lis Bastian

Outstanding citizens were celebrated at Blue Mountains City Council’s annual Australia Day Awards on 26 January, 2021.

Environmental Citizen of the Year – Lis Bastian

Congratulations to Lis Bastian – a founding member of one our new bushcare groups – Blackheath Community Farm Landcare.

For years, Lis Bastian has devoted herself to helping others live more sustainably. She does this by leading by example and by teaching people of all ages about permaculture and environmental responsibility.

Lis created The Big Fix (www.thebigfixblackheath.org) which is a social enterprise that focuses on ‘changing the story.’ The initiative has enabled a collaborative, solutions-based culture to grow and thrive in the Blue Mountains and beyond.

Other projects that have been spearheaded by Lis, include a Community Farm in Blackheath which she regularly reports on through Facebook to inspire others. Lis also set up and now runs ‘Pluriversity’, which provides a range of learning opportunities for young people who have left school engage with one another and the wider community.

Lis reaches out to others and builds partnerships with unlimited generosity and devotion to protecting the environment.

The full list Awards recipients included:

  • Young Citizens of the Year –  Annelise Schroder and Harry Elbourne
  • Citizen of the Year – John Turner
  • Senior Citizens of the Year – Peter A. Kidd and Rosemary Hart
  • Environmental Citizen of the Year – Lis Bastian
  • Community Achievement of the Year – Blue Fringe Arts and Literature Exhibition.

Swamped By Threats Project reaches halfway mark

By Michael Hensen

The Swamped by Threats Project, a partnership between BMCC, CTLLS, NPWS and Forest NSW, has reached the halfway mark. The project aims to conserve the ecological integrity and habitat quality of priority swamps for the endangered and swamp dependant Blue Mountains Water Skink and the Giant Dragonfly of the Blue Mountains and Newnes Plateau. The innovative ten year project is funded through a $750,000 Save Our Species (SOS) Partnership Environmental Trust grant.

A key focus of the project in the Blue Mountains has been the restoration of the natural hydrology of swamp systems which have been disrupted by stormwater flows from urbanised catchments, resulting in erosion, channelisation, de-watering, sedimentation, and weed invasion. Works have included stormwater outlet stabilisation, gross pollutant traps, raingardens, stormwater infiltration and integration structures and soft engineering swamp rehydration structures, as well as weed control.  The sixteen priority swamp systems being targeted include Connaught, Yosemite, Marmion Road, North Street, the Gully, McCrae’s Paddock, Leura Falls, East Leura, Jamison Creek, Central Park, Wentworth Falls Lake, Franks Creek, Kittyhawke, Duperry/Clarendon Swamp, Red Gum Park, Lawson Pool and North Lawson Swamps.

IMAGE: Eric Mahony and Geoffrey Smith at Central Park swamp raingardens in high flow CREDIT: BMCC

A big thank you goes out to all the Bushcare and Swampcare volunteers whose ongoing on-ground efforts are making such a valuable contribution of in-kind hours in support of the grant funded work.

IMAGE: Banksia Street raingarden above Wentworth Falls Lake  CREDIT: BMCC

This project has been supported by the Hominy Bakery in Katoomba who provide the catering for these events “You know the food is good when everyone’s silent” said Katy O’Neill at the Valley View Swampcare Event.

More information is available via this link: https://youtu.be/DmGZbkgjrQM

Summer Gecko 2020

Welcome to the 2020 Summer issue of the Gecko Newsletter. In this issue read about:

• 2020: Bushcare Team Leader • Bushcare / Landcare Picnic COVID style • Bushcare Awards – Group and Individuals • Vale Lachlan Garland • Remote Bushcare • Cicadas • RSCPA Landcare • Vale Liz Kabanoff • Popes Glen Bushcare Group – Local Heros • Vale Thelma Murphy – Bushcare Icon • Swamped by Threats Project reaches halfway mark • Redgum Park – Timing is everything • What’s On!

Click here to open the latest Gecko

https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/documents/gecko-newsletter-summer-2020