Category Archives: Seminar

Science for Wildlife Koala – Post-fire koala updates

S4W have an upcoming webinar on 28 May at 11 am -12pm where they will provide an update on their two koala projects, we’re they would love it if you could join them.

Please see all additional information on the webinar below.

‘Tune in online for an overview of all the work we have been doing to map and track surviving koalas after the 2019/20 bushfires, as well as the latest news from our project monitoring koalas after they are released from care. There will be an opportunity for a Q&A at the end of the webinar.’

  • You can register here.
  • Once you register, you will automatically be sent a Zoom link.
  • Please note there is a limit of 100 tickets for this webinar

Jessie Malpass
Communications Officer, Science for Wildlife
Mob 0421 816 705
www.scienceforwildlife.org
www.facebook.com/ScienceForWildlife
www.facebook.com/koalaspotters/

Bushcares Threatened Species Event

On Threatened Species Day (Saturday 7th September) we had a series of talks about fauna in the Blue Mountains. The day started with Anne Carey from the Blue Mountains Fauna Project presenting the findings of the year long study.

From left to right: Michael Hensen (BMCC Environmental Scientist), Anne Carey (Blue Mountains Fauna Project), Erin Hall (Bushcare Project Officer) and Tanya Mein (Community Engagement Coordinator)

Throughout the day there was a stall with weed and threatened species information. The eco cinema was playing a series of short films about threatened species and where they occur.

The community came along to enjoy the numerous stalls – Council’s Bushcare and Community Education, NPWS, Blue Mountains Conservation Society and Wildplant Rescue.

Next was the amazing Akos Lumitzer from amatterofflight.com.au who talked passionately about the powerful owl and how he came to spend so much time capturing the images.

Akos Lumitzer presenting his Powerful Owl talk to an enthralled audience.

Last but not least was Dr Beth Mott from Birdlife Australia. She presented the Powerful Owl project that is a citizen science project.

Science at the Local – Springwood

Science at the Local returns to Springwood Sports Club with free science talks being delivered by two locals on Sunday, July 28 from 2.30pm.

Professor Belinda Medlyn, who commutes to Western Sydney University’s Hawkesbury Insitute for the Environment from her Lower Mountains home, will be giving a talk on “Tree mortality, drought and climate change”.

“Australian forests and woodlands are well-adapted to heat and drought,” said Professor Medlyn, “but just how much can they cope with? I’ll talk about the impact of more (and more extreme) extremes as the climate starts to change, and whether rising CO2 is a help or a hindrance.”

Also speaking will be Lower Mountains local Dr Patrick Smith, who now works at the Australian Museum, on the topic “Australia’s ancient giants: fossils from the red centre”.

To get involved, go to www.facebook.com/ScienceAtTheLocal.

Other 2019 events will be on September 15 and November 24 at Springwood Sports Club, and November 3 at Lithgow Workies, all from 2.30pm and all free.

The initiative is supported by Inspiring Australia and the NSW Government.

Waterbug Identification Training

EOI – Thurs 11 Oct

Blue Mountains City Council have been fortunate to have secured John Gooderham, author of The Waterbug Book (CSIRO Publishing), to deliver waterbug identification training workshops on the 29th and 30th October 2018 (probably at Old Ford Reserve, Megalong). These workshops are for Council staff, Bushcare/Landcare/Swampcare/Streamwatch volunteers, teachers and other community members.

If you would like to participate in the training, please contact Amy St Lawrence by Thursday 11 October to express your interest.  Places are limited but we’ll do our best to accommodate everyone. You can complete either the Monday or the Tuesday workshop, or if super keen (and places are available), both!

Council’s Healthy Waterways team can then assist workshop participants to complete their own waterbug surveys with their Bushcare/Landcare/Swampcare/Streamwatch groups or schools, with data collected to be entered into the National Waterbug Blitz – https://www.waterbugblitz.org.au/

Amy St Lawrence – astlawrence@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

The 10 year anniversary of Blue Mountains City Council’s Swampcare and Save our Swamps Program was celebrated at a Swamp Symposium recently that highlighted the significant and award-winning achievements of swamp restoration in the Blue Mountains.
The one-day conference, which attracted 65 attendees, highlighted dedicated Swampcare volunteers who have contributed over 10,000 hours towards protecting Blue Mountains swamps.
Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill, said the award-winning approach to swamp restoration is part of Council’s whole of catchment approach to environmental management.

“Swampcare is a vital part of Council’s highly effective volunteer program aimed at biodiversity conservation,” Cr Greenhill said. “We’re able to better protect and restore swamps across the city thanks to 75 dedicated Swampcare volunteers.

Blue Mountains Swamps are a biologically diverse plant community that occurs nowhere else in the world. The vegetation in these swamps range from low button grass clumps to large shrubs such as the Hakea and Grevillea species. The swamps provide essential habitat to several Threatened Species such as the Blue Mountains Water Skink (Eulamprus leuraensis) and the Giant Dragonfly (Petalura gigantea).

Council’s Upland Swamp Rehabilitation Program started in 2006 after Blue Mountains swamps were listed as part of the Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone endangered ecological community.

In 2008 Blue Mountains and Lithgow City Councils formed a partnership to deliver the ‘Save our Swamps’ (S.O.S) project to restore the endangered ecological community across both local government areas. The project was supported by grant funding of $250,000 over 3 years from the Urban Sustainability program of the NSW Environmental Trust.

In 2009 the S.O.S. project received a $400,000 Federal Government ‘Caring for Country’ grant to expand the program to incorporate Wingecarribee Shire Council and Gosford City Council. The partnership resulted in the swamp remediation model being rolled out to over 95% of the endangered ecological community in the four local government areas.

The innovative integrated approach led to the project receiving four awards, including a special commendation in the United Nations World Environment Day Award for Excellence in Overall Environmental Management in 2011.

Speakers at the conference included Palaeoecologist, Dr Lennard Martin, who spoke on the ancient origins of swamps and Principal Scientist at the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Martin Krogh, who discussed the health of Newnes and Woronora Plateau Swamps.

Eric Mahony and Amy St Lawrence from Council’s Environment and Culture Branch also gave presentations. The day finished up with a field trip to the new soft engineering stormwater structures installed at the Leura catchment.

 

The Swamp Symposium was made possible by funding from the Office of Environment and Heritage ‘Save Our Species’ program, the new NSW Environmental Trust funded ‘Swamped by Threats’ project and Council.

 

Interested in Swampcare? Get involved by emailing schew@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or call the Bushcare office on 4780 5623.

Bushcare Boosters Training for Bushcare & Landcare volunteers

Geoff presents the birds and the bees

This year BMCC sponsored 2 one-day workshops for Bushcare. Bushcare Boosters is a three-part course which was designed by the Sydney Metro CMA, Volunteers Co-ordinators Network in conjunction with the Australian Association of Bush Regenerators and several local councils.

We’re aiming to ensure that our community conservation program volunteers are up to date with the current best practices in Bushcare and the opportunity to develop the highest standards possible—the ones we are used to!

To that end, we decided to hire an expert trainer, Geoff Bakewell, who is very experienced in Bushcare and is certified to teach the Bushcare Boosters program, a combination of classroom and field based learning. Geoff has worked as a Bushcare Officer and has delivered Bushcare Boosters to Bushcare volunteers for both local and state government.

So far, we have covered two of the three modules. Module 1, “Bushcare and the Big Picture” looked at the history of Bushcare, the values, problems, plants and animals present on Bushcare sites and the development of site strategies. It was held at South Lawson Park, a good example of a site with many values and complex issues to keep its Bushcare volunteers busy.

Module 2, “The Birds and the Bees of Bushcare” was at another long-term Bushcare site: Jackson Park, Faulconbridge. We spent half a day discussing habitat— how to assess it, find evidence of fauna occupying it, how to look after it.

The third module will cover weed control technique and safe work practices. It is yet to be scheduled, but we will run it as soon as we can—so stay tuned for more information or contact Monica at the Bushcare Office on 4780 5528 or mnugent@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

Bushcare Boosters in Jackson Park

The Future is Wild

The Future is Wild posterVaruna (the National Writers House), in association with the Blue Mountains Conservation Society, presents the Mick Dark Talk for the Future 2016.

Jane Gleeson-White and Claire Dunn will explore responses to the challenges we face when contemplating a sustainable future and acting with the knowledge that we are not separate from but intrinsically connected to nature.

For more, see our calendar entry.

Workshop on Blue Mountains’ Arboreal Mammals

Mountain Brushtail at Mt Irvine photo by Peter Smith

Mountain Brushtail at Mt Irvine photo by Peter Smith

Renowned local ecologists Judy and Peter Smith are inviting you to attend an evening workshop on the arboreal mammals of the Blue Mountains Local Government Area.

Come along if you would like to learn more about the night life of the Blue Mountains – what gliders, possums, quolls and koalas are out and about at night, how to identify them, listen to their calls, find out where they live, and how to find them.

Judy and Peter will also present results of a recent study they have undertaken, thanks to a 25th Anniversary Landcare Grant, investigating how these arboreal mammals are faring in the Blue Mountains.

When: 7:00 – 9:00 pm  Thursday 16 June 2016.

Where: Santa Maria Centre Hall, Lawson (253 Great Western Highway, Lawson, between Somers St and Kitchener Road, next door to Our Lady of the Nativity Church).

Cost: Free! Tea and coffee provided.

If you would like to come please RSVP to Judy and Peter smitheco@ozemail.com.au

Native Seed Provenance Workshop: “Provenance issues in a Changing World”

During June and July the Australian Network for Plant Conservation partnered with NSW Local Land Services to present a workshop series by key plant geneticists and  practitioners. The workshops covered the current best understanding of native seed provenance issues for planning and implementing ecological restoration, particularly in the face of climate change and vegetation clearing.

Provenances should not be used to define hard boundaries but to develop decision making frameworks that are evolutionarily relevant. Maurizio Rozetto (2015)

Here is a summary of the Orange workshop, which started off by revisiting  the crucial question, “what is the definition of local provenance?”

Provenance refers to the place of origin or source of something — eg, a collection; a species, an area containing a population of a species that is assumed genetically distinct from other  populations; usually thought to represent genetic adaptation to local environmental conditions. (Driver 2015)

The provenance and local adaptation theory is based on the application of a long-standing precautionary principle which argues that local plants do better than non-local since they are adapted to the local environment. The theory predicts that the further apart populations are geographically, the less likely it is  that plants grown from non-local seed will survive.

The concept of plant provenance is not new. It developed in 19th Century forestry science and was adapted for common garden experiments. Provenance is linked to:

  • Environment;
  • Life history (longevity, breeding system, pollinator and soil interactions);
  • Geographic distribution;
  • Genetics.

And is about knowledge of:

  • where plant seed came from,
  • the site, soil and situation it grew in,
  • the type and form of the plants,
  • the number of plants together with other local information.

This knowledge of where seed comes from is all important to its usefulness and value.

Provenance is important to ecological restoration because it influences two major seed sourcing concerns:

  1. Capturing adaptive evolutionary potential (ie genetic diversity) in changing environments.
  2. The geographic scale over which seed can be moved, as it affects survival and resilience of plantings and local plant populations, such as:
  • Maladaptation
  • Outbreeding depression (poor offspring)
  • Superior fitness – weediness potential
  • Inappropriate timing – flowering, seed (pollinator time lag) – something not well understood in Australia.

Linda Broadhurst (2015) suggests that Natural Resource Management has commonly looked to protect local vegetation from being “contaminated”  by non-local provenance. However, “local” has often been  defined and applied without scientific evidence.

For example, it has been common to apply distance based rules such as a 5km radius from the site, but there is no scientific evidence to support such a rule.

Broadhurst (2015) says Australian studies such as Hancock et al (2013, 2014) have found little or no evidence of local superiority germination and initial growth and Pickup (2012) found local  populations did better in terms of seedling survival but not biomass and that foreign populations showed improved reproduction.

This suggests that continually collecting from the same small site defined by distance could risk losing genetic diversity through inbreeding. In other words, there is more to provenance than how far away from each other plants are. Soil types, altitude, cliff lines, riparian systems and wind direction, together with the means of pollination (eg insects, birds, wind) are the factors that define plants’ relationships and adaptation.

So, the advice for us is to determine provenance according to the geographical and geological features of the area   rather than the proximity of the revegetation site to the collection site. We should collect from populations that are big (400 plants minimum) and healthy, take seed from at least 30 plants within that big, healthy population;  and define “local” according to pollinators and geographical features.

This is just some of the key points I gleaned. The full presentations are at: http://www.anpc.asn.au/workshops/provenance

References:

Broadhurst L, (2015) “Provenance issues in a Changing World” National Research Collections Australia/Canberra.

Driver M, (2015) “Provenance Issues in a Changing World”. Presentation to ANPC provenance Workshop, Orange, 2015.

Rozetto, M (2015) “The ‘Provenance Issue’: Challenges and Opportunities for Ecological Restoration”. Power Point presentation to Provenance Workshops; CSIRO & The Royal Botanical Gardens & Domain Trust.

Scholarships to Volunteers

Les Robinson has offered some subsidized places for volunteers to attend his training sessions.

Changeology (2 days)

The complete toolset for devising behaviour change projects + plus innovation skills, buzzmaking, and, for the first time, a systems thinking palette for sustained change. Really engage your community in change.

What it covers.

Date: 12–13 October 2015
Venue: The Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, 2 Balls Head Rd, Waverton
Timing: 8.45 am for a 9.00 am start, 4.30 pm finish.

Yummy lunch and 180 page training manual provided. Numbers limited.

Facilitation Skills (1 day)

Lay a solid foundation for facilitating meetings and workshops in any context.

What it covers.

Sydney: 15 October 2015
Venue: The Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, 2 Balls Head Rd, Waverton
Timing: 8.45 am for a 9.00 am start, 4.30 pm finish.

Yummy lunch and 80 page training manual provided. Numbers limited.

Please contact the Les Robinson to book a place letting him know you are a volunteer. Numbers limited. Bushcare will cover the cost of attending. 

Les Robinson Enabling Change
Enabling You to Change the World
Email les@enablingchange.com.au | Web www.enablingchange.com.au