Govetts Leap Blackheath – Weeds are just a waterfall away! Come along and stop the weeds going over the edge at Govetts Leap and enjoy a special morning tea with a spectacular view. Book with Vanessa on (02) 47873112 or vanessa.richardson@environment.nsw,gov.au by Friday 24th February.
Tag Archives: conservation
Bringing Back the Birds in Blackheath
A misty and cold Saturday morning was brightened and warmed by local families at Popes Glen in Blackheath recently. It was an informal idea amongst friends about getting together to spend some time, while getting their kids together and giving them something great to do. Then everyone has a nice bit of morning tea and a chat while the kids run off some more of that energy!
Little people making a Big difference!
And what better thing to do in the outdoors than pop down and meet a local Bushcare group?
Well, that is just what a group of friends in Blackheath did. A wonderful little army of youngsters and their equally wonderful families came down to help the Popes Glen volunteers plant out their third Small Bird Habitats.
These habitats are small, strategically placed areas which are then densely re-vegetated with a mixture of native shrubs and ground cover plants. As they grow and develop these plants will form very dense thickets, perfect for providing shelter, protection and food for many species of small native birds which are known to live in Popes Glen.
Surveys have shown us that these small birds are using several large piles of timber debris left on the site after the treatment and felling of several large Willow trees. This fantastic fact demonstrates the ability of a recovering Bushcare site to provide new habitat and resources for native creatures, where in the past those creatures have only seen their habitat diminish.
With the news that the small birds are moving in to Popes Glen for the new habitat came a potential problem. While these debris piles provide the perfect opportunity for small birds to move in, they are not going to last forever. The wood is steadily breaking down into humus. Not so good for birds, but perfect for plants.
And there was the answer to the problem. The Popes Glen volunteers decided to take advantage of the rich soil by planting shrubs which will grow to replace the structure of the piles as they break down. Then the birds which are depending on their pile of logs for their home can watch their new home grow around them, before their old houses fall down!
What a nice way to spend a misty Spring morning!
By morning tea time, Popes Glen had one hundred and forty new plants. They were all guarded, watered and ready to grow into a palace for small birds! There was a wonderful atmosphere of smiling and fun. Everybody had a contribution no matter how big or small! What a wonderful day at Bushcare!
Where would we be without BUBBLES!
UNSW Chinese Students Association lends a helping hand to Katoomba Falls
UNSW Chinese Students Association helping out with planting at Katoomba Falls
Our fabulous Blue Mountains put on a text-book Winter’s day for a small group of students from the University of New South Wales on July 14 – bright sunshine and crisp (cold) air – perfect for planting ferns along the newly refurbished walking track at Katoomba Falls.
The group may have been small but the amount they got done was not! Working with contractors engaged by Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) who prepared the holes ready for planting, 120 Blechnum nudum, Gahnia sieberiana and Lomandra longifolia were very quickly in the ground, watered and protected from frost and wind with tree fern fronds.
The students were so enthusiastic and energetic that once the plants were in, we had plenty of time to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and some delicious, locally produced biscuits before walking to the lookout, guided by Monica from the Bushcare Team.
Hopefully this was just the first of many more days such as this one, which not only showcased one of our local icons but also the wonderful work that BMCC is doing to protect the World Heritage on our doorstep
Vincent shows us how its done
Edol, Mindy, and Vincent wasted no time getting in amongst it
Upper Kedumba Bushcare Pollinator Morning
Upcoming Events at Upper Kedumba
Australian Pollinator Week Event
Come and join the Upper Kedumba Bushcare Group for a fun morning on Saturday 3 December 2016 between 8.30 and 12.30pm, and help enhance the Upper Kedumba area as a native bee friendly environment.
Our aim is to develop a holiday village for our little bee friends.
In this exciting new adventure for our group, we will bee building four different types of bee hotels. Classics such as Honeymoon Hotel, Swarm Inside, Beehome Soon and Beehive Yourself.
All lifestyle suites catered for the discerning pollinator.
As different species of native bees prefer different styles of accommodation, there will bee other types installed, such as high rise bee-bamboo, bee-nests and bee-blocks.
There will also be some landscaping, planting multi-coloured flowering natives, so they never have to go without some bloomin’ blossoms.
All materials will be provided, so we encourage volunteers to help out on the day, or just come along to see the diverse collection of structures being created and installed.
After that, sit back, relax and join us for a cuppa and cake, feeling you have been a good property developer with a warm fuzzy feeling inside and a buzzy feeling outside and knowing you have helped set in train the establishment of a bee-utiful environment.
RSVP by 1/12/16 Jane Anderson 4780 5623 jlanderson@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Connected Catchments
Vale St Baramy Trap in Full Flow – June 2016
On May 2 the Leura Falls Creek and Jamison Creek Catchment Working groups came together along with Blue Mountains City Council Natural Areas and Healthy Waterways teams to do “catchment crawls” (minibus tours of the key work sites) in each other’s catchments. Residents of the Vale St end of the Leura Falls Creek catchment were also invited.
In the morning, the Leura Falls Creek tour showcased the recently constructed stormwater upgrades including the Vale St Baramy Trap and raingarden – shown below in full flow with the recent heavy rains in early June. The Jamison Creek Working Group had an opportunity to see what types of stormwater management systems will be installed in the Jamison Creek Catchment in the near future.
After lunch, a tour of Jamison Creek Catchment gave us a chance to learn about where the upgrades are planned and how they will be constructed.
The stormwater improvement projects in both catchments are an initiative between Water NSW and Blue Mountains City Council. The catchment crawl was filmed by KFM Media, Katoomba. Thanks to the tour guides, Eric Mahony and Geoffrey Smith from Blue Mountains City Council and Peter Bennet who designs the Baramy Traps. Thanks to Monica Nugent for driving the bus. And thank you to every one who came on the tour.
Vale Street – June 2016 11
Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area: Documenting Outstanding Fauna Values
Greater Glider by Kate Smith
by Judy and Peter Smith
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA) comprises eight reserves: Blue Mountains, Gardens of Stone, Kanangra-Boyd, Nattai, Thirlmere Lakes, Wollemi and Yengo National Parks and Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve. The area was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000 because its natural values, including the diversity of its fauna, were considered to be outstanding at international level.
In 1998, when the nomination of the Greater Blue Mountains Area for inscription on the World Heritage List was prepared, it was well known that the area provided habitat for a wide variety of fauna. However, details of the vertebrate fauna were sketchy. Over the last year, in an attempt to gain a clearer understanding of the fauna, we have been preparing annotated checklists of the native frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals in the GBMWHA.
The checklists indicate the species we consider to have been reliably recorded in each of the eight constituent reserves together with their conservation status at national and state level, and details of their distribution, habitat and relative abundance in the WHA. The project has been supported through funding from the Australian Government’s Community Heritage and Icons Grants Programme.
Out of interest, over 60 of the vertebrate fauna species are considered threatened at national and/or state level and at least 422 native species: 66 mammal, 250 bird (including at least 29 honeyeater species), 71 reptile and 35 frog species have been recorded in the area since European settlement, truly an outstanding diversity.
If you would like a copy of the checklists please contact us. Additional records or comments on the checklists would be most welcome. As the fauna is by no means completely known, nor is it static, we are hoping that the checklists will be regularly updated. We can be contacted at: smitheco@ozemail.com.au
Leura Falls Creek Catchment Meeting
Meet in the foyer at 1:50pm. Receive updates on progress and participate in making plans for work in the Catchment. For more information, to confirm the venue and to RSVP, please email Jenny Hill jhill9228@gmail.com
Birriban – Banksia Park Katoomba High special work session
Work with Banksia Park to lend a helping hand to their near-neighbours, Birriban Katoomba High School Landcare Group. Enjoy some good tucker, hear about Birriban plans, help deal with some woody weeds the students can’t manage!
Contact Monica Nugent 4780 5528 or mnugent@bmcc.nsw.gov.au for more information and to RSVP
Marmion Swamp Leura Planting
Wednesday 31 August 2016 9.00 am – 12.00 Noon
Come and join the Marmion Swamp Bushcare Group for some planting to increase the buffer to protect a magnificent swamp system. Easy access. Morning tea provided. Contact Karen Hising on 4780 5623 or khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Native Hydrangea (Abrophyllum ornans): Mistaken for a Weed?
by Ian Baird Friends of Katoomba Falls Creek Valley Bushcare Group & Remote Bushcare
Over a number of years, I have walked the Victory Track along Saffasfras Creek from Faulconbridge to Springwood, exploring various tributaries and their associated gallery rainforests. On one occasion I was surprised to find, growing next to the track in the rainforest, a sparsely branched, medium-sized shrub with very large leaves, and observed that it looked a bit like a hydrangea. However, I had a feeling it was the native hydrangea and that I had seen a photo of it in Fairley and Moore (2000). I looked it up later, and confirmed that it was the native hydrangea, Abrophyllum ornans, a member of the Roussaceae family (F.Muell.) Hook.f. ex Benth. More recently, on two occasions, I have found individual plants near the track in the rainforest in different locations.
Native Hydrangea photo courtesy of Lyndal Sullivan
The most recent sighting was of a plant (photographed) regrowing from the base after having been sawn off near ground level by someone. It occurred to me that this may have been a case of a well-intentioned, but misguided attempt at weed control by a bush regenerator or bushcarer, as the plant does stand out as something unusual. This is thus a salutary warning that the native flora contains many plants that do not necessarily fit the mould, in terms of many people’s perceptions of what ‘typical’ native plants look like, and the need for bushcarers to exercise caution. If in doubt, when deciding whether a plant is a weed. It is best to ask someone with appropriate ID skills before taking action.
The native hydrangea is the only species in the genus (monotypic). The species has previously been included within the Saxifragaceae, and more recently, the Escalloniaceae (with possumwood, Quintinia sieberi). Shrubs or small trees to 8 m high. Flowering October–December. Its habitat is warm-temperate and subtropical rainforest, especially along smaller watercourses or in gullies on poorer soils. The natural range of distribution is from the Illawarra of NSW (north of the Shoalhaven River) to the McIlwraith Range in far north eastern Australia. NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC. For the plant description see Plantnet: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Abrophyllum~ornans
There are a small number of records for the lower-to mid-Blue Mountains, including one previous record from Sassafras Creek, Springwood by L.A.S. Johnstone in 1977. For Australian Virtual Herbarium map of records, where individual records can be examined, see: http://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Abrophyllum+ornans#tab_mapView