Come for the day or just the morning. Help us get this swamp back into shape. It forms part of the extensive Braeside Upland Swamp located in the headwaters of Govetts Leap Brook which flows over Govetts Leap Falls just downstream. Enjoy a delicious morning tea and lunch donated by the Hominy Bakery.
Book with Lyndal on 4780 5623 or lsullivan@bmcc.nsw.gov.au by Monday Thursday 27th October.
A multi day activity rock hopping and wading through the Upper Grose River searching for and destroying weeds before they spread further into the wilderness. This activity is only for the fit and experienced. Numbers are limited. Book with Vanessa on (02) 47873112 or vanessa.richardson @environment.nsw.gov.au by Monday 24th October.
Accepting Minnehaha groups 20 year award in 2012
Music and nature were Ruth’s lifelines during her early years – they nurtured her and she wanted to give something back.
Ruth loved to get her hands dirty to help the bush. She proudly proclaimed her obsession with Bushcare, and backed that up with an impressive 25 years of volunteer work.
Ruth was a founding member of both Katoomba Creek and Minnehaha Falls Bushcare Groups and also worked with the Brahma Kumaris, Leura Park and Upper Katoomba Creek groups for many years.
Bushcare was never limited to monthly workdays, there was always something to check. She was the first to raise the alarm about the forest of broom seedlings emerging in early 2003 after the fires that roared through Govetts, Katoomba & Yosemite Creeks. This then flourished into catchment coordination. She played a big part in driving the massive effort to ensure that these creeks were not overrun by weeds. Ruth knew that tea and muffins were the key to success, ensuring a good supply of both as well as keeping everything ticking over in the background.
The Grose Valley and Bushcare will miss her – always there facilitating others if she couldn’t be there herself, or contributing to the bigger picture with planning.
Ruth loved to get her gum boots on and rid the creeks of Montbretia. She was acutely aware of the small window of opportunity for treating it and often rallied support to join her for a bit of extra “guerrilla weeding”.
The Minnehaha Falls Bushcare Group is planning to run “Ruth’s Revenge” on her birthday next year to target Montbretia – Saturday 1st April, and would love Ruth’s friends to join them on the day.
Fencing at Minnehaha
There are currently five active Streamwatch groups in the Blue Mountains: Fitzgerald Creek, Gordon Falls Creek, Leura Falls Creek, Popes Glen and South Lawson Bushcare Group.
Streamwatch is coordinated by the Australian Museum. Members of Streamwatch register with the Museum and are provided with training, water testing kits and support. The Museum also does a visit to a newly proposed site. Streamwatch groups commit to doing water testing at a regular time once a month and uploading the data onto the Streamwatch website. Groups are also encouraged to take part in the Autumn Waterbugs Watch and Spring Waterbugs Watch run by the Museum.
BMCC Bushcare Officers have done the Streamwatch training.
If your Bushcare group is keen to get involved in setting up streamwatch at or near your site please let us know. You can contact your Bushcare officer or Jenny Hill email: jhill@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Further information can be found at http://www.streamwatch.org.au/streamwatch/
As usual, Bushcare was well represented in this year’s BMCC Senior’s Week awards. Typical of Bushcare volunteers, these fabulous people were recognised not only for their commitment to looking after our stunning mountains landscape, but also for their many contributions to the broader community.
Morag Ryder
Morag has been a Bushcare volunteer for many years, working with the Water Nymphs Dell, Braeside, Gibbergunyah (Gloria Park), Coates Park and Horseshoe Falls Bushcare Groups. Over the years Morag has also been involved in many Bushcare events doing weed control and planting. She has also created some beautiful and artistic banners and bunting for Bushcare Groups and the Bushcare Picnic. Morag often provides surprise gifts to people.
Susan Jalaluddin
Susan is an active and dedicated member of the Vale Street, Cumberland Walkway and Woodford Glen Bushcare Groups, as well as Swampcare Events. Susan also has a strong involvement in the Bushcare Network and the Leura Falls Creek Catchment Group. She also regularly volunteers at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney to assist with their plant identification work. In recent times, Susan has been advocating to improve access of a pathway through a park in Hazelbrook to assist the local community. Susan also provides knitted items for the shop at Katoomba Hospital, which provides funds back into the Hospital. Susan collects cards, calendars and pictures to provide to a school in Malaysia, which the students use to make artwork to sell to raise funds. Susan also helps to care for her elderly Father.
Robert Trenchard-Smith
Robert is a very dedicated member of the Everglades and Minnehaha Falls Bushcare and Landcare Groups. His meticulous and thorough approach makes him a valued member of all three groups. Robert also works at Everglades as a volunteer in the gatehouse and shop, assists with events, traffic marshalling and guiding visitors around the gardens and house. His multi-lingual skills are a great asset in this regard. Robert’s friendly and helpful nature makes him an important part of the Everglades voluntary community.
Bozena (Bea) Pavlicek
Bea Pavlicek – Photo credit Helen Boundy
Bozena (Bea) has been an active, enthusiastic and regular member of two Bushcare Groups – Tree Fern Gully and Marmion Swamp (both in north Leura). Her attendance has literally kept one Group going. Bea is also a great support to her local community – helping a neighbour and friend when they were very ill and walking the dog of another neighbour.
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
by Elizabeth Begg, Mt Riverview Bushcare Group
pseudophryne australis found in Mt Riverview (photo courtesy of E.Begg)
A couple of months ago, I moved a treated pine log that we had dragged up from our Mt Riverview Bushcare site behind our place (it had been dumped there some time ago) to re-use in a garden bed, and found a most intriguing small frog! Or so I thought. With a black body and bright orange red markings across the crown of its head and on its body, this 2cm frog was not like anything I had seen before. A quick google returned the name of Red-crowned Toadlet. Monica quickly confirmed my thoughts. There were not many other candidates for the description small frog with black body and orange spots!
Monica’s excitement at the finding of this threatened species was infectious, and a bit more research helps us to understand why this creature is listed as vulnerable. It lives only in the Sydney basin on Hawkesbury Sandstone vegetation. This small toad needs to be near a freshwater creek – they mate in damp leaf litter, lay their eggs on the banks of the creek and are watched over by the male. The eggs hatch after heavy rainfall, when the young are well developed, and the tadpoles are washed into the creek. Such restricted habitat and specific life cycle requirements are the factors that, in a changing, disturbed environment under pressure from a rapidly changing environment threaten the viability of some of our native species.
On our next bushcare day, working in the creek bed in Magura Reserve, our youngest team member, Scott Wiezel, found some of the black taddies, already with legs, wriggling in a shallow, evaporating pond in the creek bed. He was on leech alert for us at the time. A very important job that day as we seemed to be working in a nest of them! (Though Scott’s mum, Lynn reports that she later discovered a leech in her belly button …)
The scientific name is Pseudophryne australis (Gray 1835), (Pseudo meaning similar to though not the real deal or ‘sham’; phryne meaning toad). The common name rendering of ‘toadlet’ sounds a little kinder! Our little Aussie wanna-be toad.
How did such a small creature get all the way from the creek to my back yard? Apparently they like to hide out under rocks and logs in the bush. I guess we carried it up when we brought up some of the dumped railway sleepers and treated pine logs to make our garden. Interesting isn’t it, the complexity of bush regeneration? The removal of dumped material possibly disturbed part of the habitat of this threatened species. For me it has been a gentle reminder of the care we need to have when working in the bush!
References and for more about frogs:
http://frogs.org.au/frogs/species/Pseudophryne/australis/
http://australianmuseum.net.au/red-crowned-toadlet
The Museum also has a fantastic free app to download: http://australianmuseum.net.au/frogs-field-guide
http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Pseudophryne+australis
For an excellent though detailed fact sheet: http://fieldofmarseec.nsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/tsprofileRedcrownedToadlet.pdf
Pseudphryne australis (photo courtesy of E.Begg)
The Australian Buddhist Vihara Landcare Group works to protect the Blue Mountains Swamp on its doorstep. This is a special day to show neighbours and other interested people what a precious natural asset 
this land is and how we are looking after it and the adjacent Blue Mountains National Park at our regular Landcare sessions.
Enjoy a fabulous Sri Lankan smorgas board lunch and then join us in a short walk around the property, a talk about its important location in the landscape and what is needed to look after it. Do some hands-on bushcare and learn about local native plants as well as the weeds that are invading the national park and Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. We’ll be guided by a NPWS bush regenerator and supported by Sydney Metro Local Land Services.
Please wear work clothes: strong, covered-in shoes, long trousers and long sleeves, and a hat. NPWS will provides gloves, tools and expert guidance. Australian Buddhist Vihara will provide lunch and other refreshments.
There will be music, children’s activities, awards and prizes
Delicious BBQ for Vegetarians and Carnivores alike
Family and friends are welcome
RSVP essential
Robert Kneale from Cox Reserve
Volunteer since: 2008
Q. What brought you to Bushcare?
When we moved into the area over five years ago a neighbour came and invited us to attend. It’s as simple as that.
Q. What are the challenges (if any) you find both positive and negative? Continue reading