Category Archives: Planning

Expression of Interest to attend a Cultural Fire Workshop

Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala Link and Central Tablelands Local Land Service area

Expression of Interest – Cultural Fire Workshop Cape York

The Great Eastern Ranges Initiative — Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala Link Partnership (K2W), Upper Lachlan Landcare (ULL) and the Central Tablelands LLS are seeking expressions of interest from Indigenous community wanting to participate in a cultural fire workshop in the Awu-Laya country in Cape York Peninsula.

The Fire Workshop is an annual event designed to bring people together from different locations and communities, to share and learn about Indigenous fire practices and their application to contemporary management (details available here).

It is expected that successful participants will come back to their own local communities and share experiences and knowledge and be part of cultural activities within the K2W, CTLLS and ULL region.

At the fire workshop you walk with the fire, practically learning first hand with traditional owners and fire practitioners on country. To read country, the animals, the trees, the seasons, and the inherited cultural responsibility of looking after country for future generations.

There will also be displays of research and monitoring techniques that have been developed and grown with community Indigenous fire programs over time. These practices have also been developed and continue to address contemporary problems like weeds, climate change and the ongoing practice of rural livelihoods in sustainable ways.

Workshop dates

  • 13 June 2015 travel to Cairns (or 14 June, dependent on flights)
  • 15–17 June 2015 Fire Workshop
  • 18 June 2015 return.

See Itinerary here.

For those receiving funding under the K2W project there may be a option of staying on till 20th June for those wishing to attend the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival http://www.lauradancefestival.com/

Cost

The K2W Link, CTLLS and Upper Lachlan Landcare will cover registration fees and airfares.

Food is included in the registration fees and camping.

(Cost per person estimate $500 Indigenous community; $1000 non-Indigenous community (registration); $700 (air fare to from Sydney to Cairns return)).

Please note if your expression of interest is successful and you accept you must commit to attending. If you do not attend, you will personally be required to cover the cost of cancelling the registration and air fare.

Successful applicants will need to supply your own camping gear (swag and/or tent).

Submit your expression of interest.

Places are limited and not all EOIs will be successful. EOIs will be assessed against the responses provided for each of the criteria on page 2 and 3. If you are interested in participating, please address all of the following criteria on the form (link to EOI form)

Closing date for Expressions of Interest: 10 May 2015

For more information please call Mary Bonet on 0459 352 892 or email mary@upperlachlanlandcare.org.au, or call Larry Towney on 0438 489 930.

Download EOI application

Winning the Willow War

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Removing willows will help to improve creek health at the headwaters of Leura Cascades

Council, the Leura Creek Landcare Group and the South Leura Catchment Group have teamed up with the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) and the Greater Sydney Local Land Services (GSLLS) to realise a vision to eradicate invasive willows from the South Leura catchment.

Council is matching $17,250 in grant funding from the SCA over three years with investment from Council’s Environment Levy, including the provision of technical advice, on-the-ground support, plants and tools. A $20,000 grant from the GSLLS for 2015 will add further resources to the effort.

Willow control is part of Council’s Noxious Weeds Program, which targets noxious (highly invasive, destructive) weeds across the City. This program  provides assistance for private landholders who proactively control willow on their property.

Pussy willow (Salix cinerea), was introduced in the early days of European settlement, and rapidly spread across the Blue Mountains, particularly between Mount Victoria and Hazelbrook.

Willows thrive in streams, swamps and moist forests, often becoming very dense, and their impact on waterways can be devastating – destroying habitats for fish and other animals; causing erosion and localised flooding; and depleting creek waters of oxygen, making it difficult for aquatic life. They can also spread very quickly, so early detection and control is critical.

Pussy willow seed can drift up to 100 kilometres by wind or water before taking hold at a new site — much like a bushfire can spot ahead of the main front.

The good news is that Council and the community are gradually winning the willow battle. Pussy willows are now under advanced control between Mt Victoria and Katoomba. With a systematic, comprehensive approach, it will be possible to win the willow war in the Blue Mountains.

Council is encouraging residents to report pussy willow sightings to Council’s Noxious Weeds team, on 4780 5000.

Other weeds currently being targeted by Council’s Noxious Weeds control program include Gorse, Broom, Boneseed, African Olive, Lantana and   Cabomba.

Find out more about weeds in your local area or Council’s Weed Management Strategy at:

www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/weedmanagement

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Community Conservation Program Review

                                                                                   by Linda Thomas (Community Weeds Officer)

WHAT IS THE CCP?

Council’s Community Conservation Programs includes Bushcare, Landcare, Trackcare, Community Water Monitoring (Streamwatch) and the Bush Backyards Scheme. The Swampcare program is treated as part of Bushcare / Landcare   activities.

Under the collective program area of the Community Conservation Program (CCP), these community networks take part in on-ground environmental management of natural and built assets throughout the City. All of these programs are about partnerships between Council and community.

Community volunteers make an enormous contribution to Council’s environmental management programs, with over 500 community members volunteering annually in Community Conservation programs.

In addition to the on-ground benefits realised from these volunteer conservation programs, they also generate community capital and goodwill, and a strong sense of connection with the City’s environment.

REVIEW OF THE CCP

As part of Council’s commitment to CCP a review was conducted to ensure that resources invested in these programs continue to be well directed, are responsive to community needs, and provide value for money.

The review, conducted from March to September 2013, provided an overview of the current CCP programs, the issues and challenges, and alternative strategies for the future. It included extensive community and staff stakeholder consultation.

All of the feedback received through the entire consultation process was used to inform the development of a final Community Conservation Program Plan which was adopted by Council at its meeting of 11 November 2014.

Thanks to all who participated in the consultation process.

The final CCP Plan responds to the changing community and organisational needs revealed in the review and outlines how Council will address these issues and challenges.

A copy of the final Community Conservation Program Plan 2014 and a summary of submissions received during the public exhibition and Council’s responses to submissions can be viewed in Council’s library and on the web here:

http://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/sustainableliving/environmentalinformation/bushcare/communityconservationprogram

 

Tutsan and African Olive: Two new noxious weeds for the Blue Mountains

by Jenny Hill (Environment Communication & Engagement Officer)
In February 2014 Tutsan/Goldflower – Hypericum androsaemum and H. kouytchense (syn. Hypericum x moserianum) and African Olive – Olea europaea ssp.cuspidata were declared  noxious weeds in the Blue Mountains.

Tutsan and African Olive are Class 3 noxious weeds: this means “the plant must be fully and continuously suppressed and destroyed and the plant must not be sold, propagated or knowingly distributed”.

tutsan1

Hypericum kouytchense – the fruit is a dry capsule. (Source: Jenny Hill)

Tutsan is a common garden plant of older gardens in the upper Blue Mountains. It has striking yellow summer flowers. It is also an invasive weed and a potential threat to riparian communities, hanging swamps and threatened frog species habitat.

Tutsan prefers cooler climates with high rainfall and is especially common in areas such as Jenolan Caves, Katoomba, Leura and Wentworth Falls.

Hypericum androsaemum – the fruit is fleshy and berry-like (photo source: Digging Dog Nursery diggingdog.com/pages2/plantpages.php/S-0182)

If not controlled, African Olive takes over large areas forming dense monocultures. It is a huge problem on the Cumberland Plains but is also moving up the mountains and is currently found in mid and lower Mountains areas such as Woodford, Hazelbrook and from Faulconbridge to Lapstone.

african olive

African Olive – the upper surface of the leaves is glossy grey-green and the underside is silver, green to brown with a hooked tip. (Photo Source: P.Cuneo RBG, Sydney).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holly Trial Results AUG 2014

In January 2013 the RSPCA Landcare Group presented preliminary findings in Gecko on their Holly experiment. Now 3 years after treatment (nearer 2.5 – 4 years), the results are slightly different.

A major conclusion is that you cannot be sure of the effectiveness of your treatments on Holly for at least two to four years later. So the follow up work is more time-effective if left for at least 2 years after the initial treatment.

Most bush regenerators consider Holly to be one of those weeds where the results of treatment are often inconsistent. Some of the reasons for this is believed to be: the time of year, the technique used and/or plant size. The RSPCA       Landcare group started to test these theories in late 2010 by setting up 5 plots to be treated over a 15 month period –treating the holly in the four seasons.  In total 275 plants were treated covering a range of plant sizes.

In July 2014 some plants were totally covered by fallen trees after the huge windstorm of July 2011. Other plants and their markers could not be found probably because both plant and marker had rotted away. So 161 plants were found and assessed. The trial found that a 100% kill rate could be achieved at any time of year as long as the chosen technique was done correctly.

The overall effectiveness of the trial was 92.5% – only 12 plants had any sign of life out of 161. The herbicide used throughout was undiluted Glyphosate. The 3 techniques used were – cut and paint, scrape and paint, and drill/fill. Approximately 50 plants were treated with each technique, covering all seasons. The results are too small to be conclusive however the indicators are that:

For plants under 10 mm diameter at the base – both cut & paint or scrape & paint works

Between 10 mm and 40 mm – the scrape & paint technique works best

For plants over 40 mm – drilling works the best

 

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

Cut and paint   (C&P)

Of the 53 plants treated by C&P, there was a 13% failure rate (7 Plants). One failure was due to poor technique (the cut was too high – 80 mm above ground level) resulting in 4 shoots sprouting below the cut.

Most of the failures were plants between 10 and 40 mm diameter at the base.

The highest failure rate occurred using the cut & paint technique, even using the larger sample size of plants monitored previously (Sept 2012). However it is worth noting that there was a 10 out of 10 success rate for C&P plants 40-54 mm.

Scrape and paint (S&P)

Out of the 55 plants treated by S&P, 4 were not effectively killed (7% failure or 5% compared with larger monitoring sample).

3 of the unsuccessful treatments were on multi-stemmed plants where not all stems had been scraped; the other was where the plant was larger than 40mm diameter.

Drill & inject

Of the 53 plants treated by drilling and injecting neat herbicide, only 1 was not effective (1.9% failures).  This was a multiple stemmed plant with many suckers, which appeared to have not all been scrapped.

The technique used was to drill holes at about 40 mm spacing in a ring around the base.  Only 5 plants treated by drilling had a base diameter less than 40 mm, so it is difficult to come to any conclusions as to the effectiveness of drilling smaller plants.  However it is possible to use a smaller size drill bit.

CONCLUSION

The sample size is too small for the results to be conclusive on the best technique to use for each size plant in each season.

This pilot study does indicate that:

  1. Holly can be treated effectively in all seasons.
  2. Both the cut and paint and the scrape and paint techniques are effective for plants less than 10mm diameter.
  3. The Cut and Paint technique only works if cuts are no higher than ground level
  4. Scrape and Paint is the most effective technique for plants between 10 and 40mm diameter at ground level.
  5. Plants larger than 40mm are best drilled and injected.
  6. Plants with multiple stems or suckers can be treated effectively by a combination of drill& inject and scrape and paint techniques, as long as all stems/suckers are treated.

 

Summary of   Sample Size and Results
TECHNIQUE Size of Holly Stem in mm
0-9 mm 10-24 mm 25-39    mm 40-54 mm 55-69 mm > 70 mm July 2014 total total @Sept 2012
CUT & PAINT           sample 7 18 13 10 3 2 53 91
number alive 0 4 2 0 1 0 7
% failure 0 22% 15% 0 33% 0 13% 8%
SCRAPE & PAINT   sample 14 25 8 6 1 1 55 75
number alive 0 2 0 1 1 0 4
% failure 0 8% 0 17% 100% 0 7% 5%
DRILL                        sample 0 0 5 17 10 21 53 63
number alive 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
% failure 0 0 0 0 0 4.80% 1.90% 1.60%
TOTAL SAMPLE 21 43 26 33 14 24 161 230
number alive 0 6 2 1 2 1 12
% failure 0 13.90% 7.70% 3% 14.30% 4.20% 7.50% 5.20%

By Lyndal Sullivan

Managing Bush Land on Community Title Land

Many residents buy into a Community Title development with little understanding that they are also buying into the management of common land. Residents often receive limited information about how community title works or their responsibilities. This factsheet developed by the Local Land Service is a guide to managing bushland on this land.

Managing Bushland on Community Title Land

Council launches 300K project to clean up Leura Falls Creek

Blue Mountains City Council, with funding from Council’s Environment Levy, is teaming up with the local community and the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) in a $300,000 project to clean up Leura Falls Creek.

Leura Falls Creek forms the headwaters of Leura Cascades, one of the Blue Mountains’ most well-loved locations. In recent years, this iconic waterway has suffered increasingly from the effects of urban stormwater runoff and pollution. The Leura Falls project aims to improve creek condition by constructing seven pollution-trapping stormwater treatment systems within the catchment, restoring degraded creek sections and running hands-on education workshops for local businesses and residents.

The Leura Falls Creek Catchment Working Group (LFCCWG), made up of five dedicated local Bushcare volunteer groups, will be actively involved, – assisting the Council and the SCA to run a comprehensive monitoring program to track changes in water quality.

Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill said, “Our City sits within a major drinking water catchment, servicing 3.7 million people, so healthy local waterways are critical to our water supply. They also underpin local recreation, tourism and biodiversity. Urban stormwater runoff is one of the biggest threats to our local waterways and our community consistently rates local water quality as a significant priority (in Council’s annual community     survey). Council is currently restoring over 130 creek and bushland sites such as Leura Falls Creek across the City, – work which is only made possible with funding raised through Council’s Environment Levy. We can all do our bit to protect local waterways from the damaging effects of urban stormwater by not sweeping or hosing leaves or sediment down drains, and using water sensitive urban design (such as rainwater tanks) on our properties,” said the Mayor.

The Council secured a $150,000 grant from the SCA for the project by matching the grant with a $150,000 contribution from Council’s Environment Levy. The Levy raises around $1.5 million annually from Council rates and funds projects to restore creeks, improve water quality, control noxious weeds and maintain  walking tracks and lookouts across the City.

The SCA grant is part of the NSW Government’s $1.9 million commitment to help councils in Sydney’s drinking water catchments improve sewage and stormwater infrastructure. The SCA’s Priority Pollutants Program is designed to reduce the amount of pollutants flowing to drinking water storages.

leuraFrom left to right: Cr Don Macgregor (BMCC), Susan Jalaluddin, Jenny Hill and Lynne Carson (LFCCWG), Kristy Good (Program Coordinator, SCA) and Geoffrey Smith (Natural Environment Program Leader, BMCC) at Leura Cascades.

 

Join the Network

The Bushcare Network is a coalition of individuals and representatives from Bushcare groups and other authorities interested in maintaining and restoring the integrity of bushland in the Blue Mountains.Network

The Network began prior to the commencement of Council’s Bushcare program in 1992. It was set up to represent all Bushcare groups in the Blue Mountains, not just those supported by BMCC. Network meetings provide a forum for Bushcare groups to exchange ideas and information, comment on issues or initiate strategies. Last year the Network organised the very successful and well attended inaugural Blue Mountains Bushcare Network Conference.

Network meetings are held every two months. Meeting times are advertised through Bushcare’s Gecko newsletter and Bushcare emails. All Bushcare volunteers and other interested people are welcome to attend the meetings. Please email the Bushcare Network co-ordinator, Paul Vale.