Dark Sky Week Program 19-26 April

Light pollution is the fastest growing pollutant around the globe, with scientific research showing an average increase year-on-year of more than 2%. This excess light, or wasted energy, is: increasing greenhouse gasses and our carbon footprint, endangering ecosystems, altering biochemical or circadian rhythms and losing our connection to cultural heritage.

Be part of this exciting Dark Sky Week program and get the chance to participate in webinars (registration required), family friendly activities plus view on demand videos.

There is also a chance to be involved with citizen science projects – a family friendly Globe at Night to measure & submit their night sky brightness observations or be part of NASA Amateur Astronomer Parrallax Program – April 23.

https://www.australasiandarkskyalliance.org/

Week 2: Native Plants of the Blue Mountains Crossword Puzzle

Below is the link for our second crossword puzzle – Native Plants of the Blue Mountains . Most of the clues can be found in Native Plants Of The Blue Mountains by Margaret Baker and Robin Corringham.

Our aim is to post a new crossword each week on the Bushcare Website with answers listed the following week on www.bushcarebluemountains.org.au.

If you have some great ideas for our themed crosswords…or wanting to test your own crossword (and possibly cryptic) skills then contact Karen Hising on khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au 

Instructions

CLICK on the link below and follow the instructions to either fill in online or print a hard copy.

Week 2: Native Plants of the Blue Mountains Crossword Puzzle

To FILL IN ONLINE

  1. CLICK on the clue listed under Across or Down – and this will highlight the corresponding boxes (purple) to fill in on the crossword.
  2. To TYPE in the answer CLICK on the purple highlighted box in the crossword and start typing your answer (a correct answer turns the boxes green). If your answer was incorrect then use the backspace to delete then try again for this answer only!!
  3. To RESET ANSWERS (all answers) scroll down the screen  below the crossword and CLICK Reset Answer (red button)

To PRINT a Hardcopy scroll down the screen below the crossword and CLICK Print My Puzzle (purple button)

Answers to Week I: Weeds of the Blue Mountains

Across 3.  Mother 6.   Cat 9.  Elder 10.  Boneseed 12.  Cassia 14.  Cherry 15.  Lantana 20.  Broom 21.  Ochna 22.  Cestrum 24.  Balloon 27.  Madeira 28.  Asparagus 29.  Moth 30.  Turkey 31.  Ivy 32.  PeriwinkleDown  1. Ginger 2.  Butterfly 4.  Tutsan 5.  Trad 7.  Privet 8.  Holly 9.  Erica 11.  Erigeron 13.  Japanese 14.  Crofton 16.  Coreopsis 17.  Pampas 18.  Dogwood 19.  Blackberry 23.  Kniphofia 25.  Gorse 26.  Jasmine

Photos – Backyard Fungi Foray

Our Bushcare Team members are already taking photos around their homes and we came across these small bright red fungi showing Cruentamycena viscidocruenta (left and centre photos) growing on the wood pile and this strange red tentacle fungi – Aseroe rubra (right photo).

These fungi have important roles in the landscape including erosion prevention, forming mycorrhizal relationships with plants, food for animals and invertebrates, and the breakdown and recycling of nutrients from wood and other dead plant material.

What do you need? Armed with just a camera / mobile phone with the flashlight and a keen eye – these small, yet inconspicuous fungi can show a veritable range of brilliant colours and shapes.

So how can we identify these fungi? Our Bushcare volunteer ‘fungi expert’ Liz Kabanoff says by using inaturalist you can upload your own photo and it will try and work out what it is. If the picture is good, it works very well. Also take note of the substrate the mushroom is growing on (soil, woodchip, rotting wood,  living wood, moss, insect etc) which will help rule things out. Other people may comment on your specimen and offer an ID.

Check Liz’s inaturalist project – Fungi in the Blue Mountains to see the incredible range of fungi that you may find. CLICK the link below.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-in-the-blue-mountains-nsw-australia?tab=observations

Why not try this yourself to see what fungi lives around your home?

Remember to send in your photos .

Volunteers wanted: Saving our Species on DigiVol

Help conserve our threatened species by tagging images taken by scientists in the field. Scientists from the Saving our Species (SoS) program use motion-triggered cameras to capture the presence, number and activity of these threatened species. Once the cameras detect movement they take a burst of images, which are then downloaded and tagged to identify the animal that has triggered the camera. Scientists can then use this data to monitor their threatened species, fill knowledge gaps, and inform on-ground conservation programs.

Malleefowl on DigiVol – NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

But the scientists are calling for volunteers to help process these images. Scientists are uploading images onto DigiVol, an online platform developed by the Australian Museum and the Atlas of Living Australia. You can now go to DigiVol to begin identifying what animals have been captured within these images.

Keeping in touch with the Blue Mountains City Council

The Blue Mountains City Council will regularly update their website https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/

Community Newsletter  https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/publications/community-newsletter

Community Snapshot https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/publications/community-news-snapshot

See the latest newsletter (March 27) in which Community News Snapshot features some of the ways Council is providing services online for you.

https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/media-centre/blue-mountains-elibrary-always-open

http://bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au/virtualinsight/

https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/coronavirus

Crosswords and Puzzles…

Hello Crossword Fans, and we know you’re out there!!  Our ‘wordsmith’ Bushcare Officer, Karen Hising, has produced some great crosswords featuring the Blue Mountains weeds, native plants, animals and birds (for a start) to entice the interest of both the young and young-at-heart. 

Besides the known benefits of solving crossword puzzles such as being good for mental health by keeping the mind active, building social bonds, helping fight disease, strengthening the mind and improving vocabulary…we get to learn more about the Blue Mountains natural (and weedy) environment around our Bushcare sites.

Our aim is to post a new crossword each week on the Bushcare Website with answers listed the following week on www.bushcarebluemountains.org.au.

If you have some great ideas for our themed crosswords…or wanting to test your own crossword (and possibly cryptic) skills then contact Karen Hising on khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au 

New weekly crossword puzzles highlighting Blue Mountains weeds, native plants, native animals and native birds

Instructions

CLICK on the link below and follow the instructions to either fill in online or print a hard copy.

WEEK 1 – Weeds of the Blue Mountains Crossword Puzzle

You’ll find most answers in the new version of the Weeds Of Blue Mountains Bushland – A Guide To Identification and the Control booklet https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/Weeds_Booklet_2020.pdf  or the Blue Mountains Weeds Website – https://weedsbluemountains.org.au/

To FILL IN ONLINE

  1. CLICK on the clue listed under Across or Down – and this will highlight the corresponding boxes (purple) to fill in on the crossword.
  2. To TYPE in the answer CLICK on the purple highlighted box in the crossword and start typing your answer (a correct answer turns the boxes green). If your answer was incorrect then use the backspace to delete then try again for this answer only!!
  3. To RESET ANSWERS (all answers) scroll down the screen  below the crossword and CLICK Reset Answer (red button)

To PRINT a Hardcopy scroll down the screen below the crossword and CLICK Print My Puzzle (purple button)

The Reuse, Recycle Fashion Show – Bushcare Picnic

To download the Reuse, Recycle Fashion Sow guidelines, garment creations and material suggestions CLICK on the link below.

The-Reuse-Recycle-Fashion-ShowDownload

Sadly, the Bushcare Picnic has been postponed to later in the year, but that doesn’t mean we need to sit at home doing nothing. Now is the perfect time to get those creative juices going and start designing an outfit for the Reuse, Recycle Fashion Show to be held at the Bushcare Picnic. Bushcare volunteers are the most creative people in Mountains and now is your chance to really let those ideas run wild.

The aim of the event is to celebrate the reuse and recycling of items in the Blue Mountains and provide volunteers with an opportunity to really showcase what you have been up to and the creative ways you recycle.

The Bushcare Picnic will host our first Reuse, Recycle Fashion Show. Volunteer designers will be walking their creations down the runway (or have someone walk them for you).

There are 5 categories:

Children (15 years and under): Children and young people, go crazy with creativity! Whether your outfit is modelled on a favourite character or something bizarre and made up.

Trash Fash: Have you got any unwanted “stuff” lying around? Anything you have big collections of that you don’t have a use for any longer and can turn into intriguing design? Perhaps even hunt through your recycling rubbish before it goes out or look around to see what is hanging about in the house, garage or garden. The possibilities are endless. Get carried away with your trash!  

Chic Boutique: This category is for the more serious designers. If you have a flair for costume design, then this category is for you! Parade your own stylish creation or find a model to adorn your masterpiece. Materials used must be transformed from a previous life form.

Best overall: This category is for the best overall outfit.

Peoples Favourite: This category is your chance to vote for your favourite fashions on the field outfit.

Criteria

reuse: to use again, after processing

recycle: to process something so it can be used for another cycle or product

Reuse, Recycle Fashion Parade Guidelines

Materials used in the construction of garments MUST be recyclable. Designers may use materials for construction such as glue, tape, dyes, marker, staples, thread, zippers, elastic, wire, string, velcro, grommets, laces, paint, etc.

  • Originality and creativity are encouraged.
  • Recycled fabric may only be used as a lining that doesn’t show. The usage of new material should not overpower your total garment. Footwear made from recyclable material is preferred; however, street shoes are acceptable.
  • Garments must be constructed well enough to fit the model and hold together for the stage show. (Models are strongly encouraged to wear comfortable clothes underneath recycled garment).
  • Designers may wear the garment or may choose a model to wear the garment and walk the runway.
  • Recycled fashions must be made of at least 75% recycled or reused materials that otherwise would be thrown away or recycled.

Garment Creation/Material Suggestions:

  • Both common and unusual items that are discarded for trash such as curtains, vinyl billboards, old electronics, garbage bags, aluminium cans, cardboard, landscape netting, old tents, sleeping bags etc.
  • Consider how items can be cut, folded, moulded, knotted, shredded, stitched, woven or reconstructed to make an outfit or specific sections within the design.
  • Old Bushcare gloves
  • Recycled tree guards, plastic or cardboard
  • Scraps of textiles
  • Recyclables: paper, plastics, aluminium, steel, cardboard, magazines, books or phone books
  • Beverage bottle caps or six-pack rings
  • Plastic bags
  • Pet/animal food bags
  • Old toys or games pieces
  • Packaging materials
  • Found outdoor objects – pine cones, sticks, rocks, flowers, etc.
  • Food containers (cleaned out/sanitized)

How to attach materials:

We encourage the use of environmentally-friendly glues, dyes, paints, resins, etc. and advise contestants to be mindful of the weight of materials being used in the finished product. Suggested items include:

  • Hot glue gun
  • Machine or hand sewing
  • Packing or duct tape
  • Safety pins or stapes
  • Weaving, braiding, lacing, crocheting or knitting materials
  • Paper clips or rubber bands
  • Natural adhesives – rice, flour with water mixture or milk/vinegar/baking soda mixture 

Freestyle Book club…what’s this??

More activites to consider when social distancing yourself but still connecting with others…

Bushcare Officer, Steve Fleischmann, has suggested to his Bushcare Groups a freestyle Bushcare Bookclub. Pick a book off the bookshelf that you have avoided reading for ages, read it and be ready to discuss when we have our check in.  The aim is to also try and organise some teleconference catch ups for bushcare days and having a subject to discuss would be a good starting or finishing point. If successful I would like to make it more like a proper book club where a book is chosen that is loosely related to Bushcare (Dark Emu, any of the Tim Low books, the Cry of the Reed Warbler etc),  we read it and discuss it.

Please feel free, if you feel anyone would be interested, and giving your volunteers my details if they would like to participate.  The details are still being finalised so watch this space. Contact Steve on sfleischmann@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

Videos – coming soon

Want an alternative to the ‘other’ live streaming viewing currently on offer.

We aim to provide a platform on the Bushcare Website showing previous videos featuring bushcare sites, volunteers, Bioblitz, community days, fauna and much more.

However, the exciting news is the Bushcare Team (and others in Council’s environmental team) are also preparing to front the camera themselves to produce a host of videos highlighting a range of ‘interesting’ and ‘how to’ segments – such as showing different weeding techniques, treating a variety of common or tricky weeds and a range of videos showcasing flora, fauna, bees, seed collection, biofilters, composting, biosecurity, bush backyards and so much more.

These will be placed on the Bushcare Website when final cuts are ready (www.bushcarebluemountains.org.au).

Watch Now….

Find out all about the recent launch of “Turtle Island” in early March – a floating eco habitat designed to provide a safe nesting place for turtles, from leading turtle expert Dr Ricky Spencer (Western Sydney University).

https://www.facebook.com/bluemountainscitycouncil/videos/2734772646614369/?v=2734772646614369

Photographic Competition

Although we might be more confined than usual, we would love to see any photos of the natural world that you may have or can safely take. That might be birds, insects, animals, geology/rocks, plants, fungi, landscapes, people working in natural areas, or anything interesting about nature in general.

Another great idea is to take before and after photos – whether this is showing bushfire recovery, food from the garden to the plate or just projects around your home. Write a short description to go along with it.

Orchid found at Blackheath Photo: Keith Brister

We would like to create a gallery of photos from our volunteers to showcase each week on the Bushcare Blue Mountains website (www.bushcarebluemountains.org.au).

Some criteria to follow:

  • The photos need to be of high resolution
  • We need to be careful about publishing photos of people’s identity online for privacy reasons, so any people featured need to provide their written permission or their faces are not identifiable
  • The photos will be filed for possible future use in publications, on Council/Bushcare websites, newsletters, bulletins, flyers, etc (credited to the photographer)
  • The photos need to be sent via email to bushcare@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

We hope to see your photographic talents soon! For any queries, please contact Alison Steele on asteele@bmcc.nsw.gov.au.