Saturday June 29th 9:30 – 1:00  9:30am – 1:00pm

The Bushcare Groups working in the Katoomba Falls Creek Valley are hosting their second “Gully Get Together” with a theme of protecting the catchment of the Dwarf Mountain Pine (previously known as Microstrobos, now Pherosphaera fitzgeraldii).

All are welcome! We’ll meet at Katoomba Falls Reserve for:

• A presentation about how our environment levy funded works are protecting the Dwarf Mountain Pine by looking after its whole catchment;
• Morning Tea, over a yarn up about The Gully (Aboriginal Culture Talk) a look at maps of the area and the bush regeneration plan for managing this important place;
• A short weeding session at Maple Grove.

A wonderful day was had at Sun Valley for our 20th Annual Bushcare and Landcare Picnic.

Despite the threatening clouds we had a lovely barbeque lunch and an interpretative walk on geology, flora and fauna presented by Margaret Baker and Jill Dark.

The Bushcare Bush Orchestra played us some fine tunes and Jane Anderson (Bushcare Officer) worked her magic with some face painting, and some fun games with the kids. The aquatic team had a display on the water bugs and the interactive catchment model was displayed. The Fitzgerald creek catchment group had a display with the areas they are working and some of the issues they are working towards overcoming.

Thank you to Jasmine Pageant, the Mayor Cr Mark Greenhill and the Councillors Cr Mick Fell, Cr Chris Van der Kley, Cr Romola Hollywood, Cr Anton Von Schulenburg who presented the awards with Monica.

Three Bushcare volunteers were recently honoured with Seniors Week Recognition Awards for their committed and dedicated work with Bushcare and the community.

Jeannette Adrian

For approximately 15 years, Jeannette has been greatly involved in the management and day-to-day running of the Blackheath Rhododendron Society Gardens and Festival. Jeannette has been President and Secretary for two terms. During that time, Jeannette has regularly attended the working sessions at the Gardens to assist with the maintenance and management of the property. Jeannette has also been an active and dedicated member of the Blackheath Centenary Reserve Bushcare Group since 1999. From early 2010, Jeannette accepted the role of voluntary   Co-Ordinator of the Group.

Nick De Brett

Whilst Nick has only been a resident of the Blue Mountains for several years, he has become greatly involved with the local community in the following ways: Assists people as part of the Great Community Transport programme, Assists with the Leura Garden Festival, Works twice monthly at the Everglades property as part of two Bushcare Groups, Former voluntary member of the Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre Management Committee & is involved with the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group

Libby Raines

Libby, with her husband Keith, has over the past 45 years created one of the most iconic cool-climate gardens in Australia – Merry Garth at Mount Wilson. Libby initially trained as a nurse, but plants have been her lifetime passion. She is an accomplished botanical artist, having shown at many exhibitions, including Botanica and illustrated Michael Pembroke’s book Trees Of History And Romance and Essays From A Mount Wilson Garden. Through Libby’s passion for plants, she has been instrumental in setting up the Mount Wilson/Mount Irvine Bushcare Group in 1999. Libby also wrote and illustrated the booklet Bushland Weeds of Mount   Wilson and Mount Irvine in 2000, which has proven an   indispensable guide to identifying, controlling and eradicating the many varieties of weeds in the Mount Wilson and Mount Irvine area.

Hi Ho The Dairy Oh,
A weeding they both will go,
With Audrey in the barrow,
There’s no place for weeds you know.

So with her little shiny boots,
Firmly on her feet,
Audrey will just help her Dad,
And together those weeds they’ll beat.

Poem by Pam Parsons

Picture by Malvina McLean

You may not know it, but Council’s Landcare and Bushcare programs are partly funded by your Local Environment Levy.

The Environment Levy is paid as part of your Council rates (if you are a property owner) and costs, on average, around $43 per year (83 cents per week).

Council raises around $1.5million a year through the Levy. These funds are vital to the delivery of Council’s environmental programmes, including Bushcare, Landcare and Bush Backyards.

Thanks to the Environment Levy, Council has been able to significantly expand Bushcare and Landcare activities over the last ten years. It has also developed Council’s Bush Backyards and Resident Weed Support programs, which support weed control and conservation activities on private lands.

The current Levy has been in place since 2005 and will expire in June 2015.

This year, Council will apply to the independent regulator that determines local government rates (the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal) for a permanent extension to the Levy.

You will have an opportunity to have your say about this proposal in July – August. During this period, Council will be asking the community to identify how we can best meet its needs and priorities while building a successful future for the Blue Mountains.

Further information on how you can have your say will be available through a ratepayer mail-out, on Council’s website and in the local press. In the meantime, you can show your support for the Environment Levy by letting people know that it supports your work.

 

To find more about the local environmental projects supported by the Environment Levy, visit www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/environmentlevy

On 28 May in glorious autumn weather Leura’s Gordon Falls Reserve rang to the excited chatter of an industrious group of 12 international visitors hosted by Lone Pine Bush Care Group. The visitors, mostly the partners of Rotarians, were in Australia to attend a major Rotary     conference in Sydney. To enable them to get a flavour of the real Oz, someone decided a Bush Care work day would be just the ticket.

The visitors were from a wide range of countries: Japan, USA, UK,     Argentina, Denmark, Germany. Bush Care officers Monica Nugent and Karen Hising gave the visitors some basic planting instruction, and with assistance from two Bush Care volunteers, they were soon enthusiastically at work,  fertilising, planting, staking, bagging and watering like old pros.

They proved to be hard workers and in the space of a couple of hours, managed to plant over 80 plants ranging from grasses to Banksias,   Leptospermums to Hakeas.

The visitors expressed themselves delighted with the experience. Local participants were rewarded with a pale blue Rotary International Down Under cap, and a memorable encounter with some charming people from around the world.

Article by Gil Appleton

A packed program of activities has occupied Blue Mountains Bushcarers since the last issue of Gecko. It’s wonderful to have Erin back – she’s hit the ground running – getting our Geckos back in order, organising yet another fantastic annual Picnic and also the native Bees seminar. More details about all of this are inside this issue, and also on our new website: bushcarebluemountains.com.au which Erin has also been hard at work on,

together with Hugh Todd (Explorers Reserve Bushcare Group).

A temporary farewell to Tracy – she’s taking leave for 12 months, and we’ll be finalising her replacement as soon as we can. I hope to be able to tell all Tracy’s groups who will be working with you in Tracy’s absence soon.

A recent highlight of this Autumn (how warm and dry it’s been!) was a planting session at the Lone Pine Bushcare site in Leura. Bushcare and Blue Mountains Rotary arranged for a group of international Rotarians visiting the mountains to plant 100 tubes, enjoy morning tea and hear about the benefits of Bushcare. My special thanks to Ray Wiles from Rotary, and to Gil Appleton and David Churches.

Enjoy the frosty mornings and blue skies – I think the mountains are magic in winter, but perhaps that’s a topic for debate at your next bushcare   session! I hope to see you there soon.

Monica Nugent Acting Team Leader

Notice of intention to issue Licences for the use of BMCC managed lands for Organised Nature Based Recreation for the 2014-2015 Licensing Year

In pursuance with Section 47A of the Local Government Act 1993 and the Section 108 and 109 of the Crown Lands Act 1989 Blue Mountains City Council (and the reserve trusts it represents) proposes, at the expiration of 28 days after the date of publication of this notice, to grant or renew commercial licences to those Organisations specified in Schedule 1 to conduct the Permitted Activities also specified in Schedule 1 on the lands specified in Schedule 2, which are available on the Nature Based Recreation webpage of the Blue Mountains City Council’s website

http://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/yourcouncil/policiesplansandstrategies/naturebasedrecreationandtourism

This process will legitimise the ongoing use of these lands. The term of any such licence will not exceed one year and renewal is only available through reapplication.

Submissions need to be made by 5pm Wednesday 16 July 2014 and in writing to:

Blue Mountains City Council

Attn: Environment Administration Officer

Locked Bag 1005

Katoomba NSW 2780