Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Focus Weeds

Here are just a few of the weeds in our region;

Streamwatch

Helensburgh and District Landcare Group’s involvement with Streamwatch

In 1997, Helensburgh and District Landcare Group committed to being involved in Streamwatch for three years. We selected four local creeks and we had eight volunteers. A team of two volunteers went out each weekend to test their nominated creek. This meant that each of the four creeks was tested monthly (with a few misses) for three years.

The then Hacking Catchment Management Committee provided the funding for the Streamwatch kit. At the end of the three years, the kit was passed onto a high school in the Sutherland Shire for student involvement in Streamwatch.

Unfortunately, our test results are missing from the Streamwatch website. When we started testing there was no interactive Streamwatch website and despite several attempts to have the data put on the Streamwatch site, we have not been successful.

We present the raw data for Camp Creek, Gills Creek, Kellys Creek and Wilsons Creek and also rainfall figures for the three years as recorded by one of our members. For more information on what it all means, please check out the Streamwatch website: www.streamwatch.org.au

Other useful water quality information can be found at: www.waterontheweb.org

Camp Creek
Gills Creek
Kelly Creek
Wilsons Creek
Rainfall Helensburgh 1997-1999

Biodiversity

Creating a Bush Friendly Backyard

Why a Bush Friendly Backyard?

Low impact on the environment – less water, fertiliser, pesticide, construction.
Provides a refuge for local wildlife for nesting, resting and feeding.
It can be low maintenance, freeing you up for other pursuits!
It is your contribution to protecting our biodiversity.

Frogscaping your garden

Frogs have been around for over 200 million years yet in the past two decades their numbers have been declining worldwide at an alarming rate. We can help our local species by setting up a frog pond in our garden. Frogs require permanent water, together with humidity, shelter and food.

A frog pond can be as simple or elaborate as you wish. A baby's pool situated under overhanging vegetation can work just as well as a custom made model requiring far more effort. It is really up to you and the overall affect you wish to achieve.
read more...

Gardens for Birds

TO ATTRACT BIRDS TO YOUR GARDEN YOU MUST PROVIDE:
FOOD
Native birds prefer nectar, seed, fruit and insects from native plants. Even a small garden can be planned to provide food all year round by choosing plants with a variety of flowering times.
Seed - can be provided by wattles, eucalypts, casuarinas and hakeas.
Nectar - is abundant in most banksias, grevilleas, callistemons, melaleucas and eucalypts.
Fruit - can be seed on pittosporums and lillypillies.
Insects - occur on all plants.
read more...

Projects

Biodiversity resides in unexpected places: roadsides, railway easements and small parks just like our Helensburgh Creek site. By keeping these places weed-free and encouraging local native plants to grow there we can protect our local ecology.
We have two main sites where we are concentrating our efforts. However both these sites have deteriorated in the last couple of years because of the reduction in the number of active Landcare members. As we alternate between sites, they usually only have 3 hours every second month allocated to them and so when there are only two or three workers each time, it is very hard to see any positive results. It is also very heartbreaking to see all the good work of the past being overtaken.

Helensburgh Creek site

corner of Parkes Street and Junction Street, Helensburgh
Description
This was the site of the old Band Hall until it burnt down in 1988. It now houses the Mine Doctor’s Surgery, an important piece of local history and the home of the Helensburgh Historical Society. Helensburgh Creek runs across the northern side of the site. We have worked here for 17 years. It is reasonably clear of weed species and has some well established trees planted by Landcare plus dozens of young trees and shrubs which in time will help to create a sustainable weed-free area of native vegetation. In collaboration with Wollongong City Council we have plans to extend our regeneration area across the whole site to make it a beautiful restful public park. The Helensburgh Creek site already shows a remarkable transformation from the degraded weed-infested patch it was when we started. Our previous propagation officer, Dean Hawes, did a magnificent job growing a variety of specimens suitable for planting in this area – all from local seed.
2010 Update: Unfortunately, cape ivy, Madeira vine, honeysuckle and bridal creeper are progressively taking over some previously good areas.

Old Station site

corner of Tunnel Road and Old Station Street, Helensburgh.

Description
If you haven’t visited the historic Old Station site you really should do so as it has a wonderful combination of natural and cultural interest. The site’s history is explained on an interpretive sign at the entrance and you can see the old platform and restored Helensburgh railway sign and explore the railway tunnel with its glow worms.

Our regeneration work has made great inroads into the weed-infested slopes either side of the old railway line. Over the past few years we have removed masses of lantana, wandering Jew, morning glory and some large coral trees. As well as some natural regeneration on the site, we have planted local species which are growing well thanks to the fact that this area is always moist.
2010 Update: Wandering Jew is overtaking the cutting and the station platform. The trees in the entrance are progressing well but we have not been able to make progress on the rest of the morning glory area - it is hard enough keeping it out of the good area.

Welcome to Helensburgh & District Landcare

Landcare is a non-governmental community movement dedicated to preventing land degradation and achieving sustainable land management. It started in Victoria in the mid-1980s and spread rapidly to other states.

It consists of a network of local volunteer groups of which there are over 1700 in New South Wales alone. Each group works to find local solutions to local problems such as salinity, soil degradation, animal pests, weeds, vegetation loss, waterside erosion, poor water quality, coastal degradation and urban land degradation.
If you appreciate how lucky we are in the Helensburgh district to enjoy a relatively unspoiled bush environment you should also be aware that it is under serious threat.

One major problem is the escape of environmental weeds from our gardens into the bush and waterways. These weeds have the ability to replace our native bushland especially in areas which have been disturbed. This disturbance can be caused by extra stormwater runoff, by dumping of soil or other waste in bushland, too frequent fires and inappropriate use of bushland areas.

Degraded bushland which is infested with plants such as privet, Madeira vine, morning glory and lantana and littered with refuse and devoid of native birds is not an attractive sight. Already the fringes of Garrawarra State Conservation Area are beginning to look like this.

Don’t despair! We can live in harmony with our environment. All it takes is a greater awareness of the problems and the will to support organizations such as Landcare. The Helensburgh and District Landcare Group has active teams of local volunteers in Helensburgh who spend a few hours a month systematically attacking the weed problem and regenerating native vegetation.

Contact us:
Email
Address: 25 Tunnel Road, Helensburgh, 2508
Phone: 0414 819 742

Why you should join Helensburgh & District Landcare

If you care about your environment you should definitely join your local Landcare group - we would love to see you. You don't have to be an expert on native vegetation or a dedicated green activist. Landcare is made up of ordinary people who simply want to make a difference.

Membership is $10 Individual, $15 Family. For membership details, please Email us

Helensburgh Landcare

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