Noosa & District Noosa & District Noosa & District Noosa & District

Landcare GroupLandcare GroupLandcare GroupLandcare Group Inside this issue:

ConservationConservationConservationConservation

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SustainabilitySustainabilitySustainabilitySustainability

POBox 278POBox 278POBox 278POBox 278

Pomona Qld 4568Pomona Qld 4568Pomona Qld 4568Pomona Qld 4568 Station StreetStation StreetStation StreetStation Street

Pomona QLD 4568Pomona QLD 4568Pomona QLD 4568Pomona QLD 4568

Phone: 07 5485 2468Phone: 07 5485 2468Phone: 07 5485 2468Phone: 07 5485 2468

Fax: 07 5485 0413Fax: 07 5485 0413Fax: 07 5485 0413Fax: 07 5485 0413

Green Army / Lives in caves, tunnels,

mines… and sheds! 2

President’s Report 3

Community helps at

Noosa North Shore 4

Mayne’s Moments/ Arc GIS workshop/Sense of Place

research

5

Park Road looking

good 6

Stinging Vine / Is it a

Native Turtle 7

Calendar of Events / Noosa Festival of

water 8

Water watching in Noosa, Winter 2011/

Community

Information Session

9

Freshwater Turtles of

the Mary River 10

Nursery Rodentia /

Myrtle Rust Alert 11

Kids’ Corner 12

Leaf Crossword 13

Local Business 14

North Peregian Duck

Ponds Plant-athon 15

Cute Critters - Phil Moran

International Year of Forests, 2011

June 2011June 2011June 2011June 2011 Winter IssueWinter IssueWinter IssueWinter Issue

Extatasoma tiaratum

I was out at a site near Cooran recently and one of our guys thought he saw an odd-looking leaf ... it was in fact a Spiny stick insect (Extatasoma tiaratum). This insect is a Phasmid. The females usu-ally reproduce via normal sexual reproduc-tion (with a fella) and eggs take about four months to develop ... but they don't have to ... if no males around, no problem. This process is called parthenogenesis. In this case, the eggs take longer to develop (up to nine months) and only girls will be pro-duced. Pretty cool!

Melanitis leda

The contract crew at Noosa & District Landcare are out in the bush all the time. Mostly they are planting natives or killing weeds. Whilst doing this they come across all sorts of interesting critters lurking in our Biosphere. Birds, snakes (lots of snakes!), insects, ticks (lots of ticks!) and all sorts of things. Because our guys and girls

are keen students of our environment, they tend to notice things ... and ask about them. Recently they saw a caterpillar that was cute ... and were interested to know what it was. I usually field these queries, which is great as I get a chance to learn too. I did not know what caterpillar it was, so I asked Dr Don Sands, a retired ento-mologist from CSIRO. Don's fame in our area is as the father of the Richmond Bird-wing butterfly recovery network. Don knew it straight away ... of course!

The horny little fella was an Evening brown caterpillar (Melanitis leda). You see them quite commonly at dusk and at night. During the day they rest on the ground or in leaves. When walking through grass you see them fly away and rest a few metres away. They are brown in colour ... no surprise there ... and look a lot like a dead leaf. This is to hide from all the predators out there. The butterflies lay their eggs on grass, usually Themeda australis or Kangaroo grass. It is green and the 'horns' are actually on its tail - see photo above.

Melanitis leda

The eggs are flicked to the forest floor by the mother where they are moved around by ants, who eat part of the eggs and dis-tribute them to their 'waste' piles. They can be brown or green and have great

camouflage. The head has an odd shape which makes it look like it is on the wrong way. They can be up to 180mm long and are really popular as pets. (I prefer them in the bush, but that is just me!)

Noosa & District Landcare Group Page 2

Green Army - Joseph Petrie

Since the last newsletter, the Green Army has been in full

stride, with this intake completing on 3rd June. Besides getting to know many of the local National Parks and developing skills, many of the crew had been ac-quainting themselves with the bevy of wildlife and treach-erous plants. The most popular of these being jumping ants and lawyer vine. A special thank you to Kevin McDonald for locating the Wattle Cup Moth caterpillar and informing us on the pain associated with its defensive

mechanisms.

For this batch of recruits, I hope that they will take some lasting memories, good as well as the painful ones, from their experience. Below are some pictures of the crew in action at the base of Mt Cooroora.

From both Col * and me, we wish all the participants the best in the future.

Joseph Petrie, Green Army Supervisor

* Colin McDonald, Green Army Supervisor

Working at the base of Mt Cooroora

Lives in Caves, Tunnels, Mines ... and Sheds! - Phil Moran

I lived in a shed for 10 years. It was (is) a nice shed! You get really close to nature, living in a shed. Echidnas, snakes, frogs, yellow-footed antechinus, even an owl flying in to get one of my snakes! I often used to sort of hear and sort of see bats too, mostly like big butterflies flying around after the lights go off.

So I was really pleased to actually see one recently. It was hanging off a mud wasp nest. I took a hundred pictures, one of which turned out ok. I sent the photo to Rachel Lyons, our local fauna expert (and carer), and she was able to identify it straight away.

It was an Eastern Horseshoe-bat [Rhinolophus megaphyllus]. They are not very big … body from 42-58 mm, and a weight of 9-12 grams. They hunt for flying insects at night in forests, returning to roost during the day. Like a lot of bats, they use echolocation (bouncing sound waves off objects) to move around and catch their prey. These can catch prey at night whilst flying … amazing. For larger food items (like cows!) they bring the food back to their roost and pull it apart with their sharp teeth (joking about the cow). They give birth to

one live young, usually around Christmas. The young are born without hair, and completely helpless. The young feed on milk from nipples located in mum’s armpits. They hold on whilst mum flies around looking for food. This can last for 8 weeks before they start to feed themselves.

Eastern Horseshoe-bat

Management Committee George Kootoofa President

Dr John Cronin Treasurer

Paul Steels Secretary

Luke Barrowcliffe Committee

Craig O’Hara Committee

Fiona Waterhouse Committee

Wayne Morris Committee

Phil Moran Operational

Staff

Phil Moran Natural Resource Manager

Damien Morley Nurseries Manager/Contracts

Vanessa Moscato Projects Manager

Paul Sprecher Contracts Manager

Nadia Joyce Waterwatch & Bushcare

Anita Russell Bushcare & Project Support

Lyn Harm Greenhouse (Retail Nursery)

Melina Osborne Futures Centre Nursery

Catrina Samson Futures Centre Nursery

Ben Mayne NRM Crew

Darren Bardin NRM Crew

Dylan D’Angio NRM Crew

Adam Wagner NRM Crew

Joel Morris NRM Crew

Chelsea Greensill NRM Crew/Nursery

Chris Cadogan Administration Officer

Kim Maddison Administration Manager

Dear Members

It is the end of the financial year as we know it. Natural disasters have been a challenge for Queenslanders this year and for many more people in Australia and around the globe. Our thoughts have been with them.

I thank our lucky stars that the Noosa Landcare family of workers and volunteers remains unscathed by recent events. They are positive in their daily treks to locations around the Sunshine Coast - rain, hail, shine - to undertake works which encourage healthy, resilient and biodiverse environments.

Healthy environments also mean consideration of carbon-reducing activities and there are many people already planting trees, car pooling or reducing emissions. If this is not you, here are a few things you may consider to encourage a healthy attitude towards your future:

• Reduce your own carbon emissions first.

• Remember that you are a part of the environment; it does not live out there around you - you’re in it and everything you do will affect it

• Think about how your lifestyle choices impact on the earth and therefore your children in the long term

• The responsibility to make changes lies first with each of us - be or make the change you wish to see

The Suncoast Farmflow project is Sunshine Coast wide but will be run in the Kin Kin Catchment from June 2011 to October 2012. This is a collaboration between Maroochy Landcare, DEEDI, Sunshine Coast Council, SEQ Catchments and Noosa Landcare/Waterwatch. Rural landholders in the Kin Kin Catchment area interested in accessing advice and incentive funding to assist them on-farm can contact either Damien Morley at Landcare 5485 2155 or Ian McConnell of Suncoast Farmflow Project 0407 168 995.

I leave you with a quote from Robert Redford: “I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defence of our resources is just as important as defence abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?”

President’s Report by George Kootoofa

June 2011 Page 3

RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP

For 2010/11

1 year …………… $30 2 years …………… $55 3 years …………… $80

Plants Plus: Annual Membership …. $60

We invite you to become a member of Noosa Landcare and enjoy access to free workshops, 10% discount on plants, a Xmas BBQ and annual general meeting, as well as 4 newsletters each year, which provides information on a wide range of Natural Resource Management issues and funding

opportunities.

Page 4

Community Helps at Noosa North Shore - Phil Moran

Thursday 19th May saw a hardy band of volunteers gathering at the ferry ready to take on some of the weeds causing havoc on Noosa North Shore. Noosa Integrated Catchment Association (NICA) has been successful in securing funding under the Federal Govern-ment's Caring for our Country program to treat weeds on a large area down towards the Noosa River mouth. The funding was spe-cifically targeted at Lantana (Lantana camara var. Camara), a Weed of National Significance. There are plenty of other weeds in this area, with Umbrella trees (Schefflera actinophylla), Groundsel bush (Baccharis halimifolia), Basket asparagus (Asparagus aethiopicus cv. Sprengeri), Corky passionfruit (Passiflora suberosa) and Fishbone fern (Nephrolepis cordifolia) featuring prominently! Noosa & District Landcare Group (NDLG) has been doing the contract weeding on the site, commencing from the northern end of the work site.

Soon mountains of hand-pulled fishbone fern started to appear ... quicker than our guys could collect it. A brief halt was called for a cup of tea/coffee, and back to work. By lunchtime, a once weed-infested area was free of this weed, uncovering many native plants that were struggling to survive under the fern.

A sumptuous lunch followed (courtesy of Tony and NICA) where discussion ranged from other weeds to kill (!), to the importance of this area to the Noosa Biosphere. This end of the beach is home to many migratory bird species, as well as some magnificent littoral rainforest on sand. Dave took the group for a brief walk after lunch and pointed out some of the interesting plants surviving in these harsh conditions. It is hoped that with ongoing support from the Sunshine Coast Council and Qld Parks & Wildlife rangers, more work can be done to return this area to its former glory. For the NDLG contract crew, it was an opportunity to kill some weeds in one of the most beautiful and fragile areas of our Biosphere.

Thanks to Tony and the mob at NICA, and to all the volunteers that contributed to such as successful day.

Noosa North Shore

Raring to go ….

June 2011

Our crew found a very heavy infestation of fishbone fern that we thought would bene-fit from the attention of the volunteer la-bour force. These people are no strangers to killing weeds, and came prepared. About 18 people turned up, including Dave Burrows from Sunshine Coast Council. After an explanation of the project by Tony Haslam (NICA) and an update of progress to date by Dylan and Joel from NDLG, we all marched off to attack the fishbone fern. It is amazing how much work these good people can get through! And how thorough they are ... Not only do they know how to weed, they really appreciate the impor-tance of this vegetation to the North Shore.

Pile of pulled fishbone fern

Lawrence of Arabia … aka Dave Burrows talks to Jill Campbell

Page 5

Mayne’s Moment - Ben Mayne

Page 5 June 2011

The NRM crew are working hard throughout winter, with plenty of work on the burner. You may have noticed a few new faces in the crew as the team has welcomed Charlie Sparks and Joel Morris to the crew, as well as Mat Small from the Green Army and Will Barker, our enthusiastic trainee. These four men have fitted in really well to help carry Noosa & District Landcare’s solid reputation.

Our traineeship and Green Army projects are really worthwhile. This is where many of us were intro-duced to the industry. Having new people who are willing to learn also helps us old souls to reinforce our knowledge. Being forced to answer questions from simple to complex really gets the brain kicking. I often cheat and say stuff which my fearless leaders have taught me in the past.

You may also notice some of our crew looking quite scruffy over winter. (I always look scruffy.)

We have engaged in a beard competition, a masculine force to see how much our facial hair will grow over winter. Charlie has cheated, already sporting a beard big enough to hide snacks in. Darrin is winning so far, with looks like a bushranger. Don’t be shy, say g’day. Although we’re hairy, we’re not scary.

Don’t forget winter is a great time to plant endemic tube stock, because it’s nice weather to plant in and there is no heat stress. This winter in particular is really good because of all the rain we have been get-ting.

I have been representing Noosa & District Landcare at ‘Green Corner’ at the Eumundi Markets once every two months, so stop in and have a chat. The dates are as follows: 11 June, 13 August, 8 October and 10 December.

Cheers to all you lovely green people.

Arc GIS Workshop - Paul Sprecher

On the 25th and 26th of May Anita Russell and myself attended a much-needed training workshop in the mys-tical arts of using Arc GIS.

A geographic information system (GIS) is an integrated collection of computer hardware, software and data used to provide a framework for gathering and organis-ing spatial data and related information so that it can be displayed and analysed.

Arc GIS is a web-based mapping system which uses satellite imagery and GIS technology to view and man-age information about geographic places, analyse spatial relationships, and model spatial processes. Natural resource management requires accurate geo-graphic information to model and monitor natural processes, monitor change in their condition and to

make operational decisions for on-ground works. Noosa & District Landcare has an Arc GIS capacity and coupled with recent training is now able to deliver these services to a high level.

This training was provided to us by Allison Hackwell, GIS guru of the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) with support from Lee Blacklock and Heather Shearer of the Queensland Regional NRM Groups Collective.

I am very grateful for Allison’s support and patience. A confirmed Luddite, I test her powers of endurance and patience, the levels of which are surpassed only by saints. Her encouragement and mentoring is second to none and I am very thankful for having the opportunity to learn about this amazing technology from such a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher.

Sunshine Coast Sense of Place Research - Cimarron Corpè

University of the Sunshine Coast doctoral candidate Cimarron Corpè is conducting research of Sunshine Coast residents’ sense of place and the linkages to cli-mate change. Under the supervision of Dr Jennifer Carter and Dr Julie Matthews, the study investigates the relationship between sense of place and adaptive capac-ity to climate change (adaptive capacity), namely what aspects of place are important to residents of the Sun-shine Coast and what aspects of place foster adaptive capacity.

This study is open to adult (18+) residents of the Sun-shine Coast that have lived on the coast for at least one year. Participation in this study is voluntary and will involve a one-hour face-to-face interview. The study uses visual methods to elicit feelings about place and

therefore, I am requesting participants to present up to four personal images (photographs, drawings, paint-ings) of the Sunshine Coast that most represent place to them, with one image showing some form of envi-ronmental change (natural or built environment). If there are places on the coast that are special to you, but you don't have images, I am happy to take photo-graphs on your behalf.

Very little research has been done in the area of place and climate change, so this is a unique opportunity to participate in groundbreaking research. Your participa-tion is valued and very much appreciated!

Please contact me if you are interested in participating in this important study, by email: ccorpe@usc.edu.au or phone: 0404 582 770.

Park Road looking good - Phil Moran

Page 6 June 2011

Park Road leads from Hastings Street to the entrance

to Noosa National Park, an iconic part of the Noosa

Biosphere. Noosa National Park has the highest visi-

tation rate of any National Park in Queensland. Over

time this area has been overrun with weeds, including

Basket asparagus fern and the scourge of the coast,

Singapore daisy, just to mention a few. Last year Cr

Russell Green and

Greg Jones (Council’s

Team Leader Pest

Management) met

with Noosa & District

Landcare to see if we

could give this area a

‘makeover’.

As the weed infesta-

tion was so intense,

we came up with a

program of weed

treatment over a nine-

month period. This

included herbicide

treatment and a large

amount of manual

removal and dis-

posal. Neighbours

were notified, and we started work on what looked

like a daunting task. Weeds are hard to get rid of ...

and you never get rid of them in one treatment!

(They are really the gift that goes on giving!) The

pleasing aspect of this project was that Sunshine

Coast Council was committed to doing a good job on

this site.

As we progressively attacked the weeds, some little

gems were found. The vegetation under all the weeds

was pretty good. We found a number of beautiful

Shepherd’s crook orchids (Geodorum densiflorum), and

a number of Broad-leaved cherry (Exocarpus latifolius)

which is a root parasite, getting nutrition from the

roots of nearby trees. We even found a rock wall ...

we ‘found’ it by one of our guys falling off it ... he

could not see it because of all the weeds!

Well, in early April we

began planting. Over

500 p lants were

planted. 100 of these

were donated by Noosa

Sheraton & Spa as part

of their commitment to

our community. These

trees were to offset the

carbon generated by

last year’s Noosa Bio-

sphere Day. General

Manager of the Shera-

ton (Mr Stephen Fer-

rigno) and Michael

Donovan (Chairman of

Noosa Biosphere Ltd)

were both on hand to

lend a hand ... although

they did not get too dirty!

I look forward to watching these trees grow, and to

keeping the weeds at bay until they are established.

This is an example of where with partnerships and

commitment, results can be achieved.

For more about this carbon offset project, see Anne

Lawrence’s blog article (15 April 2011) at:

www.noosabiosphere.org.au.

From l to r: Phil Moran, Stephen Ferrigno, Michael Donovan

Before After

Page 7

Stinging Vine – Damien Morley

June 2011

Stinging vine is found in the rainforest of the North-East coast of New South Wales, through Queensland and maybe found in the North-ern Territory. Although it is widespread, it isn’t very common.

Its slender stems make it a weak herbaceous climber. The leaves are simple and alternate, triangular-ovate, with a heart-shaped base and pointed tip, up to 7cm in length. The leaf is dark green, thin in texture and the margins are coarsely toothed.

The flowers are unisexual (monoecious). The female flowers are at the base of the terminal racemes. The fruit capsules are small, ap-proximately 11mm across and 5mm thick. They are deeply three lobed and they

Tragia novae-hollandiae (Family: Euphorbiaceae)

Tragia nova hollandiae - foliage & fruit Graham Stephens © 2002

may have bristles - hair - or be smooth. The most distinguish-ing feature is the twining hair stems. They lack spines or prickles, but are covered with appressed or spreading sting-ing hairs.

I was introduced to this feisty little plant while assessing a weed control job at Barkers Road, Pomona. Fortunately, I was accompanied by Phil Moran who quickly pointed out the perils of coming into contact with this plant.

I thought the only stinging plant in this area was the giant stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa), however Phil knew better. Close observation of the leaf surface reveals a mass of tiny shimmering spines which are responsible for in-flicting the stinging sensation.

Recently a baby turtle was found in the sandpit of the local Family Day Care Centre. They asked us at Noosa

Landcare what they should do with it. When we asked them ‘Is it a native?’ the reply was, ‘How do we tell?’

The Department of Natural Resources and Mines published a booklet called ‘Spot the Difference’ which out-

lines the telltale differences between native turtles and exotic red-eared slider turtles. Some of these differ-

ences are:

• A slider turtle retracts its head by pulling straight back into the shell, whereas a native folds it

sideways under the shell

• Sliders have yellow stripes on their faces and a red stripe behind each eye, while native turtles

have either no facial marking or a continuous/broken pale strip on their faces

• Male sliders have very long claws on their front feet while native turtles have shorter claws

• The underside of sliders’ shells are coloured with rings, lines and other markings while native

turtles are plain and not coloured

As a Class 1 Declared Pest, it is illegal to keep exotic red-eared slider turtles in Queensland. They are classi-

fied as an extreme risk to native plants and animals. Go to: www.epa.qld.gov.au/wetlandinfo/site/factsfigures/

FloraAndFauna/WetlandPests for further information. If you find a red-eared slider turtle, contact the De-

partment of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) on 13 25 23.

Is it a Native Turtle? - Chris Cadogan

Page 8 June 2011

Calendar of Events

Date & Time Event Contact

Sun 26 June, 10am - 3pm Noosa Festival of Water Lake Macdonald Catchment

Care Group: 5482 4766

Starting 17 July - every 3rd

Sunday Cooroora Park Working Bees, Pomona

Anita, Noosa Landcare:

5485 2155

Fri 1 July 11am—12 pm Environment Forum: Community

Information Session

Di Shun Wah, Email:

fridayforum@noosaparks.org.au

Sun 31 July National Tree Day – community tree

planting at Marcus Beach

Nadia, Noosa Landcare:

5485 2155

Sun 18 September Noosa Biosphere Day www.noosabiosphere.org.au

To be announced Carbon industry information session To be announced

8- 10 July Qld Garden Expo, Nambour Ph: 5441 4655

The 2011 Noosa Festival of Water kicks off at 10am on Sunday 26 June at the Noosa Botanic Gardens and Lake Macdonald Amphitheatre. The Festival offers a wide range of entertainment and activities which will help you appreciate the Noosa Biosphere and our natural environment. This year, we have some new features including top local chef Dale Chapman, who will be doing a bush foods cooking demonstration on stage, teaching people to use bush foods and traditional cooking methods including smoking meats, fish etc. For more information on Dale go to www.thedillybag.com.au. Also in the Amphitheatre will be Martin Fingland from Geckoes Wildlife. Martin captivates and educates young and old with his collection of live native animals and is one of the festival's most popular attractions. Martin will also have a selection of his critters on display throughout the day. Allan Burnett from Reptile Awareness Displays of Australia will be providing very informative and educational awareness demonstrations which help save lives by giving information on techniques and tips on how to avoid snake bites, the characteristics and behaviors of reptiles and, most importantly, the latest first aid treatment in relation to snake bites. On the sustainability front, we'll be welcoming a number of new displays including the Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network, which is working towards returning the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly to its former range in South East Queensland, and the Veggie Village people from Peregian Beach who will be helping rural and urban landholders to grow their own fruit and veggies. Also, residents of the Noosa Biosphere who bring a current Rates notice will be able to choose two trees from the Noosa Landcare display, and Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee will test dam, creek or bore water samples brought in by landholders. We've also got the boat trips across the lake to the Hatchery and the Noosa Water Treatment plant, the Kid's Fishing Clinic, Arting About kids’ art activities, learn to pad-dle a canoe with qualified instructors, take a kid sailing, face painting and a range of local and international foods for sale. And it's all free, from 10am to 3pm. For more information, please call the Lake Macdonald Catchment Care Group on 07 5482 4766 or email lake-macgroup@ozwide.net.au.

Noosa Festival of Water

Page 9

Waterwatching in Noosa, Winter 2011 - Vanessa Moscato

Noosa Waterwatch is proudly supported by

June 2011

Welcome to New Volunteers! A warm welcome to two new volunteers, Josh and

Geoff.

Josh will be testing the health of a drainage line in

Noosaville that flows to Lake Doonella.

Geoff will pick up two sites in Cooran, Six Mile

Creek at Yellow Belly Hole and Pinbarren Creek at

Binalong Road.

Platypus Group Watch A number of platypus sightings on Pinbarren Creek

have been reported over the years. However, this

time we wanted to capture abundance, not just pres-

ence or absence, so we organised a Platypus Group

watch session, according to the guidelines developed by

Australian Platypus Conservancy and Qld Wildlife Pres-

ervation Society.

On a cloudy and wet afternoon in May, four volunteers

stationed themselves along different stretches of Pin-

barren Creek where platypus have been observed in

the past. One individual was spotted emerging from its

burrow. Four people wearing soggy raincoats were

spotted sitting quietly at dusk armed with clipboards

and cameras. Unfortunately the survey was cut short

due to a late afternoon downpour.

As we are approaching the August breeding season,

males will become more and more active. More

Group watch surveys will be scheduled, so if you are

interested in participating or if you have spotted a fur-

coated, duck-billed shadow in your creek, please con-

tact us at Noosa Landcare.

Training Josh in Noosaville

VANESSA WILL BE PROVID-ING ANOTHER PHOTO

FOR HERE ASAP

Photo courtesy of Tricia Ashton, 20/11/2005

Training Geoff in Cooran

Sediment & nutrient dynamics of Lake Cootharaba & the Upper Noosa River Friday Environment Forum – 1st July 2011

11.00 – 12.00 pm Wallace Park Environment Centre

Everyone welcome

Community Information Session

Page 10

Freshwater Turtles of the Mary River - Vanessa Moscato

June 2011

Of particular interest to everyone of course was the Mary River Turtle, which has a special place in Australia’s evolutionary history, as it represents one of the oldest lineages of turtles and is one of the largest species (known to reach over 50cm). Mary River Turtles have a proportionately small head and large hind feet, which contribute to their ability to be the fast-est swimmers. Males have a really long tail which can be nearly two thirds the carapace length. AFTCRA’s breeding facility near Cooroy releases over 100 Mary River Turtles into the wild each year. AFTCRA are always on the lookout for enthusiastic volunteers in-terested in learning about captive husbandry and breeding management of endangered fresh-water turtles. For more information visit

www.aftcra.org.au.

Noosa’s volunteers and Green Army participants who at-

tended the Noosa Waterwatch Training Day were treated to

a very informative presentation on freshwater turtles by Gab-

rielle Latta from the Australian Freshwater Turtle Research

and Conservation Association (AFTCRA).

We discovered that turtles can be divided into side-necked,

hidden-necked, omnivorous short-necked and carnivorous

long-necked species. They can be classified as river specialists

or generalists depending on the type of habitat they prefer.

Cane toads, invasive weeds

and predation by feral ani-

mals are major threats to

turtles and their nesting

grounds. Other well

known threats are habitat

loss, fragmentation and

water pollution.

We all gasped in shock and

then chuckled out loud

when Gabrielle showed us

some graphic images of the

rear end of a turtle engaged

in bimodal respiration or

cloaca breathing. Have a

look for yourself at the

photo gallery in the School

Section on the AFTCRA

website. (Parents be

warned, children might find

this very funny!)

CONSERVATION STATUS ENDANGERED

Mary River Turtle - Elusor macrurus

Back row, left to right: Mahdi (NICA), Gavin & Gabrielle (AFTCRA), Jan (Council), Vanessa (Noosa Landcare), Erin & Chloe (Green Army); Front: Serena (NICA)

Page 11

Nursery Rodentia - Damien Morley

June 2011

Each year during the autumn months rodent activity increases in each of our nurseries. Mice are the main culprits and target seeds with a small but compact embryo such as legumes, casuarinas, corymbia and eucalyptus species.

Three years ago we attached metal shrouds 400mm in diameter around the legs on the benches in the riparian nursery propagation tunnel, to prevent mice from get-ting on the benches. This worked for a short while, however these pesky rodents now have gained the ability to navigate around the shrouds and reach the embryonic banquet on the bench top.

As seen in the picture on the left, the mice have attacked a heavily-seeded tray of Parastochlia sp. Seeds. These seeds have not been predated in previous years. These seeds had not germinated and the mice had to dig them up. The resulting damage appears as though a group of miniature pigs had been on the rampage.

In the picture on the bottom right, the mice have eaten germinated Homolanthus seedlings and seem to target the stem area close to the seed.

Each year rats attack our bunya seeds. It seems the rats prefer bunya seeds that have germinated and are at the growth stage, where the secondary tuber has developed and the growing point is elongating. Unfortunately this growth stage coincides with the potting up of the seedlings and it is difficult to pro-tect the pots from rat attack. If the rodents were not enough to contend with, now we have a possum on the prowl in the riparian nursery and he has the dexterity to remove the protective wire cages placed on top of the trays and feast on whatever takes his fancy.

Myrtle Rust Alert

Myrtle Rust is an exotic plant fungal disease that can be spread in bushland containing plants from the Myrta-ceae family, including Australian natives like lillypillies (Syzygium spp.), bottle brush (Callistemon spp.), tea tree

(Melaleuca spp.) and eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp.).

Myrtle rust can not be eradicated and will continue to spread in Queensland, as it produces large numbers of spores that are easily spread by wind, human activity

and animals.

Myrtle Rust attacks young, soft, actively-growing leaves, shoot tips and young stems, as well as fruits and flower

parts of susceptible plants.

The first signs of the infection are tiny raised spots or pustules that erupt into distinctive, fluffy-looking, egg-

yolk spores.

If you suspect that you have Myrtle Rust on your prop-erty or have it seen it elsewhere, please report it within 24 hours of becoming aware of the disease to Biosecu-rity Queensland or Exotic Plant Pest Hotline, who can help you identify the disease, and give you information about the disease and its management.

Biosecurity Queensland: 13 25 23, Exotic Plant Pest Hotline: 1800 084 881.

Kids’ Corner

Page 12 June 2011

Do you know what type of Australian animal this is?

Join all the dots to find out!

Then you can colour your animal, give it a name

and you’ll have a new friend!

Your new friend is a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - they eat nuts, berries, leaves, seeds and roots, lay their

eggs in tree hollows, and live as long as humans!

Page 13

Leaf Crossword - Chris Cadogan

June 2011

1 2 3 4 5

6

7 8

9

10

11 12

13 14 15

16 17

18 19

20

21

22 23

24 25

26

27

28

EclipseCrossword.com

Across

1. Of a leaf or the base of a leaf where the sides are unequal

6. Having the veins arranged in a fine network

7. Petiole of a leaf modified to carry out the

function of a leaf

9. Point on stem where leaf arises

14. A compound leaf with 3 leaflets

18. Lance-shaped

20. Drawn out to a long fine point, as for a leaf apex

23. A compound leaf with the blade divided three times

24. Heart-shaped, applied to the base of a leaf

25. A group of 3 or more leaves arising at the same point

26. Central axis of a pinnate leaf, bearing leaflets or pinnae

27. Reversed lanceolate, widest above the middle

28. Wedge-shaped

Down

2. Of a leaf margin, regularly indented into rounded shallow teeth: scalloped

3. Covered with hairs

4. A compound leaf with 5 or more leaflets arising at one point

5. With the margin regularly toothed

7. Sharp-pointed hard emergences

8. Shaped like an ellipse

10. Rounded or blunt at the apex or base.

11. A small depression on the undersurface of a leaf in the axils of the medvein & lateral veins

12. A compound leaf with blade twice divided

13. A stiff sharp-pointed structure on leaf

15. Long and very narrow with parallel sides

16. A small structure within the tissue secreting nec-tar, oil or mucilage

17. Stalk of a leaflet

19. Reversed ovate, widest above the middle

21. Stalk of a leaf

22. The expanded portion of a leaf, the leaf-blade See our next newsletter for answers!

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Page 14 June 2011

North Peregian Duck Ponds Plant-athon - Anita Russell

Page 15 June 2011

It starts out a disappointing story, as the rains fell and the duck ponds overflowed onto the road on Osprey Avenue. When the rains encouraged trees and plants everywhere to grow and flourish, the little trees at the duck ponds slowly became a frog breeding ground and

habitat.

Much to the disappointment of the North Peregian Community Nature Conservation Program (CNCP) group, more than 300 tubestock, which were planted from August to December last year, were lost before

we even got to February.

The duck ponds are significant habitat to sedge frogs, and birds including lorikeets, ducks, moor hens, honey eaters and, yes, even the bush turkey that keeps digging

up our plantings.

So we put out an SOS and volunteers rolled in to help plant out the edge of the pond. Creat-ing an edge will stop weeds and grasses coming into the native vegetation as well as keeping unwanted guests out of the reserve, protecting

all the birds and frogs.

A cool and sunny Saturday morning saw a vol-unteer crew of 17 people come along to help protect the duck ponds at Peregian on May 7th. To address our resident bush turkey’s bad hab-its, Michael Gilles, Sunshine Coast Council CNCP coordinator, turned up with the weed mats and

plant guards, and even planted a few trees himself.

We were lucky enough to also have Catherine, Kim and Tony from Noosa Integrated Catchment Associa-tion to lend a helping hand, as well as Rob from FaunaWatch (a Wildlife Preservation Society of Qld program), who came to do a survey. Rob discovered a possum dray near where we were planting and we now

look forward to hearing about the results.

And what community day isn’t complete without a spe-cial morning tea? Thanks to all the volunteers who came along to help out. A special note has been made

of the large turnout from the Marcus Beach group.

This project is supported by North Peregian CNCP, through funding from Australian Govern-

ment Caring for our Country ..

Photos: top to bottom: 1) Putting together tree guards 2) Morning tea 3) Some more planting 4) The final product

CONSERVATION (Eco) SERVICES

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AUSTRALIA

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* Environmental Offsets * Property Management Plans * Plantation Establishment * Weed Control & Management * Coastal Rehabilitation * Bushland Regeneration * Aquatic Weed Management * Revegetation * Project & Program Management * Training & Education * Property Consultancy * Indigenous tube stock

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POBox 278 Pomona Qld 4568

Station Street Pomona QLD 4568

Phone: 07 5485 2468 Fax: 07 5485 0413

Let us help you repair the environment:

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