The RunningPostman Newsletter of the Private Land Conservation Program

June 2016 • Issue 21 Building partnerships with landowners for the sustainable management Print ISSN 1835-6141 and conservation of natural values across the landscape. Online ISSN 2204-390X

Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment 1 Manager’s message – June 2016

Recently I had the good fortune to for their insightful and intelligent emergency management. sit with a few covenant owners as approach to engaging with the they discussed their experiences audience. It is rare that such a Our offering in this edition with fire on their reserves at the competent group form together provides insights into some of Conservation Landholders as volunteers to provide such a the wildlife that depends on ‘Ecological Burning: research and valuable forum. conservation reserves across practice’ forum in Campbell Town. the state and provides examples When I arrived the meeting was I am fortunate indeed to be able to and opportunities for readers already started and the room witness not just the success of CLT, to connect with likeminded land was abuzz with people sharing but also the returning groundswell managers. I encourage you to experiences and insights. The of interest for the sustainable continue to find wonder in the things that struck me about the and respectful management bush around you and to share your discussions I heard was firstly the of Tasmanian landscapes and experiences with others in the genuine concern these people had environments. The recent fires conservation community. for the long term conservation in wilderness areas remind us outcomes for their land, and second of the vulnerability we have to the really effective way that a simple climatic conditions as we plan Peter Voller, for the long term adaptiveness discussion became a way for peers Manager, Natural Values of our environment. These fires to learn practicalities from each Conservation Branch other. whilst disastrous in themselves, are a timely reminder to refocus The meeting was a great success on planning, understanding and and I congratulate the organisers prioritizing our approach to

In this Issue Manager’s message - June 2016 2 Let us know your email and updated contact details 3 , wasps and wet sclerophyll 4 Have you ever thought about fungi? 5 Tasmanian Masked – more of a screech than a hoot 6 ’s extraordinary birds 8 Wasp management in Tasmania 10 Myrtle Rust Update 11 Conservation Landholders Tasmania: next event 12 Selling property? 12

The Running Postman is printed on Monza Satin On the cover: Tasmanian masked owl recycled paper, derived from sustainable , elemental (Tyto novaehollandiae castanops). Photo: Michael Todd. chlorine free pulp and certified environmental systems. Design and layout: Land Tasmania Design Unit, DPIPWE.

2 The Running Postman • June 2016 Let us know your email and updated contact details

An effective way for us to make within an hour’s drive of both asking if you could let us know contact with landowners about Launceston and by email your current email address and also potential funding opportunities and notifying them of a potential if you have changed your postal alerts is via email. Recently we used opportunity to get help with such address or contact number(s). email to contact Land for Wildlifers activities as weed control, fencing (LFW), Garden for Wildlifers and or revegetation through assistance Rest assured we will not ‘bombard’ owners of conservation covenants from a Green Army team. A you with trivial or irrelevant emails, requesting help with finding funding application for a Green but wish to provide an effective plantings of the primary host of the Army team is being put together means of letting you know about disease Myrtle Rust in Tasmania – for this with Expression of Interest beneficial opportunities for you the Lophomyrtus, a plant native of from landowners being a key part as they become available such as New Zealand and often planted in of the submission to demonstrate funding support, alerts, or call for home gardens as an ornamental. A the community interest in this help in order to contribute to the note sheet was attached showing proposal. protection of our natural wildlife what to look for and some species and habitat. photographs of Lophomyrtus species. There has been a huge response from both LFW and covenant Contact Iona Mitchell on There was a good response owners to this potential project if 03 6165 4409 or email with many people keen to help, the grant application is successfully [email protected] which was greatly appreciated. funded and it will be a great to advise us of your email address However, we had quite a few opportunity for landowners to get or updated contact details. emails that bounced back due to on-ground support with their land incorrect or no longer valid email management. addresses. Also, there were a lot of Iona Mitchell Unfortunately we weren’t able to landowners for which we do not and Helen Crawford have a current valid email address. let all landowners know about this potential opportunity because we Similarly, we recently contacted don’t have an email or valid email LFW and covenant landowners address for them. We are therefore

Photos (clockwise from top): Green Army revegetation work. Green Army – erosion control works. Weed control – Green Army. The Running Postman • June 2016 June 2016 • The Running Postman 3 Photos: Manpower Group. Birds, wasps and wet sclerophyll forest

Conservation Landholders Tasmania Aboriginal Corporation, showed us age class derived from a major (CLT) continues to hold enjoyable, the nest boxes that researchers are fire event. In the past wet forests informative events for people who using to find the optimum nest box have burnt every 80 to 300 years own conservation land, supported height for successful breeding. but there is concern that climate by NRM North, NRM South and change may provide the conditions We also had a fascinating time Cradle Coast NRM, Landcare for more frequent fires. looking at stone artefacts and a Tasmania, DPIPWE and the stone quarry with Lee and Ben. Matt Rose described the stages he Tasmanian Land Conservancy. They shared their passion for went through in getting to know In late November 2015 we spent preserving the extensive Aboriginal and manage his wet sclerophyll a weekend on , cultural sites on Murrayfield Station. forest that borders the Leven River. staying in the shearers’ quarters His photo sequence showed how in Many conservation landholders at Murrayfield Station. Our focus just three years he had regenerated have wet sclerophyll forest in their was on conservation, a topic the river bank after damaging care so we made that the theme close to the hearts of many CLT floods. We all discussed ideas for of the next field day in February. members. Sarah Lloyd led two controlling European wasps that are Well known botanist, Fred Duncan, early morning bird watching a particular problem this year. Matt increased our understanding of this walks, alerting participants to bird uses insecticide dust with an active forest type, which tends to grow in species in the area and their calls. ingredient of Permethrin once he humid areas on fertile soils in the She assured us that, with enough has found a nest. Baiting with the west and north east of Tasmania. practice, we could all learn to chemical Fibronil is also recognized The area of wet forest has been identify birds from their calls. as an effective treatment when reduced considerably due to logging nests cannot be found and several We heard from Sally Bryant about and clearing for plantations. landholders were seeking permits efforts to preserve forty spotted Wet sclerophyll forests have tall to use this chemical to control pardalotes on Bruny Island. She eucalypts in the overstorey and wasps. described the precarious state of an understorey of small trees and this tiny bird: its white gum habitat We ended the day walking through shrubs. Generally they are too wet is becoming depleted through Philip Milner’s beautiful wet to burn except in exceptionally dry drought and tree clearing, and its sclerophyll forest near the Don years such as 2015. When they do breeding success is curtailed by River. We wandered amongst burn, the canopy can be destroyed, predation from sugar gliders. A tree ferns in the shade of his tall, depending on the species present, survey in 2009-10 showed that Eucalyptus regnans, and felt thankful and the ash bed created from numbers had dropped from 3500 that he and his neighbours have burning leaf litter forms a rich in 1995 to 1400. The Bruny Island preserved a substantial forest substrate for thousands of new community is working to preserve corridor with their covenanted eucalypt seedlings to germinate. its habitat, replant white gums and properties. A mature wet sclerophyll forest raise awareness of the birds’ plight. is often made up of one or two Lee Prouse and Ben Sculthorpe, age classes of eucalypts, with each representing the Weetapoona Robin Garnett Photos (L to R): Lee Prouse showing aboriginal artefacts at Murrayfield Station. Photo: Robin Garnett. A Forty-spotted Pardalote from Bruny Island. Photo Stuart Smith. Philip Milner pointing out 4 The Running Postman • June 2016 features of his wet sclerophyll forest. Photo Robin Garnett. Have you ever thought about fungi?

Are you familiar with the EucaFlip link to where you can send such first part of the book provides and TreeFlip? These are very photos. This web site also has lots guidance on how to identify fungi useful guides to take out into the of useful information about fungi from such features as spore print bush as they are compact and and visual key for the major groups colour, presence or absence of weatherproof. Now there is the such as, clubs, corals, or brackets for veils, whether there are gills on the FungiFlip which contains lots of example. undersurface of the cap, the shape beautiful photos of many macro of the gills if present or if there are In 2005 the book ‘Fungi down fungi species you may encounter pores. There are excellent keys under – the Fungimap guide to when out walking in the bush or to the genera of gilled fungi and Australian fungi’ by Pat Grey and Ed other places. a table which summarises the key Grey was published (this is available features of the major genera. The The FungiFlip is a pictorial guide to purchase on the Fungimap web photographs are beautiful and with photos and Latin names site). This book contains excellent clearly show the identity of each for the fungi species unlike the close-up and in-situ photos along species. There is a brief description EucaFlip, for example, which with descriptions of key identifying for each species along with a provides information on key features, habitat and distribution fruiting season diagram which identifying features for Tasmania’s for 100 ‘target’ species selected to shows the months in which you are native Eucalypt species. Once represent a wide range of fungi most likely to see the above ground you get your eye in however, and types. Another excellent guide fruiting bodies. see just how beautiful, colourful also published in 2005 is ‘A field and intricate many species are, guide to Australian Fungi’ by Bruce There is also an excellent Facebook you may need further information Fuhrer which similarly provides a page for Tasmanian fungi and resources to support your pictorial guide to the major groups www.facebook.com/tasfungi where fascination. for ease of homing in to the likely you can submit photographs for identification of a fungi species. The identification which more than likely The Royal Botanic Gardens photographs are very clear and will be identified by Genevieve Melbourne and the Field Naturalists show the characteristic features Gates. Some very beautiful photos Club of sponsor ‘Fungimap’ along with brief but succinct have been sent in which I am sure a National Australian fungi database descriptions of each species. will spark an interest in looking where records of distribution, more keenly for fungi. identification and additional However, the most appropriate information about Australia’s fungi guide to get for Tasmanian fungi is are stored. You can contribute ‘A field guide to Tasmanian Fungi’ to this database by submitting by Genevieve Gates and David Iona Mitchell photographs along with details of Ratkowsky which was published in where you found the fungi growing 2014. Unfortunately it is now out should you come across any of print, so if you do spy a copy for interesting or unusual fungi. sale it is worth buying. It is likely The Fungimap web site that it may be reprinted perhaps www.fungimap.org.au/ contains the later this year – let’s hope so. The

Photos (L to R): Podoscypha petalodes, Armillaria novae-zealandiae, The Running Postman • June 2016 June 2016 • The Running Postman 5 Cortinarius archeri. Photos: Oberon Carter. Tasmanian Masked owl – more of a screech than a hoot

To many people the call of an owl is are larger than males and are also and retention of trees with large often associated with a gentle hoot darker in colour. hollows is extremely important for hooting sound. There are some owl the survival and successful breeding The plumage of the Tasmanian species which do make such calls. of masked . They may also nest masked owl is brown or chestnut However, the call of the masked and roost in caves. The other key with speckled spots, with paler owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) is far less habitat requirement is that there underparts and facial feathers melodious and more akin to a high is a suitable abundance of prey formed into a rounded almost pitched screech not unlike the noise species. heart shaped disc with chestnut to brush-tailed possums can make white feathers ringed by a darker Masked owls are nocturnal, sleeping when they are having a dispute border of feathers. The blackish- during the day in their nest or among themselves. It can be an brown eyes and cream coloured bill roosting in dense canopy, emerging alarming sound coming out of the are also ringed with darker feathers, at night to fly to a perch site darkness if you are in the bush and giving the appearance of a mask. where they watch and wait for an don’t know what made the noise. The powerful legs are feathered unsuspecting prey. They may preen Masked owls occur in New Guinea down to the feet with greyish- themselves to tidy feathers ruffled and Australia and are the largest brown to yellowish-grey toes and while they were sleeping. They Tyto owl () species in dark brown sharp talons. will also defecate and regurgitate the world. In Australia there are a tightly bound pellet made up The favoured habitat for masked four subspecies of masked owl: of indigestible matter from their owls is eucalyptus forest and Tyto novaehollandiae melvilliensis previous meal, such as bones or fur. woodlands, especially where these (Tiwi Island - which occurs on Characteristically, faeces are white have a relatively open understorey Melville and Bathurst Island of the coloured splats which can be found or adjoin areas of cleared open Northern Territory north coast), under their favoured perch sites. land where they can hunt for prey. T.n. kimberli (Northern masked owl A key requirement for masked Masked owls feed mostly on small which occurs along the top end owl habitat is that it contains old mammals, such as , of Australia from the NT to north mature trees with hollows having rabbits, possums, potoroo, rats, Queensland); T.n. novaehollandiae an entrance diameter ≥ 15 cm for mice, but will also take birds such as (Southern masked owl) and T.n. nesting and roosting. They may also sparrows and starlings. When they castanops (Tasmanian masked owl take advantage of large hollows in detect prey they silently swoop which is endemic to Tasmania). isolated paddock trees. Suitable down capturing their prey with The Tasmanian masked owl is the hollows to accommodate such their powerful sharp talons which largest subspecies with a body a large bird and their offspring kill the prey. The leading edges of length of around 47 to 51 cm and can take more than 150 -200 + the feathers on the wings have wingspan of up to 1.28 m. Females years to form. The protection ‘mufflers’ which create silent flight.

6 The Running Postman • June 2016 They may also feed on fresh road ear. Owls will bob or move their the good fortune to see one, but kill, placing themselves at risk of head until the sound is heard in they are very good at remaining becoming road kill. both ears at the same time. When hidden. Surprisingly, there are very this occurs they know the prey is in few verified records of nest sites. The eyes of masked owls are front of them. If you think you have masked owls forward facing and tubular shaped nesting on, or near your land, let which allow stereoscopic vision. Birds pair for life and remain within the DPIPWE Threatened Species The shape of the eyes also allows the same territory. In Tasmania, Section know by phoning: more light to enter the eye enabling breeding generally occurs during 03 6165 4340 or email: them to have excellent vision in spring and early summer, but can ThreatenedSpecies.Enquiries@ low light or at night. They also be all year round if conditions are dpipwe.tas.gov.au Information on have good daylight vision adjusting favourable. Two to three white masked owls and how you can help their eyes to the brighter light. The are laid in the nest. The female is protect the species can be found tubular shape of the eye has limited the one who incubates the eggs on the Threatened Species Link movement within the socket. To while the male does the hunting, www.threatenedspecieslink.tas.gov. compensate for this they can rotate bringing food back to feed her and au/masked-owl-(tasmanian). their head 270° left to right and at the chicks after they hatch. The least 90° up and down. eggs hatch after about five weeks The Bookend Trust has produced and it takes a further 10 to 12 a short video on masked owls Vision is used in hunting for prey, weeks before they can fly. The where you can listen to their but mostly they rely on their acute fledglings are still dependent for a calls, see the type of pellets they sense of hearing to listen for the few more weeks as they learn to regurgitate and learn about movement of prey rustling in the hunt for themselves. It is estimated their habitat requirements. leaf litter, or even in snow. The ears that there are around 500 breeding Go to www.youtube.com/ of masked owls are slightly off-set pairs in Tasmania. watch?v=P35OyL2kbWA. in that one ear is higher than the other. The ruff of the facial disc is Masked owls in Tasmania and made up of special feathers which elsewhere in Australia are listed as point in two different directions. a threatened species predominantly Iona Mitchell The facial disc and ruff feathers act due to loss of habitat, especially to trap sound and direct it to the areas containing mature trees ears. Depending on the direction, with hollows, and increasingly sound will hit different parts of the secondary poisoning from the use face and ears at different speeds of rodenticides. and hence be detected at slightly They are majestic birds if you have Photos (L to R): different times by the left and right Tasmanian masked owl nesting in a sandstone cave. Photo Michael Todd. Tasmanian masked owl nest in . Photo Helen Crawford. Lighter colour morph of the Tasmanian masked owl. Photo Michael Todd. The Running Postman • June 2016 June 2016 • The Running Postman 7 Facial disc showing ‘mask’. Photo Michael Todd. Australia’s extraordinary birds

Recently some excellent books distinguishing between the Brown some birds use “anting” to control have been published that provide Thornbill and the endemic parasites, either by sitting in a great insights into the behaviour, Tasmanian Thornbill, and the swarm of ants, or by actively ecology and evolution of birds. Scrubtit and Tasmanian Scrubwren? clasping an ant in the bill and Sarah explains how their different rubbing it over the feathers, First in your wish list should be foraging niches and feeding presumably because of the formic Sarah Lloyd’s new book, The Feathered Tribes of Van Diemen’s strategies can help to tell them acid or other repugnant fluids. apart. And at last, a hint on how to Apparently even cigarette butts Land. It is available at good book tell drab-plumaged Dusky Robins have been used in this way. shops for $30, or email Sarah from females of the other species at [email protected]. In other sections, the book provides – Dusky Robins are slightly larger Most of Tasmania’s approximately advice on finding and identifying and do not flick their wings when 104 terrestrial and shore birds birds, attracting birds to the garden they land. are dealt with, in chapters such as (don’t overdo the hybrid grevilleas, “Garden Birds”, “Bush Birds”, “Birds The book makes the links between which attract the aggressive large on Farms”, and “Birds of Sea and broad principles and particular honeyeaters at the expense of Shore”. This allows her to delve species. Because it is an island, smaller birds), threats and good into the patterns within groups, “Tasmania has only about a ecological practices to encourage as well as the contrasts between quarter of the bird species found birds. similar species. in equivalent areas in Victoria and With beautiful photographs and some familiar and widespread For example, her section on historical references, easy to read mainland species such as sitellas cuckoos reveals they are fascinating and illuminating, this is a book that and treecreepers are absent. birds. All four species breed by would make a great present for Nevertheless, Tasmania’s bird fauna slipping their own eggs into the anyone. is interesting because of the high nests of other bird species, with the percentage of endemic species Tim Low, with his book, Where cuckoo hatchling pushing other eggs and sub-species that have evolved Song Began, (RRP $32.99) takes or chicks out of the nest. While and adapted to fill the foraging Australia’s birds and tells how they this may seem deplorable, cuckoos niches left vacant because these changed the world, namely by the are important ecologically because birds don’t occur in Tasmania. For evolution here of songbirds, parrots they feed on the hairy caterpillars instance, the Scrubtit forages on and many pigeons which spread that most other birds avoid. Sarah bark in a similar way to sitellas and and evolved to make up more than explains how cuckoos are able to treecreepers”. half the world’s birds. This concept deal with the hairs and toxins of is so radical that it has taken the this unpleasant prey. There is a wealth of tit-bits scientific world some time to catch throughout, such as the way Who hasn’t had trouble on. “The birds in northern Europe

8 The Running Postman • June 2016 and northern North America, maintaining a readable, dynamic And thirdly, I’d recommend Stray where most ornithologists live, have style. He says “Australia’s birds Feathers - Reflections on the unusually narrow habits, limited break every ‘rule’, and in every Structure, Behaviour and Evolution by severe winters… Our sense of possible way. Male bowerbirds do of Birds, by Penny Olsen and Leo what the world’s birds are like was nothing to aid the young they sire, Joseph, if for nothing else but the skewed by these northern birds…. instead pouring all their energy into exquisite drawings. This book This distortion was so strong that boudoirs kept for sex. At the other delivers its learnings in bite-sized as recently as 1996 we can find extreme are large miner groups, chunks of one or two pages, each an article… depicting most of the where many males bring food to with an illustration. Whether you world’s birds as unusual”. one nest.” “Extreme behaviour in are interested in evolution or not, birds is more likely in Australia than you can learn about how little Here in Tasmania, we are all used anywhere else because its songbirds penguins “fly” through the water, to seeing yellow wattlebirds have been diversifying for so long… and how storm-petrels are “oil- attack and chase other birds, but “You can have a picnic … and what powered” as they concentrate food have you ever realized that this you are seeing is something like 50 into high-energy oil that takes up level of inter-specific aggression is million years of bird evolution from less volume and allows them to fly extremely unusual in the world? your picnic table”. long distances as they forage for Elsewhere, aggression tends to be their chicks. The wedge-tailed eagle limited to pairs of the same species Amongst the big concepts, there has a vice-like grip, said to be over defending territories. In Australia, are heaps of amazing stories about ten times more powerful than that the abundant sweet treats available our birds. Australia leads the world of the human hand, even though in our trees, of nectar, manna and in cooperative breeding, with birds the eagle only weighs three or four lerps, means that they are worth like choughs, wrens and babblers kilos, due to the ratchet mechanism defending vigorously against all staying with their parents for a of its tendons. There are stories comers. Our birds are also more while to help raise the next clutch of courtship, the anatomy of beaks likely to live in complex societies, of chicks in a communal effort. In and other body parts, birds that use lead long lives, and be intelligent fact, white-winged choughs even tools, cooperative behaviour (such and loud. Reading this book gives commandeer the help of non- as pelicans hunting together to you much to think about when next related choughs, and “come closer drive fish and trap them) and much you look at the goings-on between than any non-human (apart from more. birds in your neighbourhood. ants) to practicing slavery”. I’ll leave to you to get the book and read all In typical Tim Low fashion, this book about that. is packed with thought-provoking Anna Povey information, backed by notes and This is a book to re-read many comprehensive references, while times.

Photos (L to R): Dusky robin. Shining bronze-cuckoo with hairy caterpillar. The Running Postman • June 2016 June 2016 • The Running Postman 9 Photos: Sarah Lloyd Wasp management in Tasmania

Many people have been noticing eating wasp larvae, wasps have results with wasp control are being large numbers of introduced wasps almost no predators or parasites in achieved with small amounts of around Tasmania this autumn. The Australia. slower-acting fipronil insecticide dry spring may have contributed to within a meat bait in a bait station. Land for Wildlife member, Matt high numbers, as fewer nests would New Zealand is further down Rose, decided to tackle the wasps have been flooded. Colonies are the track of making available such around his forest property. He usually annual, but, with Australia’s targeted baits for conservation land diligently tracked wasps (once they milder winters, some colonies have fed, they fly in a straight line (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015- survive the winter intact, growing back to their nest, and can travel up 11-17/european-wasp-bait- even bigger in their second year. to 500m) and found 25 nests within effective-keeps-bees-safe/6946482) Some nests here may reach 100 500 metres of his house. times the size that they do in although a similar bait is now Europe. The biggest nest ever Matt says, “If you can trace the available here through Wine found was dug up at Karoola location of the nests, they are easily Tasmania (winetasmania.com.au/ near Launceston last year (www. controlled using an insecticide news/article/fipronil_wasp_bait_ abc.net.au/news/2015-04-02/ dust with an active ingredient of permit_approved_for_wine_ world-biggest-wasp-nest-found- Permethrin (Yates Ant and Roach tasmania). Dust is what I use, available from on-a-property-in-northern- **Important note: Agricultural most supermarkets). The treated tas/6367536). chemicals, including insecticides are meat baits used when you can’t European Wasps, Vespula germanica, not to be used for any purpose find the nests include the active in Australia were first recorded at or in any manner contrary to the ingredient Fipronil. Wines Tasmania Hobart in 1959 and more recently, label unless authorised. Before are the contact for Fipronil baits.” English Wasps,V. vulgaris, arrived in using a chemical, read and follow Tasmania about 1995. These two Natural alternatives are also instructions for use on the label. species are difficult to tell apart but possible, if you can find the For information on registered the former is more common and nest. Soapy water (e.g. 2 tbsp chemicals and current permits, widespread. dishwashing liquid in a litre of visit the Australian Pesticides and water) may kill the wasps, as it Veterinary Medicines Authority Remember that these introduced drowns them (but don’t attempt (APVMA) website pests should be distinguished from this till dark and BE VERY www.apvma.gov.au. the various Tasmanian native wasps, CAREFUL! – nest control is such as the Flower Wasp, Thynnus For further information, contact highly dangerous and may provoke zonatus, which is more slender and Anna Povey (0498 800 611). If wasps to attack. Multiple stings can a solitary species that does not you have a conservation covenant, be life threatening). bother us (though they will sting if please ring Anna before using handled). Trap stations with insecticides and insecticides in your reserve. meat bait, done well, can be very Conservation landholders are General information on European targeted and extremely effective, increasingly concerned about wasps is available on the DPIPWE as the wasps themselves take the European wasps’ impact on native web site http://dpipwe.tas.gov. insecticide back to the nest. It is invertebrates, as they attack and au/biosecurity/plant-biosecurity/ important to follow the instructions consume many of our native pests-and-diseases/european-and- and observe the trap carefully once invertebrates to the degree that english-wasps. it is set up to ensure that native they can greatly reduce abundance can’t access it. and diversity. Although there are records of echidnas sometimes It appears that the most positive Anna Povey

Photos (L to R): European wasp (Vespula germanica) on leaf. Native flower wasp (Thynnus zonatus) feeding on teatree. Photo Anna Povey. 10 The Running Postman • June 2016 Myrtle Rust Update

In February 2015 the Department tips. Other garden species that are beginning of 2017 when conditions of Primary Industries, Parks, Water infected in Victoria include willow warm up again. and Environment commenced an myrtle, lillypilly, Bottle brush, NZ Ongoing vigilance for symptoms eradication program to rid Tasmania Christmas bush, Chilean guava of myrtle rust will help with the of an incursion of the myrtle rust (Tazzieberry™), paperbarks. control of this disease. Particularly plant disease. This rust fungus has A concerted effort to eradicate if you have Lophomyrtus cultivars spread from central and southern myrtle rust continues in Tasmania, in your garden, regularly checking America to infect Myrtaceae in however disease outbreaks in these and other Myrtaceae for Australia (first detected in New gardens continue to be found, yellow rust spores on the last 4 South Wales in 2010) and recently reflecting the difficulty of controlling or 5 cm of soft new growth will Tasmania (first detected in 2015). a wind dispersed plant pathogen. In be of assistance. If symptoms are This rust is notable for its ability to 2016 Myrtle rust has been found observed please do not touch or infect and cause disease in a wide in the north of the state from disturb the plants and contact the range of Australia’s Myrtaceae, Wynyard in the West to Launceston myrtle rust hotline on: 6165 3785. though the risk to individual species in the East, however not all towns Yellow rust fungi can also be found varies widely and is greatest in the have recorded rust infections. on other plant families but these tropics and subtropics of Australia. Fortunately no evidence to date has are not myrtle rust. If in doubt Tasmania’s climate is predicted to been found of myrtle rust infecting it is good to check. For more be marginal for myrtle rust and Tasmania’s native plant species in information and updated alerts this has played out in only a single gardens, commercial forestry or for myrtle rust go to the DPIPWE taxa, cultivars of the New Zealand reserves. This is consistent with a Biosecurity website www.dpipwe. Lophomyrtus genus showing signs lack of observations of myrtle rust tas.gov.au/biosecurity/plant- of disease outside of the nursery causing disease in Victorian native biosecurity/pests-and-diseases/ environment. These include the vegetation. myrtle-rust common garden plants Black Stallion™, Red Dragon™ and It is expected detections of myrtle rust will dissipate as the cool Rainbows End™. Tim Rudman, conditions of winter suppress Symptoms of disease include bright DPIPWE Biosecurity emergence of disease symptoms. yellow powdery patches on the last Monitoring Section However, disease symptoms few centimetres of soft growing are likely to emerge again in the Photos (L to R): Lophomyrtus plant (variety ‘Black Stallion’) with typical Myrtle rust symptoms of yellow pustules. Photo DPIPWE. Spraying plants with a bonding agent to hold the The Running Postman • June 2016 June 2016 • The Running Postman 11 spores prior to removing plant. Conservation Landholders Selling Tasmania: next event property?

Conservation landholders are welcome to participate in the following event: If you have a conservation covenant Saturday 8 October 2016: Safe and Effective Use of Herbicides on Conservation over your property and are thinking Properties of selling, you should keep in mind that anyone involved in the sale CLT will hold a field day on the theme ofSafe and Effective Use of Herbicides on process (e.g. agents, lawyers) need to Conservation Properties. It will be held at Nabowla, near Scottsdale, in the north be informed of the covenant and its east. The principal presenter will be Sean Guinane of Integrated Catchment implications. Services who works both in Tasmania and Victoria. The morning will be spent Prospective buyers and new owners at the Nabowla Community Hall and in the afternoon we will visit ‘Dunbarton’, must also be informed of the a nearby conservation property owned by Peter and Lorraine Riggall. covenant on the property title so To join the CLT email contact list, email that they can factor this into their Robin Garnett [email protected] or decisions. John Thompson [email protected]. A covenant may appeal to particular Invitations are sent out to those on the list a month before each event. purchasers and should be promoted as a valuable aspect of the property. Stewardship Officers are happy to talk to prospective buyers regarding the natural values and how to manage them in accordance with your agreement. We often find that buyers of Land for Wildlife (LFW) properties are Private Land Conservation Program participants keen to enter the program so that as at June 2016 they can get involved in more active Number of covenants 807 98,582 hectares conservation management. Land for Wildlife members 917 57,192 hectares We therefore also ask LFW owners Gardens for Wildlife members 556 2,798 hectares who are selling to notify us so that we can make contact with the new Please note that some landowners are registered with more than one program and there is some overlap in the figures presented. owners and see if they would like to keep the property in the program.

Contacts Stewardship Anna Povey (North) 0498 800 611 Andrew Cameron (North) Post or email 0417 361 998 Just a reminder that if you would prefer to receive your copy of Oliver Strutt (South) 0407 352 479 The Running Postman by email please contact the PLCP on 6165 4409 Land For Wildlife or [email protected] Iona Mitchell 6165 4409 BL11066

Natural and Cultural Heritage Private Land Conservation Program 134 Macquarie Street Hobart GPO Box 44 Hobart TAS 7001 www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/plcp