88 Addison Ave, Athelstone 5067 Number 118 April May June 2008

In this Edition: Are you enjoying our ‘new look’ newsletter? Committee. The laser printer that is used to print it was The mysterious blue flowering . purchased from funds donated by January in Black Hill Conservation Park Woolworths Athelstone. Campbelltown Proud Day The Lake Senior Ranger – Volunteer Support Signs around Campbelltown Council OH&S and more! Diary Dates

Committee The Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. has a strong committee dedicated to supporting the work of the Friends. We invite you to join us at our business meetings, on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm, 88 Addison Ave, Athelstone. There are opportunities to contribute to the group by serving on the committee.

The mysterious blue . I was delighted to have a couple of contacts from Friends members about the blue flowering plant seen in Black Hill Conservation Park around the Christmas-New Year period.

This plant is one of the listed native that grow in the Parks, and is very conspicuous when the bright blue flowers are displayed in all their splendour. You will find a photo of them on our website. However, the plants only grow up to about 30cm high, frequently less, and the flowers only 10 to 15mm long at the largest point. These tiny plants flower in summer, and are known as the False Orchid or the Tall Lobelia (Lobelia gibbosa).

Australia has about 20 indigenous species of Lobelia. Only 3 of these species grow in the Adelaide Region. Lobelia gibbosa, like many of our Australian plants, depend on mycorrhiza in the soil. Mycorrhiza are organisms that live in a beneficial relationship between the roots of the plant that enable the plant to draw nutrients from the surrounding soil that it would not otherwise be able to do. Many of our native plants have these special relationships with the environment. Apart from the protected status of plants in our parks, this is another reason to ensure plants are left undisturbed. Any attempts to move the plants to another location will surely result in them dying. The Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants says this Lobelia has never been successfully grown in cultivation.

I encourage you to think about the special relationships our native plants have with their surrounding environment, and how important it is to protect our remnant vegetation from further destruction and invasion by species that could upset the balance.

You are always welcome to contact me about the Parks by email or phone, or to catch up at one of our committee meetings or working bees.

John Fleming - President January in Black Hill Conservation Park I wasn’t expecting too much when I went for a walk in the Park on 21 January 2008. We have once again had a very dry year. But I needed to check the work being done on the Erica sp on the ridge in the Ambers Gully project site.

The first thing I noticed was the work the Department and Environment and Heritage had been doing following the floods a couple of years ago. We have had to wait a long time for the work to be completed, but by looking at the results, I am sure you will agree that the planning and hard work that has gone into the restorative works has been worth the wait.

The fire tracks have been significantly upgraded, Ghost Tree Gully track, previously with a much better surface. Passing points have washed away by landslip been included at strategic locations to ensure the safety of workers in the Park. Points at which the fire track crosses the creek have been restored too, and the area where the landslip occurred has been the subject of very special treatment. The Black Hill Ridge Track has been reinforced with a wall of stone in cages. Below the slip, the track has been reconstructed using a lot of stone secured in mesh, to ensure adequate drainage is maintained, and water can move through without washing the track away.

For the first time, I saw a possum in the park. With all my walking in the park, I have come across many plants, and animals, but have never New surface on the Sugar Loaves Track seen a possum, although we have had them at home. This one was in some she-oaks (Allocasuarina verticillata). It kept a close eye on me as I took some photos, while being careful not to disturb it.

Where the earth works had occurred, the pioneering plants had moved in. A nice display of the Adelaide Hills Daisy (Ixodea achillaeodes) greeted me.

A little further up the path was a great example of plants that can easily be confused.

These too are pioneering plants – the kind that are first to populate areas of disturbance. It seems that the disturbance of soil causes the waiting seed to germinate. The two plants I was looking at side by side were also in the Compositae family, just like the Ixodia. You might be able to guess, that Compositae refers to the composite flowers Possum watches from a she-oak as I pass by. members of the daisy family have.

Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. Number 118 April May June 2008 Page 2 The Compositae family is referred to as the family in some reference material. This is a very large family with over 13,000 species divided into around 900 genera. Australia alone has about 800 species in 100 genera. The two that were growing next to each other were the pale groundsel (Senecio hypoleucus) and the African Daisy (Senecio pterophorus). While both of these are in the Senecio, one is a native to Australia and belongs in the park, and the other a native to South Africa, and does not belong in a Conservation Park in the Adelaide Hills. The plants look so similar; the native plant could in some situations be mistaken for the weed. Seeing the plants growing side by side gave a great example of how careful attention needs to be paid when undertaking weed control work.

When I reached the Erica site, I saw another example of plants that could be mistaken for one another. The Erica looks a bit like the Twiggy daisy bush (Olearia ramulosa). The plants can be about the same size and have similar sized leaves. The Erica is a brighter green colour that the Twiggy daisy bush, while the flowers and seed capsules are also quite different. Another example of the care that needs to be taken when doing bush-care work.

I was visiting the Erica site to look at the progress of weed control. You may not have realised that Erica is a weed which occurs in parts of the Park. There is a significant population at the top of the ridge at the edge of the Ambers Gully project site. For several years, the Friends have been tackling the Erica using both volunteer labour and grant money to employ contractors who are skilled at weed control. The Erica is a tenacious plant and takes some time to succumb to the poison sprayed on it. We are making progress, and look forward to significant control of The introduced plant is on the left, the this pest plant with the work in this location. I native species on the right suspect we will have many years of follow up work to control the germination of seed already dropped by mature plants. We are never short of things to do in the Parks!

Near the Erica site, there are some large stands of Acacia, Hakea and Banksia. Noises in the stand of Hakea carinata caught my attention. These plants are particularly large at this site. With camera in hand I carefully positioned myself to see what the noises were. But before I realised what I was looking at, a pair of Yellow-tailed black cockatoos shrieked a warning, and flew off, out of sight. I was upset that I had disturbed them, but noted that they seemed to be enjoying eating the Hakea seeds. What strong beaks they must have to open those woody shells.

I do need to report on an unintended consequence of the earthworks. Caltrop has been found growing near the Tetragona Trail. So keep an eye out for this unwelcome interloper, and let the Friends know if you see it in the Parks.

Work in Morialta Conservation Park is progressing, and although there has been some disruption to Park users, we understand things are pretty much on target. Disruptions have included delays in the manufacture of the bridges, and a break down of the water truck, which has been used to reduce the dust nuisance.

John Fleming – President

Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. Number 118 April May June 2008 Page 3 Campbelltown Proud Day. Once again, the Friends were well represented at the Campbelltown Proud Day. The weather was very hot, already 34 degrees at 10:00am and hovered around 39 degrees from 1:00pm, fortunately, a light breeze made the conditions bearable. While the crowd was nowhere near as large as last year, interest from the public was quite good, with most people visiting our stand engaging in good conversation. We also met and spoke with local members, Lindsay Simmons, Grace Portolesi, the Mayor, Simon Brewer, and several councillors. There is nothing to report on the land acquisition at Morialta at this stage: the negotiations are continuing, and the details remain confidential at this stage.

The theme for our display this year was garden escapees: garden plants which have the potential to become bushland weeds. We were very pleased to have a generous supply of literature to display and hand out, thanks to the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management. Do have a look at their website http://www.weeds.crc.org.au/index_noflash.html if you get the chance, there is much good information on it. Of particular interest is their publications section, look under the link for “Weed management Guides” and “Factsheets and Guidelines”. While it is a National site there is published information which is specific to South Australia.

Track Maps for sale Black Hill, Morialta and Horsnell Gully Conservation Parks $5.00 each plus postage. When you are planning your next walk in one of the parks, give some thought about taking the perfect silent walking companion.

A Track map makes a great birthday present for the person who has everything!

All sales support the Friends Group working in the parks for you and our natural environment. Ring 8337 9449 or write to the Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. 88 Addison Ave Athelstone 5076

Committee Contacts President John Fleming Ph: 8336 5275 [email protected] Vice President Vacant Secretary Colin Sparrow Ph: 8337 9449 [email protected]

Should you need to report a matter of concern. Please contact the numbers below for National Parks and Wildlife SA assistance: Weekdays: Ph: 8336 0901 Weekends Duty Ranger Contact: Reporting Mountain Bike Riders, rubbish dumping or other matters: Ph. 1300 650 411 - Leave a message for pager number 465 281

Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. Number 118 April May June 2008 Page 4 The Lake –a contribution from a member. I take a different track and come upon what was once a small pond. It is filled with crisp brown reeds and nearby there are some rather derelict picnic tables. I notice a couple of long-faded signs showing a diagrammatic swimmer struck through with a now almost invisible line: “No swimming!” It suddenly dawns on me: this must be the lake! Several neighbours asked if I’d been to the lake when I mentioned that I go walking in our local Blackhill Conservation Park. The word conjured a European image in my mind’s eye of an expanse of deep blue water sparkling in sunlight that I found very hard to reconcile with what I know of the bush of Blackhill that I’ve been visiting and enjoying for many years. Of course to born and bred South Australians any geographical feature capable of holding water might be described as a lake, no matter how devoid of moisture. This pond-shaped hollow may well fill with water for weeks on end in the wettest of wet winters, or even after heavy downpours, when we’re not in the middle of the worst drought on record, a one in a thousand year drought as it has been called, this blisteringly dry summer.

Claire Bockner

Please contact me if you have an item for the Newsletter – John Fleming, President.

Introducing our Senior Ranger – Volunteer Support, Carol Schmidt So..what’s a ‘Senior Ranger -Volunteer Support? • a brand new species of ranger for DEH!.. that started at the end of March 2007. • There are two such species in existence: Carol Schmidt working across the Northern Lofty District and based at Black Hill Conservation Park, and Nalini Klopp working across the Southern Lofty District and based at Cleland Conservation Park. There are also plans for one or two possible others elsewhere in the State. • The fact that these new positions have been established reflect the Department’s acknowledgment of the importance of its volunteers and the need to provide further support for them. The positions are also part of progressing a document called Success Through Partnership, DEH's volunteer engagement strategy. • We are rangers – therefore we do some of the usual ranger duties in park management, fire response, emergency response, and contributing to District operations. • Our focus, however, is District-wide volunteer support: - improving general support and guidance to existing volunteer groups, as well as to liaison staff - coordinating volunteer activities across the District - expanding volunteer opportunities including looking at new activities and volunteering approaches.

What was Carol doing before she became a Volunteer Support Ranger? I grew up in the Barossa Valley and am something like a seventh generation Barossa girl. I did my initial studies in Geography at Adelaide Uni, but then took off and hung out in beautiful places interstate. These places included the Atherton Tablelands in north Qld (where I worked on projects involving tree-kangaroos, endangered frogs, cassowaries and platypuses with Parks and Wildlife, a mammal group and a catchment group); Tasmania (where I worked as an Interpretation Ranger at Cradle Mountain and a Green Corps supervisor in the Southern Forests) and Brisbane (where I worked in community engagement/education at Brisbane City Council’s Environment Centres). I have also studied and worked in theatre and I have been a volunteer myself with lots of environmental and arts groups. Now I’m bringing my experience back ‘home’ and am grateful to be close to my wonderful family who are still in the Barossa, whilst working in a position that combines two of my big passions in life: conservation and connection with people.

Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. Number 118 April May June 2008 Page 5 Signs around the council Have you noticed the recent addition of a number of interpretive signs around the Campbelltown Council area? Some of our local parks have had additional signage that highlights some of the local species of plants and animals, that may be found in them. The Friends of Black Hill and Morialta have been able to supply some images in our archives for inclusion in the signs. The source of these images has been generously acknowledged by the council on the signs.

2008 Australian Plant Society Autumn Plant Sale Look out for the Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. display at the Australian Plants Society Autumn plant sale at the Wayville Showgrounds. We will have a modest display at the sale on the 3rd and 4th of May 2008.

Occupational Health and Safety. Committee Member Ann Taylor attended a workshop run by Conservation Volunteers in March 2008.

The workshop covered a number of issues including: • Recognising Hazards • Risk Assessment • Volunteer Registration and Induction • Role of the Volunteer Safety Coordinator • Record Keeping • Reporting

The committee will consider the material from the workshop, and whether the Friends need to change the current Occupational Health and Safety procedures we currently have in place.

Training Opportunities Many Friends Groups members attended workshops in 2006 and 2007. These workshops, conducted by Trees For Life on behalf of Friends of Parks Inc, included the Introductory Bush For Life Workshops, Advanced Bush For Life Workshops, as well as Plant and Grass ID.

Funding for these courses was via an Envirofund Grant, obtained by Friends of Parks Inc in 2006, and the training organised by the Secretariat (Volunteer Support Unit) on behalf of Friends of Parks Inc.

The Volunteer Support Unit has recently met with Trees For Life, to discuss further training opportunities. It was agreed that the best way to have more Friends of Parks members trained, was for them to enrol in general Trees For Life workshops, rather than organising specific sessions for Friends members (and having to cancel/defer if we do not get the numbers).

Introductory Bush For Life Workshops. The one day workshop covers topics such as the values of and threats to remnant native vegetation, strategic approaches to bush

Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. Number 118 April May June 2008 Page 6 restoration, maximising biodiversity outcomes, and practical minimal disturbance techniques.

A limited number of places are available for Friends of Parks Inc volunteers in the following Introductory Bush For Life Workshops. The course is free to the participant, as Friends of Parks Inc will be paying for each Friends member to attend. All bookings must be made through the Secretariat, via your Friends Group President or Secretary. Date Location

Thurs 3rd April Goolwa Wed 16th April Belair Sat 3rd May Gawler Thurs 15th May Clare Sat 24th May Mount Barker Tues 3rd June Brooklyn Park Wed 18th June Playford Sat 21st June Burnside Thur 26th June Murray Bridge Wed 2nd July Aldinga / Seaford Sat 12th July Mitcham Thurs 17th July Strathalbyn Sat 26th July Tea Tree Gully Tues 5th Aug Coromandel Valley Sat 16th Aug Belair Sat 27th Sept Victor Harbor Tues 14th Oct Mt Barker

For more information on what these workshops cover and whether they might be suitable for you, please see details on the Trees For Life website: www.treesforlife.org.au or call the Trees For Life office on 8406 0500.

Remember, bookings are made through myself or Colin Sparrow, our Secretary. Colin can be contacted by email [email protected] phone: 83367 9449.

News from the Weed Management Society of South Australia.

A recent newsletter indicates the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management will close in June 2008. Remember the Weeds CRC supplied use with a range of material for the Campbelltown Proud Day.

I am seeking more information about this, as it is important that the material generated by the Weeds CRC is not lost and continues to be available and accessible to the community.

Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. Number 118 April May June 2008 Page 7 Diary Dates!

Please note: Working bee dates may change due to weather conditions and other factors. Please wear suitable clothing, a hat and sunscreen, all tools provided. Remember to check our website for changes to the schedule!

Wildflower Garden Ambers Gully Sunday 6 April 2008, 9:00 am Sunday 25 May 2008, 9:00 am Black Hill Conservation Park Black Hill Conservation Park Meet at the building at 88 Addison Avenue Meet in the lower carpark off Gorge Road. Athelstone. Horsnell Gully ARPA project Montacute Valley Saturday 31 May 2008, 2:00pm Monday 7 April 2008, 8:30 am Horsnell Gully Conservation Park Black Hill Conservation Park Weed maintenance on Nature Track Meet off Montacute Road Meet in the main car park at Horsnell Gully. – Contact Dennis on 8337 6060 to confirm. Horsnell Gully Saturday 19 April 2008, 2:00pm Committee Meetings Horsnell Gully Conservation Park Weed maintenance on Nature Track Tuesday 7:30pm Meet in the main car park at Horsnell Gully. - Black Hill Conservation Park Contact Dennis on 8337 6060 to confirm. 88 Addison Ave, Athelstone. • 15 April 2008 Wildflower Garden • 20 May 2008 Sunday 20 April 2008, 9:00 am Black Hill Conservation Park • 17 June 2008 Meet at the building at 88 Addison Avenue Athelstone. Wildflower Garden Pylon Track Project Sunday 1 June 2008, 9.00 am Sunday 27 April 2008, 9:00am Black Hill Conservation Park Morialta Conservation Park Meet at the building at 88 Addison Avenue Weed control Athelstone. Meet at Moores Road ARPA project Montacute Valley Wildflower Garden Monday 2 June 2008, 8:30 am Sunday 4 May 2008, 9:00 am Black Hill Conservation Park Black Hill Conservation Park Meet off Montacute Road Meet at the building at 88 Addison Avenue Athelstone. Wildflower Garden Sunday 15 June 2008, 9:00 am ARPA project Montacute Valley Black Hill Conservation Park Monday 5 May 2008, 8:30 am Meet at the building at 88 Addison Avenue Black Hill Conservation Park Athelstone. Meet off Montacute Road Horsnell Gully Wildflower Garden Saturday 21 June 2008, 2:00pm Sunday 18 May 2008, 9:00 am Horsnell Gully Conservation Park Black Hill Conservation Park Weed Control Meet at the building at 88 Addison Avenue Contact Dennis on 8337 6060 to confirm. Athelstone. Olive Hill Sunday 29 June 2008, 9:00 am Morialta Conservation Park Meet near the Stradbroke Road entranct.

Remember to visit our website: WWW.fobhm.org Next time you log onto the ‘net, why not drop in for a look at our website. You will find the most up to date information about our working bees.

Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc. Number 118 April May June 2008 Page 8