Visit www.perthseasternregion.com.au February/March 2020 Upcoming Dates: Wetland restoration project at Broz Park Clean Up Australia Day— By the Shire of Mundaring March 1 2020 World Water Day— March 22 2020 Earth Hour—March 28 2020 Quick Contacts: City of Kalamunda (08) 9257 9999 Shire of Mundaring (08) 9290 6666 City of Swan (08) 9267 9267 EMRC (08) 9424 2222 Broz Park wetland Let us know if you would like to Photo: Shire of Mundaring receive this newsletter via Late November last year the Shire of Mundaring was successful in our application for fund- email—it’s another way you can ing from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program to the value of $26,248 help the environment! over two years for the restoration of the lake at Broz Park, Helena Valley. To register, email the EMRC at Over the last couple of years, it was recognised that reduced rainfall, an increase in the population of water bird species, the feeding of these birds and a large number of feral [email protected] fish, predominately European carp, were all contributing to the poor water quality and with :“Subscribe to Greenpage” occurrence of algal blooms in the lake during the summer months. in the subject heading and your email contact details. For With the newly acquired grant funding and contributions from the Shire of Mundaring, it is further information, please our intention in the first year to undertake the removal of the feral fish, revegetate the water’s edge with 1,200 native sedges and undertake education programs regarding the contact Natasha Jones at the harm that feeding native wildlife can have on the birds and the water they live in. This will EMRC on (08) 9424 2216. also touch on the use of fertilisers in water catchment areas as well as the impacts of intro- ducing non-native fish into waterways. The Greenpage newsletter is compiled by the EMRC using In the second year, there will be another round of feral fish removal, along with the instal- multiple resources and authors. lation of an aeration system to help oxygenate the water, educational signage and follow up revegetation around the waters edge. This will greatly improve habitat for birds, frogs The views and opinions and other species while also aiding in the removal of unwanted nutrient from the water expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the EMRC or If you would like to help restore this lake at Broz Park and participate in any of the educa- the project sponsors. tion or planting programs, keep an eye on the Shire of Mundaring’s Facebook page for de- tails and dates of these events. Site in Focus: Collaboration brings benefits to City of Swan Waterway By the EMRC The Friends of Wangalla Brook is a young community group formed from teachers, students and parents connected with the Clayton View Primary School in Koongamia. The friends have started to remove weeds including Watsonia and conduct understo- rey planting through the degraded creek- line. The group will now receive additional support via the Eastern Regional Catch- ment Management Program (ERCMP). Through this collaboration between the EMRC and City of Swan, two grants have been awarded to the group; one through the Federal Community Environment Pro- gram (CEP) and another through DBCA Community Rivercare. The cash value of the grants is $27,872 with in-kind contribu- tions from volunteers, the City of Swan and Flannel flower (Actinotus leucocephalus) in the the EMRC totalling $40,438. recovering bushland (Dec 2019) These vital funds will allow the group to Photo: EMRC engage specialist weed contractors and purchase 3000 more native plants. The group will receive project support from the EMRC while it builds on its member base and the City of Swan is contributing specialised weed control from its Aboriginal Landcare Trainee Team along with additional plants. The EMRC will be running a series of environmental themed work- shops with school students to develop skills in the local youth. The Wangalla Brook is rich in Whadjuk Noongar history and the grants will facilitate com- munity events which will bring Aboriginal Elders on to country to share their tradi- tional knowledge. Flora and fauna walks will be conducted Wangalla Brook to educate the community on the natural values of the bushland adjoining to the creek. There will also Photo: EMRC be a nest box building workshop at the school where students will learn how to create habitat for birds. Through these activities we will build community participa- tion and equip locals with the knowledge they need to continue caring for the Wangalla Brook, preserving it for future generations. Join the war against European Wasps! By the EMRC The hunt is on again for European Wasps (Vespula germanica), a declared pest which is considered one of the worst wasps in the world and is impacting Perth’s Eastern Region. This highly aggressive introduced species, originating from Europe and North Africa, is harmful to people and threatens our natural ecosystems and horticultural and agricultural industries. European wasps are opportunistic predators and scavengers and will feed on human and pet food, posing a public safety risk. This characteristic is a feature of European Wasps and is not observed in other native wasp species. They also predate on vulnerable animals and other live insects, including bees, which decreases biodiversity and disturbs pollination. This has a flow-on effect, impacting on the agricultural industry and home gardeners alike. Summer is the best time to locate the nests of European Wasps as they leave their nests to scavenge for food. 90% of European Wasp nests are hidden underground, with wasps fly- A European Wasp ing in and out of a single hole. This is a distinctive characteristic of this wasp species. Other Photo: Department of Primary distinguishable characteristics include their black feelers/antennae, as opposed to the simi- Industries and Regional Develop- lar looking Paper Wasp which has orange/yellow antennae. European Wasps also fly with ment's Agriculture and Food Division their legs raised unlike other wasps which dangle their legs. For more information on how to identify this pest species, follow this link: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/european-wasp/ european-wasp-identification-guide. Unfortunately, a number of European Wasp nests have been found across the Cities of Kalamunda and Swan and the Shire of Mundaring. If you suspect you have seen European Wasps in your area, please contact the Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS) on 08 9368 3080 or [email protected]. Alternatively, you can create a report online via MyPestGuide at https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pests-weeds-diseases/mypestguide. You can also volunteer to participate in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) ‘Adopt-a-trap’ program, where you can adopt a surveillance trap and monitor it during the European Wasp season (December to May). If you would like more information about this program, please follow this link: https:// www.agric.wa.gov.au/european-wasp/european-wasp-adopt-trap-initiative. Let’s work together to help eradicate European Wasps from Western Australia. Comparing European Wasps with other native wasps and insects. Photo: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's Agriculture and Food Division Is Lake Leschenaultia a healthy lake? By the EMRC On a cool summer’s morning in January families met at Lake Leschenaultia to take water samples and assess the health of the lake. Recording pH and salinity levels and discovering what is lurking beneath the water’s surface is an effective way to do this. Activities at Lake Leschenaultia The cool morning didn’t stop eager chil- Photo: EMRC dren and adults wading through the water to collect water samples and find aquatic animals which were identified using identification charts and Iscopes. They found fresh water snails; leeches; water boatmen; damselfly larvae; caddis fly larvae and dragon- fly larvae and of course lots of shrimp and gambusia fish (Mosquito fish, which is a pest species found in most water bodies in Australia). Participants tested pH and salinity using a water meter and then compared the pH using common pool or fish tank pH strips, which proved to be very accurate. The value of captivating a group of people and introducing them to an aquatic ecosystem cannot be underestimated. This activity was an opportunity to discuss the impact people have on local catchments and consequently the health of the Swan River. Lake Leschenaul- tia belongs to the Wooroloo Brook catchment which is made up of many tributaries that run into the Wooroloo Brook, which then flows into the Swan River at the confluence of the Avon and Swan River. Human activities such as feeding water birds can have a nega- tive effect on the health of the native animals plus increase the nutrient levels in the wa- ter. This increases soil bacteria which can lead to avian botulism, which commonly results in paralysis in the birds. Other activities such as littering, erosion from vehicles and the spread of weeds all decrease the quality of the water, which directly effects native plants and animals using it for survival. Lake Leschenaultia supports the lives of many native animals, i.e. frogs, water birds, rep- tiles and mammals and of course the macro-invertebrates. Based on these observations it appears that the lake is healthy! Environmental Sustainability in the Hills By the EMRC All of the Boya posters Photo: EMRC In March 2020 the Mundaring in Transition organisation will host the Blue Sky Festival sup- ported by the Shire of Mundaring and the EMRC.