Bush Heritage News

BUSH In this issue HERITAGE 3 Cosy at Kojonup 4 Around your reserves 6 Walking with fire 7 Bush Heritage supporter survey NEWS 8 From the CEO Spring 2012 · www.bushheritage.org.au And how your support The challenge of Yourka is helping overcome it Five years ago, Yourka Reserve was a three years as Bush Heritage reserve “We were struck by the spectacular yet rambling place, waiting managers on the rolling, sandplain heaths to be discovered. In 2012, reserve of your Eurardy Reserve, Western Australia. diversity of vegetation, managers Paul and Leanne Hales look “At first Yourka felt a little claustrophobic,” the lush landscape and the back on how far the reserve has come, says Leanne, who has since walked closeness of our surroundings.” as they face its biggest challenge yet. the hillsides and creeklines of Yourka In October 2008, Paul and Leanne Hales Reserve countless times, in her role paid a visit to a rugged property in Central as co-reserve manager with husband Queensland, with flowing creeks and Paul. “We were struck by the diversity billabongs, where the landscape was of vegetation, the lush landscape and rugged and lush. The place was Yourka the closeness of our surroundings. Reserve, which Bush Heritage supporters At Eurardy, we’d become used to being had helped to buy in 2007. It was a stark taller than the surrounding vegetation. Above: White gums at Bush Heritage’s contrast to the home that Paul and We were used to seeing a long way Yourka Reserve, QLD Leanne had shared for the previous when we looked out to the horizon.” Photograph by Wayne Lawler / Ecopix The early days When Paul flew over Yourka two weeks later, “it was carnage. Trees were down When Yourka was purchased it was a and infrastructure was damaged, although beautiful and bountiful place. But as thankfully not a lot. The roads stood up experienced land managers, Paul and well, but trees had fallen across them. Leanne could see the work ahead The neighbours accessed their property of them. Unlike at Eurardy, where by boat for a month afterwards, and we conservation techniques were shaped had to travel by quad bike, with a chainsaw, around the scarcity of water, Yourka’s clearing the fallen trees as we went.” forested hillsides and rocky outcrops presented a different challenge. Generous donations from Bush Heritage supporters together with funds from the “Bush Heritage bought the place just Queensland Flood Relief program enabled as two really big wet seasons took hold the Hales to get Yourka back on track. – there was water everywhere,” says Paul. “Each year we’re better placed to deal with “The roads and tracks were overgrown the weather that is thrown at us,” says and you could hide a four-wheel-drive in “Siam weed may well be Paul. “It means that we can start to face some of the washouts they were so deep. the greatest threat faced by up to other challenges.” It took an hour-and-a-half to travel 16km any Bush Heritage reserve.” to the main shed.” Siam weed, the next big challenge In 2012, thanks in large part to the Of all the challenges the Hales face at Yourka Reserve was acquired in 2007 with the ongoing help of supporters like you, Yourka, one is most pressing. Once the assistance of Ian and Nan Landon-Smith, the a journey across Yourka is a different summer wet season arrives, bringing Australian Government under the Maintaining story. The main shed takes just fifteen rains that replenish the landscape and Australia’s Biodiversity Hotspots Programme, The Nature Conservancy and The Nature minutes to drive to, with high-quality set the vegetation on its yearly growth Conservancy’s David Thomas Challenge. roads serviced regularly. spurt, the green of the kangaroo grasses Yourka Reserve Siam weed: Extermination in “We started to build quality roads,” and ironbark trees will be swallowed up by the choking, twisting green of siam weed. critical and containable sub-catchment is supported says Paul. “That’s so important – through funding from the Australian Government’s because without access you can’t As one of our ecologists said recently, Clean Energy Future Biodiversity Fund. “Siam weed may well be the greatest threat have land management,” he says. Top: Volunteer Wayne Lewis on the hunt for siam “And without land management, you faced by any Bush Heritage reserve.” And weed among lantana at Yourka Reserve, QLD can’t have conservation – it’s essential this means that Paul and Leanne have Photograph by Kim Ely for weed control, fire management and some hard work ahead of them. Even with Right: Cameron Creek Bend, Yourka Reserve, QLD the improved roads, Leanne and Paul species monitoring.” Photograph by Wayne Lawler / Ecopix A landscape of storms must walk every kilometre of creek line, getting down on their hands and knees, One thing that hasn’t changed is the and crawling through infested areas. Help Paul and Leanne weather. Cyclones and storms regularly “It’s incredibly hard yakka, but in a way,” bring torrents of water that break the Please support Paul and Leanne in says Leanne, “it’s the most exciting thing banks of the magnificent Herbert River their struggle to rid Yourka Reserve we could achieve at Yourka – to control creek system. In the summer of 2011, of siam weed. Your donation will this weed. There is a lot to be done, but after successive flooding rains, Yourka make a very real difference: the importance of the work makes us all Reserve was in the eye of Cyclone Yasi. www.bushheritage.org.au/donate the more determined.” 2 Bush Heritage News | Spring 2012 Left: Ecologist Angela Sanders with a red-tailed phascogale Right: Your support helps to maintain healthy wandoo woodland, appealing habitat for phascogales. Photographs by Geoff Corrick It was the first time Geoff had worked How your support is Cosy at with animals, and he relished the chance. helping phascogales He applied the skills he’d used monitoring s-ONITORINGANDMAINTAINING vegetation and soils on other Bush the health of wandoo woodland, Kojonup Heritage reserves, to the phascogale appealing phascogale habitat monitoring. “I’m keen to just help to preserve what we have – and I wanted s"AITINGPREVENTSRABBITSFROMEATING to take the opportunity to get out into sheoak seedlings, which attract insects You helped a group of tiny nocturnal the bush and learn,” says Geoff. and other food sources for phascogales marsupials find a new home on Kojonup Geoff and Angela laid out traps, enticing s#ONTROLLINGFERALPREDATORS SUCHAS Reserve in March 2010. Two years on, foxes and cats we report on the phascogales’ progress. the phascogales with five-star treatment – winding the traps in gladwrap in case of Thank you By Fiona Rutkay rain, leaving bait of peanut butter and Thanks to your generous response to Once widespread throughout Western oats, and a ball of alpaca wool for warmth. our recent feral animal campaign, vital Australia, the red-tailed phascogale is They monitored the traps and checked feral control work is underway to protect now an endangered species, restricted the artificial nesting boxes for droppings animals like the phascogale at Kojonup to a small area in the state’s southwest. and sleeping phascogales. Geoff took and the critically endangered red-finned Bush Heritage partnered with the the chance to study the endangered blue-eye at Edgbaston Reserve, WA Department of Environment and creatures up close. “They’ve got Queensland. Thank you! Conservation in 2010 to give these beautiful little feet. You can see right small, vulnerable, marsupials a new through the skin – the feet look like home. The Department chose your they’re all tendons.” In memory Kojonup Reserve as the new home for “The phascogales seem to have taken -ANYFRIENDSDONATEDINMEMORYOF 30 of these tiny, pouchless creatures, well to their new environment,” says Peter Human, a generous supporter largely because your ongoing support of ecologist Angela Sanders. “This is a of the Australian bush and father of feral animal control gives them a chance long-term project though, so it will be a $OUG(UMANN-ARGARET!LLENDONATED to breed and a better chance at survival. while before we can know for sure that in memory of Sylvia Keech, “a keen Two years later Bush Heritage ecologist they will survive. Control of feral animals conservationist of 98 years”. Rosemary Angela Sanders and volunteer Geoff is a key part of helping to protect the Boeren donated in memory of her Corrick headed out for their annual phascogales. Just one or two foxes husband Steve. population monitoring survey. can threaten the entire population.” In celebration During the five days of their survey, Angela will return for at least three Friends and family donated in Angela and Geoff recorded eight annual surveys to determine whether celebration of Joy Fletcher’s 60th phascogales in the she-oak woodlands the translocation has been a success. birthday. Susan Robertson made a where the phascogales were released, Thanks to you, the phascogales are donation in celebration of J Hodges’ seven of which had not been captured safer in their homes at Kojonup. 80th birthday. before. One phascogale was found in “Given that we’ve done such a lot of Bequests nearby wandoo woodland – appealing damage to our native species,” says Bush Heritage gratefully habitat for a phascogale, with hollows Geoff, “it’s about trying to preserve acknowledges the generosity of that are ideal for nesting and a plentiful what’s left.” supply of insects for food. The Estate of Jocelyn Van Haren. Bush Heritage News | Spring 2012 3 Around your reserves in 90 days Your support makes a difference in so many ways.

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