Volume 52 Number 3 Septe VolumeVolume 5353 NumberNumber 11 March March 2016 National Parks Association of the Australian Capital Territory Inc. Examining tree Leaf litter and Arctic wildlife scars little critters watching NPA Bulletin Volume 53 number 1 March 2016 Articles by contributors may not necessarily reflect association opinion or objectives. CONTENTS NPA Outings Program, March – June 2016 .....................13–16 From the Editor’s desk.............................................................2 Compiled by Mike Smith Kevin McCue Bushwalks From the Committee ................................................................3 Goorooyarroo and Mulligans Flat nature reserves .........17 Rod Griffiths and Christine Goonrey Brian Slee Single conservation agency......................................................5 Gungahlin’s ponds ..........................................................17 April Suen’s bettong study.......................................................6 Brian Slee Ed Highley Two national parks in north-west Argentina ..........................18 Protecting wildlife by containing cats......................................6 Rupert Barnett Larry O’Loughlin News of the Glenburn Precinct, Kowen.................................19 Looking at leaf litter.................................................................7 Col McAlister Ted Edwards Polar Bears and Belugas – close up and personal..................20 Citizen Science observations Esther Gallant About scarred trees ...........................................................8 Book review. Bilby’s Ring – The Trilogy ...........................21 Rupert Barnett by Kaye Kessing Esther Gallant The Bush in our backyard.................................................9 Kevin McCue Cut back on costs and the weeds sing ....................................22 Judy Kelly Half of Oz – a trip to Western Australia.................................10 Rupert Barnett PARKWATCH ..........................................................................23 Compiled by Hazel Rath Whose country? .....................................................................12 Gerry Jacobson NPA notices.............................................................................26 NPA ACT Christmas Party 2015, Orroral Valley...................12 Meetings and speaker information..........................................27 Photo montage NPA information and contacts ................................................27 From the Editor’s desk Welcome to the first Bulletin of 2016 Barnett (hope you recover soon) has three Philip Gatenby brought to you by the Bulletin working articles: a thoughtful one on tree scars, a will edit the group. This issue involved joint editor romp through half of the continent and a June edition of Sonja Lenz, subeditor Ed Highley and visit to national parks in Argentina. Gerry the Bulletin, layout designer Adrienne Nicholson. You Jacobson, rapidly becoming our in-house Judy Kelly the might notice a few changes; we are poet, confronts us with his contribution September edition; trialling the inclusion of the out- while Esther Gallant bravely brings us up- spot the differences ings program in the Bulletin close and uncomfortable with Polar Bears and contribute an article, proper. It is still green and in a national park far away. Thank poem, sketch or photo. If you would like can be removed from the heavens we have Brian Slee to bring us the chance to edit the December middle of the Bulletin and back to the ACT with a couple of his Bulletin, please contact one of us. stuck on your fridge as before. classic walk reports. You should read Kevin McCue, Editor The lack of a president has what the other Australian NPAs are doing allowed us to push the busi- by browsing Hazel’s choice of articles ness of the committee to the from their magazines in our PARKWATCH. top listing. There are stunning photographs by In this issue ACT lepidop- Max, Rupert and Esther and much more. terist Ted Edwards muses Be educated, amused, tantalised and most about leaf litter, or is it just of all inspired to contribute yourself; if I bushfire fuel? Rupert can, you can. Contributions for the NPA Bulletin Contributions of articles, letters, poems, drawings and photographs are always welcome. If possible keep contributions to no more than 1,000 words. Items accepted for publication will be subject to editing and Deadline for the June 2016 issue: 30 April 2016. may also be published on the NPA website. Send all items to the Bulletin Team, email [email protected], or the NPA ACT postal address. 2NPA BULLETIN − MARCH 2016 From the committee … News from NPA’s management committee and subcommittees on current activities, plans and proposals. Welcome to 2016 In October this year the ACT electorate situation exacerbated by the lack of an Things are will cast its votes for a new legislative overall strategy to ensure recreational changing within assembly. And sometime between now activities are catered for across the NPA ACT – as and November a federal election will be breadth of the ACT’s public and private well as man- called. What do these events mean for lands. The implementation of such a aging without a the NPA ACT? strategy would assist in reducing the president this year Our association will be involved in pressure on the ACT’s conservation (see article below), lobbying on federal biodiversity issues reserves. we are losing some of our through its membership of the National The ACT election also provides an stalwarts who have done so much for Parks Australia Council. Concerns about opportunity to raise concerns about the NPA over the years. Mike Smith, who the state of Australia’s National Reserve funding of the parks system. The area has long been our hard-working Outings System will be a key focus for lobbying under reserve has grown significantly Convener, is retiring; our general by that organisation. In addition, there is over recent years but the funding for the meeting supper provider, Adrienne a need for an overhaul of Australia’s maintenance and protection of these Nicholson, has passed on her tasks to a federal legislation on biodiversity. The reserves has not kept in step with the rostered group of members; and other NPA ACT will be a strong supporter of needs of the expanded estate. active members are signalling that they these campaign topics. The NPA ACT has been busy need a break. Here in the ACT, the October election organising and holding a series of family- All our activities rely on the work of means that the NPA ACT committee and friendly outdoor activities. These have NPA ACT volunteers and there are the environment subcommittee will be been run jointly with the Canberra always ways to become involved. The busy seeking commitments from the Bushwalking Club and are great fun. conveners of our subcommittees are various ACT political parties for the Keep your eye out for these activities in listed in the Bulletin, so please don’t protection of biodiversity in the ACT. the outings program. hesitate to contact them if you want to There are still key omissions from the The NPA ACT has reconfirmed our be part of the many opportunities arising ACT’s parks network, the reservation of Honours scholarship program with the in 2016. which would improve the network’s ANU Fenner School. The scholarship is long-term viability. now into its fourth year and has assisted Rod Griffiths and Christine Goonrey The ACT parks system continues to with research into some exciting bio- face increasing recreational pressures, a diversity and reserve-management topics. Why don’t we have a president in 2016? For the first time in my memory the We have divided up the various tasks forever but every AGM in August 2015 elected a of the president among ourselves so that organisation committee to manage the affairs of meetings are chaired, representations needs leadership NPA ACT which did not have a made to government, work priorities are renewal at some president. This is highly unusual but the sorted and relationships with other groups stage and this is a committee would like to reassure and agencies are maintained. We think we key reason the members that quite a bit of thought has can work this way for a little while immediate past gone into dealing with this situation. without harming our service to the president hasn’t stood for another term. Over the past 55 years, NPA ACT has community. A long-standing committee can be established a system of voluntary Personally speaking, my time on the intimidating to someone looking from management and cooperative decision- committee has accorded me some of the the outside. It can look a bit making which has served us very well. most interesting and rewarding years of unapproachable to someone who might The current committee has a lot of my life. I joined the committee in the first otherwise think of offering their experience and skills including three ex- place only because Di Thompson told me services. presidents, a long-term secretary and to. I can now admit I was overawed at the Committee members thought it was various members whose service on the expertise around the table but people worth leaving the position of president committee would combine to over a were very open and supportive. It was vacant this year to signal that we believe hundred years in total. Meetings are never hard or embarrassing to ask it is time for members who might have effective, well-run and very convivial. questions, to have to have things an interest to take action and get