Sunshine Coast Bush hands Summer 2015 Edition 77 Photo courtesy of Dean West Environment Levy Fauna Monitoring Project The Sunshine Coast Council Environment Council owned and managed lands. This will Levy is funding the largest fauna monitoring ensure records are maintained effi ciently and project ever to be carried out in Council’s effectively for future use. reserves. The overall project aims to better inform and This project started in June 2013 and will ultimately improve management practices receive $570,000 worth of funding over within our reserves to ensure ecological values a four year period. The project involves are protected, maintained and enhanced. These undertaking inventory fauna surveys at 10 results will contribute to the conservation of high value environmental reserves, developing native fl ora and fauna and the habitats they a monitoring program for particular indicator are dependent on. fauna species and developing a central Continued on page 2 data storage system for all fauna records on Xeromys myoides (water mouse or false water rat) at Bells Creek Environmental Reserve The surveys are mainly focussed on mammal • Bobbie Sattler Environmental Reserve (including bats) and reptile fauna within the in Bells Creek, and will soon commence in reserves but are also noting any incidental • Buderim Forest conservation network. observations as they progress. Some interesting sightings so far include: There have been some exciting fi nds already from the fi rst year (2013-2014) of seasonal • the Environment Protection and Biodiversity surveys in four reserves including: Conservation Act 1999 listed vulnerable black-breasted button-quail (Turnix • 13 species of micro-bats found in the melanogaster) in Bobbie Sattler Environment Bells Creek area which were previously Reserve unrecorded in this location • the Environment Protection and Biodiversity • the fi rst confi rmed record of one of Conservation Act 1999 listed vulnerable grey Australia’s rarest native rodent, the headed fl ying-fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) vulnerable water mouse (Xeromys myoides) in Brannocks Environmental Reserve. at Bells Creek Environmental Reserve This project is being progressed in conjunction • the endangered Coxen’s fi g parrot with the fauna surveys being undertaken in (Cyclopsitta diopthalma coxeni) was noted some of our recently acquired Environment as a likely observation at Upper Mooloolah Levy reserves to assist in building a more Nature Refuge, Bald Knob. This is the fi rst comprehensive data base. credible sighting of this species on the Sunshine Coast since 2006. Check out the 2013-2014 Environment Levy Annual Report on Council’s website for further 2014-2015 surveys have kicked off already with information on this project and many others. consultants working at: • Brannocks Environmental Reserve in Landsborough • Coochin Creek Esplanade Reserve in Beerwah 2 Sunshine Coast Council Bush hands Summer 2015 Rust affected Native guava Focus on fl ora Rhodomyrtus psidioides with Spencer Shaw Native Guava of Brush Turkey Enterprises In some ways I’m a bit sad writing an article to yellow fruit 10-15mm with a rough textured about this particular plant, because as a skin and contain many seeds surrounded by a result of the introduction of Myrtle Rust sweet pulp, sought after by bird, bat and bush Puccinia psidii into Australia and its arrival food connoisseur alike. in our area four years ago, the majority If you do fi nd healthy specimens of this plant of plants I’m familiar with are suffering in gardens, revegetation areas and the wild, drastically, with foliage cover reduced by they are well worth propagating from to help over 90 percent. The majority of plants are ensure the ongoing survival of this species. not just stressed but critical and in this Plants treated with fungicides in nurseries may condition they struggle to put on leaves let look great when you buy them, but if they are alone fl ower and without fl owers there’s no susceptible the Myrtle Rust will catch up fruit and without fruit there’s no seed and with them! without seed (without the potential for the next generation), survival isn’t looking good for Rhodomyrtus psidioides. Hopefully I’m wrong and in other areas of the Sunshine Coast, or further south there are plants thriving and reproducing. Rhodomyrtus psidioides is the single representative of the genus Rhodomyrtus in South East Queensland and New South Wales – it is nearing its northern most limit of distribution here on the Sunshine Coast (occurs as far north as Tinana Creek, Maryborough). In form it is a shrub to small tree, that suckers readily which can be great for a hedge and can form small thickets, where they do occur naturally, which tends to be in the ecotone between rainforest and tall eucalypt communities. Foliage is generally dense and the opposite leaves have a light fruity smell when crushed. The white fl owers can be produced en masse and are one of the larger of our local Myrtaceae fl owers measuring up to Rhodomyrtus psidioides healthy specimen 25mm across. Flowers are followed by a green Photos courtesy of Spencer Shaw Sunshine Coast Council Bush hands Summer 2015 3 Cr Greg Rogerson and Kerry Jones at group planting of Brown pine Photos courtesy Norm Morwood PCCCG Cultural connections in caring for country Article by Kerry Jones, Arnold Jones, Bridgette Davis, Sean Fleischfresser, Anne Miller and Genevieve Jones Maroochy River Mangrove Nursery In 2009 the Maroochy River Mangrove and Revegetation Project Nursery and Revegetation Project commenced operations in partnership with Sunshine Our local estuaries are biodiversity hotspots Coast Council (SCC) and Descendants of for species of fi sh (un’dia), crab (na’lor) and Australian South Sea Islanders. Some years shellfi sh (ngu’rung), providing protective prior, Maroochy Landcare had undertaken ‘nurseries’ amongst the mangroves (pir’ri), for similar trials. The nursery activities came the young of such. As well, they offer feeding under the initiative of the Maroochy River and habitat areas to an array of waders such as Recovery, partnering with Bunya Bunya Country the Jabiru, the Spoonbill and mammals such as Aboriginal Corporation. This well may be the the vulnerable water mouse, swamp wallaby, fi rst Aboriginal owned and operated native plant possums, fruit bats, antechinus and melomys. nursery on the Sunshine Coast, now in its sixth year. The fi rst years were based around trial and error, experimenting with peat pots, mangrove mud, potting mix, and fi nding suitable locations along the Maroochy River with suffi cient tidal range to help ‘water’ the mangrove seedlings as they grew out. The design and trials with protective barriers against boat-wash for the seedlings included the use of coir logs or old sediment curtains put in place with wooden stakes. At some sites the survival rate of the seedlings may have been as low as 30% with fl ood events and fl ood debris taking casualties. In recent years newer revegetation sites have seen a survival rate of 80-90% that has been very encouraging. Over summer we collect seed for and propagate the River Mangrove (Aegiceras corniculatum), Orange Mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorhiza) and Red mangrove (Rhizophora stylosa). Over winter, this is done for the Grey Mangrove (Avicennia marina), Sean Fleischfress (left) and Kerry Jones with seedlings at the nursery 4 Sunshine Coast Council Bush hands Summer 2015 with its roundish seed, seen in the thousands. The salt or marine couch (Sporobolus virginicus) can also be easily propagated. Over the last six years this project has been supported by SEQ Catchments, Maroochy Landcare, Wetland Care Australia, Caring for Our Country (Cmwlth Govt), QPWS and Everyones Environment (Qld Govt), farmers, SCC, MangroveWatch and TS Onslow Navy Cadet Base. The project as a whole has provided a terrifi c opportunity for local KabiKabi (GubbiGubbi) Traditional Owners, people with South Sea Islander heritage, and historically connected Aboriginal people to establish Kerry Jones (left) and Loretta Algar – potting up training and employment opportunities, while making great use of their in-depth, local area the traditional days. Project participants include knowledge of the traditional estates of their Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation, ancestors. These experiences have also Nadia Joyce of SCC, Garry Lawler and the provided resources to enable people to visit team with Corrective Services, Norm Morwood and monitor numerous aboriginal sites and of Petrie Creek Catchment Care Group and artefact areas, and refl ect on and share with the Cr Greg Rogerson. wider community, traditional and sustainable, Aboriginal land use practices. More planting days are planned for 2015, adding new sites, while incorporating species Bunya Country Recovery Project, having signifi cant traditional uses, as a part of Petrie Creek, Nambour the Bunya Country Recovery Project. In the meantime, ongoing work includes weed control Back in 1951 the former Nambour Chronicle and the planting of native trees along Petrie newspaper published an article promoting Creek at the new park. Working bees are held the local area history and declared that in the early in the mornings on the fourth Wednesday 1860’s, “There was no other district to compare of each month. All are welcome. with this in those days for the number and productiveness of the Bunya pine”. Working For information about this project and the within the spirit of that story, working bees mangrove nursery please go online to the have been underway since mid-2014 with the SCC Community Hub directory to fi nd more planting of native trees to help revegetate a project and contact details. If you have an waterway that fl ows into Petrie Creek, at the interest and time to spare to help out you can new Sunshine Coast Council park (yet to be call Kerry Jones on MS 0401 205 367 or email named), referred to as Quota Park Extension.