www.bushheritage.org.au Inside this issue » A Bush Heritage ecologist on a mission to save the red-finned blue-eye p.4 Bush Heritage News » Flying high at Yourka p.6 » In the spotlight: an elusive Spring 2010 grasswren on Ethabuka p.7 Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live and work on a remote Bush Heritage Nature farmers reserve? Karen Graham found out mma and Peter Ashton live a pretty different kind of Elife to most of us – they live on our Boolcoomatta Reserve, surrounded by vast treeless plains, silvery grey saltbush and prickly acacia shrubs. “There is such an incredible sense of space out here,” says Emma. “On a clear day we can see the curvature of the earth because we have a 180-degree view to the horizon.” The views might be incredible, but they are well earned – Emma and Peter spend their days working to control pests, such as rabbits and foxes, and to encourage rehabilitation and revegetation of native species including the vulnerable Murray swainson-pea. All this work is aimed at improving habitat for wildlife, including the yellow-footed rock wallaby. “I often refer to ourselves as nature farmers,” says Emma, “because we live in much the same way as any farmer but without the stock or crops.” Wildlife often visits the homestead, which Emma says is wonderful for their children Jarrah and Indigo, albeit a distraction to their School of the Air classes. “You have to admit, not many students have kangaroos hopping by or emus strutting outside the window,” says Emma. It’s an unusual place to call home, spectacular, yet often harsh and unforgiving. And it’s remote – 100 km from the nearest town of Broken Hill. But Emma and Peter Did you know? live here because they have important work to do to help Your support is making a difference on Boolcoomatta, where protect Boolcoomatta’s precious animals, like the plains- Emma and Peter have been hot on the heels of the feral wanderer and the dusky hopping mouse. rabbit population, with the help of two tireless volunteers. Emma and Peter feel privileged to have the support Wayne Lewis and Kim Ely mapped 1000 rabbit warrens of people like you. Your support helps them in their around the reserves in June, bringing the total number of daily tasks of weed control, rehabilitation and tackling warrens mapped at Boolcoomatta to three thousand. Rabbits feral animals. ■ compete with native species for habitat and cause erosion. Reducing their population is a key part of our conservation goals at Boolcoomatta Reserve. BOOLCOOMATTA RESERVE Thanks to the Native Vegetation Council for its support of rabbit control and other crucial conservation activities on Boolcoomatta. Dome Rock Pad at Boolcoomatta Reserve. Photo: Wayne Lawler 1 Bush Heritage News On country in Cape York Bush Heritage Ecologist Max Tischler flora found here make this an important recently spent a week with the area for conservation.” Max said. The Lama Lama Rangers, a group of ten Lama Lama is one of several language traditional owners working on country groups we are working with towards at Running Creek Nature Reserve on conservation on the Cape, and is a key Cape York. Thanks to Bush Heritage part of our partnership with the Balkanu supporters, Max was able to work Cape York Development Corporation. alongside the ranger group conducting Photo: Max Tischler preliminary ecological assessments that will help develop a conservation plan for the reserve. “Running Creek is a stunning part of the Cape and an area we’re very interested in helping to protect. The reserve ranges from coastal lagoons and estuaries to melaleuca swamps and messmate forests. The high diversity of fauna and Monjebup North Learning from the locals Bush Heritage’s Simon Smale learnt working areas. Results of the mapping, from Noongar elder Eugene Eades due to be released soon, will inform Bon Bon welcomes during recent cultural heritage mapping future plans for the reserve, such as on your newest reserve, Monjebup North. access and ecological restoration. “Our a visitor “Spending time with people who know work with the Noongar people focuses It’s a long journey to Bon Bon the land as well as Eugene’s people is on restoring country that in a more Station Reserve – for anyone. But just fantastic,” Simon said. “You get the intact natural state, sustained them for in June, Reserve Manager Glen scientific information, but woven through thousands of years.” Norris saw a visitor arrive after an that is the story of how the Noongar Photo: Anne Sparrow unusually long trip: seven years in moved in these landscapes and how they fact. In the still quiet of an outback managed their country.” Simon and the winter’s night, Glen gathered with team of archeologists found artefacts neighbours and Japanese scientists (like cutting and hunting tools), some in on a nearby property to watch the concentrated locations, which indicate arrival of a capsule, measuring 40 cultural sites like camping and tool- cm in diameter, from the Hayabusa asteroid probe, launched in 2003 with the aim of collecting samples of Enraptured with RAPS on Cravens Peak dust from the surface of the asteroid Itokawa. The capsule fell to earth Reserve Managers Mark and Nella it feels like we really do live in the around 5 km from Glen’s home at Lithgow have been listening to a new country rather than in a noisy city Bon Bon. “They tracked the capsule sound at the homestead on Cravens suburb!” Bush Heritage thanks the to Bon Bon and picked it up using Peak Reserve … the sound of silence. generous donors who funded the a helicopter,” says Glen. “We had The constant thud of the generator, system, and the group of volunteers helicopters flying around the area which previously ran sixteen hours who dug trenches, painted and built for days looking for other pieces of a day, has been blissfully replaced the shed to house the RAPS batteries. the spacecraft. It was amazing – I by the calls of birds like the chiming Photo: Nella Lithgow feel privileged to have witnessed wedgebill, which nest in trees not far such a landmark event.” from the homestead. The generator was replaced in June by a Remote Photo: Glen Norris Area Power System (RAPS), which in its first month saved about 1600 L Bluegrass grasslands, Carnarvon Station Reserve, Qld. Photo: Wayne Lawler/ECOPIXBluegrass grasslands, Carnarvon Station Reserve, Qld. Photo: Wayne of diesel and 4200 kg of carbon emissions. “It’s made such a difference to our quality of life,” says Nella. “Now 2 Watch videos, view stunning images and read up-to-the-minute news about Bush Heritage. Go to www.bushheritage.org.au Winter 2010 Running Creek What makes a difference to the working day of our reserve managers, partners and Around your ecologists around the nation? A little help from their friends – that’s you, our Bush reserves in Heritage supporters. Around the country, your support is helping our team to juggle the everyday work of protecting our wildlife and 90 days the land it relies on. Here’s a taste of how you Cravens Peak Ethabuka Goonderoo are helping around the nation. Nail tail spotted on Goonderoo! Bon Bon Ecologist Murray Haseler’s Goonderoo, the sighting is good eyesight came in handy a step in the right direction. “It’s on Goonderoo Reserve in a reminder that the population, late June when a small, boldly and the species, is critically Scottsdale marked macropod dashed by. endangered but that it’s close Murray quickly identified the by. We hope our work to restore characteristic features of a the nail tail’s brigalow habitat will Homecoming creature that he and former eventually encourage nail tails “So what’s the story?” was the question volunteer caretakers, the Olive- onto Goonderoo.” we asked the young male desert short- Prothero family, have pursued Photo: Bush Heritage tailed mouse (Leggadina forresti) when for many months: the bridled nail it turned up during a recent survey on tail wallaby. “I managed to get a Ethabuka Reserve. When research first clear view of this tiny kangaroo began on Ethabuka 20 years ago, this before it disappeared into the species was a relatively common capture. bushes,” said Murray. “The nail But for the past eighteen years, according tail was passing within 500 m of to the Desert Ecology Research Group the house!” Although there is not at the University of Sydney, it hasn’t been yet evidence of a population on seen. Until now. “We’re not sure where they’ve been,” says Max Tischler, Bush Heritage Ecologist. “It’s likely this species Loo with a view is strongly driven by rainfall. It maintains low numbers in small pockets of habitat A visit to the loo has never weeding and seed collecting.” Who during poor conditions and then erupts been such a triumph … twenty- would’ve thought the construction when conditions become favourable.” first century plumbing arrived of a loo could help protect plant We’re hoping our conservation efforts at Scottsdale Reserve in early communities like Scottsdale’s on Ethabuka, made possible by Bush June with the installation of a endangered box-gum woodlands, Heritage supporters like you, ensure new composting toilet, which its threatened temperate species like the desert short-tailed mouse was designed and built by a grasslands and the creatures are given every chance to fully utilise small group of knowledgeable that depend on them? ‘boom’ years such as this one, and have volunteers. “A loo might not sound Photo: Peter Saunders safe refuge during the ‘bust’. like big news,” says Volunteer Photo: Max Tischler Coordinator Heidi Fisher.