bushlandnews Field trip for managers of clay-based wetlands Compiled by Jo Tregonning Issue 67 In August the Urban Nature program hosted a field trip to clay-based wetlands on the Swan Coastal Spring 2008 Plain. These seasonal clay-based wetlands are some of the most threatened ecological communities in south-western Australia and, over the years, many people have been involved in their Time of Djilba and conservation and management. Kambarang in the Nyoongar calendar. The field trip looked at the outcomes of this work and Urban Nature update enabled on-ground managers to Page 2 network and exchange ideas about the management of these Bushland Weedwatch: wetlands. Participants visited Watsonia Page 3 examples of these wetlands from Ellen Brook Nature Reserve in the Econote: Threatened north, south to Brixton Street flora and ecological Wetlands and to Meelon and communities Duckpond Road nature reserves. Page 4 The field trip attracted participants Regina Drummond from the Friends of Brixton Street Wetlands discusses the Perth’s living dead? from a variety of backgrounds and challenges of managing this clay-based wetland with field day participants. Photo – Jill Pryde Page 5 included representatives from Friends groups (Friends of Brixton Street The City of Swan, Perth Zoo and the Located 200 kilometres south of What’s on Page 6 Wetlands, Lowlands Conservation Friends group work with DEC to Perth, east of Pinjarra, Meelon Association, Baldivis Children’s Regional reports Page 8 conserve and manage the flora and Nature Reserve protects a tiny Forest), local and State governments fauna in the reserve. remnant clay-based wetland with (cities of Gosnells, Swan and a wandoo overstorey. Potential Watsonia in clay-based Next stop was Brixton Street wetlands Page 10 Canning, and Serpentine–Jarrahdale development of a large private Wetlands in Kenwick – a particularly and Murray shires, Department for block within Meelon was a major significant clay-based wetland where Group profile: Claise Planning and Infrastructure, Botanic threat to the integrity of the the plant communities are largely Brook Catchment Gardens and Parks Authority, wetland, but fortunately DEC Group Department of Environment and intact and in excellent condition. recently purchased the block for Page 11 Conservation (DEC), Landcare DEC manages the reserve in inclusion into the nature reserve. centres (Serpentine–Jarrahdale and partnership with the Friends of With weed invasion also a Resources Page 12 Waroona) and interested community Brixton Street Wetlands with support serious threat, Meelon has been members. from the City of Gosnells. Much of the focus of a three-year study their work has focused on investigating possible The managers and the sites developing techniques for managing management techniques for DEC manages Ellen Brook Nature weeds in species-rich plant watsonia, including restoration of Reserve and Melissa Hoskins, Sean communities and in an area that is invaded plant communities. On- Walsh and Rod Martyn, from inundated with water through ground results provided a visually DEC’s Swan Coastal District, winter and spring. In recent years impressive display to participants discussed the challenge of the Friends group and DEC have of the field trip and the managing weeds and fire, major been working on the restoration of outcomes are promising for threats to the wetlands, while the degraded edges of the herb-rich management of watsonia working to protect the critically shrublands. This project has been invasions and restoration of these endangered western swamp funded by the Commonwealth threatened plant communities tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina). Government’s EnviroFund and across the region. Ellen Brook is one of two WWF’s Threatened Species Network Last stop was Duckpond Nature Bushland News is a quarterly remaining natural locations of the Community Grants. One major Reserve, a 3.5-hectare area that newsletter of Urban Nature, a tortoise. A vermin-proof fence threat to the plant communities of Department of Environment and forms part of the Mundijong around habitat in Ellen Brook aims these wetlands includes changing Conservation (DEC) program to Road Reserve. support community involvement to protect an estimated 40 to 50 hydrology due to changing land uses in bushland conservation. breeding pairs from predation. around the reserve. Continued page 2 www.dec.wa.gov.au bushlandnews Spring 2008 Release of Tribolium uniolae brochure Urban Nature UPDATE By David Mitchell The Urban Nature team had a restructure recently, which has changed reporting Enclosed is a brochure on South African haas relationships to increase integration with DEC Swan Region’s Nature Conservation grass (Tribolium uniolae). South African haas group and share overall program responsibility between staff. In addition, the grass has been the subject of a DEC Community Education Coordinator position has been advertised and we look forward Biodiversity Conservation Initiative and Swan to having a new team member and new opportunities for community bushland Catchment Council strategic control program management activities. on the eastern coastal plain and Perth Hills. This is the first of a new series of bushland This edition of Bushland News contains a number of articles on clay-based wetlands weeds brochures that feature information that showcase some exciting activities carried out by Urban Nature and other land about why the weed is a problem, where it managers. Let us know what you think of the idea of theme-based editions of occurs, how it was introduced, as well as its Bushland News. habitat, distribution, biology and control In July, DEC launched an updated website to replace NatureBase (the former information. Department of Conservation and Land Management’s website) and the former DEC’s Midwest Region has produced the Department of Environment’s website. The new website, www.dec.wa.gov.au, contains second brochure of the series on Verbesina the content of the two former sites. Information about Urban Nature can be found at encelioides, a problematic coastal weed. www.dec.wa.gov.au/programs/urban-nature/index.html. Many of our publications are Urban Nature aims to produce additional on the website including some workshop proceedings. Eventually we hope to have a brochures on important weeds. Brochures series of case studies from our demonstration sites. will be available at www.dec.wa.gov.au/ programs/urban-nature/index.html. Field trip for managers of clay-based wetlands Summer Bushland News Continued from page 1… Future field trips and workshops? Summer Bushland News contributions The low-lying areas of the reserve support The field trip provided insight into the should be sent to Urban Nature by dense shrublands on claypans that are challenges faced by managers of these Monday 24 November 2008. inundated for long periods. Duckpond has communities and was an excellent forum benefited from the long-term involvement in for land managers to share knowledge Compiled and edited by Jo Tregonning. its management by community member Ted and exchange ideas. Feedback received Love. The reserve was fenced in 2007 to on the day indicated a desire for similar prevent rubbish dumping and access by off- field days. ‘The field trip process is much road vehicles. Future recovery actions will better than a formal workshop indoors, Contacts include weed control, seed collection and as one can gain a much better Urban Nature office restoration of the degraded edges through understanding’ wrote one participant. David Mitchell 9423 2913 supplementary planting. It is hoped that the For more information contact Urban Kate Brown 9423 2905 local community, Serpentine–Jarrahdale Nature on 9423 2900 and refer to the Karen Bettink 9423 2904 Landcare Group, shire and DEC can continue ‘Econote’ (page 4) and the article on Grazyna Paczkowska 9423 2914 to work together to achieve positive page 10 in this issue. outcomes for the conservation of this site. Rebecca Hayes 9423 2924 Department of Environment and Conservation, Swan Region office 7 Turner Avenue, Bentley WA 6102 PO Box 1167 Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 Fax 9423 2901 Email [email protected] Current and archived issues of Bushland News are available at www.dec.wa.gov.au/programs/ Staff from DEC’s Swan Coastal District discuss weed, fire and fauna management at Ellen Brook urban-nature/bushland-news.html Nature Reserve with field trip participants. Photo – Grazyna Paczkowska © All material copyright. No part of the contents of the publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publishers. The views and opinions expressed in the articles in Bushland News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Environment and Conservation. 2 Bushland News Issue 67 - Spring 2008 www.dec.wa.gov.au BUSHLAND WEEDWATCH: Watsonia Figure 1 (left): Stem cormels develop in late spring after By Kate Brown, DEC flowering. Figure 2 (right): Watsonia were introduced to Western Australia in the 1800s for the Corm exhaustion – cut flower trade and were popular garden plants. Over time they late winter. Illustrations – lost popularity, but not before a number of species escaped to Libby Sandiford become particularly serious weeds of remnant bushland. In 1997 a regional survey of remnant Autumn: With the first vegetation along the Darling Scarp autumn rains the parent identified invasion by watsonia as one of corm that has remained the most serious threats to remaining intact dormant during summer native plant communities. Its capacity to begins actively growing. invade undisturbed bushland, particularly Winter: As the plant on heavier soils, and to displace herbs, grows, a new corm shrubs and seedling trees makes watsonia a begins to develop at the serious environmental weed. • Control of watsonia following fire can be base of the new stem difficult with the regenerating native Belonging to the family Iridaceae, there are and above the old corm plant community particularly vulnerable 51 species of watsonia occurring naturally (Figure 2). to off-target damage from herbicide.