bushlandnews Summer 2009-2010 bushlandnews Managing trail bikes – a collaborative approach Issue 81 Perth has seen rapid growth in the Autumn 2012 use of trail and quad bikes over the Time of Djeran and past decade. While advocates for Makuru in the Nyoongar the activity point to the important calendar. physical and social benefits, local government and land managers are experiencing issues with trail bikes, especially where they impact on Urban Nature update residential or conservation areas. Page 2 Weedwatch: The issue is not new. As far back as 1978 the (Charles) Court Couch grasses Page 3 Terry Waldren (Minister for Sport and Recreation) (from left), Steve Pretzel Government introduced legislation (Recreational Trailbike Riders Association), Tony Simpson (MLA Darling Range), Econote: to prohibit the use of non-road Paul Miles (MLA Wanneroo) and Mike Meinema (DEC Swan Coastal District Bats Page 4 registered vehicles on public land Manager) inspecting works at the Pinjar Off Road Vehicle Area near Wanneroo while at the same time creating in August 2011. Photo – Kathleen Lowry TurtleWatch Page 5 gazetted Off Road Vehicle areas redevelopment of the Pinjar Off and Recreation, is introducing where families could enjoy the Broadcasting seed Road Vehicle Area near Wanneroo a juniors program called Page 5 experience of off-road riding. are very encouraging. ‘Minikhana’. The juniors program Sadly, little or no attention was ever aims to build up skill levels, What’s on Page 6 Over the past 12 months five paid to the Off Road Vehicle Areas confidence and awareness in separate trails totalling around Learning opportunities after that and many of these areas young riders as they move into 15 km have been created in the Page 7 were subsequently closed down by other motorcycle sports. 200 ha pine plantation. A short risk-averse local councils. To address Funding opportunities ‘PeeWee’ trail, surfaced with DEC, RTRA and Motorcycling WA the issues, the Department of Page 7 are working to align the objectives Environment and Conservation (DEC) limestone and clay, suits the of conservationists and riders by Regional reports has reached out to trail bike riders, youngest riders and is adjacent to a encouraging trail bike riders to Page 8 primarily through a strengthening new car park so parents can keep a help protect and preserve the relationship with representative close eye on riders. Nearby a 6 km Plastic plant guards environment for the sustainable peak trail bike groups. ‘Family’ trail has been built and the Page 10 area also has more challenging trails future of their activity. No one is The thinking is that the activity for experienced riders. expecting the situation to change Group profile: is going to occur anyway so the overnight, however all involved Joondalup CCCF best option is to plan for and at Rider feedback is positive and the share a new optimism that the Page 11 least partly manage the activity. number of riders using the facility collaborative approach will help Resources Page 12 The Recreational Trailbike Riders’ is increasing, indicating that the get trail bikes ‘back on track’. Association WA (RTRA) recognises objective of attracting riders to the For more information please that the only way to ensure a future area is being met. Pinjar is a model contact: for trail bike riding is for riders to that can be used to redevelop DEC: Ewen MacGregor on understand and help reduce the other existing Off Road Vehicle [email protected] environmental impacts. Areas and to develop new ones RTRA: Steve Pretzel on for the future. One strategy is to draw riders away [email protected] or visit from environmentally sensitive areas Another strategy is educating www.rtra.asn.au by making the existing gazetted the adult riders of tomorrow, Motorcycling WA: Rick Gill on Off Road Vehicle Areas more and Motorcycling WA, together [email protected] or www.dec.wa.gov.au attractive. Early results from the with the Department of Sport visit www.motorcyclingwa.org.au. Bushland News is a quarterly newsletter of Urban Nature, a Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) program to support community involvement in bushland conservation. Bushland News Issue 72 - Summer 2009-2010 www.dec.wa.gov.au 1 Autumn 2012 Restoration at Anstey-Keane Damplands by Julia Cullity Last year Urban Nature convened the design, fence maintenance and cross- Anstey-Keane Management Group to initiate agency blitzes have been discussed to restoration actions to conserve this large reduce the impact of unauthorised motor mosaic of wetlands and banksia woodlands vehicles. Weed mapping by the Friends of in Forrestdale. With representatives from Forrestdale and Urban Nature took place the Friends of Forrestdale, DEC, Western across the 260 ha of public land for 13 Australian Planning Commission, Western priority weeds. The resulting weed action Power, Water Corporation and the City of plan has been endorsed by the group and Armadale, the group aims to bring together commitment and funding for all priority the major stakeholders for the public lands management actions have been agreed in this Bush Forever site and establish upon. Works begin this winter/spring. collaborative bushland management. The Anstey-Keane Damplands are recognised as having intact bushland in excellent condition, a remarkably high number of native plant species and Regina Drummond was the proud threatened species. Significant plant and recipient of the Western Australian animal species include Purdie’s donkey Environment Award – Rivers, Estuaries orchid (Diuris purdiei) and the megamouth and Wetlands. For the past 23 years bee (Leioproctus sp.) – a new species Regina has cared for our environment, in particular the Brixton Street Wetlands. discovered there in 2010. Threatened Photo – Ruth Clark ecological communities are also present, associated with the plant communities of the clay-based seasonal wetlands. The Anstey-Keane Management Group has Contacts begun working on major threats. Options Jim Prince from the Friends of Forrestdale maps weeds using a hand-held computer and Urban Nature office for boundary fencing, heavy-duty gate differential GPS. Photo – Julia Cullity Julia Cullity 9423 2925 Kate Brown 9423 2905 Grazyna Paczkowska 9423 2914 Fire and Biodiversity Conference Department of Environment and DEC officers and research scientists will present recent studies on fire and the implications Conservation, Swan Region office for biodiversity on the Swan Coastal Plain, Darling Scarp and Plateau. Bushland managers 7 Turner Avenue, Bentley WA 6102 are invited to attend Monday 11 June 2012, 9am–5pm WA Conservation Science Centre, PO Box 1167, Bentley Delivery Centre Kensington. RSVP 9423 2900 or email [email protected] WA 6983 Fax 9423 2901 Email [email protected] 2012 Great Cocky Count By Tamara Kabat Current and archived issues of Bushland News are available at www.dec.wa.gov.au/ The Great Cocky Count (GCC) is held each the methodology is robust enough to programs/urban-nature/index.html. year to record as many Carnaby’s cockatoos define population trends when enough (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) as possible on a counts have been done. single night. This year, the GCC is happening In January 2012, Birds Australia and Bird on Sunday April 15 from 5.25pm– Observation and Conservation Australia Winter Bushland News 6.25pm. It is a very easy survey, as you just merged to become a single organisation need to count the Carnaby’s cockatoos called BirdLife Australia. To become a Winter Bushland News contributions flying into their night-time roosting tree at volunteer or to report a roost site please should be sent to Urban Nature at a single location. We are also asking the contact Tamara from BirdLife Australia [email protected] by public to tell us about any night roosts they on 9287 2204 or 0457 333 177 or Thursday 24 May 2012. Bushland find for any black cockatoos. The 2011 GCC [email protected]. For more News seeks original contributions. report has shown a 37 per cent decrease in information about BirdLife Australia’s If your submission has been or may the number of Carnaby’s cockatoos counted Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo Recovery be published elsewhere please let us at night roosts in the Swan Region. Repeat Project and the 2011 GCC report visit know. Compiled and edited by Jo counts over successive years are critical and www.birdlife.org.au/projects/carnabys. Tregonning. © 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 81 — Autumn 2012 www.dec.wa.gov.au bushlandnews bushland weedwatch Couch grasses by Julia Cullity The attributes that make couch grasses suitable as hard-wearing, fast-growing turf enable them to be aggressive invaders of natural areas. Couch grass (*Cynodon dactylon) is a soft, green, water-hungry summer lawn. It is also a serious weed of wetlands and waterways in Western Australia and is among the 30 highest priority weed species in the Swan NRM region. Salt water couch (*Paspalum vaginatum) is a similar species marketed as the turf grass ‘Velvetene’ or as a B salt-resistant pasture. It is also an environmental weed of estuaries from Geraldton to Albany, saline creeks in the wheatbelt and the tropical north. Native marine couch (Sporobolus virginicus) is often found co-occurring with C couch in wetlands, salt flats, coastal and estuarine sites. Couch A perennial mat-forming grass, couch The flower spike is the most grows in open, sunlit sites subject to characteristic feature in identifying disturbances such as grazing, fires or couch grasses.