South East Queensland APRIL 2014 Volume 8 Number 2 Newsletter of the Land for Wildlife Program South East Queensland ISSN 1835-3851 CONTENTS Join us at the DOWN Open Property Scheme 1 Open Property Scheme next month 2 Editorial and contacts 3 Fauna Vignettes e are delighted to off er Land for WWildlife members the opportunity • New species of antechinus to participate in another Open Property found at Springbrook Scheme in May this year. The fi rst was held • What’s been sleeping in in 2008, and for those of you who have my bed? joined the program since then, the Scheme 3 - 31 MAY 2014 is a great way to catch up with other www.lfwseq.org.au/ops 4 Fauna Profi le landholders, and Land for Wildlife Offi cers, while visiting unique and interesting Little Furry Christmas Guest properties across SEQ. Land for Wildlife members told us in the survey last year 5 Fauna Profi le that they relish the chance to meet other Star Wars in the Beetle World members and to see what they are doing on their properties. We received great 6-7 Indigenous Cultural feedback from the last Open Property Heritage of SEQ Scheme and hope that this one will again inspire and connect members, and provide 8-10 Flora Profi le them with the opportunity to share their Native Violets of SEQ land management skills with one another. There are nearly 4000 Land for Wildlife 11 Practicalities properties across SEQ so our membership DIY Nest Boxes is diverse. We invited a range of properties to participate in this Open Property 12 My Little Corner Scheme to hopefully cater for the diff ering The leaning fi g leans no more land management interests of our membership. We have included grazing 25 Land for Wildlife properties across 13 Book Reviews properties, small lifestyle blocks, a school SEQ are available for you to visit. and remote, large Nature Refuges. Some 14-15 Property Profi le have high altitude remnant rainforest while something for everyone. Moodlu Matters others are protecting lowland swamps. All are managing or restoring our natural Please fi nd enclosed the Open Property 15 Letters to the Editor assets to enable future generations Scheme program with descriptions and to enjoy them and to prosper from general locations of 25 properties. We are Wallum Wonderland sustainable land management practices. encouraging registrations through our website at www.lfwseq.org.au/ops but we 16 Philosophy with Phil The Open Property Scheme will be appreciate that not all our members have I would prefer a paddock showcasing weed management, easy internet access, so SEQ Catchments full of weeds to a bare pest animal control, revegetation, is off ering phone bookings if required. We natural regeneration, sustainable paddock envisage that all properties will be booked grazing management, erosion control, out, so we encourage early registrations. I wildlife rehabilitation, water quality look forward to seeing you in May. monitoring, threatened species recovery and environment education. There is Published by SEQ Catchments Article by Deborah Metters through funding from the Australian Government editorial y thoughts this week have been I hope you enjoy this edition, Land for Wildlife Mturning over the opposing concepts especially the article about indigenous Extension Offi cers of extinction and speciation (the arising cultural heritage of SEQ and the legal of new species). It is largely due to the responsibilities of landholders to protect South East Queensland compelling book I am reading, The Sixth this heritage. In addition, there is a Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. valuable botanical account of the native Brisbane City Council violets of SEQ written by respected All enquiries, 3403 8888 As Elizabeth says, we can probably all botanist and author, Glenn Leiper. There Peter Hayes Catherine Madden fi nd signs of a current extinction event in are also the ever-inspiring property Cody Hochen Scott Sumner our own backyards. To avoid depressing profi les and some enjoyable stories of our Tony Mlynarik Ffl ur Collier readers, I won’t recount the statistics here, interactions with furry, and also hissing, but I will say that this book is probably wildlife. Gold Coast City Council the most fascinating and surprisingly Darryl Larsen, 5582 8896 enjoyable account of the Earth’s history I hope you can make it to at least one Lexie Webster, 5582 8344 that I have read. Open Property event in May. Please have Todd Burrows, 5582 9128 a look at the enclosed program and visit The book’s themes are echoed on the our website to book. I look forward to facing page, through the ‘discovery’ Ipswich City Council this chance to catch up with some of you of the highly specialised Black-tailed Stephani Grove, 3810 7173 and to meet new members while visiting Antechinus, which was previously amazing Land for Wildlife properties. Lockyer Valley Regional Council thought to be a slightly odd-looking Kaori van Baalen, 5462 0376 Dusky Antechinus, as well as the brief Finally, I would like to congratulate discussion on page 11 about the probably Danielle Crawford on securing a position Logan City Council extinct Australian Fritillary butterfl y. with the Land for Wildlife team at Lyndall Rosevear, 3412 4860 Discovery and loss all at once in our own Sunshine Coast Council and to welcome Melanie Mott, 3412 4859 backyard of SEQ. Melanie Mott to the Logan City Council Rachel Booth, 3412 5321 team. Humans have been driving species into Rebecca Condon, 3412 4979 extinction for arguably tens of thousands Happy reading! of years. However, we equally have the Moreton Bay Regional Council capacity and will to conserve species and Clinton Heyworth, 5433 2351 to help bring threatened species back Noosa Shire Council from the brink. I see this intent and hard Deborah Metters Michael Lyons, 5485 0229 work in the pages of this newsletter. And Land for Wildlife for that, I am heartened. Regional Coordinator Redland City Council SEQ Catchments Maree Manby, 3820 1106 Scenic Rim Regional Council Landholder Registrations, Land for Wildlife SEQ - 1/3/2014* Keith McCosh, 5540 5436 Registered Working Towards Total Area under Somerset Region Total Area Retained Properties Registration Restoration Trevor Page, 5424 4000 Sunshine Coast Council 2974 743 54,472 ha 4,807 ha Alan Wynn, 5439 6477 Danielle Crawford, 5475 7339 * Note: due to a new data management Land for Wildlife South East Queensland is Marc Russell, 5475 7345 system and a ‘clean-up’ of records, some a quarterly publication distributed free of Nick Clancy, 5439 6433 fi gures have declined since last edition. charge to members of the Land for Wildlife Stephanie Reif, 5475 7395 program in South East Queensland. Forward all contributions to: Toowoomba Regional Council Print run - 4945 All enquiries, 4688 6611 The Editor Back copies from 2007 - 2014 Land for Wildlife Newsletter available for download from SEQ Catchments www.lfwseq.org.au PO Box 13204 Back copies from 1998 - 2006 George Street QLD 4003 available upon request to the Editor. Burnett Mary Region 07 3211 4404 ISSN 1835-3851 Gympie, Fraser Coast, [email protected] Land for Wildlife is a voluntary program North & South Burnett, that encourages and assists landholders Bundaberg and to provide habitat for wildlife on their Baffl e Creek Regions properties. For all regions contact the Burnett Mary Regional Group, 4181 2999 www.lfwseq.org.au 2 Land for Wildlife South East Queensland April 2014 fauna vignettes New species of antechinus found at Springbrook e have always been aware we live have considerably shrunk. Old records Introducing the Black-tailed Antechinus Wsomewhere particularly special but had found it on other well forested and (Antechinus arktos) recently discovered at when a new species of antechinus was protected peaks in the Tweed Caldera but Springbrook. Its body is covered in shaggy found just up the road you know your job recent trapping has only come up with a fur with long guard hairs and its black to look after what you have becomes even small number on the high, heavily forested, tail is short and diff ers in colour from the more important. wet parts of Springbrook. Climate change orangey-brown colour on its rump. Photo has been implicated in this decline as courtesy of Dr Andrew Baker, taken by Dr. Andrew Baker et al. published an article the other usual threats. I can only hope Gary Cranitch, Queensland Museum. in Zootaxa in February 2014 outlining the that these parts of Springbrook remain discovery of Antechinus arktos, the Black- protected. tailed Antechinus. This antechinus was previously thought to be a northern outlier The last State Government, with great of the Dusky Antechinus but the research foresight, bought up large tracts of this PRIZES! done by the team found many diff erences high country to add to Springbrook SEQS Catchments is giving including signifi cant genetic diff erences. National Park so that it could become a last aaway a set of three copies They are much bigger, scruffi er-looking refuge for many species threatened with of various Queensland and colourful. As with all antechinus, the climate change. Local residents can also Museum pocket guides Black-tailed will have a mating frenzy in play an important part by conserving and (RRRP $30) to three selected late August early September after which restoring habitat on their properties and LLaLandand for Wildlife members who all males will die leaving only pregnant controlling their pets. cocontributeontr published articles in females. 20122014. Limit of nine free books Ceris Ash Unfortunately they also discovered when pepperr newsletter edition. Please Land for Wildlife member going back through old records that the send your article and/or Springbrook, Gold Coast distribution of this new species seems to photographsp to the Editor (details pg.