FLORA AND FAUNA ASSESSMENT, AND NET LOSS REPORTING – RUTHERGLEN LAKE ROWING CLUB, LAKE MOODEMERE Flora and Fauna Assessment and Net Loss Reporting – Lake Moodemere ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Flora and Fauna Assessment and Net Loss Reporting – Rutherglen Lake Rowing Club, Lake Moodemere Submitted to: Bruce Braines Project Manager – Capital Works Indigo Shire Council Submitted by: Steve Hamilton Hamilton Environmental Services 2345 Benalla-Tatong Rd. TATONG VIC 3673 Version 1, 14th June 2020 Privileged: The information herein is of a privileged and private nature, and as such, all rights thereto are reserved. This document shall not, in part or whole, be lent, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any shape or form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, verbal, left in exposed and/or unattended position or otherwise used without the prior permission of Hamilton Environmental Services or their duly qualified agents in writing. Cover Photo: The Rowing Club Shed at Lake Moodemere. ii Flora and Fauna Assessment and Net Loss Reporting – Lake Moodemere ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 2. Background ................................................................................................................... 1 2.1 Location and Description ......................................................................................................... 1 2.1.1 Bioregion and Ecological Vegetation Class .............................................................................. 1 2.1.2 Land Tenure and Planning Scheme Overlays .......................................................................... 2 3. Method ......................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Desktop Review ....................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Field Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 6 3.3 Taxonomy ................................................................................................................................ 7 3.3.1 Flora ......................................................................................................................................... 7 3.3.2 Fauna ....................................................................................................................................... 7 4. Flora and Fauna Assessment .......................................................................................... 7 4.1 Vegetation ............................................................................................................................... 7 4.2 Fauna ....................................................................................................................................... 9 4.3 Significant Trees ...................................................................................................................... 9 4.4 Patches .................................................................................................................................. 12 4.5 Vegetation Quality Assessment ............................................................................................. 12 5. Net Gain and Loss Reporting ........................................................................................ 13 5.1 Avoid and Minimise ............................................................................................................... 13 5.2 Quantification of Loss ............................................................................................................ 13 5.3 Offset requirements .............................................................................................................. 13 6. Meeting the Offset Requirement .................................................................................. 13 7. References .................................................................................................................. 14 7.1 Personal Communication ...................................................................................................... 15 Appendix A Flora Inventory of area around Rutherglen Lake Rowing Club, Lake Moodemere . 16 Appendix B Observed or Inferred Fauna of area around Rutherglen Lake Rowing Club, Lake Moodemere ....................................................................................................... 18 Appendix C EVC Benchmark Description ................................................................................ 20 Appendix D Significant Tree Locations ................................................................................... 23 Appendix E EPBC and Victorian Threatened Species and Likelihood of Occurrence ................. 26 Appendix F Native Vegetation Removal Report (DELWP) Issued 26th May 2020 ...................... 32 Appendix G Third Party Offset Quote from Vegetation Link.................................................... 33 iii Flora and Fauna Assessment and Net Loss Reporting – Lake Moodemere ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION Indigo Shire are seeking to rebuild the Rutherglen Lake Rowing Club shed on the shores of Lake Moodemere; while the new shed will be built on the site of the existing shed, it will slightly exceed the existing shed dimensions, and this will result in the likely loss of some adjacent River Red Gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) on the south-western corner of the proposed development. Hamilton Environmental Services (HES) was provided with the opportunity in April 2020 to undertake the site assessment and preparation of this Report through Indigo Shire. Dr. Steve Hamilton (HH129) undertook field evaluation at the site on the 4th May 2020 to assess the extent of indigenous vegetation on the site and determine the condition of the vegetation, to inform avoidance and minimisation of native vegetation loss. Following the compilation of field assessment findings, and after consideration of minimisation of native vegetation loss, mapping of the likely native vegetation losses were submitted to the EnSym NVR Support Team from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), and a Biodiversity report provided. This report outlines the Net Loss of native vegetation proposed, the process followed in terms of native vegetation loss avoidance and minimisation, and arrangements put in place to meet the offset requirements. 2. BACKGROUND 2.1 Location and Description The Rutherglen Lake Rowing Club shed on the shores of Lake Moodemere is located 6.9 km west of the Rutherglen within the Lake Moodemere Reserve (Fig. 2-1; VicRoads 34 H2); the shed is accessible from Lake Road as it approaches the parking area near the lake’s edge (see Figures 2-2 and 2-4), and the existing shed is approximately 20 m from the edge of Lake Moodemere to the east, and is elevated approximately 2-3 m from the water’s surface While the area in the vicinity of the existing shed has been predominantly cleared of woody vegetation, the shed maintains some mature and immature River Red Gums on its north-eastern side between the shed and the lake, a patch of immature River Red Gums on its south-western corner. The ground layer surrounding the shed on all sides is dominated by opportunistic introduced annual species, with only a low abundance of indigenous ground layer species. The proposed expansion will push towards the west and north (see Fig. 2-3), and this patch of immature River Red Gums on the south-western corner of the existing shed is therefore a likely loss as a consequence of the shed replacement (Bruce Braines pers. comm. 2020). The Plan of Existing Conditions and proposed layout for the new rowing shed is shown in Fig. 2-3. 2.1.1 Bioregion and Ecological Vegetation Class The proposed development is found wholly within the Victorian Riverina Bioregion (DELWP 2020a). In Victoria, DELWP have developed an on-line mapping layer that categorises pre-1750 and 2005 natural vegetation communities into Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs), and have developed EVC Benchmark Statements for each of these EVCs that represent the best known example of this EVC. Prior to European settlement, the vegetation of the proposed development area is projected to have been wholly Sedgy Riverine Forest Ecological Vegetation Class [EVC](EVC 816; Biodiversity Conservation Status [BCS] Vulnerable)(DELWP 2020a and 2020b). 1 Flora and Fauna Assessment and Net Loss Reporting – Lake Moodemere ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ground-truthing was able to confirm the former presence of this EVC based on the remaining native vegetation in the vicinity of the existing rowing shed. The relevant EVC Benchmark Statement can be seen in Appendix C. 2.1.2 Land Tenure and Planning Scheme Overlays The existing rowing shed (and proposed shed) are across two land parcels – Allotment 18 Section B PP3323 and Allotment 20