Friends of Piesse Brook

Welcome! The Friends of Piesse Brook encourage you to take the responsibility of caring for your local patch of the planet

We are a small bunch of local residents working as a team to eradicate noxious weeds from the Piesse Brook area.  We formed in 2000 and began the clean up in 2001 taking one area at a time to work on.  We have cleared 5 kilometres of weeds from the Kalamunda National Park so far and are now working with private landholders upstream to help them remove the weed seed sources from their properties.

Please take a look around our website.  We have information on our journey so far, and our plans for the future.  There is also information on weed identification.  You can help us too, by removing the problem weeds (Watsonia, blackberry and arundo especially) from your garden to stop seed dispersal by wind and birds.

We normally meet on the third Sunday of the month between April and November at 10.30am till 12.30pm.   We meet at the entrance gate to the Kalamunda National Park (at the far end of Schipp Road).  If you would like to join our merry team, please email for updated information on meeting places.

Friends of Piesse Brook Inc. are finalists in Australia's national environmental award - the 2009 Banksia Awards

We are proud to announce that the Friends of Piesse Brook Inc. have succeeded in being chosen as a finalist of the 2009 Banksia Environmental Awards in the Eco Innovation Category.   We made it to finalists last year and were one of three in the finals.

Since their inception in 1989, the Banksia Environmental Awards have earned the reputation as the most prestigious environmental awards in Australia. The awards acknowledge excellence, dedication and leadership in various areas that contribute to the environment and a sustainable future. 

As a finalist, we are amongst a select few who have shown through our submission that we embody what the awards represent.  

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all involved in the project that has resulted in this public acknowledgement. 

Winners will be announced on 24th July 2009 at the Banksia Environmental Awards Presentation. 

It is a great achievement of which we should all be proud.

For more information ...... click here.

Why balgas should not be burnt

This is an extract from an article in Urban Bushland Council's newsletter from spring 2008 with permission from Phylis Robertson.

Balgas put on new growth from the centre of their tops and retain their dead leaves as thatch. This forms a safe microclimate for small animals including flies, beetles and spiders. These vertibrates provide ffod for lizards and birds. Blue fairy wrens are know to rrost in balgas tops at night whilst other small birds and animals including bandicoots build nests for themselves and their young in the shelter of dry leaves and skirts to rest in the dry and at night. It takes several years for a balga to build up a thatch.

Burning the top of balgas exposes the soil to wind and water erosion and drying out. Any animal that tries to shelter under a burnt balgas is exposed to predation, especially ravens. Some balgas die after being burnt and when you consider that they are slow growing plants and they are vital microhabitats, this is a tragic loss of diversity.

Swan Alcoa Landcare Program (SALP) funding ceremony

Swan Alcoa Landcare Program (SALP) funding ceremony breakfast presentation on 27th February 2009 at Waters Edge Winery was attended by Bridget Hogarth and Linda Stanley.  Here Bridget and Linda receive the SALP cheque of $50,000 for the Friends of Piesse Brook’s weed control and conservation work schedule for 2009. 

Weeds of National Significance

This is a link to Weeds of National Significance, their identification and their control.

http://www.weedscrc.org.au/publications/weed_man_guides.html#biodiversity

Tree Canopy Programme Species Details

Download Tree Canopy Programm 2009 Species details brochure

This is an excellent reference to identify the trees and understory on your property or reserve.  It has Latin and common names, pictures, heights, soil types, flower colours, and flowering time along with useful comments.

Turtle Facts

Frog

Blah blah

Litter Reporting Online

 

Have you seen someone throw rubbish or a cigarette butt out of their car window or a trailer with its load escaping onto to the road?

Have you felt helpless or annoyed that you couldn’t do anything about it?

Well, now you can.! Join the Keep Australia Beautiful Council’s Litter Reporter Scheme.

Keep Australia Beautiful Council (KABC) is part of the Department of Environment and Conservation and it has a major role in preventing and reducing littering and illegal dumping.

Litter includes cigarette butts, drink bottles, fast food wrappers, loads which are escaping from trailers and trucks, in fact, anything which escapes from vehicles. Reporters can also report dumping if associated with a vehicle, such as loads being emptied on roadsides from trailers.

When you see someone throwing litter from a car, take note of the:

•           vehicle registration
•           make and model of the vehicle
•           time and place that the offence was committed
•           description of the offender and
•           provide a description of the litter that was dropped.

The information provided by you will normally result in the issue of an infringement notice to the offender. Fines range from $75 for cigarette butts to $200 for other types of litter.

To become a registered litter reporter contact our Enforcement Officers, Cindy Fryer or Adam Woodhead, on 6467 5129 or go direct to the KABC website at www.kabc.wa.gov.au. Once you have been appointed as a reporter, a kit including litter report cards will be forwarded to you.

Weed Warriors

Friends of Piesse Brook Open Day in the Park Sunday 5th October 10am – 4pm.

On Sunday 5th October the Friends of Piesse Brook will host an Open Day at the entrance gate to the Kalamunda National Park at the far end of Schipp Road, Piesse Brook.
At the Open Day the Friends group will showcase the work they have done in the park over the last eight years. 

In addition there will be displays from supporters and sponsors of the group, including the Swan Catchment Centre, The River Guardians, Swan Alcoa Landcare Program and the Department of Environment and Conservation, explaining how they each assist and advise groups how to form and function. 

There will be a sausage sizzle at 12 noon till 2pm, a wildflower walk at 1pm in the surrounding parkland and the local camel farm will be offering camel rides on the bridal trail in the afternoon.