Friends of Piesse Brook

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.

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

Turtle Facts

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.

Mystery Woylie Decline

Woylies have been re-listed as endangered with a 95 per cent decline since 2001.  Please see this article from the winter issue of Bushland News.

Call for GM Ban

GreenPage July 2008

Download greenpage_july_2008.pdf

Phosphorous Awareness

The Phosphorous Action Group is a volunteer group whose aim is to reduce nutrient loads to the Swan and Canning Rivers and wetlands by mounting an awareness campaign. Please visit their website at http://www.sercul.org.au/pag.html

Aims
The Phosphorous Action Group aims to reduce the amount of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) people contribute to waterways through stormwater drains and catchment run-off by:

Making the connections for people between their backyards, the stormwater drainage system and water bodies such as the Swan and Canning Rivers;

Educating householders to use P-free (NP) detergents, particularly in unsewered areas of the catchment, and to consider the contribution of pet faeces to nutrient loads in the catchment as well as bread fed to water birds; and

Promoting appropriate fertiliser practises for the soils of the region. The lack of general awareness of nutrients in fertilisers is a target for the campaign

Through education the group targets the community, schools, local government and industry to encourage them to decrease their nutrient outputs.

They have a number of downloadable information guides that are very informative and useful.  Please visit their website at http://www.sercul.org.au/downloads.html to view the list of downloads.  Amongst the list is

Wise Fertilise Guides - with one for the Scarp.

Grow Local Plant Guides – with one for the Scarp.

The are downloads for alternative detergents – non-phosphorous cleaners

GreenPage May 2008

Download greenpage_may_2008.pdf

GreenPage April 2008

Download greenpage_april_2008.pdf