We were pleased to be contacted by the Daglish Fire Brigade and to have the opportunity to walk with them round the bushland. During our walk we showed them our fire management map (see front page of this newsletter) and discussed fire management issues including:

looking after habitat trees (marked on map by "T") to ensure that they do not continue to burn after a fire
restricting fire-fighting activities to existing paths (not putting fire-breaks through bushland)
identifying paths (colour coded on map), hydrants ("H" on map) and gates for fire access

Green Reserves and Green Corps

Most Thursdays have found Steve McCabe, our Bushcare Officer, busy at work directing the Green Reserves and Green Corps teams in Shenton Bushland. One outstanding job has been their constant attack on Geraldton carnation weed. Without their help this year our efforts since 1997 to eradicate this weed would have been largely wasted. We owe them a great big thank you. Over the years, we have mostly removed the large plants and are now removing the annual growth of seedlings. Even though only 10cm tall they still produce seeds!

Another big thank you goes to Green Corps for their effort at wiping glyphosate on to the watsonia infestation. This is the third year that a Green Corps team has helped in the effort to eradicate this weed from approximately half a hectare in the south west corner.
Seed Collecting

It's seed collecting time again!

Come and join in this pleasant activity on Thursday 15 November at 9 am starting at the Lemnos Street entrance
Kate Brown, project officer with the Environmental Weeds Action Network, and experienced seed collector, will lead the activity
Morning tea will be served

Successful plantings

The site of the former rubble and soil dumps is now sporting quite a few native plants including Podolepis gracilis, which has made quite a show. Closer inspection also reveals small plants of prickly moses, native wisteria, running postman, hairy yellow pea and Prince of Wales feathers. More seed will be sown next year to increase the numbers of plants and species.

The planting along the buried power line was successful. The most visible survivors are running postman, hairy yellow pea, native wisteria, prickly moses and silky jacksonia. Funds are still available for further tube stock to be grown and planted next year.

Weed control

Our mapping of veld grass in the bushland reveals that applying fusilade for two years in a row has markedly reduced veld grass in the central area of the bushland.

Since there is not enough money available to spray fusilade over the entire bushland each year we have to target the worst areas. This year the western part of the bushland, which has not been treated since the 1997 fire had a dense cover of veld grass, so we targeted this area using funds provided by Nedlands City Council.

Funds from the Minister for the Environment through the Community Conservation Grants 2000/2001, enabled use of Brush off at low concentrations to tackle the exotic bulbs. The discrete patches of Lachenalia reflexa (yellow soldiers), the control of which has been researched by Kate Brown over the past few years, was sprayed in August. In September the more wide-spread Freesia affin. leichtlinii was sprayed. As with the watsonias, this is going to be a long-term project for which the Friends constantly have to find funds.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Friends will be on Thursday 15 November at 7.30 pm at 2/233 Hensman Road, Shenton Park. We will be evaluating our year's work and starting to plan for next year. All welcome.

This newsletter is produced by the Friends of Shenton Bushland.
Contributions by Janice Marshall, and Daniel Boase-Jelinek.

Created by Daniel Boase-Jelinek August 2004

All photographs are copyright of Daniel Boase-Jelinek unless otherwise indicated.

The logo of the Friends of Shenton Bushland is copyright of June L. Weller

Last updated November 2006