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Newsletter #37 January 2002

Janice, Ruby and Dorothy collecting seeds. Photo: Bill Johnson

Summer in the Bushland

A tale of two lizards

On Sunday mornings as we return to the shed around 10 o'clock, we are frequently treated to the sight of two bob-tail lizards making their way from the Dogs' Refuge Home - or from under the shed - into the undergrowth of the bush across the track.

Around mulberry time, they were seen going the other way, squeezing through the cyclone fence to feast on the fallen mulberries. We have named them Mul and Berry!

FrogWatch

We received a bundle of fact sheets describing the frog species of the Perth area along with a tape which records their many calls. These are available for loan from the Friends' library.

Funding for research and management

Creepy-crawlies

The Friends has gained a Gordon Reid Foundation for Conservation grant in order to start gathering information on the invertebrate fauna of Shenton Bushland. We plan to contract two University of WA zoology students to conduct this survey over summer.

Funds for weed control

We have obtained a large grant from the Swan Catchment Urban Landcare Program to make possible the continuation of our veld grass control efforts. Along with Nedland Council's budget item, most of the remaining infestation should be able to receive an initial or follow-up treatment. We were disappointed not to receive a grant from a national weed alert programme to continue treatment of lachenlia (yellow soldiers) - which is on their list - and freesia. We are hoping that our application for a Community Conservation Grant from the Minister for the Environment will be more successful.

Notices

Call for bags

While we re-use, many times, the large plastic bags you have supplied in the past, the number has gradually dwindled. So, if you have any large (30 litre?) bags - potting mix or manure etc - we would be pleased if you could leave them under a brick outside the shed, down the Dogs' Refuge Home track.

FungiMap

We have used $40 of your donations to purchase four A3 posters each with 10 or 11 colour photos of the target fungi species for the FungiMap project.

These will help us in the identification of some of the many fungi which appear in the cooler, wetter months.

AGM alert

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on 21 March.

Your small committee is looking for re-enforcement and you are urged to think who may join it - either yourself or someone who just needs a bit of encouragement to step forward!

We particularly need someone who would like to liaise with schools and also someone who would like to promote the social side of the Friends.

Perhaps you or they would like to come to the next meeting.

Update on Underwood Bushland

Tragically, a fire (or series of fires) lit in the Underwood Avenue Bushland have burnt almost the entire bushland. The Friends of Underwood Avenue Bushland will be meeting with Fire and Emergency Services (FESA) to discuss fire management issues arising from this fire to ensure that lessons can be learnt from this experience and make sure that the same fate does not await Shenton Bushland.

The Friends of Underwood Avenue Bushland are lobbying UWA and the Government for funding to spray the burnt area and ensure that veldgrass is controlled this winter so that the bushland does not degrade further. 

Next Meeting

This will be held on Thursday 17 January at 7.30 pm at 2/233 Hensman Road, Shenton Park. We will be planning, in detail, our weekly activities during 2002. If you would like to see a first draft before the meeting either phone Janice (9381 1479) for a hard copy or e-mail Dani (bojel@cygnus.uwa.edu.au) for an electronic version. All welcome.

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