UGLN Autumn Newsletter

Deer Management Information Session

When: Saturday 15th June
Time: 10am – 2pm
Where: Taggerty Hall. 5 Taggerty-Thornton Rd, Taggerty

Are deer a problem on your land?
Do they eat your pasture, fruit trees, vineyards, and native vegetation as well as damage your fencing?
Do you want to know what you can do to control them on your property?

RSVP to UGLN Landcare Facilitator Chris Cobern on 0413 855 490 or ugln.projects@ugln.net
Light lunch provided.

Register for Potential Funding.

Landscape Legacies Project is seeking Expressions of Interest from landholders who wish to protect and enhance Grey Box Grassy Woodland habitat.

For more information and to register click here.

Eildon and Cathedral Junior Landcare Activities.

Students from the Presbyterian Ladies College in Melbourne recently took time out of their school camp at the Rubicon Outdoor Centre to help the Eildon and Cathedral Landcare Groups with their projects at the Eildon Pondage and Andrews Creek.

With the guidance of Eildon Landcare Group volunteers the students planted at least 150 trees, sedges and lilies around the Eildon Pondage; and also installed six nesting boxes onto trees throughout the reserve to provide nesting sites for ringtail possums and sugar gliders.

Over at Taggerty the students helped the Cathedral Landcare Group with their rehabilitation project along Andrews Creek and planted 50 of the rare Buxton Gum and over 100 rushes and lilies.
The students also enjoyed checking the nesting boxes along the creek, and were very excited when we found two Ringtail Possums using the boxes.

 

Landcare frog night on the rail trail.

20 local landcarers recently attended our frog discovery night on the rail trail at Merton, and the night certainly lived up to its name.

We were all thrilled to discover a large and healthy population of the endangered Bibron’s Toadlet (Pseudophryne bibronii) calling from some of the natural depressions along the rail trail.
At least 70 of the Bibrons Toadlets were heard calling from three locations along the rail trail that we surveyed. Only the males call.

Wildlife Ecologist David De Angelis from Abzeco spoke to the group about the life cycle of this very special little frog and the challenges it faces from habitat destruction and climate change. David was very excited by the discovery and will be recording our findings on the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas.

The male Bibron’s Toadlet call from within a burrow or nest, a concealed area under a rock or log, or within damp leaf-litter.
The structure of the call by the male is variable, and can be described as a grating “ark” sound, or a short, grating “cre-ek” noise and the call is repeated every few seconds.
Eggs are deposited in the nest at the calling site, or nearby in a concealed place. When rain floods the nest site, these eggs hatch and the tadpoles develop in the water.

More information about them here: 

Funding provided by VicTrack.

Rail Trail Ecological Burn.

UGLN, with the assistance of the Merton Landcare Group and Merton CFA members, recently carried out an ecological burn in a significant native grassy woodland area along the rail trail at Merton.

The burning of the grassy woodland will encourage new growth and improve the health of the native grasses. Burning is especially important for Kangaroo Grass tussocks as they can die-off when the plants are smothered out by dead plant material.

The fire will also help regenerate the native herbs, groundcovers and wildflowers present in these special areas.

The burns have been supported by the Mansfield Shire Council and funded by VicTrack.

 

Number Two Creek Reserve – Corporate Volunteer Day

The Kinglake Landcare Group recently had a very productive and enjoyable day with our corporate volunteer friends from ANZ at the Number Two Creek Reserve in Kinglake.

We cut and painted woody weeds including holly, honeysuckle, and tutsan, pruned overhanging branches and cleared storm damage from across the walking path through the reserve.

After a cup of tea and a very nice lunch provided by the Flying Tarts Bakery, we inspected and did some maintenance to some of the nesting boxes throughout the reserve. We were pleased to see sugar gliders using some of the nesting boxes.