1Bush Matters - Spring 2002

No 2/2002

N e w s l e t t e r o f t h e N S W N a t i o n a l P a r k s & W i l d l i f e S e r v i c eC o n s e r v a t i o n P a r t n e r s P r o g r a m I S S N 1 4 4 6 - 8 4 4 1

CONTENTS....conservationon private land Conservation on private

land..........................1

From the DirectorGeneral........................2

Joint AssistanceProgram .....................2

Brucedale-site ofWindradyne’s grave......3

Old Dromana ...............4

Looking afterKoalas............ . . . . . ......6

NPWS Project to restorekoala habitat on privatelands...........................8

Planning wildlifelandscapes ..................8

Woody weeds andBiodiversity ................9

Spotlight on Foxes. .... .10

Working group - workingtogether-Land forWildlife in theMurrakool...................11

Integrated WeedManagement ..............12

Getting information onAussie Bees;Facts about Trees........14

Useful books ............ .15

What’s on ...................16

Increasingly there is wide consideration given toconserving nature on private land. In August 2002, anational forum was held in Adelaide wherepresentations and discussions covered a range oftopics around this subject. Sally Ash and Louise Brodiefrom NPWS Conservation Partners Program wereamong the participants who came from around thecountry and included private landholders, public landmanagers and those who are setting up and runningsupport programs for landholders. Rather thandwelling on the negative and presenting pictures ofdoom and gloom, the forum included presentations ona range of initiatives which are occurring both withinAustralia and abroad.

All participants agreed that extension and supportservices need to be improved, made more relevant tothe landholder, and have long-term funding. Allrecognised that conservation can place a financialburden on landholders, and the costs of encouraginglandholders to conserve native vegetation and fauna,and the recognition of stewardship should be shared

This forum was timely as it focusedattention on issues for private landconservation. The Natural Heritage Trust2 is considering how best to progress this.The forum workshops produced proposalswhich will be put forward to those involvedin these considerations, of which a majorarea is Capacity Building. Papers from theForum are available from the NatureFoundation S.A., Post: PO Box 448,HINDMARSH, South Australia 5007

Telephone: 1300 366 191 Facsimile: +61 8 8340 2506

or on www.naturefoundationsa.asn.auPowerful OwlG Gatenby NPWS

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across the community. Other discussions were very topical including questionsof what constitutes duty of care and property rights. Landholders gaveinsights into the problems they face on a day to day basis trying to makegood decisions on management to balance nature conservation with farmingactivities.

2 Bush Matters - Spring 2002

Brian GilliganDirector GeneralNSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.

... from the Director General

HELP STILL AVAILABLE UNDERJOINT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR VCAAND WILDLIFE REFUGE LANDOWNERS

Volunteers at work on Tanjenong Wildlife Refuge near theAbercrombie River, June 2002

The Joint Assistance program,funded by the NSW EnvironmentalTrust, has funded 29 weeks of workby volunteer teams provided byConservation VolunteersAustralia.This work has beenundertaken on properties covered

by a Voluntary ConservationAgreement and on Wildlife Refuges.

The program runs until March 2003,and currently funding is available fora few more weeks of work onWildlife Refuges or VCA properties.

Do we have yourcorrect details? Areyou moving on?Let us know ifyou are moving onfrom your property. This way we canensure that information is receivedby the correct property owner. If youhave new owners on part of yourWildlife Refuge, encourage them tocontact us.If you are leaving your WildlifeRefuge or VCA land, we will behappy to retain you on our mailinglist. Just let us know.Phone 02 9585 6671, or your localNPWS office.

On-ground work to assistconservation may include weeding,fencing or planting.

If you are interested in assistanceon your property, call Louise on 029585 6671.

Partnerships are a key factor in the success of protecting and conservingour natural and cultural heritage across the whole landscape. Landholderswho have voluntary agreements such as Voluntary ConservationAgreements and Wildlife Refuges, or are members of the Land for WildlifeScheme are making an important contribution to the on-ground survivaland recovery of local native animals, looking after the bush and wetlands,and protecting places of cultural significance.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service works closely with landholdersin a variety of ways, which leads to better conservation outcomes bothwithin and outside national parks. Some examples of our co-operativeprograms include feral animal control and fire management, which arecritical issues for the Service and private landholders alike and thesesorts of co-operative control programs provide benefits to all landmanagers.We also work with landholders on special projects to helprecover threatened species.

Along with our regular updates on research, what’s on and managementinformation, this issue of Bush Matters recounts stories from landholdersabout their work in protecting and conserving our Australian heritage,and the important partnerships that have helped make these efforts a

conservation success. It isimportant to recognise what hasbeen achieved through voluntaryefforts by hundreds of committedprivate landholders across NewSouth Wales.

3Bush Matters - Spring 2002

Brucedale—site of Windradyne’s grave—caring for our cultural heritageJohn Fry, from Conservation Volunteers Australia, and David Suttor ofBrucedale, talk about the site and recent conservation projects.

Conservation Volunteers Australia(CVA) recently provided a team ofvolunteers to work at Brucedalenear Bathurst, where the Aboriginalcultural site of Windradyne’s graveis protected under a VoluntaryConservation Agreement.

The site of Windradyne’s grave at theBrucedale property is one of the mostimportant known Aboriginal culturalsites in the region. Brucedale, 15 kmnorth of Bathurst, is also noted asbeing the oldest farming property ininland Australia and has been ownedby the Suttor family since 1823.

Windradyne was the last chief ofthe Wiradjuri Nation. He led acampaign against the local settlersover land use, and later died in1837 from spear wounds inflictedduring a tribal dispute. In 2000, aVoluntary Conservation Agreement(VCA) was made between theowners of Brucedale and the Ministerfor the Environment, with theinvolvement of the local Aboriginalgroups, to protect the site.

The site was well known anddocumented, and David Suttor and

family were awareof the culturalvalue of the site.It was suggestedby Lloyd Kingham,who was thenthe local LandcareC o - o r d i n a t o r ,that assistanceand permanentprotection of thearea was available.

Following thisadvice, David worked with Bill Allen,NPWS Aboriginal Sites Officer, to setup a VCA over the area. John Bugg,a Wiradjuri elder, was thrilled to findthat recognition of the site hadresulted in this voluntary agreement.Management of the site is carried outin consultation with the BathurstLocal Aboriginal Land Council andthe Wiradjuri people, and thisrequirement is written into theagreement.

Following finalisation of theagreement, the grave site was fencedout to protect it from potentialdamage by grazing, and the work wascelebrated with a traditional smokingceremony.

In 2001, in anevent which waslinked to theW i n d r a d y n ememorial gardenproject on theBathurst Campusof Charles SturtUniversity, localWiradjuri peopleplanted 18varieties ofendemic flora in

memory of Windradyne and theWiradjuri Nation.

The grave site area is not easilyaccessible and can quickly fill withweeds. As time did not permitsufficient maintenance, more helpwas made available. In July 2002, ateam of nine local and internationalvolunteers with ConservationVolunteers Australia’s Better Earthprogram spent a week restoring thesite to assist regenerating nativevegetation. More plantings of localshrubs and grasses were completedafter removing weeds. The site islinked to over 20 kilometres of localriparian corridors.

The team was funded under a grantobtained by CVA from the NSWEnvironmental Trust, for a JointAssistance Program with NPWS.The program provides assistance toland managers who have entered intoa VCA or own a Wildlife Refuge withon-ground works to protect andenhance valuable off-reserveremnants.

The project at Brucedale hasattracted many visitors during the pastfew years, and will continue to playan important role in regionalAboriginal culture.Photo: Nick Layne CVA

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4 Bush Matters - Spring 2002

My husband Bruce, came to theWatercourse area west of Moree inthe early 1950’s and quickly fell inlove with the country. At that time,the Watercourse area, as the namesuggests, was an inland delta wherethe Gwydir River spread its waterover a huge region as the river rantill it emptied. Sometimes that tookmonths. This created a vast area ofmarshy vegetation and thousands ofwaterbirds flocked there to feed andbreed.

To a young stockman riding all day,and most days, it seemed near toparadise mustering sheep and cattleand taking in the natural environmentas he rode. Like most stockmen inthe area, he quickly learned to watchthe birds, as they were a goodindicator of the next fresh cominginto the area. He enjoyed nothingbetter than to boil the quart pot by alagoon and watch the birds, learningto identify them as time went on. Hewatched the water rats and platypusin the deeper channels, as well as thesnakes. The Red-bellied Black Snakewas the most common and it grewto a huge size living on the variety offrogs and small amphibians living in

and around the water’s edge. Butthere were Brown Snakes and DeathAdders as well.

Rookeries were fairly common.Huge flocks of Nankeen nightherons, cormorants, egrets; theseand spoonbills nested in theirpreferred habitat and at differenttimes. The open lagoons werecovered with swans leading dozensof cygnets and a myriad of ducks andgrebes everywhere. At times it wasdangerous riding in long grass. Onenever knew just when or where aground nesting bird would rise in aflurry of feathers and squawks. Seaeagles were seen nesting and rearingtheir young – an unusual sight so farfrom the coast. Huge flocks ofbrolgas, of eighty to a hundred birdsplayed and danced on the plains – afascinating sight.

And, of course, the cattle fed andbred along the channels too. Therewas many a wild ride to muster themfrom among the sag beds and lignumswamps.

By the end of the 70’s Bruce realizedhis dream of owning some of this

country, but Copeton Dam had beenbuilt on the upper reaches of theGwydir River and it was holding ahuge volume of water than had onceflowed into the wetlands. This wasdevastating for the natural wildlife,and, in an attempt to keep the area inits natural state, we had OldDromana declared a Wildlife Refuge.As the area was drying out shooterswere discovering the accessibility ofthe wildlife and had no regard for thenatural environment.

We started identifying the birds wesaw as we went about our work andsoon had nearly 200 bird species onour list. Of these almost half werebreeding here as well, so it wasessential that the area be kept in itsnatural state as far as possible.

As the irrigation industry grew so thewetland area diminished. Whenwhite man first came into thewatercourse area in the 1850’s it wasconsidered to cover at least 100,000acres. By 1984 it was barely 2000acres with very little of the naturalwater grasses still alive.

We sought assistance from NPWSto rectify the situation to somedegree, but it seemed there wasnothing that could be done. ‘Ramsar’was a word that seemed to crop upwith some naturalists visiting the area,but once again we seemed up againsta brick wall trying to discover whator who could help us.

One way of understanding theenormity of the demise of thewatercourse is that prior to the lossof water we could muster a thousandhead of cattle out of one paddock inthe heart of the wetlands. The steersand calves were fat enough to truckimmediately to sale and the cowsthemselves were rolling fat. By the

Old Dromana - Jen Southeron tells the story of her family’s property,

a Wildlife Refuge, with part of a wetland under a Ramsar agreement

Photo: Southeron family

5Bush Matters - Spring 2002

early 90’s when the area had beendry for about fifteen years, the samearea carried 150 cows and we hadto fatten their calves on crops to beable to sell them. No steers came intothe equation at all. With a high debtratio our income from that area wasin a rapid decline.

The same devastation affected thefauna in the area. There werevirtually no colonial water birdsbreeding. Rookeries were nonexistent. The red-bellied black snakesdisappeared. The water rat coloniesvanished, and the platypus went fromthe end of the river. It was a sad andsorry sight to behold.

In 1995 a change of governmentpolicy turned the situation around andthe wetlands were given an allocationof water. The wetland environmenthad to be sustained!

The watercourse will never be aslarge an area as it was before man’sinterference, but what is there nowwill survive. The birds have comeback and rookeries once again canbe observed. Small flocks of brolgasare occasionally found. Black snakesand water rats are not uncommon butthe platypus is yet to reemerge.

Pied Geese are back again to nestregularly and another surprisenewcomer is the Jacana - also fromnorthern regions of Australia. Ourbird count has reached 240 differentspecies with almost 200 breeding atsome time. Apart from the waterbirdsthe migratory birds pass through the

region on their north/south pathways- the most spectacular are probablythe rainbow bee-eaters coming in lateOctober to dig their burrows in thesandy ridges and feed their young onthe swarms of insects that invadethroughout the summer months.Parrots find their way down from themountains in harsh winters, and drytimes in the centre bring the crimsonchat searching for sustenance.

In an effort to keep this area in itsnatural state as much as possible wehave had 1500 acres declared aRamsar site. We understand that thisis the largest privately ownedRamsar site in Australia. At presenta moderate flood will cover about70% of our country, with a majorflood covering about 95%. As theGwydir River is regulated, thewatercourse will never be as it wasin the past, but the present situationis probably as close to the naturalregime as we will ever see and weare relieved to see it this way.

We seem to have an even biggerbattle on our hands now than we everhad trying to get water back into thewatercourse. This battle has a newname– Lippia weed (Phylacanescens), also known ascondamine couch and no– mowlawn. This insidious noxious weed isprobably the perfect weed if there issuch a thing. It has no known enemieshere in Australia and is infesting thewhole of the Murray -Darling Basin.From our perspective here on the landwe feel that it affects the fertility ofour stock and the growth of ourcalves, but this has not been provenscientifically. At the rate it isspreading there will be very littlewetland unaffected in the whole ofthe basin in a very few years. Thereis no known chemical control. Theonly control known at present isploughing and cropping the countryaffected, but this is not acceptable inthe watercourse.

We hope that the watercourse willsurvive so that future generations canride through this wonderful countryand enjoy it as much as we have,riding with our children andgrandchildren.

What is Ramsar?

Popularly known as the RamsarAgreement, the Convention on Wetlandsis an intergovernmental treaty adoptedin the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971. Thetreaty aims to protect wetlands ofInternational Importance and promotesthe ‘wise use’ of all wetlands. Wise userefers to sustainable use of the wetlandfor the benefit of humankind in a waythat is compatible with maintaining thenatural properties of the ecosystem.

In Australia there are currently 57 Ramsarsites, nine of these being in NSW. Twoof the NSW Ramsar sites include privateland: in the Gwydir (4 landholders) andMacquarie Marshes (1 landholder). Theother sites are NPWS managed areas.

For more information contact PennyBrett at NPWS on 02 9585 6692

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