News

Post Flood Rescue, Tuckett Park – thanks to working group volunteers

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Congratulations are due to the willing volunteers who turned out to remove flood debris and recover the trees and shrubs along Creekside Street, Tuckett Park.  Jim Pope, the section leader for Tuckett Park, reports that the quick action has saved many of the plantings.
Jim had earlier reported the good news that the plantings done the Sunday prior to the floods of the 30th March were unaffected by the flood, but unfortunately some of the earlier plantings were knocked about a bit, particularly those at the eastern end of Creekside St. Some of the long stem plantings on the south side of the creek were also leaning over and needed re-staking while the ground was still soft.

CYCLONE DEBBIE HITS OUR CATCHMENT!

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EMERGENCY WORKING BEE SUNDAY 2 APRIL !!!!

LOOK at the destruction ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie inflicted on Tuckett Park this week:

 

So many of our plantings were knocked about by Debbie, particularly those at the Eastern end of Creekside Street – we’re keen re-stake them while the ground is still soft!

Can you help us this Sunday (2nd April) at 9.00 am with some re-staking? We’ll meet outside 90 Creekside Street Brookfield. It’s not hard work – we’ll show you what to do!


If you can help, please contact Jim Pope: j.pope@qut.edu.au or by phone: 3374 4181

Rain at LAST!

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Use it or lose it! Come and plant some trees at beautiful Tuckett Park next Sunday morning!

We’ll have approximately 160 assorted native trees/shrubs and 80 lomandras so it’ll be all hands on deck – easy work in the soft, moist soil!

Please consider joining us for an hour or two – whatever you can spare! 

For all the details, check out our Working Bee Calendar.

A Letter from Gordon

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Calling all “UPPER GOLD CREEKERS!”

The first 2017 working bee for Section 9 will be held this Sunday 17 March 

We will meet at 8.30am at 658 Gold Creek Road

We really need all hands on deck and everyone is welcome – for all the details, please see our Working Bee Calendar.

Section Leader Gordon Grigg has also written a letter which provides some background about the group’s past achievements in restoring the land along Gold Creek Road and the continuing steps to keep this transformation well and truly alive.

Please take time to read the letter and consider joining a working bee or two. 

As Gordon points out, this doesn’t need to be a big time commitment and any offer of help, no matter how small, will be very gratefully received.

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So much to do! …

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You really CAN make a difference by joining a working bee!

Look at the changes Phil Bird’s group have made at Moggill Creek near Galvin Road.

   
 May 2016  December 2016

This Sunday 19 March we have 4 bushcare groups you can choose from!

Please see our Working Bee Calendar for all the details. Help us make a difference! 

CRITICAL WEED ALERT – Anzac Tree Daisy

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A new exotic weed has been assessed as a rapidly spreading threat to our ecosystems.

Montanoa hibiscifolia known as Anzac Tree Daisy is a native of Central America. It was introduced to Far North Queensland as a garden plant. 

This is a CALL TO ARMS to alert landholders to treat all trees that are likely to flower BEFORE THE END OF MARCH and the likelihood of the weed becoming more widely established.

Invasion by Anzac tree daisy presents a clear risk to a substantial proportion of our remnant forests and it appears to be spreading rapidly. It seems to be well adapted to our environment and invades rainforest margins, gullies, disturbed areas and road embankments. The plant is a prolific seeder and shows potential to be highly invasive in the riparian zones and fringes of the local dry rainforests.


It is easily missed until April – May when it is a mass of flowers.


There is presently little information on the distribution of Anzac tree daisy throughout the catchment however several infestations have been identified in the upper Wonga Creek and Gold Creek sub-catchments. These are locations where it is highly likely to threaten remnant forests.The weed is likely to become more widely established elsewhere, particularly in the lower disturbed slopes and the fringing forests near the creek.

Several infestations in the upper part of Wonga Creek sub-catchment are being managed by landholders who are Land for Wildlife partners. SEQ Water (the managers of the Gold Creek Water Reserve) have also treated an infestation in the same area. 

MCCG will work with landholders and Brisbane City Council in a concerted effort to manage infestations on both sides of Wonga Creek downstream to Savages Rd in the next 12 months. The first action will be to promote the killing of all mature trees to limit seeding, followed by hand removal or herbicide treatment of seedlings. Outliers near the creek and on the edges of remnant forests will be treated first, to isolate the core infestations. 
Following this first thrust in Wonga Creek sub-catchment, MCCG will liaise with BCC and SEQ Water on coordinated activities for addressing the threat across other parts of the catchment.

How to respond

Please unite and join us in this initial phase.
Experience to date indicates the plant is readily killed by cutting and pasting the lower stem, and by basal bark spraying with herbicides. Either kamba500 or glyphosate (Roundup) are recommended. 

If you can help or would like more info please contact Adrian Webb: adrian@webbnet.com.au

Additional information is available in the Biosecurity Queensland fact sheet:
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Strategic Plan for 2017 – new goals and next steps

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MCCG has a new strategic plan ….. 

In 2016 the Management Committee decided to undertake a planning exercise. Older plans reflected a time when the MCCG was a smaller organisation with some different challenges, although the environmental ones are still there. 

We are currently producing a list of important actions to fit under each strategy, with the intention of ensuring we don`t overreach ourselves in an attempt to do everything that needs to be done. 
Therefore the links to our major stakeholders such as the Brisbane City Council, Healthy Land and Water and South-East Queensland Water are as important as ever in retaining and protecting the natural environment of the Moggill Creek Catchment. 
Thank you to everyone who helped with ideas, debate and plain hard work in putting this plan together. We will use it to guide us and to gauge our future performance. 
A special thanks to Mark Creyton who guided our process.
We invite you to read our Strategic Plan and to reflect on the challenges ahead and our strategies to overcome these.

WEED ALERT – March 2017

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Have you ever over summer seen pretty purple flowers growing on 1m tall plants along our creeks? Ruellia tweediana (Mexican Petunia), a very serious riparian weed indeed!

This plant is particularly common along lower Moggill Creek and McKay Brook. The species must surely have been introduced as an ornamental and has spread rapidly along the riparian zone, out-competing most native herbaceous species.

As with other invasive plants, it’s best to catch this plant when it is first spotted. Young plants can be pulled by hand, depending on the nature of the substrate they are growing in. However, Mexican Petunia soon develops rhizomes (underground stems) which make it very difficult to hand-pull. That leaves us with herbicides.

Cody Hochen, Land for Wildlife officer, advises that Amicide 625 (2,4-D 625) at 30ml/10L of water is effective and is registered under PER11463, also being registered for using along waterways. If there are Persicaria (see below) and various other native species present, these are also likely to be killed by this herbicide. Note that the use of glyphosate (Roundup) is discouraged, especially in proximity of lomandras, which are very sensitive to glyphosate.

As seen in the photo below, Mexican Petunia is tolerant of high levels of shade, spreading under existing trees.

It also spreads up the banks of creeks, although not to where moisture levels are low.  Being rhizomatous, it holds the soil together and so should not be poisoned in erosion-prone areas where there are no other plants to protect the soil.  Progressive removal of the weed and replacement with natives would be recommended.
Where there are existing native plants, it can be quite difficult to distinguish Mexican Petunia from some of the natives. It has quite long, grassy leaves, as do some of the native species naturally occurring in riparian areas, notably Lomandra spp. (from which it would readily be distinguished) and Persicaria spp.  Several Persicaria spp. occur naturally along Moggill Creek, including Persicaria decipiens shown in the photo below.  All have alternate leaves, not opposite, as in Mexican petunia.

If you need additional advice, please give Bryan Hacker a call on 3374 1468.

Brisbane Biodiversity Seminar 7 March

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Yes! There’s still time to register for the Brisbane Biodiversity Seminar East Region at Woolloongabba tonight! (Tuesday 7 March)

This session is entitled: Weed Control: More than one tool in the shed

Presenters include:  Liz Snow (Biosecurity QLD), Stefan Hattingh (B4C), Spencer Shaw (Brush Turkey Enterprises), Richard Copeman (Northey Street City Farm)

Please check our Calendar of Events for more info and how to RSVP.

Note: these informative seminars are conducted by Brisbane City Council.