update

Volume 11, Issue 4

MALLEE

MMLAP Landcare Award Finalist

The Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association was selected as

a finalist for the 2009 Australian Government Landcare NRM Region
Award.

The nomination is an acknowledgement of the work achieved over the

last eleven years by the MMLAP and those involved in its programs.

Some of our achievements in our aim 'to provide leadership and

information which supports the Murray Mallee community to
implement long term land management solutions' have been to:

Encourage and educate people of all ages to look after our

environment better through:
On farm advice
Field trips
Workshops
Visiting schools
Mentoring youth groups
Supporting landcare groups who achieve large amounts of coordinated on-
ground works every year.

Encourage new ideas and diversification by supporting:

Research
Trials and demonstrations
Field trips to expose landholders to new ideas and follow-up workshops What's inside
Support members of our community to better manage their natural resources
through on-ground works to:
Protect and enhance remnant vegetation (923ha) Southern Mallee Bird Surveys
Revegetate local native species (1,045.9ha) Weeds of National Significance
Establish fodder (3,413ha) Bat Detecting
Establish pasture (14,126ha) Bat Workshops
Establish product block (45.5ha) Meeting at Smithville Hall to form new
Control erosion (878ha). Landcare Group
Environmental Education Courses 2010
Total over 20,000 ha
Our New Look Website
Seeking Information on Feral Goats
We have been able to support this work with $2.2million of funding while
Early Results from Mantung Trial
$6.6million of support was provided as in-kind contribution.
SA Oil Recovery
The award ceremony was held at the National Wine Centre of Australia in Coorong Bus Trip
Adelaide on Wednesday 18 November 2009. Rod Brown and Rowena Danks
attended the ceremony as representatives of the Association and to their surprise
WE WON!!! The award was presented by Hume Macdonald, Director of
Landcare Australia.

Congratulations to all the landholders, school students and teachers, landcare

group members, community members and MMLAP committee members whose
involvement contributed to this achievement.

Rod Brown, Chairman of MMLAP, Hume Macdonald, Director of Landcare Australia and
Rowena Danks, MMLAP Project Officer. (Photo courtesy of Department of Water, Land and www.malleefutures.org.au
Biodiversity Conservation)
Southern Mallee Bird Surveys

During October the Department for Environment and Heritage, in conjunction with the
University of Adelaide, undertook bird surveys at 65 sites in the southern Murray Mallee. Sites
stretched from Greenways and Bakara to Pinnaroo, although the Billiatt area was avoided
because it has been well surveyed for birds. We attempted to survey each of the different
vegetation types present within this area, with each site being visited 3 times.

The bird surveys, which provide knowledge of each species' preferred habitat and their current
distribution in the area, help us to determine conservation priorities. Preliminary figures
indicate that birds which may be of concern in parts of the area surveyed include the Brown
Treecreeper, Crested Bellbird and Chestnut Quailthrush.

The results from the southern Murray Mallee contrast with those of the northern Murray
Mallee. In the southern region a number of bird species were more commonly encountered in
suitable habitat compared with those of the northern region. For example, the Southern Scrub-robin is found in areas of patchily-
dense shrubby understorey. In the southern region, these birds were relatively common, but in the northern region they are now
restricted to the vicinity of Bakara Conservation Park.

A number of inland Australian bird species were frequently recorded, including

Cockatiels, White-winged Trillers, Crimson Chats and Budgies. Possibly, after
relatively good rains in inland Australia, these species have been able to breed up
in numbers and are now moving further south.

Over the next few months we will be analysing the data further to determine if
there are pressing conservation issues in the southern Murray Mallee.

Thanks to the Murray Mallee LAP for assistance with contacting landholders and
to all the landholders for giving us access to their scrub.

Nigel Willoughby, Department for Environment and Heritage

A Crimson Chat in a grassland area just east of Bakara, above left
Budgies near the Victorian border a few kilometres southeast of Pinnaroo, above left. Photographs © Joel Allan

Weeds of National Significance (WoNS)

Australia's first National Weed Strategy, developed in 1997, highlighted the need for coordinated National action to address the
threat that weeds pose to our environmental and agricultural assets. From this strategy came the concept of identifying a group of
Australia's worst weeds and harnessing National action to manage them. States and Territories were given the opportunity to
nominate those species of greatest concern and approximately 70 species were subsequently assessed based on their invasiveness,
impact, potential for spread and socio-economic and environmental values.

A final list of 20 species was announced in 2000 and since that time a National Strategy has been developed for each species.
The strategies identify the long term outcomes that National coordination can help realise, as well as objectives, partnerships and
research and knowledge gaps. Each species also has a National Coordinator and management group which oversee the
implementation of priority actions. A comprehensive amount of extension material has been developed as part of the program, in
addition to targeted funding addressing National control priorities, research into best practice management and an enormous
amount of community effort to manage these weeds.

Information on each of the 20 WoNS, including best practice information and distribution maps, can be found at
www.weeds.org.au You can also contact me at the NRM Biosecurity Unit, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation
by phoning (08) 8303 9748 or by emailing to shauna.potter@sa.gov.au

Shauna Potter, South Australian WoNS Coordinator

Boneseed, Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. monilifera, is one of the WoNS found in the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin
region. Please see the flyer included with this newsletter for information about this proclaimed weed.
Environmental Education Courses 2010

Each year a series of environmental courses and workshops is held at Birds Australia
Gluepot Reserve to provide participants with hands-on skills.

In 2010, the following courses will be offered:

The Art of the Ant

10 & 11 April 2010 (Code: AN10A)
6 & 7 November 2010 (Code: AN10B)

An Introduction to Nature Photography

17 & 18 April 2010 (Code: NP10A)
28 & 29 August 2010 (Code: NP10B)

An Introduction to Macro Photography

24 & 25 April 2010 (Code: MP10A)
4 & 5 September 2010 (Code: MP10B)

An Introduction to Scientific Botanical Illustration

12 & 13 June 2010 (Code: BOT10)

GPS & GIS Workshop

19 & 20 June 2010 (Code: GPS10)

An Introduction to Bird Banding

30 & 31 October 2010 (Code: Bb10)

An Introduction to Birds and Bird Watching

18 & 19 September 2010 (Code: Bw10)

Painting Nature
16 & 17 October 2010 (Code: Pn10)

The Bats of Gluepot Reserve

3, 4 & 5 December 2010 (Code: BA10)

For more information, including a detailed brochure on each course, location map of Birds Australia Gluepot
Reserve and Registration and Payment Form, the following alternatives are available:

Visit the Birds Australia Gluepot Reserve website at www.riverland.net.au/gluepot .

Contact:Anne Morphett
Environmental Education Centre Administrator
Birds Australia Gluepot Reserve
61 Sturdee Street
LINDEN PARK SA 5065
phone: (08) 8379 3865 or 0421 582 710
fax: (08) 8364 5527
email: anne morphett@yahoo.com.au

Or alternately contact: Duncan MacKenzie ph: (08) 8332 1204 fax: (08) 8364 5527 or email:
dmackenzie@iname.com
Our New Look Website

Our website at www.malleefutures.org.au has been

updated and given a facelift.

You'll still be able to find the information previously

available on the site unless it has become outdated
while new information will be added as it becomes
available.

A new feature for the website is the Upcoming

Events column. This will be updated with
workshops, field days, tours, crop walks and
landcare meetings in the Murray Mallee region.

Our Photograph Archive will be changed regularly

to give you a taste of the work being done through
the support of the Murray Mallee LAP.

We hope to be able to keep the information on the site current so if you see any information that isn't, please let us know by
contacting Gayle at gayle.drabsch@internode.on.net or phoning 8531 3075.

We hope you enjoy visiting our site and welcome your comments.

Seeking Information on Feral Goat Sightings

The Browns Well Land Management Group, together with the Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association (MMLAP),
Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) and South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board
(SA MDB NRM Board), has identified the need to control goats that are spreading into South Australia from across the Victorian
border.

There is concern that the goat numbers will increase in remnant patches of mallee across heritage agreements and parks. DEH is
asking the community to assist with feral goat sightings in the Murray Mallee region from now until the end of February 2010.
Information from the public about goat sightings will help us to map areas where goat populations are highest, resulting in
improved and better targeted control efforts.

Feral goats can cause damage to fencing and often eat seedlings and
groundcover. Goats are also responsible for damaging mallee habitat. A
number of native animals, including Red-lored Whistlers, White-browed
Babblers, Chestnut Quail-thrushes, Tawny Frogmouths, Boobook Owls and
Malleefowl, rely on this habitat for food and shelter.

The public is encouraged to report goat sightings in the Paruna, Karte,

Peebinga, Billiatt and Alawoona areas.

DEH, MMLAP, SA MDB NRM Board and the Browns Well Land Management
Group will use the information to gain a better understanding of population
numbers, with an aim to improving goat control in the area.

The information required is:

location
number of goats observed
date of sighting
type of vegetation where goats were seen.
To report details of feral goat sightings, contact the DEH Bush Management Feral Goats - Photo by Trish Westbrook
Advisor, PO Box 231, Berri, SA 5343 or fax information to (08) 8595 2110.
Bat Detecting
Do you have bats on your property?

Would you like to know what types of bats are in your area?

As the nights get warmer in the Mallee and insect activity increases, so too
does the activity of bats as they search for food. While they are very effective
at insect control, bats also play a vital role in seed distribution and pollination
making them a key element of the ecological communities that they live in.
They drink from dams and open tanks and roost in tree hollows and bark, bat
boxes, caves, and roofs and walls of buildings– all of which are plentiful in
the SA Murray Mallee.

The Murray Mallee LAP has Bat Detector Kits available for landholders to use
for recording bat calls on their properties. These kits are simple to use and
can help to determine the type of bats that use habitat on and around your
property or that feed in the area. Information gathered from the recordings assists in improving the current data available on these
mammals.

If you are interested in recording bat calls using the Bat Detector Kits contact Rowena or Gayle at the MMLAP office on
mmlap@internode.on.net or 8531 2066.

Bat Workshops
Free community workshops
Come and learn about these unique flying mammals and trapping techniques

11 December at Blackhill
18 December at Meldanda
Time: 6.30 pm till late
Supper provided
Bring a torch and warm clothes

Please RSVP to Aimee Linke on 8564 6044

Presented by the Mid Murray Local Action Planning Association

Funded by the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation

Meeting at Smithville Hall to form new Landcare Group

Results show that the coordination of pest control is not only more effective than individual property programs, but has economic
benefits as warren ripping, mixing of poison oats and fox bait production can be carried out in bulk. Other benefits of this approach
include sharing techniques and results with neighbours and learning, as a group, the most effective methods of pest control.

Landholders in the area to the West and South of Billiatt Conservation Park are encouraged to attend a meeting to discuss the
formation of a group interested in carrying out coordinated pest control programs and other on ground activities. This area contains
large areas of remnant vegetation and the coordination of pest control will contribute, not only to decreasing the loss of lambs but
to the protection of Mallee Fowl and other native fauna. It will also assist in maintaining and improving local native plants through
the reduction of damage caused by rabbits to understorey species and recruitment of young trees and shrubs. Over grazing disturbs
cryptogams such as lichens, mosses and fungi and can lead to erosion of soils, especially when combined with the damaging effects
of warrens. The formation of a landcare group to coordinate pest control in the area aims to reduce the impact of rabbits and foxes
on the native vegetation.

The meeting will be held on the 27th of January at 7pm at the Smithville Hall.
Items to be addressed at the meeting are;
Works program for Rabbit and Fox control in Feb/March.
Funding opportunities
Other land management issues/project ideas in the area

If you are interested in attending this meeting or for more information, please call Rowena Danks on 8531 2066 or 0428 312 055
or email mmlap@internode.on.net
Early Results from Mantung Trial
The recent run of poor seasons in the northern Mallee has affected revegetation results,
especially for direct seeding native plants on sandy soils. Wattles and hop-bushes are often
the only types to survive (if anything does), resulting in seed from many other species going
to waste. Hence, the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources
Management Board (SA MDB NRM Board), Murray Mallee Local Action Planning
Association, Department for Environment and Heritage and Greening Australia teamed up
to implement a 7ha direct seeding trial for native trees and shrubs on a degraded sand
dune near Mantung (on the old Hamilton Block), using funding from the SA MDB NRM
Board and the Native Vegetation Council.

The trial aimed to re-visit some of the commonly used methods of direct seeding to
compare their performance in the current conditions, as well as testing new types of seed
treatment and soil mulches or crusting agents. The team was keen to determine if a
particular treatment was better for improving the reliability of fine-seeded species, such as
Leptospermum coriaceum, the Green tea-tree or Mallee tea-tree, which can be important
components of local habitat.

Because of the short time frame, the trial compared only 2 different types of machinery, 3
Dennis Stasinowski inspecting results from
different seed treatments and 2 types of mulches/crusting treatments. They were:
the “V-blade”
Machinery
Burford/Rodden "Arid Zone V-blade" from Trees for Life
Standard disc Burford seeder with wetting agent as standard
Seed treatments
“Standard–prepared” seed
“Primed” (all pre-soaked, including the fine seed) seed
Seed coated with Seed Solutions “Oxymelt” & “Wattlegrow”
Soil mulch/crusting
Dustex
Dustbloc
No mulch as a control

Acacia, Babingtonia (formerly Baeckea), Callitris, Eucalyptus, Leptospermum and Melaleuca

species were sown in late May this year. Early results are already indicating some clear
trends.

Overall, the V-blade is a clear winner on the sandier soils with 10 times more plants per
metre than the standard disc (3/m vs 0.3/m), with a good range of species surviving. No
other treatment stood out which means that the standard seed treatment is doing okay.
Look closely - lots of little ones in a line
Hence no need for any extra mucking around or expense!! If anything the other seed
Photographs by Phil Barron
treatments may be detrimental.

However, there are only relatively low numbers of other fine-seeded species, such as Leptospermum and Melaleuca, so far (0.1-
0.3/m). So presuming there will be more losses over summer, this result may support augmenting direct seeding with seedling
planting, if these species are needed in the results.

Anyway, a very encouraging result – let's see what happens after summer!
Phil Barron, Barron Environmental

SA Oil Recovery
A new waste oil company has been established in South Australia. SA Oil Recovery, a division of Plasclean Recyclers Pty Ltd,
operates under an EPA licence to provide a cost effective way of removing your waste oil. The company, based at Greenfields,
provides a complete collection and disposal service for your waste engine and hydraulic oils, oil filters and rag waste. The oils are
recycled and sold to customers for fuelling boilers, etc.

The steady growth of the company has allowed them to provide the Murraylands and surrounding areas with a constant and reliable
service. There is no cost to collect the waste oils – they will collect it when they are in the area. They prefer quantities over 200 litres,
however this may vary according to the location and situation. They will collect from individual farms as long as there is easy access
and enough room for the tanker to manoeuvre.

For more information or to arrange for a collection please contact the office on 8281 8122 or
phone Greg Hood direct on 0408 876 552.
Cooroong Bus Trip 2009

On Sunday, 11 October, 2009, we conducted a successful bus trip to

the Coorong and Lower Lakes with 43 participants.

The bus trip aimed to raise the awareness of community members to

issues that develop when water levels drop and salinity levels rise, their
effects on the local communities and environment, and exposure to
some of the methods being trialled to alleviate the problems.

The trip also aimed to raise the participants' awareness of Aboriginal

culture and history while also exposing them to some of the ways that
the Aborigines look after and use the land to meet their needs.

Participants were able to embark on the bus at Karoonda and Tailem

Bend while our guest speakers, Graham Gates and Keith Scobie,
joined us at Meningie to commentate for the morning tour. Bush Tucker Walk included trying some bush medicine for insect bites

Graham is the Coorong District Local Action Planning Project Officer while Keith Scobie is a former Mayor of Coorong District
Council and a member of the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board's Mallee and
Coorong NRM Group, the Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth Icon Site Community Reference Committee and the
Ramsar Task Force.

The morning session involved a bus tour from Meningie to the Narrung ferry crossing where we disembarked the bus to have a
closer look at the condition of the lake. The ferry operator invited us to walk onto the ferry for an exclusive ride across the
Narrows, enabling us a better view of the pumps and pipes set up to transfer water from Lake Alexandrina to Lake Albert in an
effort to control the rapidly rising salinity levels in Lake Albert due to receding water levels.

The next section of the tour took us to the Raukkan Aboriginal Community where a highlight was seeing the church which
appears on the $50-00 note.

A drive along Seven Mile Road enabled us to see the Coorong and, with the assistance of our guest speakers, to become aware
of how the area has changed with the reducing water levels, how some species are disappearing and the danger of the
environment becoming irreparably damaged.

The Lower Lakes and Coorong are listed Ramsar sites in recognition of the internationally unique plant, crustacean, fish and bird
populations that have been observed there.

Our morning tour ended at Camp Coorong where lunch had been prepared for us. Camp Coorong was established in 1986
with the aim of sharing Aboriginal culture and history with non-Aboriginal people and is dedicated to the environmental
management of the National Park in which it is located.

After lunch we split into two groups for the Bush Tucker Walk and the Museum Tour. Tom Trevorrow guided us on the Bush
Tucker Walk showing us food and medicine plants, while Ellen Trevorrow and Neville Gollan led us through the Museum sharing
with us their culture and history. Ellen had also organised a basket weaving demonstration for us.

It was now time to board the bus and return home after an enjoyable day with weather that was kind to us.

Thank you to all of those who participated and a special thank you to Graham and Keith for giving up their Sunday to share
their knowledge with us.
 MMLAP Committee Membership

Rod Brown (Chairperson/ Public Officer)

Lameroo ph: 8577 4033

Damien Berger (Vice Chairperson)

Karoonda ph: 8578 6066

Chris Grant, (Secretary)

Berri ph: 8595 2175

Rex Spinley (Treasurer)

Para Hills ph: 0466 499 560

Neville Pfeiffer
Parrakie ph: 8576 2051

Andrew Hall
Wunkar ph: 8589 7029

Trevor Schiller
Waikerie ph: 8541 9096

Malcolm Johns
Karoonda ph: 8589 7053

Adrian Growden
Karoonda ph: 8578 1057

Lew Westbrook
Loxton ph: 8584 7811

Leighton Pearce, SA MDB NRM Board

ph: 8582 4477

hetta designs
0437 914 066

Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association Inc.

Murray Bridge Natural Resources Centre
Mannum Road
PO Box 2056, Murray Bridge SA 5253
ph: (08) 8531 2066 fax: (08) 8532 5300
email: mmlap@internode.on.net

This newsletter is printed on 100% Recycled paper - Protecting our Trees and Environment