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Green Army Update: Chris Joyce

3/29/2015

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Molasses Grass (left) and Green Panic (right)
The Hays Inlet Green Army Team has just completed their 5th week of the project. After the initial first two weeks of training the team has tackled the removal of weeds from two sectors of the project area. Weeds, weeds and more weeds have been ripped out of the ground with a fervour that only a committed team can produce. We have learned what a transforming effect weeds can have on the ecosystem.

The Molasses grass grows so thickly and in such dense layers it all but smothers any seedlings of indigenous plants that may attempt to grow through it. This prevents the seed from the remaining adult Melaleucas and Eucalypts present on site from germinating and restoring the forest after a fire or drought. This species is considered to be a transformative species in that by suppressing seedlings of other plants it out-competes all other species and where once there was a multi-species ecosystem it is reduced to a monoculture of only one species. Thankfully there are methods of control and these involve mechanical removal and spraying with a selective herbicide and these will be employed at the site.

For the most part grasses are sun loving species and are shaded out and prevented from becoming dominant where forest canopy cover is present. After we remove the weed grass species from the site mass planting of canopy trees will be undertaken to restore the ecosystem. It will take time for the trees to grow and in that time it will be necessary for regular maintenance to be undertaken to prevent the grass weeds and others from once again dominating.

However as well as the panic native Blady Grass Imperata cylindrica is also present. This is a less smothering grass and more open allowing light to penetrate. In drifts of this grass the team has found native Melaleuca, Eucalypt, fern and sedge seedlings making a start. Whilst it is tedious work the team have been combing through the grass to locate the seedlings tagging them with pink tape and removing the grass from around them. The seedlings now given this encouragement to grow will start to thrive eventually forming a canopy cover and shading out the weed grasses. The Blady grass however is happy to grow in sun and part shade so will remain on the site but no longer become dominant. The discovery of the seedlings is encouraging as it displays the resilience still within the ecosystem on site, requires us to plant less seedlings and as they are endemic with local provenance their chances of survival increase.

All in all it has been a great start to the restoration of this area and the team is performing well even though the heat and humidity of the last couple of weeks has been quite challenging. 

Chris Joyce (29th March 2015)

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Rainbow Bee-eaters

3/23/2015

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On Sunday we headed out to the eco-path site to conduct water quality tests. The rain had eased off allowing us to get into the area and check out the progress of our Green Army team. On our way to the work site we noticed a small flock of birds working the air and using a dead Melaleuca as a perch area.  Although some distance away I was able to get a photograph and if you look closely you can see one of the birds with a dragonfly in its mouth.

The Rainbow Bee-eater is a stunning looking bird as you can see from the excellent photograph provided to REF by the Queensland Museum. With a scientific name of Merops ornatus they are found in Eucalypt and Melaleuca forests including the remnants of forest around Hays Inlet. The more we can do to protect and restore this habitat the better chance we all have of seeing these striking birds feeding around hays Inlet. The implementation of the Green Army project and the work of our REF volunteers have the potential to enrich all of our lives, well those who are happy to connect with our wetlands of Hays Inlet.
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Green Team making an impression - already

3/17/2015

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I dropped in on the Hays inlet Green Army site today. I wanted to see how it was going especially given the upcoming hot weather for Thursday and Friday. Already you can see the impression they have made (on the environment and me)! Take a look at the images above - sort of a before and after shot! The shot on the left shows the high level of grass which is thriving because of the high nutrient levels in the area. It burns hot so any bushfire not only takes out the understorey but also kills off the Melaleuca and Eucalypt trees.

In the shot on the right you can see some tree saplings amongst the older trees. It is important that these young trees are not smothered and burnt but allowed to grow. There are a number of koalas moving into the area and the more Eucalypt the better chance they have of surviving. Anyway this is a great start to the project. Lets hope our bid for another green Army project is successful - we are hoping to eventually restore all 14 hectares of valuable Redcliffe habitat and wetlands.
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Removing the high level of weeds allows native understorey including this fern to thrive.
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Chris Joyce: Green Army Team Leader

3/11/2015

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Chris Joyce takes a closer look at the vegetation!
For many people, there is nothing better than walking through a piece of bushland or gazing upon the waters of Moreton Bay and watching out for glimpses of wildlife. In the trees, a scarlet honeyeater flashes around the bottle brush flower of a Melaleuca and then it is chased away by a pair of rainbow lorikeets. On the ground is a mangrove lined drain with numerous holes surrounded by the flashing bright claws of fiddler crabs which quickly retreat as you approach the bank.  If you take the time to look, there is always something going on in the wetland and bush areas of our region.

In recent years, we at REF have been enjoying the enthusiasm and deep knowledge of Chris Joyce. A horticulturist these days, he is passionate about the environment especially around the Moreton Bay Region. And he knows his stuff – animal, vegetable or mineral! On the weekend I spent some time with Chris at the Green Army Project site. We were taking some water quality readings of the drains. All of a sudden he stops, smiles and exclaims “Warrigal Green” as he runs his hands delicately through the leaves of a stand of ground cover.  

“Tetragonia tetragonioides” he quips, “Bush Tucker! Tastes like English Spinach. You have to blanch them for a few minutes to remove the acid which is toxic! “he pauses, “They are often the first plants to colonise a disturbed area.”

He looks over to the left where a vine is growing at the base of the tree. He looks at it and then grabs a small piece to take with him. No doubt he will identify and the next time he sees it he will not only know what it is but he will also know something about its ecology.

You learn something new, every time you head out to the wetlands with Chris. I reckon the Green Army team recruits and our Eco-path project are in good hands.
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REF Inc Green Army Team Update

3/8/2015

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PictureChris Joyce: This project has improving water quality as one of its objectives.
I caught up with Chris Joyce (Team leader for the REF Green Team) this Sunday morning at the EcoPath site where we conducted our water quality test. Apart from talking salinity, turbidity, pH and water temperature he also enthusiastically discussed his new project team (The Green Army Project).  Chris provided the following update:


"The Hays Inlet Green Army Team came together on the 23rd of February. Initially receiving training in Occupational Health and Safety and First Aid in preparation of their going out in the field beginning work to restore a 4 hectare section of land at the bottom of Frawley Fields Clontarf comprising Eucalypt Forest, Melaleuca woodland and a very degraded stretch of waterway. The 9 participants aged between 19 and 24 hail from a variety of backgrounds with 6 having completed tertiary education in environmentally related subjects. They are an enthusiastic group who are bonding quite well with each other. They share a common interest in the environment and doing something really tangible to help the fragmentary ecosystems still in place on the project site.



To assist them to understand the work they will be doing and why, they visited the Redcliffe Botanical Gardens and met David Lergessner President of the Friends of the Redcliffe Botanical Gardens  who took them on a tour explaining the various ecosystems that once existed on the Redcliffe Peninsula and are represented in various parts of the Gardens. They were then put to work doing some weeding and complained when they had to leave having thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They visited Jim McGahey Park and were taken on a tour with REF President Pete Johnson who showed them the recently completed restoration of the area and the problems it still faces from weed incursion and unsympathetic human activity. Plant and weed identification activities ensued with a visit to the Wallum Action Group at Bribie Island where they met the president John Ward. John took them on a tour of nearby bushland showing them the unique flora of the sand Island. The group took many a photo of insects and flowers encountered especially our “official" photographer Alexandria who of her own accord has set up a Facebook page for the group to contribute photos.

The site visits have helped them to understand the interconnectedness of the environment and its relationship with the people of the region and the vital nature of the work they will be doing over the next 21 weeks. All in all a good start and I am looking forward to getting into the field next week to scope out the works and to complete our risk assessments"

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March 01st, 2015

3/2/2015

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Clean Up Australia Day

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Some of our Clean Up volunteers!
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The Hays Inlet Wetlands are worth looking after!
PictureREF volunteers carrying out a pile of insulation waste
REF Inc has been running Clean Up Australia Day events for the past 12 years and the group traditionally targets the wetland areas of Hays Inlet (the Western edge of the Redcliffe Peninsula). This year the group returned to Duffield Road where the western end is characterised by Industrial Estate adjacent to wetlands including Casuarina and Melaleuca forest along with sections of saltmarsh and mangrove.

Over 40 volunteers turned up for the clean up with over 60 bags of rubbish collected along with the usual old tyres and building waste. Someone managed to dump a large heap of old pink batts insulation along with a pile of polystyrene. Amazingly whoever dumped it had walked in a good 70 meters into the Casuarina Forest so it was well out of the way. I can't understand why someone would do this when there is the transfer station literally a kilometre away! The pile of insulation was infested with mice and two of the biggest cane toads you would ever see.



Thanks to all the REF volunteers along with the some familiar Clean Up day regulars. Our local councilor Koliana Winchester and State member Yvette D'ath who turn up every year and stuck into the clean up. Its not glamorous work and volunteers risk mud and mosquito bites but you can see the rewards of their efforts. Its important that we do everything possible to keep these important wetlands free of rubbish and especially plastics which ultimately end up in Moreton Bay.   

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Mice infested insulation rubbish!
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Koliana and Yvette getting ready to get stuck in on the day!
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    Author

    Bob Crudgington
    Redcliffe Environmental Forum Inc

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