Preserving Hollows for Habitat and Creating Alternative Homes for Native Bush Creatures

The Hollows for Habitat forum coming up in Orange will highlight the importance of preserving tree hollows in local bushland to ensure rare and endangered native creatures aren’t left homeless on the Central Tablelands.

The forum will focus on the causes of habitat loss as well as ways to engineer habitat alternatives in areas where hollows are absent.

The event has been organised by the Central West Councils Environment & Waterways Alliance, in partnership with Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Orange City Council, the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage, and the Great Eastern Ranges – Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala Link organisation.

“The forum will bring together a range of stakeholders, including Local Government, Landcare, Indigenous Communities, farmers & landholders and other community members, to learn about habitat loss and to look at solutions that can improve habitat in landscapes that lack tree hollows,” said Mick Callan, Project Support Officer with the Central West Councils Environment & Waterways Alliance.  

The forum will feature presentations on nest box construction, hollow dependant mammals and birds, deterring feral birds/insects and nest box management, as well as the importance of revegetation and habitat enhancement for the future.

Sean Dooley will present the keynote presentation.  Sean is a writer for TV comedies including Hamish and Andy, an author and editor of Australian Birdlife Magazine.  Sean is also a National Birdwatching Champion who holds the record for spotting the most birds in a single calendar year as chronicled in his 2005 book, The Big Twitch.

“There will also be a practical session on hollow augmentation by a local arborist who will demonstrate how to use a chainsaw to create hollows in a standing tree by cutting out sections of timber,” said Mick Callan.

“The technique results in a more natural hollow structure for fauna to utilise and creates hollows with a much longer lifespan than artificial nest boxes.”

EVENT:          Hollows for Habitat Forum - Thursday 28 April,

DATE:            Thursday 28 April

TIME:             9:00 am – 4:00 pm

VENUE:         Orange Agricultural Institute Training Centre -  1447 Forest Road Orange

A spotlight tour and informal dinner will be held for attendees the night prior to the forum (Wednesday 27 April).  The dinner will be sponsored by Orange City Council and will begin at 6pm at the Orange Agriculture Institute Training Centre featuring Dr John Martin from the Hollows as Homes project conducted by the Australian Museum and University of Sydney. 

The spotlight tour starts at 8.30pm led by Nigel Hobden (OCC) through Hinton Reserve (opposite the Orange Agricultural Institute on Forest Road) and Bloomfield Park.  These reserves contain many mature hollow bearing eucalyptus trees and artificial nest boxes that are homes for superb parrots, squirrels and sugar gliders.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own low light torch and it is hoped that some of the nocturnal inhabitants of the area will come out to say hello.

For more information contact Colleen Farrow at Central Tablelands Local Land Services on:     02 6363 7874 or Nigel Hobden at Orange City Council on: 02 6393 8241.

Oberon Council Staff Get a Grip on Chilean Needle Grass

There is no doubt that the Oberon district community’s awareness and management of noxious weeds has increased dramatically over the past couple of years. The ongoing challenge to control and manage the spread of noxious weeds, such as serrated tussock and blackberry has, in the main, been taken up by landholders of large, small and hobby farms alike.

However, there is another aspect to weeds management and that is the early detection of new invasive species that can have a dramatic and damaging effect on rural communities. One such species is Chilean Needle Grass, and it’s becoming a big problem with potentially devastating impacts. Chilean Needle Grass is a declared noxious weed as it affects both sown pastures and native grasslands by displacing more desirable species.  Heavy infestations can decrease summer productivity by as much as 50% and the long, sharp seeds can also cause injury to livestock and downgrade wool, skins and hides. 

The Upper Macquarie County Council’s Weeds Officer for the Oberon Local Government Area, Jill O’Grady, recently conducted a Chilean Needle Grass field day for Oberon Council’s Parks staff.  The training session is one part of an integrated program of weed control techniques to support the Central Tablelands Local Land Services and Environment & Waterways Alliance project to restore habitat through best practice noxious weed control along the Fish River at Hassall Park in O’Connell.

Staff from Oberon Council Park’s team were shown how to identify Chilean Needle Grass from other lookalikes as it is difficult to identify at certain times of the year and how best to prevent it’s spread through plant and equipment hygiene.  “Once the Park’s staff understood the damage this weed causes to landowners, the community and the environment they were eager to learn its distinguishing features and were fully engaged in understanding their roles in preventing its spread.  The area has now been treated by professional contract sprayers and will be regularly monitored for new germinations” commented Ms O’Grady.

Gillian Salmon from Oberon Council said “Oberon Council are delighted to be partnering with Upper MacquarieCounty Council and the Central Tablelands Local Land Services and Environment & Waterways Alliance to help raise awareness about best practice weed management. Chilean Needle Grass is a weed of national significance that can severely impact on the productivity of Oberon’s agricultural industries and on our stunning natural environment. Controlling this weed requires a ‘whole of community’ approach. Oberon Council are proud to be taking their part in managing Chilean Needle Grass and preventing its spread. We look forward to the next stage of the project involving the farming community and local schools”

Mick Callan the Project Support Officer from Environment & Waterways Alliance agrees.  "The Alliance and Central Tablelands Local Land Services place a great value in engaging with staff from Alliance Member Councils and providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve environmental outcomes within our region.  Partnering with agencies such as Upper Macquarie County Council allows us to bring a great wealth of knowledge and expertise to training events such as this Chilean Needle Grass Field Day event."

For assistance in identifying Chilean Needle Grass and control options download the NSW WeedWise App or contact your local Weeds Officer from The Upper Macquarie County Council on 6338 2875.

Council Staff to Undertake Nationally Accredited Project Management Training

Council staff from across the Central West will converge on Dubbo in March to attend Project Management Training specifically aimed at Local Government employees.

The training is being delivered by the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia in partnership with the Central West Councils Environment & Waterways Alliance and Local Land Services.

 A total of twenty two Council staff from across the Central West of NSW will learn how to effectively and efficiently manage projects to ensure that projects are delivered as planned, on time and within budget.  These are essential skills for staff to have when managing projects and will allow for attendees to not only improve their own skills but to become more valuable employees for their respective Councils.

This training will expose participants to a range of tools and methods to successfully manage Local Government projects including:

·        Defining a project and developing a project plan

·        Monitoring and tracking progress

·        Work breakdown structure and task scheduling

·        Resource requirements and approvals process

·        Risk management

·        Project evaluation and report writing

“This training is nationally accredited and highly regarded within Local Government.  Having the Environment & Waterways Alliance organise to host this training event in our region is a real win for our Alliance Member Councils” said Environment & Waterways Alliance Chair, Murray Wood.

“We are very excited to have Council staff from across the region attend this training and see this as a critical step in their career development.  This is another great example of how Local Land Services continues to invest in our Alliance Member Councils.”

The Environment & Waterways Alliance represents 19 member Councils across the Central West of NSW and is supported by Central Tablelands and Central West Local Land Services as their primary means of engagement with Local Government.

The training is being held at Dubbo City Council on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 March, 2016.