biodiversity education package - copeton waters state park

Catchment Management AuthorityBorder Rivers-Gwydir

Copeton Waters State Park

Biodiversity Education and Excursion Package

Compiled by Wendy Hawes, The Envirofactor

Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management AuthorityCopeton Waters State Park: Biodiversity Education and Excursion Package

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Contents

About the Biodiversity Education and Excursion Package 3

Site Information 6

Catchment Context 9

History and Human Influence 10

Plant Communities 12

Weeds 15

Habitat and Fauna 18

Feral animals 22

Student Activity 24

Activity Recording Sheet 26

Information Sources 28

Glossary 29

© 2012 Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority

Hawes, W. (2012) Copeton Waters State Park: Biodiversity Education and Excursion Package. Border Rivers-Gwydir Catchment Management Authority, NSW.

Printed on 100% Recycled Paper by Print Anything, Inverell.


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This environmental education resource has been developed by the Border Rivers–Gwydir Catchment Management Authority and The Envirofactor Pty Ltd.

The Biodiversity Education Package has been designed to provide a variety of subject matter in relation to specific field sites across the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. The objective is to provide teachers with up-to-date environmental information relevant to sites commonly used for school excursions. Information within the package has been compiled from a variety of sources (refer Information Sources section) the authors of which are gratefully acknowledged.

This resource will assist students achieve many of the objectives of the Geography Years 7-10 syllabus, but also has relevance to the Science and Aboriginal Studies Years 7-10 syllabi.

Outline of the resourceThis package provides specific environmental information for 9 field sites across the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments.

For each excursion site the package provides:

• Satellite image of the field site

• A description of the site within the context of the catchment and surrounding landscape

• A brief history of human influence

• Indigenous and European cultural heritage values of the area

• Community involvement in the management of the site

• Descriptions of the natural values of the site including vegetation communities, flora and fauna, habitat values and the presence of threatened species and communities

• Impacts of weeds and feral animal pests on the site

• Student activities

Additionally the package provides basic logistic information to assist teachers in organising excursions including:

• Distance of site to major centers

• Quality of access roads

• Site facilities include toilets, picnic/bbq areas and rubbish bins

• Accessibility limitations and potential hazards

About the Biodiversity Education and Excursion Package


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Location of field sitesExcursion packages are available for the following locations in the catchment:

Ashford Kwiambal National Park

Armidale Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve

Boggabilla Boobera Lagoon

Glen Innes Beardy Waters Woodlands

Inverell Lake Inverell

Goonoowigall State Conservation Area

Copeton Dam & Copeton Waters State Recreation Area

Moree Moree Common

Tenterfield Tenterfield Park

Relevance to NSW School Years 7-10 SyllabusThis package will assist students to achieve the following outcomes:

Geography

Stage 4 Stage 5

4.1 identify and gather geographical information 5.1 identify, gather and evaluate geographical information

4.2 organise and interpret geographical information 5.2 analyse, organise and synthesize geographical information

4.4 use a range of geographical tools 5.4 select and apply appropriate geographical tools4.5 demonstrates a sense of place about global

environments5.5 demonstrates a sense of place about Australian

environments4.6 describe the geographical processes that form

and transform environments5.6 explain the geographical processes that form and

transform Australian environments4.8 describe the interrelationships between people

and environments


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Science

Stage 4 Stage 5

Knowledge and Understanding4.8 describe features of living things 5.8 relate the structure and function of living things

to models theories and laws4.10 identify factors affecting survival of organisms

in an ecosystem5.10 assess human impacts on the interaction of biotic

and abiotic features of the environment 4.11 identify where resources are found, and describe

ways in which they are used by humans5.11 analyse the impact of human resource use on the

biosphere to evaluate methods of conserving, protecting and maintaining Earth’s resources

Skills4.14 follow a sequence of instructions to undertake a

first-hand investigation5.14 undertakes first-hand investigations

independently with safety and competence4.15 use given criteria to gather first-hand data 5.15 gather first-hand data accurately

Aboriginal Studies

Stage 4 Stage 5

4.1 identify and gather geographical information 5.1 describe the factors that contribute to an Aboriginal person’s identity

4.3 recognise the changing nature of Aboriginal cultures

5.3 describe the dynamic nature of Aboriginal cultures

4.4 outline the changes in Aboriginal cultural expression across time and location

5.4 explain adaptations in, and the changing nature of, Australian cultural expression across time and location

4.8 describe the interaction of the wider Australian community with Aboriginal Peoples and cultures

5.8 analyse the interaction of the wider Australian community with Aboriginal Peoples and cultures


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Site InformationLocationCopeton Dam and Copeton Waters State Park (SP) lies 43 kilometres southwest of Inverell CBD. Travel 3 km west on the Gwydir Highway and turn left onto the Copeton Dam Road and travel a further 40 km. The clearly marked main entrance to Copeton State Recreation Area is the first left after crossing the Copeton Dam wall. Access is also available from Bingara along the Copeton Dam Road. The Copeton Dam Road is bitumen.

Opening TimesAccessible at all times.

Entry Fee• Car - $10.00 / day

• Bus - $2.00 / head / day

Entry fees as at March 2012


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Facilities

Toilets (non-flush)

Gas Barbeques

Picnic Tables

Car Parking

Bus Parking

Rubbish Bins

Drinking Water

Shop

AccessibilityCopeton Waters SP has a number of bitumen and gravel roads and walking tracks, some of which would be suitable for wheelchairs. Disabled access facilities are available.

Points of Interest• Copeton Dam wall across the Gwydir River.

• Lake Copeton formed by the damming of the Gwydir River which has three times the capacity of Sydney Harbour.

• High quality examples of vegetation communities on infertile granite soils including Gum-Ironbark and Rough-barked Apple - Stringybark woodlands /open forest.

• Home to Grassy Box Woodlands a threatened ecological community.

• Habitat for a number of threatened animals including the Border Thick-tailed Gecko, Zigzag Velvet Gecko, Diamond Firetail, Brown Treecreeper, Turquoise Parrot, Little Pied Bat and Yellow-bellied Sheathtail Bat

Potential Hazards• Large areas of open water

• Snakes

• Biting insects (wasps, mosquitoes)

• Uneven ground surface


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• Fenced (dam wall) and unfenced heights (large boulders and rock outcrops)

• Tripping hazards (e.g. fallen logs, rocks off-track)

Responsible AgencyCopeton Dam - NSW State Water Corporation

Copeton Waters State Park – Department of Primary Industries (Lands) managed by a Community Trust

Visitor Responsibilities• Rubbish must be placed in bins provided or taken home and disposed of responsibly.

• Gas barbeques are provided and should be used.


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Catchment ContextLandscape SettingCopeton Waters State Park lies on the south western banks of Lake Copeton which was formed by damming the Gwydir River.

The topography of Copeton Waters SP is undulating comprising the upper slopes and ridges of the rugged hills which originally arose from the Gwydir River. These hills form part of the eastern extent of the Nandewar Ranges.

The Gwydir River flows northwest from Uralla to west of Moree and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. Water released from Copeton Dam enters the Gwydir River downstream of the dam wall flowing into the internationally important Ramsar listed Gwydir Wetlands (approximately 220 km north-west of Copeton Waters SP).

Soils of the area are generally granite derived skeletal, sandy loams with large areas of rock outcropping.

Vegetation within Copeton Waters SP consists of a mosaic of grassy and shrubby woodland and open forest communities typically found on granite soils.

Landscape ConnectivityHow well any given area is connected depends upon how good a species is at crossing gaps in their habitat. Some, such as large birds (e.g. eagles, large owls) or mammals (e.g. grey kangaroos), can readily cross large open areas. Others such as small lizards, wrens and marsupial mice can only cross small gaps or need unbroken native vegetation to protect them from predators.

Aquatic Connectivity

The creation of Lake Copeton by the damming of the Gwydir River has fragmented habitat for many fish and other aquatic species such as platypus. The dam wall acts as a barrier to the movement of aquatic animals and plants. It prevents downstream organisms from moving upstream to source food or access breeding sites. Those organisms on the upstream side can only move downstream when water is released over the spillway but then cannot return.

Terrestrial Connectivity

Native vegetation at Copeton Waters SP forms part of a much larger remnant of similar woodland and open forest communities to the south and west. This larger remnant, which is greater than 5,000 ha in area, includes a number of conservation reserves which make up the Gwydir River National Park and State Conservation Area.

Being part of this much larger remnant patch is important, as it allows a greater number and variety of native animals to use the habitat at Copeton Waters SP than would be possible if this area stood alone. This connectivity helps maintain the health of the ecosystems both on Copeton Waters SP and in adjoining remnants and reserves.

Grey Kangaroos are a common sight (Photo: W. Hawes)


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History and Human InfluenceAboriginal OccupationCopeton Waters SP lies within the traditional lands of the Wirrayaraay (aka Weraerai) people whose territory extended from near Bingara north to Warialda and Wallangra, west to Yallaroi and Moree.

Little is known of the earliest occupation of this area by these people. It is however likely, given the proximity to the Gwydir River, the area was an important and productive site for these people. The native vegetation would have provided a rich source of food items such as grass seeds for flour, bulbs and yams for roasting, fruit and nectar. Vegetation would also have provided wood and fibre for tools and weaving and important medicines. A diversity of native animals would have made good hunting and the clear, clean waters of Gwydir River and its tributary streams would have teemed with native fish, freshwater shrimps and yabbies.

The arrival of European settlers around 1834 ended the traditional life of the Wirrayaraay people. Within a decade, introduced diseases and frontier battles had drastically reduced their population causing serious disruption to tribal boundaries and traditional culture. It wasn’t long before many Wirrayaraay people were living near station homesteads trading game and working on stations as maids, shepherds, shearers and station-hands.

In 1838, 28 Wirrayaraay people - old men, women and children - were murdered by a group of 10 white settlers near Myall Creek Station. Seven of the killers were tried and hanged. This was the first time white settlers were tried in Australia for killing Aboriginal people. A memorial to this massacre has been erected on the Inverell to Bingara Road approximately 20km north of Bingara. The memorial, which depicts the story of the massacre in a series of plaques, is a listed site of national heritage and a place of reconciliation.

European SettlementWith the arrival of European settlers came the introduction of domestic livestock (sheep, cattle, horses, pigs and goats) and intensive agriculture. However, the relatively infertile sandy granite soils and rugged terrain along this part of the Gwydir River was not favoured by settlers.

Prior to the commencement of dam construction the rugged terrain, extensive rock outcropping and poor soils limited the agricultural use of the area to grazing and selective logging. With the commencement of dam construction, the area was heavily disturbed by various construction activities. The immediate riverine environment below the wall has been significantly impacted by dam infrastructure and erosion/deposition as a result of the operation of the earlier and current spillways.

Photo: Copeton Waters State Park


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Construction of Copeton Dam commenced in 1968. The dam wall is rock-filled with a clay-core embankment and is 1,484 m long and 113 m high. The dam was constructed to provide water for towns, stock, domestic and irrigation purposes along the Gwydir and Mehi Rivers, Moomin Creek and the Carole - Gil Gil Creek. In recent years water has also been allocated for environmental flows to help sustain the natural riverine environment and the Gwydir Wetlands.

Completed in 1976, Copeton Dam has a storage capacity of approximately 1,364,000 megalitres (ML) and a catchment area of 5,360 square kilometres. It has a surface area of 4,620 ha and a water depth of 104 m. The capacity of Copeton Dam is approximately three times that of Sydney Harbour. The existing spillway, which is located in a saddle about 500 m west of the main dam wall, has a maximum design release capacity of 15,300 cubic meters per second (m3/s).

Following completion of the dam, 939 ha of crown land on the southern side of the dam east of the Bingara Road, was set aside for public recreation and is now known as Copeton Waters SP. Development for this purpose involved the clearing and thinning of the overstorey, understorey/shrub clearing, slashing/mowing of groundcover and planting of ornamental species to create a park-like vista. Copeton Waters SP area has high public usage providing camping grounds, cabins, picnic facilities, playgrounds and kiosk/conference centre. It is managed by a local community trust.

This disturbance, not withstanding the State Park area, continues to protect native animals and plants including a number of rare and threatened species and promotes the use of the area by picnickers and bush walkers. In areas not directly impacted by human occupation and recreational activities, vegetation is often in good condition.

Environmental impact of Copeton Dam

The construction of Copeton Dam has had widespread and significant environmental impacts.

These impacts include but are not restricted to:

• Loss of large areas of native vegetation and habitat as a result of inundation under the stored water.

• Fragmentation of aquatic and riparian habitat. As discussed under Landscape Setting, the dam wall acts as a barrier to the movement of aquatic and riparian species.

• Alterations to the natural river flows including the timing, duration, depth, seasonality and variability of flows along the Gwydir River. Given aquatic and riparian species are adapted to the natural flow regimes these changes have lead to a significant decline in native flora and fauna species downstream of the dam wall.

• A decline in the area and quality of the Ramsar listed Gwydir Wetlands.

• Thermal pollution and de-oxygenation. Generally water is released from lower levels of the dam. This water is very cold and lacks oxygen. Many aquatic species including fish use rising water temperatures as an indicator for breeding. The constant release of cold water removes this breeding trigger, while the discharge of large quantities of cold, de-oxygenated water has caused fish kills.

• Prevention of flooding. Flooding is an important environmental process that maintains the health of the aquatic ecosystems. It cleans out built up sediment, and allows aquatic organisms to move across the landscape as well as access to nutrients from the floodplains unavailable to them at other times.

As a result of these impacts, the installation and operation of in-stream structures (i.e. dams and weirs) and other mechanisms that alter natural flow regimes of rivers and streams (i.e. water extraction for irrigation) are listed as key threatening processes under NSW legislation. The Gwydir River, its tributaries and floodplains west of the dam wall, are listed as part of the lower Darling River endangered ecological community.


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Plant CommunitiesThe natural vegetation within Copeton Waters SP is a mosaic of shrubby woodland and open forest types of the relatively infertile sandy granite soils. Changes in the vegetation types and dominant trees across the park are the result of variations in soil depth, available moisture and aspect. While many areas within the park, particularly along the high water level, have been highly disturbed by clearing, mowing and planting of non-endemic species for infrastructure development and/or human recreation activities, vegetation away from these areas is often in good condition.

One vegetation community within Copeton Waters SP, Grassy Box Woodland, is listed as a threatened ecological community under NSW and Commonwealth legislation.

Vegetation Structure Plant communities are named according to their structure (i.e. how the plants are arranged). Look at any patch of vegetation and you will see the plants form a series of layers (see Figure 1). From tallest to smallest these layers are the overstorey, understorey, shrub layer and groundcover.

The tallest plants (the overstorey) in woodland and open forest are typically eucalypt trees. In woodland the canopies (branches and leaves) of these tallest trees are for the most part not touching one another. Vegetation where the canopies are very widely spaced is called open woodland. If however, the canopies were mostly touching or even overlapping then the vegetation is open forest or forest.

In healthy vegetation communities the understorey, shrub and groundcover layers should also have young overstorey trees. These young trees will grow up to form new overstorey as old trees age and die. Their presence will ensure the woodland and/or open forest continues to exist into the future.

Gum-Ironbark Woodland /Open ForestGum-Ironbark Woodland/Open Forest is the most common vegetation community found within Copeton Waters SP. It occurs on a variety of landscape elements including upper and lower slopes but is generally associated with shallow, well-drained soils and areas of rock outcropping. This community generally has well developed shrub layers beneath a woodland or open forest canopy. Groundcover may be sparse or dense, but is often also dominated by low shrubs and has large areas of surface rock and litter (dead leaves, twigs and bark) between plants.

Common overstorey trees in this community include Tumbledown Gum, Orange Gum, Black Cypress Pine, Rough-barked Apple, Apple Box, Narrow-leaved Ironbark and Silver-leaved Ironbark.

The understorey layer is taller than 2 m but shorter than the overstorey. This layer may or may not be present in shrubby woodland and open forest. At Copeton Waters SP the understorey is patchy and, where present, is made up of Black Cypress Pine, Silver Wattle and Native Olive.

Figure 1: Vegetation layers in Woodland.

Gum-Ironbark Woodland/Open Forest (Photo: W. Hawes)


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A feature of this community is a layer of shrubs, between 1-2 m in height. Plants commonly found within this layer at Copeton Waters SP are Sifton Bush, Grey Tea-tree and Sticky Daisy Bush.

The groundcover layer in shrubby woodlands and open forest is, as the name suggests, shrubby rather than grassy. Low shrubs (less than 1 m tall) dominate, with scattered perennial tussock grasses (up to 1 m high) and a variety of smaller grasses and forbs (e.g. lilies, daisies, orchids and sedges) filling the spaces between shrubs. Bare ground and leaf litter (dead leaves, grass and twigs) is also common between the low shrubs.

Shrubs which dominate the groundcover at Copeton Waters SP include Urn Heath, Guinea Flowers and Pretty Cryptandra. Grasses present include Pitted Bluegrass, Purple Wiregrass, Barbed Wiregrass, Reed Grass, Rat’s Tail Grass, Blady Grass and Plume Grass. Common forbs include Kidneyweed, Rock Fern, Bluebells, Wood Sorrel, Tick-trefoil and Mattrushes.

Rough-barked Apple - Stringybark Woodland / Open forestThis community can be found on a variety of landform types including ridge tops and deep sands and laterite soils in open depressions. Various eucalypt species may dominate the overstorey in any given patch.

Common overstorey trees in this community include Rough-barked Apple, Red Stringybark, Yellow Box, Blakely’s Red Gum and Narrow-leaved Ironbark.

The understorey layer is taller than 2 m but shorter than the overstorey. At Copeton Waters the understorey is patchy and, where present, is made up of White Cypress Pine and Silver Wattle.

A layer of shrubs, between 1-2 m in height, is a feature of shrubby woodland and open forest. Plants commonly found within this layer at Copeton Waters SP are Sifton Bush, Hovea and Sticky Daisy Bush.

Low shrubs (less than 1 m tall) dominate, with scattered perennial tussock grasses (up to 1 m high) and a variety of smaller grasses and forbs (e.g. lilies, daisies, orchids and sedges) filling the spaces between shrubs. Bare ground and leaf litter (dead leaves, grass and twigs) is also common between the low shrubs.

Shrubs which dominate the groundcover at Copeton Waters SP include Urn Heath, Guinea Flowers, Native Indigo and Five Corners. Grasses present include Purple Wiregrass, Barbed Wiregrass, Rat’s Tail Grass, Wallaby Grass and Plume Grass. Common forbs include Flax Lily, Rock Fern, Tick-trefoil and Mattrushes.

Grassy Box WoodlandMore commonly found on the fertile soils of the western slopes, narrow bands of this community occur on the alluvial soils in the major creeklines and open depressions within Copeton Waters SP. Grassy Box Woodland is also known as Box-Gum Woodland.

At the time of European settlement these woodlands covered several million hectares along the slopes and tablelands from central Queensland through to southern Victoria. This area is known as the ‘wheat-sheep belt’.

Grassy Box Woodland (Photo: W. Hawes)

Rough-barked Apple - Stringybark Woodland (Photo: W. Hawes)


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Gentle slopes, fertile soils and a diverse grassy groundcover made these woodlands ideal for agriculture and large areas were rapidly cleared for cropping. Remaining areas were altered by tree clearing, changed fire patterns, introduction of exotic species and fertiliser application to improve grazing.

While box trees are still relatively common in the landscape, trees with a groundcover of native grasses and forbs (e.g. lilies, daisies, orchids and sedges) are not. Australia-wide less than 15% of these woodlands remain intact (i.e. with tree cover and native groundcover). As a result these woodlands are listed under both NSW and Commonwealth legislation as a Threatened Ecological Community.

At Copeton Waters SP the woodland overstorey is made up of one or more of the following; White Box, Blakely’s Red Gum, and/or Yellow Box with or without Rough-barked Apple.

An understorey layer may or may not be present in woodlands. Wattles and Native Olive form most of the understorey within this community at Copeton Waters SP.

A layer of shrubs, between 1- 2 m in height, also may or may not be present in grassy woodlands. If it is present it will generally occur in patches or as scattered individual plants. Common plants which occur within this layer at Copeton Waters SP are Tea-trees and Wattles.

The groundcover layer in grassy woodlands is, as their name suggests, grassy rather than shrubby. Tall perennial tussock grasses (up to 1 m high) dominate, but with a large variety of smaller grasses and forbs (e.g. lilies, daisies, orchids and sedges) filling the spaces between tussocks. Bare ground and leaf litter (dead leaves, grass and twigs) can also be common between tussocks.

Grasses which dominate the groundcover at Copeton Waters SP are Reed Grass, Blady Grass, Barbed Wire Grass, Weeping Rice Grass and Kangaroo Grass. Common forbs include Mattrushes, Bluebells, Rock Fern and Tussock Sedge .

Derived GrasslandGrassland is the name given to plant communities that have a groundcover of native grasses and forbs (lilies, orchids, daisies and sedges) but no shrub or tree layers present. There are many natural grasslands that have never had trees or shrubs growing on them. There are also many types of grassland that have been created by clearing trees and shrubs but leaving the native groundcover. These man-made grasslands are called ‘derived grasslands’.

What is left is often native grassland that was once the groundcover of the surrounding open forest and woodland communities. The plants which can be seen in the open forest and woodland groundcover (see above sections) are also found in this grassland.

Areas of derived grassland can be seen at Copeton Waters SP. This grassland has been created either by the clearing of trees and shrubs to create camping and picnic areas or below high water level by the drowning of trees and shrubs by stored water.

Derived Grassland (Photo: W Hawes)


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A weed is any plant growing somewhere it is not wanted. In terms of the health and habitat value of bushland, weeds are often plants introduced from overseas. They may also be native plants introduced from other parts of Australia that don’t naturally occur in an area. Weeds which threaten bushland areas are called “environmental weeds”. In agriculture some native plants, which may naturally occur in an area, are regarded as weeds when they compete with crops or are undesirable for grazing or livestock.

Why are weeds important?Weeds invade native plant communities. They compete with native plants for space, light, water and soil nutrients. Often they replace native plants. This can reduce food resources (seed and nectar) and shelter for native animals, as well as threaten the functions of natural ecosystems (e.g. soil nutrient recycling).

How do weeds spread?There are many ways weeds can be introduced to an area including people, vehicles, livestock, water and wildlife.

Weed seeds often attach themselves to people’s clothing and animal fur and feathers. They can also be carried in soil on boots, hooves and the tyres of cars and machinery, as well as within the machinery itself (e.g. off-road vehicles, slashers, mowers and harvesters).

Livestock can not only carry weed seed in their fur and on the soil on their hooves but also in their digestive system, spreading weed seed to new areas in their dung. This is an important issue along Travelling Stock Reserves which contain some of our most valuable native vegetation remnants.

Water flows and floods can assist weed spread, often carrying weed seed and plant fragments long distances down rivers and creeks.

Weeds are also spread by the dumping of garden rubbish (lawn and tree cuttings) along roadsides and in bushland.

How to avoid weed spreadWeeds are favoured by changed environments. To prevent their spread we should avoid soil disturbance, the creation of patches of bare soil, addition of fertilisers or changes to surface water drainage.

Important environmental weeds at the Copeton Waters SP include:

Coolatai Grass

A South African grass, this species poses a very serious environmental threat to native ecosystems in northern NSW. Originally introduced to prevent soil erosion this grass has, in the last 10-15 years, invaded thousands of hectares of native vegetation on the north-west slopes and is still spreading. The spread of this highly invasive species has been aided by the mowing of roadside verges by local councils and burning by landholders to reduce the bulk of poor quality grazing material.

At Copeton Waters SP this grass can be seen along access roads and walking tracks.

Weeds

Coolatai Grass (Photo: W Hawes)


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African Lovegrass

Another South African grass thought to be accidently introduced in imported pasture seed. African Lovegrass prefers lighter soils and higher rainfall this grass has invaded large areas of the tablelands and slopes. It is now the dominant groundcover in the Tenterfield area.

At Copeton Waters SP, patches of this grass can be seen along the edges of the access roads and access tracks.

Other weeds

Mother-of-millions, Vasey Grass Tiger Pear, Paddy’s Lucerne, Cobbler’s Pegs and Blackberry.

Weed controlThe plan of management for Copeton Waters SP includes a weed control program for the control of noxious weeds.

African Lovegrass (Photo: W Hawes)


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Plant Species ListThe following is a selection of plants (flora) which, with the exception of threatened species, are commonly found in Copeton Waters SP.

Common Name Scientific NameTreesApple Box Eucalyptus bridgesianaBlack Cypress Pine Callitris endlicheriBlakely’s Red Gum Eucalyptus blakelyi Caley’s Ironbark Eucalyptus caleyiNarrow-leaved Ironbark

Eucalyptus crebra

Orange Gum Eucalyptus pravaRed Stringybark Eucalyptus macrorhynchaRough-barked Apple Angophora floribundaTumbledown Gum Eucalyptus dealbataWhite Box Eucalyptus albensYellow Box Eucalyptus melliodora White Cypress Pine Callitris glaucophyllaLarge Shrubs & Small TreesBlackberry * Rubus fruticosus *Grass Tree Xanthorrhoea johnsoniiGrey Tea-tree Leptospermum brevipesNative Olive Notelaea microcarpa Silver Wattle Acacia neriifoliaSticky Daisy Bush Olearia ellipticaWattles Acacia spp Low ShrubsDaphne Heath Brachyloma daphnoidesEgg and Bacon Bush Pultenaea sppGuinea Flowers Hibbertia sppHovea Hovea lanceolataNative Indigo Indigofera adesmiifoliaPretty Cryptandra Cryptandra amaraShrubby Riceflower Pimelea microcephalaUrn Heath Melichrus urceolatusGrassesAfrican Lovegrass * Eragrostis curvula *Barbed Wiregrass Cymbopogon refractus Blady Grass Imperata cylindricaCoolatai Grass * Hyparrhenia hirta *Five Minute Grass Tripogon loliiformisKangaroo Grass Themeda australis

Common Name Scientific NamePaddock Lovegrass Eragrostis leptostachyaPitted Bluegrass Bothriochloa decipiensPlume Grass Dichelachne micranthaPurple Wiregrass Aristida ramosaQueensland Bluegrass Dichanthium sericeumRat’s Tail Grass Sporobolus creberRed Grasses Bothriochloa sppReed Grass Arundinella nepalensisRough Spear Grass Austrostipa scabraVasey Grass * Paspalum urvillei *Wallaby Grasses Austrodanthonia sppWeeping Rice Grass Microlaena stipoidesWiry Panic Entolasia strictaForbsAustralian Cranesbill Geranium solanderiBerry Saltbush Einadia hastataBluebells Wahlenbergia sppBlueberry Flax Lily Dianella revolutaChocolate Lilies Dichopogon sppClub Rush Carex inversa Common Everlasting Daisy

Chrysocephalum apiculatum

Common Fringe Rush Fimbristylis dichotomaCotton Fireweed Senecio quadridentatusGlycine Glycine sppFive Corners Styphelia sppKidneyweed Dichondra repensMother-of-millions * Bryophyllum delagoense *Native Leek Bulbine bulbosaNative Sarsaparilla Hardenbergia violaceaPomax Pomax umbellataRock Fern Cheilanthes sieberiMattrushes Lomandra sppTick-trefoil Desmodium sppTiger Pear * Opuntia aurantiaca *Tussock Sedge Carex appressa Wood Sorrel Oxalis perennans

* introduced species


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HabitatHabitat is the home of plants (flora) and animals (fauna). It is an area that provides all the things a plant or animal needs to live including space, shelter, food, water, mates and breeding sites.

Habitat for an animal or plant may be a small area. For example, a small lizard may live its whole life in and around a single tree. While for others, such as migratory birds and bats, their habitat may extend over hundreds even thousands of kilometres. Such an animal is the Swift Parrot, which breeds in the blue gum forests of Tasmania during summer. It then migrates to the woodlands of the eastern mainland (including the Inverell area) to feed on flowering eucalypts over winter, returning to Tasmania in late spring.

Copeton Waters SP has a variety of habitats including:

• Gum-Ironbark Woodland

• Rough-barked Apple - Stringybark Woodland / Open forest

• Grassy Box Woodland

• Derived Grassland

• Granite Outcrops

• Open Water

Within these habitats there are a variety of elements which support a range of plants and animals.

Habitat Elements PresentA wide variety of tree and shrub species ensures there is a good supply of flowers, fruit and nectar throughout the year.

Native grassy groundcover is an important seed source for many birds (e.g. finches) and protects small animals from predators as they move around (e.g. small lizards)

Fallen logs and rocks provide shelter and can be a food source for many animals. The moister soil in and around fallen logs and rocks is often home to a range of different plants that are not found elsewhere.

Hollows in live and dead standing trees give shelter and are important breeding sites for many native animals such as possums, gliders, bats, parrots and owls.

Mistletoe is an important source of flowers, nectar and fruit, as well as providing nesting sites for many birds including the vulnerable Diamond Firetail and the endangered Regent Honeyeater.

Shrub cover gives protection and provides nesting sites for small birds (e.g. Superb Fairy Wren and Speckled Warbler).

Litter (dead grass, leaves and small twigs) give shelter and are a food source for lizards, insects and fungi.

Granite outcrops, rock overhangs and rock slabs provide important shelter, nesting and roosting sites for birds, micro bats, lizards, snakes and wallabies (e.g. Fairy Martins, Border Thick-tailed Gecko, Carpet Python).

Permanent and ephemeral creeks provide a home for a wide variety of birds, turtles, frogs and fish.

Habitat and Fauna


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Threatened Fauna Threatened fauna are animals listed under NSW or Commonwealth legislation. Species are generally listed as threatened when the loss of large areas of their habitat (due to clearing, grazing and pasture improvement) make it likely they will become extinct in the wild.

The variety of habitats at Copeton Waters SP and its connection to larger forest areas to the south and west, allow it to support a large number of animal species including some which are threatened. Threatened animals that have been recorded within or immediately adjacent to the park include:

• Turquoise Parrot• Diamond Firetai• Varied Sittella• Brown Treecreeper• Black-chinned Honeyeater• Speckled Warbler• Grey-crowned Babbler• Little Eagle• Border Thick-tailed Gecko• Zigzag Velvet Gecko• Little Pied Bat • Yellow-bellied Sheath-tail Bat

Copeton Waters SP provides habitat for a number of threatened animals Zigzag Velvet Gecko (Photo: A. Dudley), Brown Treecreeper (Photo: I. Taylor) and Border Thick-tailed Gecko (Photo: A. Dudley).


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Fauna Species List

The following is a selection of native animals (fauna) which have either been recorded at Copeton Waters SP or are likely to occur in the area.

Common Name Scientific NameArboreal (tree dwelling) MammalsCommon Brush-tail Possum

Trichosurus vulpecula

Sugar Glider Petaurus brevicepsTerrestrial (land dwelling) MammalsSwamp Wallaby Wallabia bicolorEastern Grey Kangaroo Macropus giganteusCommon Wallaroo Macropus robustusShort-beaked Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatusYellow-footed Antechinus Antechinus flavipesBatsChocolate Wattled Bat Chalinolobus morioGould’s Long-eared Bat Nyctophilus gouldiGould’s Wattled Bat Chalinolobus gouldiiInland Broad-nosed Bat Scotorepens balstoniLesser Long-eared Bat Nyctophilus geoffroyiLittle Broad-nosed Bat Scotorepens greyiiLittle Forest Bat Vespadelus vulturnusLittle Pied Bat ^ Chalinolobus picatus ^Southern Forest Bat Vespadelus regulusSouthern Freetail Bat Mormopterus planiceps

(long penis form)White-striped Freetail Bat Tadarida australisYellow-bellied Sheathtail Bat ^

Saccolaimus flaviventris ^

Birds of PreyLittle Eagle ^ Hieraaetus morphnoides ^Masked Owl Tyto novaehollandiaeWedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audaxWoodland BirdsApostlebird Struthidea cinereaAustralian Owlet-nightjar Aegotheles cristatusAustralian Raven Corvus coronoidesAzure Kingfisher Ceyx azureusBar-shouldered Dove Geopelia humeralis

Common Name Scientific NameBlack-chinned Honeyeater ^

Melithreptus gularis gularis ^

Black-eared Cuckoo Chalcites osculansBlack-faced Cuckoo-shrike

Coracina novaehollandiae

Black-faced Woodswallow Artamus cinereusBlue-faced Honeyeater Entomyzon cyanotisBrown Quail Coturnix ypsilophoraBrown Treecreeper ^ Climacteris picumnus ^Cicadabird Coracina tenuirostisCommon Bronzewing Phaps chalcopteraCrimson Rosella Platycercus elegansDiamond Dove Geopelia cuneataDiamond Firetail ^ Stagonopleura guttata ^Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalisDouble-barred Finch Taeniopygia bichenoviiDusky Woodswallow Artamus cyanopterusEastern Rosella Platycercus eximiusEastern Yellow Robin Eopsaltria australisFuscous Honeyeater Lichenostomus fuscusGalah Eolophus roseicapillusGrey Butcherbird Cracticus torquatusGrey-crowned Babbler ^ Pomatostomus temporalis

temporalis ^Grey Fantail Rhipidura albiscapaGrey Shrike-thrush Colluricincla harmonicaKookaburra Dacelo novaeguineaeLittle Crow Corvus bennettiMagpielark Grallina cyanoleucaMasked Lapwing Vanellus milesMistletoebird Dicaeum hirundinaceumNoisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatusNoisy Miner Manorina melanocephalaOlive-backed Oriole Oriolus sagittatusPacific Koel Eudynamys orientalisPeaceful Dove Geopelia striata


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Common Name Scientific NamePied Currawong Strepera graculinaRed-browed finch Neochmia temporalisRed-rumped Parrot Psephotus haematonotusRed-winged Parrot Aprosmictus erythropterusRufous Whistler Pachycephala rufiventrisSacred Kingfisher Todiramphus sanctusSilvereye Zosterops lateralisSpeckled Warbler ^ Pyrrholaemus saggitatus ^Spotted Nightjar Eurostopodus argusSpotted Quail-thrush Cinclosoma punctatumStriated Pardalote Pardalotus striatusStriped Honeyeater Plectorhyncha lanceolataSulphur-crested Cockatoo Cacatua galeritaSuperb Fairy Wren Malurus cyaneusTawny Frogmouth Podargus strigoidesTurquoise Parrot ^ Neophema pulchella ^Varied Sittella ^ Daphoenositta chrysoptera ^Weebill Smicrornis brevirostisWhite-browed Scrubwren Sericornis frontalisWhite-browed Treecreeper Climacteris affinisWhite-eared Honeyeater Lichenostomus leucotisWhite-plumed Honeyeater Lichenostomus penicillatusWhite-winged Chough Corcorax melanorhamphosWillie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrysYellow-faced Honeyeater Lichenostomus chrysopsYellow-rumped Thornbill Acanthiza chrysorrhoaYellow-tufted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanopsWater BirdsAustralasian Darter Anhinga novaehollandiaeAustralian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatusAustralian Wood Duck Chenonetta jubataLittle Pied Cormorant Microcarbo melanoleucosPied Cormorant Phalacrocorax variusReptilesBorder Thick-tailed Gecko ^

Underwoodisaurus sphyrurus ^

Boulenger’s Skink Morethia boulengeriBrown-backed Yellow-lined Ctenotus

Ctenotus eurydice

Carpet Python Morelia spilota

Common Name Scientific NameCream-striped Shining-skink

Cryptoblepharus virgatus

Cunningham’s Skink Egernia cunninghamiiEastern Brown Snake Pseudonaja textilisEastern Ranges Rock-skink

Liopholis modesta

Eastern Striped Skink Ctenotus robustusLace Monitor Varanus variusLitter Skink Carlia foliorumNobbi Dragon Amphibolurus nobbiPrickly Gecko Heteronotia binoeiRed-bellied Black Snake Psuedechis porphyriacusSouthern Spotted Velvet Gecko

Oedura tryoni

Tree Skink Egernia striolataTwo-clawed Worm-skink Anomalopus leuckartii Zigzag Velvet Gecko ^ Oedura rhombifer ^FrogsBroad Palmed Frog Litoria latopalmataCommon Toadlet Crinia signiferaEastern Sign-bearing Frog Crinia parinsigniferaGreen Tree Frog Litoria caeruleaSpotted Grass Frog Limnodynastes tasmaniensis

^ threatened species


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Feral animals are animals that have been brought into Australia from somewhere else in the world. Released into the wild either accidently or on purpose, these animals now live and breed in the Australian bush.

Why were they introduced?Domesticated animals (sheep, cattle, pigs, goats and horses) arrived in Australia with the First Fleet. Some of these animals escaped into the wild where they not only survived but bred, quickly spreading across the country side. More recent escapees that have established wild populations include honeybees, carp, cats, dogs, camels, deer, ostriches and donkeys.

Early European settlers also introduced a number of species (e.g. starlings, blackbirds and sparrows) to make the Australian environment feel more like home. While others such as rabbits, hares, foxes and trout were purposely released into the Australian environment for hunting or fishing. The cane toad was also deliberately released as a biological control for the cane beetle. It failed as a control method but has been a highly successful and invasive feral animal. Still other species such as rats, mice and fire ants have been accidently introduced, brought into Australia on ships and with imported produce.

Why are they a problem?Feral animals introduced to Australia generally have few natural predators or fatal diseases, and often successfully produce large numbers of offspring. This allows them to spread rapidly.

Australian native animals lived and evolved in relative isolation for millions of years. Since European settlement they have had to compete with feral animals for food, water, shelter and nesting sites. Predation from introduced cats, dogs and foxes has had a significant and detrimental impact on many native animal populations that previously had few large predators.

Feral animals often degrade native fauna habitat e.g. pigs dig up soil causing soil erosion and grazing by rabbits and hares removes food sources and shelter for other small mammals like bandicoots. For native animals the impact of feral animals is often made worse by the loss of habitat resulting from land clearing and degradation.

Feral animals also have the potential to spread disease to wildlife and livestock. The risk feral animals pose on native flora and fauna has been recognised by the listing of many of these species as a key threatening process under State and Commonwealth legislation.

Controlling feral animalsWhile it would be desirable to remove feral animals from the Australian environment, in most cases it is not achievable. Often the vast numbers of animals involved or the remoteness and inaccessibility of the area they inhabit make eradication expensive and ineffective.

A number of control methods are however available to control feral animal numbers or exclude them from particular areas, thereby reducing their impact on native flora and fauna. These methods include conventional control techniques and biological control.

Feral animals

Feral goats occur across Australia (Photo: W Hawes)


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Conventional control methods are used to reduce feral animal populations or exclude animals from an area. Methods include trapping, baiting, fencing and shooting.

Biological controls generally involve using species specific diseases and or predators to reduce feral animal populations. For example, myxomatosis and calicivirus have been successful in reducing rabbit populations.

Important feral animals at Copeton Waters SP include:

European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

Introduced from Europe into Victoria in 1871 for recreational hunting the fox rapidly spread across the Australian mainland. Tasmania remained fox free until 2001, when it was deliberately and unlawfully introduced to the island state.

The fox is considered responsible for the decline and extinction of many native ground dwelling mammals in the weight range 35 to 5,500 grams. Foxes carry many diseases that can infect both native wildlife and domestic animals (and particularly dogs), including hydatids, distemper, parvovirus, canine hepatitis, heartworm and sarcoptic mange.

The fox has been successful in Australia because it has a wide-ranging diet that includes mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, insects and fruit. It is generally not restricted by climate or landscape type and can be found in all environments except the tropical north. Although litters are small and females only breed once a year, a lack of any serious diseases or major predators means cub survival rates are high. All these factors allow for unchecked population growth, although dingoes are thought to control fox numbers where they occur.

Historically bounty systems (hunters paid for each animal killed) were used to reduce fox numbers together with a range of control techniques e.g. shooting, poisoning and trapping. Bounties have had limited success mainly because control actions generally occur where foxes are easiest to collect rather than where they are causing most damage. In more recent years the use of poisons such as 1080 are recommended to reduce fox populations, with other options including shooting, trapping and fumigation.

Feral Goats (Capra hircus)

Feral goats are descended from escaped domestic stock introduced into Australia at various times since European settlement. An adaptable generalist herbivore, feral goats will browse shrubs and trees, graze forbs and grass, and eat fallen fruit capsules, bark and other dead plant material. Unlike many other herbivores, when green feed is abundant feral goats obtain sufficient water from their food, but do need drinking water during summer and in periods of drought.

Their only major predator are dingoes and wild dogs whose numbers are often controlled by landholders to protect stock. Feral goats have a high reproductive potential and, uncontrolled, can increased their numbers by 75% in one year.

Given their wide ranging diet and ability to browse in areas inaccessible to many other herbivores (such as in dense thickets, high up trees and on steep rocky slopes), feral goats pose a direct and significant threat to many native plant populations. They also compete with native animals for food and shelter. Additionally, the removal and trampling of native vegetation as a result of feral goat browsing causes soil instability and increases its susceptibility to erosion by wind and water.

1080 poisoning is the recommended control method for foxes

(Photo: W Hawes)

Kid (Photo: C. Anderson)


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Teacher’s NotesVegetation communities are named according to the various layers which occur within them (i.e. shrubby verses grassy communities) as well as the distribution of species within each layer (i.e. woodland verses forest). In healthy vegetation the various layers often support a wide variety of native plants and animals.

Trees provide foraging, nesting sites and hollows for a variety of fauna as well as habitat for mistletoe and orchids. Large and small shrubs provide food sources and shelter for many small birds and reptiles. Tall grass tussocks provide shelter for small mammals, reptiles and ground-nesting birds. Native grasses and forbs are also an important food source (forage, seeds, fruit and nectar) for a wide range of animals (kangaroos, finches and insects). Between the grass tussocks dead plant material (litter) is recycled by invertebrates, fungi and bacteria to provide soil nutrients and maintain soil structure.

The aim of this activity is to allow students to discover the components and layers which make up a natural shrubby woodland community

Skills Required• Basic counting

• Ability to visually identify differences in plant types

• Ability to record numbers

Time Needed10-20 minutes

Equipment Required• Tape measure 10 metres long or longer for each group of 2-3 students

• Pencil

• Activity Recording Sheet for each group

• Plant identification guides or resources (optional)

Student ActivityLooking at Vegetation Structure & Habitat


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ActivityStudents should select a site within an area of bushland where they can lay out their tape measure along the ground for 10 m. When selecting their site it is important they avoid disturbed areas i.e. near tracks, roads or car parks. These areas will generally have more weeds, less native species and litter and therefore be of poorer habitat quality.

Having selected a site, students lay out their tape on the ground. If the site is sloped, lay the tape down the slope rather than across so changes in the vegetation can be seen more easily.

Once the tape is out students should move along the tape from 0-10 m, marking on their recording sheet every plant which is touching the tape. It is not necessary to identify the plants exactly but students should record what type of plant it is (grass, forb, low shrub, shrub, tree). To help with drawing the profile later students should also record on their Activity Recording Sheet:

• the approximate height and shape of the plants

• the size of the trunks of larger trees (some trees could take up to 1 metre of tape)

Back in class, students should work on graph paper to draw a profile of the vegetation using distances, heights and shapes from their Activity Recording Sheet to create a representation of the vegetation structure. The horizontal axis showing the distance along the tape while the vertical axis shows the vegetation height – refer to Figure 1 below.

Discuss the results.

• How many different plants did each group count along their tape?

• How does the profile give a different perspective of the bush?

• How many layers of vegetation are visible?

• What are the features of those layers?

• What is on the ground in between plants (leaf litter, bare soil, rocks)? Is this an important layer?

• How would different animals use different layers as part of their habitat?

Figure 1: Graphic Representation of Vegetation Structure


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Lay your tape measure along the ground. Move along the tape from 0 to 10 m. For each plant touching the tape fill in a row in the table below.

Distance along tape measure

Plant Type

grass, fern, daisy, shrub, tree

Approx. Plant Height

If plant is a tree... Look up!

Can you see any hollows or mistletoe?

Rough sketch of plant shape

Looking at Vegetation Structure & Habitat

Activity Recording Sheet


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Distance along tape measure

Plant Type

grass, fern, daisy, shrub, tree

Approx. Plant Height

If plant is a tree... Look up!

Can you see any hollows or mistletoe?

Rough sketch of plant shape

Is there litter (dead grass, leaves and twigs) between the plants? Yes / No

Are there larger fallen logs present? Yes / No

Are there rocks present? Yes / No

Did you see any animals along your tape? Yes / No

If yes, list the animals you saw:

How many different types of plants did you record along your tape? ...............

How many different layers of vegetation did you see? ...............


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Copeland C, Schooneveldt-Reid E & Neller S (2003) Fish Everywhere – An oral history of fish and their habitats in the Gwydir River. NSW Fisheries publication

Copeton Dam - Facts and Figures State Water brochurehttp://www.statewater.com.au/_Documents/Dam%20brochures/Copeton%20Dam%20Brochure.pdf

Department of Environment Climate Change and Water (1998) Predation by European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). Key Threatening Process listing. http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au

Department of Environment Climate Change and Water (2004) Competition and Habitat Degradation by Feral Goats (Capra hircus). Key Threatening Process listing. http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au

Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (2004) European Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). Invasive Species Factsheet. http://www.environment.gov.au

Dickman, C. (1996) Overview of the impacts of feral cats on Australian Native Fauna. Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra. http://205.186.139.30/overview-of-the-impacts-of-feral-cats-on-australian-native-fauna/

Myall Creek Massacre, 1838. http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/massacres-Myall-Creek-1838.html

NSW BioNet (formerly Atlas of NSW Wildlife), NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. http://www.bionet.nsw.gov.au

NSW Fisheries Scientific Committee (2003) Aquatic ecological community in the natural drainage system of the lowland catchment of the Darling River. Final Recommendation. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/208297/FR22-Darling-River-EEC.pdf

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (2003) Threatened Species of the New England Tablelands and North West Slopes of NSW. NSW NPWS publication

NSW Scientific Committee (2002) Alteration to the natural flow regimes of rivers, streams, floodplains & wetlands. Key threatening process final determination. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspecies/AlterationNaturalFlowKTPListing.htm

Saunders, G., Coman, B., Kinnear, J. and Braysher, M. (1995) Managing Vertebrate Pests: Foxes. Bureau of Rural Sciences, Canberra. http://205.186.139.30/managing-vertebrate-pests-foxes/

Information Sources


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Arboreal: Living in trees.

Aquatic: Living in water.

Biodiversity: The variety of all living things. It includes animals, plants, fungi, bacteria and viruses, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form.

Canopy: The leaves and branches of trees and shrubs.

Derived Grassland: Is grassland created by the removal of the tree and shrub layers of a woodland or forest.

Domesticated: Animals that live with and are dependent upon humans e.g. livestock and pets.

Dominant: The most common plant species.

Ecosystem: Is the combination of plants, animals and micro-organisms that depend on each other and the non-living environment (soils, geology, climate) they need to live.

Erosion: Is the movement of soil and rocks by water or wind. The roots of plants (trees, shrubs and grasses) hold soil and rocks in place. If there are large areas of bare dirt and only a few plants then erosion can happen very fast.

Feral animals: Animals brought to Australia from elsewhere in the world that have been released or escaped into the bush where they survive and breed independently of humans.

Forb: A small non-woody plant that is not a grass e.g. lilies, orchids, daisies, sedges.

Forest: Vegetation where the canopies of the tallest trees mostly touch or overlap.

Fragmentation: The process whereby native vegetation or habitat is cleared across most of the land so that only small patches of native vegetation remain. The large areas of cleared land between patches make it hard for lots of plants and animals to move across the land to find food, shelter, nesting sites and mates.

Grassland: A plant community that has a grassy groundcover but no tree or shrub layers.

Groundcover: Plants up to 1 m tall which cover the ground.

Habitat: The home of plants or animals. It provides plants or animals with space, shelter, food, water and breeding sites.

Introduced species: Plants and animals brought to Australia from elsewhere.

Landscape Connectivity: Describes how connected habitat is for plants and animals. For example, is native vegetation in isolated patches or are there large patches of vegetation remaining and are these patches connected by corridors of native vegetation? Good connectivity allows plants and animals to move across the landscape to find food, shelter and breeding sites. Good connectivity is important in maintaining the health of our natural ecosystems.

Litter: Dead grass, leaves and small twigs found on the ground.

Mistletoe: Partially parasitic plants which live on the branches of trees and shrubs.

Native: Plants or animals present in Australia at the time of European settlement.

Organism: A living being.

Glossary


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Overstorey: The layer of tallest trees.

Parasite: A plant or animal that lives and feeds off another.

Predators: Animals which hunt other animals for food.

Riparian: Any land or vegetation which adjoins or is directly influenced by a body of water (river, lake, creek).

Species: Types of plants or animals.

Spp: More than one type of plant or animal species.

Terrestrial: Living on land.

Threatened Ecological Community: A plant community listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) or Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). These listings, also known as Endangered Ecological Communities, protect all parts of the community (trees, shrubs, grasses, forbs) as well as any habitat elements (fallen logs, rocks, leaf litter, standing dead trees).

Understorey: The plant layer below the canopy but taller than 2 m in height.

Vegetation: Another term for plants.

Weeds: In environmental terms (and in this document) weeds are introduced plants which invade and often replace native plant species threatening the functions of natural ecosystems. In agriculture, some native plants are regarded as weeds when they compete with crops or are undesirable for grazing or livestock.

Woodland: Vegetation where the canopies of the tallest trees are mostly not touching. If the canopies of the tallest trees are very widely spaced then the vegetation is open woodland.


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Student Notes

Catchment Management AuthorityBorder Rivers-Gwydir

Inverell

15 Vivian Street | PO Box 411 Inverell NSW 2360T: 02 6728 8020F: 02 6728 8098

Moree

66-68 Frome Street | PO Box 569 Moree NSW 2400T: 02 6757 2550F: 02 6757 2570

Glen Innes

68 Church Street | PO Box 380 Glen Innes NSW 2370T: 02 6732 2992F: 02 6732 5995

Armidale

UNE Trevenna Road | PO Box U245 Armidale NSW 2351T: 02 6773 5269F: 02 6773 5288

Goondiwindi

Waggamba Square, Brook Street Goondiwindi QLD 4390T: 07 4671 7960F: 07 4671 2966

W: www.brg.cma.nsw.gov.au E: [email protected] We work to help people in our communities look after their land for future generations.

http://brg.cma.nsw.gov.au

mailto:[email protected]

biodiversity education package - copeton waters state park

Documents

excursion site

site information

biodiversity education

catchment context

distance of site

site descriptions

excursion packagecompiled

gwydir catchments