winter 2008 mallee update newsletter, murray mallee local action planning

8/9/2019 Winter 2008 Mallee Update Newsletter, Murray Mallee Local Action Planning

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MALLEE

Volume 10, Issue 2

What's inside

www.malleefutures.org.au

Birds guiding habitat restoration inMurray Mallee

Wedge-tailed eagle

Coordinated pest control gets results

Calling SA's sheep young guns

Donna takes on new roles

Mallee Futures Stories

Join us on a visit to Gluepot Reserve

Revegetation workshop second of aseries

This year marks the Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association's 10 year anniversary. To help the LAP celebrate thismomentous occasion we are inviting all Murray Mallee landholders and their families to attend our day long celebrations.

th thThe event will be held at the Perponda Sports Club on either Saturday the 7 or 14 of September (dates to be confirmed atthe end of July). The day will start at 12:30 pm with a fully catered B.B.Q lunch. There will be memorabilia displaysshowcasing the achievements of the MMLAP over the past 10 years and a number of short presentations following lunch.

At around 2 pm the group will be heading off on a tour to the Underground Bottle Tanks, before returning to the Perponda

Sports Club around 4pm for afternoon tea and the close of the event.

10 Year Celebrations

Malleefowl monitoring in the SAMurray Darling Basin is undertaken by

volunteers and coordinated by theConservation Programs Unit, DEH inBerri. The Malleefowl are monitored bywalking grids in the mallee andlocating Malleefowl mounds (wherethey incubate their eggs). Thebreeding activity of the mounds isrecorded and this information isentered into a national database.

Over the 2007/08 season 18 grids were monitoring, including 7 on Gluepotstation. The numbers of active Malleefowl mounds is down on previous years (or

remaining at zero). This is probably due to the drought, as like many birds, theytend not to breed in dry conditions with little food resources. No breeding at allwas recorded north of the Murray River in SA. This is most likely due to drought.

Results did show that the birds are breeding at Peebinga and Karte. Thirteenactive mounds were recorded here out of a total of 16 active mounds recorded inthe entire survey. Good winter rains in 2007 are likely to have caused thefavourable breeding conditions there. Further work is continuing in assemblingfox baiting data for the monitored areas as well as rainfall data.

304 volunteer hours were generously given to do this monitoring, plus 120 hoursspent resurveying two grids at Gluepot. More volunteers are needed for the

surveys for 2008/09, and to keep rainfall measurements in the vicinity ofMalleefowl grids. If you would like to be involved in Malleefowl monitoring orrecording rainfall measurements within the grids contact the Bush ManagementAdvisor Chris Grant in Berri 8595 2174.

Photo and article courtesy of DEH

Malleefowl mounds inactive

Please R.S.V.P or register your interest to the Murray Mallee LAP for cateringpurposes on either 8531 2066 or 8531 3075.

update

South Austra l ian Murray-Dar l ingBasin Natura l Resou rcesManagement BoardGovernment

of South Australia

Department for Envi ronmentand Her i tage


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The wedge-tailed eagle is Australia's largest bird of prey and one of the most powerful raptors inthe world. Common throughout the continent, they prefer wooded and forested land and opencountry. At a metre long and with a wingspan of over 2 metres, it can be seen soaring on up-curved wings at altitudes up to 2,000 metres. The adults are dark in colour with a long, wedge-shaped tail and legs that are feathered all the way to the base of the toes. The immature birds arepaler with golden or tawny highlights.

At breeding time, pairs of eagles circle high over their territories in a display of ownershipdefending the area around their nests from other Wedge-tailed eagles. They build their nest in aprominent location (usually the tallest tree) with a good view of the surrounding countryside.However, if trees are absent, they will use small trees, shrubs, cliff faces and even the ground.

The nest is a large structure comprised of dead sticks lined with green leaves which are added

regularly when young are present. Wedge-tailed eagles are sensitive to forestry operations with extensive clearing reducing nestingresources. If the pair are disturbed while they are preparing to lay eggs, they may abandon the nest.

Most eggs are laid in June- August in southern Australia; however, breeding times vary from location to location and from year toyear according to the local availability of food. A clutch consists of one to three white eggs with varying amounts of reddish-brownspots and blotches. Both parents share in the duties of nest building, incubation and feeding the young. The chicks are born with acovering of white down; however, their survival rates depend on local conditions, including prey abundance and the amount ofdisturbance. The young birds fledge when they are 80-90 days old, but usually only one survives especially if food is scarce for theoldest and largest chick will kill and eat its smaller siblings.

Carrion is an important part of the birds' varied diet while live prey ranges in size from lizards to kangaroos. These birds favourrabbits when they are available while reptiles are an important food source in arid areas. Pairs or groups of eagles may join forces

to attack large prey such as wallabies. Indirect poisoning through Dingo baits and pesticides continue to be a major hazard.

The belief that this eagle is a significant killer of lambs and sheep has led to its destruction in large numbers by farmers and huntersin the past. A study by CSIRO into the deaths of 12,000 lambs clearly showed that with rare exception, eagles were not to blame.Only 2% of lambs born had been killed by predators of which foxes were the main culprit. As most landholders know, the maincause of death in lambs is starvation and exposure to the elements resulting from the lack of bonding between the lamb and itsmother. If the lamb carcass is relatively fresh, a simple examination can usually determine the cause of death.

The Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) and the Murray Mallee LAPhave been trialling a process in the northern Murray Mallee for collecting informationto enable management priorities to be set to prevent further losses of species.A study conducted in 2006 and 2007 investigated the distribution of birds in relationto the remaining vegetation types in an area north of Billiatt and south of the MurrayRiver. Three reasonably distinct bird groups were distinguished amongst thevegetation types of that area (all with open mallee overstorey):

1) Southern Scrub-robin, Shy Heathwren and Inland Thornbill associated withpatches of dense shrub understorey on deep sands;2) Mallee Emu-wren, Striated Grasswren and Red-lored Whistler associated withTriodia understorey on shallow sands; and3) Restless Flycatcher, Hooded Robin and Brown Treecreeper associated with veryopen understorey on plains and swales with only occasional patches of shrubs.

Distribution information for the bird groups showed a strong pattern of decline in dune associatedspecies. The Mallee Emu-wren, Striated Grasswren and Red-lored Whistler have completelydisappeared from the study area and the Southern Scrub-robin, Shy Heathwren and Inland Thornbillhave contracted to just one or two localities (depending on species) within the study area. In contrast,Restless Flycatcher, Hooded Robin and Brown Treecreeper remain widespread.

This information has been used to inform strategies to increase the amount of habitat available for thedeclining birds.Small habitat restoration projects are planned for the Autumn 2008 planting season, and moresubstantial plans are being developed for future restoration. The aim is to restore the decliningvegetation types to eventually see an improvement in the distribution and abundance of these birds.

Birds guiding habitat restoration in Murray Mallee

Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax)

Photo by Alan Fletcher

Nigel Willoughby is aHabitat Management andRestoration Ecologist andis trialling a process toassist setting managementpriorities for restoring andprotecting landscapes

(Article and photo courtesyof Department forEnvironment andHeritage)

continued on page 3

South Austra l ian Murray-Dar l ingBasin Natura l Resourc esManagement BoardGovernment

of South Australia

Department for Envi ronmentand Her i tage


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Groups of landowners in the Mallee are getting together to coordinate their fox and rabbit control to increase the effectivenessof their efforts in the local area. Currently the MMLAP, DEH and SAMDBNRM Board are working together with three groupswho are coordinating their pest control and have had successful outcomes in their local areas through this approach.

A total of 51 landholders are involved in these three groups giving considerable coverage and effective results. The MantungMaggea Land Management Group, Browns Wells Landcare Group and a group of landholders in the hundreds of Ettrick,Burdett and Younghusband have covered a total of more than 100,000 hectares in their programs this year.

Many of the properties involved in the programs contain large areas of remnant vegetation with 32,000ha under HeritageAgreement. The coordination of pest control in these areas contributes, not only to decreasing the loss of lambs but to theprotection of Mallee Fowl and other native fauna. It also assists in maintaining and improving local native plants through thereduction 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 theeffects of warrens.

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

The Murray Mallee LAP, SAMDBNRM Board and DEH are keen to assist more groups like these in getting together tocoordinate their pest control works. Funding and technical support is available (through NHT community grants, SAMDBNRMBoard and Heritage Agreement funding) to assist groups in the Mallee to coordinate their rabbit and fox control.

For more information or support in coordinated pest control please contact;MMLAP [email protected] or 8531 2066,DEH (native vegetation/ heritage agreement) 8595 2174NRM offices: Lameroo 8576 3400, Murray Bridge 8532 1432, Mid Murray 8564 5154, Berri (for Loxton Waikerie area)8582 4477, Karoonda 8578 1493

Coordinated pest control gets results

f birds are nesting on your property, try to protect the site by minimising disturbance in the area during nesting periods andencourage regeneration of nesting habitat by fencing around those areas. If you think eagles are bothering your stock, contact theDepartment of Environment and Heritage for advice. The Wedge-tailed eagle is fully protected in South Australia and severepenalties apply to people found interfering with these magnificent birds.

Signs for landholders to look for on fresh lamb carcasses to determine cause of death:Look for punctures or bruising from talons by skinning back the head and shoulders. No bruising means the lamb was deadanyway. Little bruising means it was near death and if there was considerable bruising means the lamb was active.

Check the hooves. If the lamb had not walked, a membrane should still cover them.Check the lungs. If the lamb had breathed, it would be pink and spongy; if not, they will be a deep claret colour.Check its gut to see if it had drunk.A healthy lamb will have solid white fat attached to its heart and kidneys. This fat is red and jelly-like in starving lambs.A lamb covered in a bright yellow meconium died during or just after birth.

Sheep are an important component of the fox's diet.The damage associated with foxes is:removal of the tongue, lower jaw, and/or tail,he thighs and neck are commonly bitten, andoccasionally, the chest and abdomen cavities are opened up.

Gayle Drabsch

continued from page 2

References:Egerton, L. (ed.), 2005, Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife,Revised edition, Reader's Digest, Sydney.Falkenberg, I., 2007, Wedge-Tailed Eagles Farmers Friends,unpublished.

Frith. H.J. (Editor), 1976, Reader's Digest Complete Book ofAustralian Birds Reader's Digest Services Pty Ltd, 26-32 WaterlooStreet, Surry Hills, NSW 2010.Pizzey, G. & Knight, F., 2003, The Field Guide to the Birds of

Australia, 7th edition, HarperCollinsPublishers, Sydney.Australian Museum, 2003, Fact sheets: Wedge-tailed Eagle,http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/wedge_tailed_eagle.htm


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Young Guns local coordinators (leftto right) Jaynelle LeFeurve YorkePenisula, Tiffany Munro Upper SE,

Jo Linn Eyre Penisula, HamishDickson Riverland & Pastoral,Casey Pfeiffer - Mallee (absent Kate

Ridgway Mid North).

Calling SA's sheep young guns

An exciting new initiative for South Australia's sheep industry is enlistingyoung producers to be part of Young Guns.

The South Australian Lamb Development Team (SALDT) has launched theproject to establish a network of young sheep and lamb producer groupsacross the state. The groups will be based in key sheep regions aroundhe state Upper South East, Mallee, Yorke Peninsula, Riverland, MidNorth, Eyre Peninsula and Pastoral.

SALDT consider this to be a very important initiative to protect the long-erm future of South Australia's sheep industry. They have securedfunding for the project from South Australia's Sheep Industry Fund, theFederal Government's AgFund and Primary Industries and Resources, SA.SALDT Chairman Glen Tilley says the industry needs to foster thedevelopment of its young producers and encourage them to stay in thendustry.

We are aiming to provide young producers the opportunity to network andsocialise with other young people, explore their interests, develop their knowledgeand business skills and encourage adoption of innovation, Glen says. Young

people need to be challenged, stimulated and have the opportunity to becomenvolved in the industry in a friendly and like-minded environment.

I would encourage any young sheep or lamb producer, aged 18-35 years, tobecome involved. The opportunity is open to everyone, not only those people whohave been involved in extension programs or industry groups before.

A Field Day will be held in each region as the first event to kick off the Young Guns group. It will be an opportunity for youngpeople to meet, explore regional issues and determine interest in forming a young producer group. A series of five workshops arebuilt into the first year of the program to help groups get started. Outside of this the opportunities are open to the group to set theirown agenda to meet the individual needs of members. A local coordinator who will organise and facilitate meetings and managehe group's operational requirements will support the group.

Young producers who would like more information or to register their interest are encouraged to contact Heidi Goers, SALDTExecutive Officer, 08 8303 7925, [email protected]

The SA Lamb Development Team (SALDT) is a non-political, whole of industry-focused group that is enthusiastic and passionateabout the lamb industry. In the long term the committee aims to help promote and build a cohesive, profitable, competitive andsustainable lamb industry that builds on the strengths of component sectors to provide a consistent quality food product, to bothdomestic and international consumers.

Donna Nussio has recently joined the Mallee CoorongNRM Group as a representative of the Department forEnvironment and Heritage (DEH). Donna bringsvaluable local knowledge from her four years workingin the Murray (as Senior Ranger) and Riverland regions(as Senior Ranger, Community Programs). The groupwelcomes Donna and thanks her for the contributionsshe has already made.

Donna takes on new roles

Donna has also recently taken on the role of District Ranger for the Murray Mallee.

The main focus of the role is to lead the range of DEH programs in the district bothin parks and across the broader landscape in conjunction with other landownersand organisations.Donna can be contacted at; [email protected]: 8576 3690 or mob: 428 103 783


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n recognition of the Murray Mallee LAPs 10 years of operation, the LAP has put together a CD package showcasing itsongest running program the Mallee Futures Program.

The CD contains four landholder stories and details their different experiences with on-ground works projects deliveredhrough the Mallee Futures Program. It provides an interesting insight into just some of the on-ground works' projects thathave been undertaken through the Program and highlights their achievements and the benefits to farming families.

The CD will be available mid July free of charge through the LAP. To register for your free copy please contact Loren Mountain

on 8531 3075 or Rowena Danks on 8531 2066.

Mallee Futures Stories

The 54,390 ha (134,000 acres) property measuring 37 x 14km underwent detailed assessments of its significance in thelandscape, its vegetation communities and its birds, and the

decision to purchase it was made. The effort to raise$360,000 began. Over 2,400 people and organisationshelped buy Gluepot Station in just ten weeks. Moreover,Founders pledged over $30,000 per year for the next fiveyears to assist with management.

As the volunteer Management Committee and first volunteerRangers took up office in July 1997, it was time to take stockof what Birds Australia had purchased. Gluepot Reserve joinsthe Bookmark Biosphere Reserve (900,000 ha), aninternationally significant area with direct links to other largeconservation reserves in New South Wales and Victoria. It is

part of the largest block of intact mallee left in Australia andso the viability of threatened bird populations and other floraand fauna there is high.

The six nationally threatened species of bird on GluepotReserve include the Black-eared Miner , Malleefowl, Red-lored Whistler, Regent Parrot, Scarlet-chested Parrot andStriated Grasswren. A further 17 species of regionallythreatened bird live there (eg Major Mitchell Cockatoo,Hooded Robin and Redthroat). In all, 190 species of birdhave been recorded on Gluepot Reserve.

Gluepot Reserve has a diversity of vegetation communitieswhich support important wildlife other than birds. Reptiles areparticularly abundant with 42 species located so far, includingthe threatened Bandy Bandy. The last big fire on the actualReserve occurred in the 1950s (with a small area burnt in2006), but many areas were not burnt leaving substantialareas of mallee and Casuarina woodland with trees that arehundreds of years old. These old trees have numeroushollows for nesting birds and deep litter for ground-foragingspecies. The vegetation quality is particularly high in theeastern third of Gluepot because the lack of water for a 10km radius means that grazing impacts have been minimal.

The property is open to visitors who for a small fee (or byguided tour) can take advantage of the extensiveimprovements and infrastructure that the voluntaryManagement Committee and rangers have put in place.

Information courtesy of Gluepot www.riverland.net.au/gluepot

Join us on a visit to Gluepot Reserve

Gluepot Reserve, (north of Waikerie), is Birds Australia's firstpublicly funded Reserve. Located in the semi-arid SouthAustralian mallee it is considered by many to be one of the

crown jewels in the nation's reserve system. This 50,000 haarge area of virgin mallee scrub contains no less than 6nationally endangered bird species and a unique flora andauna adapted to the harsh conditions. Purchased in 1997,Gluepot is rapidly becoming a centre for scientific research.ts accessibility means it is one of the few areas in Australiawhere birdwatchers can relatively easily observe otherwisehard-to-find species.

On September 24th and 25th the Murray Mallee LAP willhold a FREE visit to Gluepot Reserve. The bus will leaveKaroonda early on the 24th for a day trip to the park. From

here a bus will travel back to Karoonda.

For those who would like to stay on for the optional overnighttay at the reserve where guests will have the option of

participating in a batting workshop with Chris Grant (DEH).Chris has been researching bats in South Australia for 7years. Learn bout the amazing lives of bats, how and wherehey live, what they eat and how they help us. Get to trapand see real live bats. You will be amazed at the variety ofbats there are in the mallee.

For more details or to book in, contact the MMLAP on85312066 or [email protected] RSVP date is 5thSeptember.

Here is a short history of the reserve to whet your appetite!

The Black-eared Miner is one of Australia's most endangeredbirds. The species looked doomed to extinction, when in

996 a Birds Australia volunteer reported sighting Black-eared Miners in the region of Gluepot Station. However, theowner of Gluepot Station had applied for approval to burnareas of the extensive mallee to increase fodder for hisheep. Further surveys by volunteers confirmed that not only

were Black-eared Miners and Malleefowl present in goodnumbers, but robust populations of four other nationallyhreatened birds occurred on Gluepot Station. The owner ofhe property indicated that he was happy to sell what was amarginal pastoral lease, but he was also happy to burn themallee and continue farming for a few more years.


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

Rod Brown (Chairperson/ Public Officer)Lameroo ph: 8577 4033

(Vice Chairperson)Karoonda

Rex Spinley (Secretary/Treasurer)Murray Bridge ph: 8531 3085

Barry ManuelMindarie ph: 8578 7018

Neville PfeifferParrakie ph: 8576 2051

Andrew HallWunkar ph: 8589 7029

Trevor SchillerWaikerie ph: 8541 9096

Chris GrantDept Environment & Heritage, Berri

Malcolm Johns

Adrian Growden

Jeremy Nelson

Karen Payne

Greg Werner

Stephanie Evans

Lewis Westbrook

Damien Berger

MMLAP Committee MembershipOn the 27th of May the Murray Mallee LAPassisted students of the East Murray AreaSchool with the thinning out nativeeedlings. The seedlings, grown from seed

by the students earlier this year, will beplanted in a local revegetation project athe Australian Zircon mine at Mindarie. Thetudents have grown a range of plants from

ground covers and grasses to trees andhrubs using locally collected seeds andcuttings.

The workshop is the second of a series ofworkshops that the students will participaten throughout 2008. Rowena Danks,Project Officer from the MMLAP said 'Theeries of workshops aims at giving thetudents a better understanding of the

whole process of revegetation, includingpecies selection, seed collection, preparation and

propagation, right through to planting and theongoing care that these plants need now and into theuture. It gives the students the chance to experienceall aspects of the project and hopefully encourageshem to learn more about revegetation andbiodiversity'.

Funding for the workshops has come through theNational Landcare Program and the NHT CommunityGrants Program.

Revegetation workshop second of a series

Its dirty work' -Front row HaydenFrancis, Patrick

Payne, EmilyZadow, AdeleFrancis, MarissaRedden, VETinstructor GregGriffiths, Kayla Tyler

hetta designs08 8531 1131

In October last year, we started a scheme where Loren worked one day a monthfrom the Karoonda and Lameroo NRM offices. The aim of this was to makeassistance more accessible to landholders in our region. We hoped that thiswould provide an option for landholders to drop in and talk about on groundworks projects they were planning on doing and discuss support availablethrough the LAP.

Due to a lack of utilisation of this service we have decided not to continue themonthly visits. We are however available for site visits as per usual andappointments can be made through our office 8531 3075. Our accessibility toyou is still a high priority so please feel free to call us to discuss your NRMissues and ideas.

Monthly NRM office visits finish

Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association Inc.Murray Bridge Natural Resources Centre

Mannum RoadPO Box 2056, Murray Bridge SA 5253ph: (08) 8531 2066 fax: (08) 8532 5300email: [email protected]

winter 2008 mallee update newsletter, murray mallee local action planning

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