Enviroplan Photographic Competition

It's time to pick up your cameras and get clicking for the Enviroplan Photographic Competition for 2010. School students, amateur photographers and professionals are invited to take part in this challenging and exciting photographic experience.

The competition was launched on Friday, 4 June 2010 (World Environment Day) and will close on Friday, 10 September 2010. The judging is timed to commemorate World Habitat Day which allows entrants up to two seasons (Winter and Spring) to capture images within Ipswich City and be in the running to win prizes valued up to $3,500.

Winners will be announced at the annual Enviroplan Photographic Competition Awards function which will be held on Tuesday, 5 October 2010 at Ipswich Civic Centre.

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Habitat or Garden?

Black-shouldered kites Elanus notatus collect fallen sticks for their nests.

Are you aware that around two thirds of pre-European settlement bushland has now been eradicated from our country? Most of this bush has been removed so that we humans can colonise areas previously colonised by native species.

Often the creatures that lived on our land before we did are not taken into consideration when a new housing estate is being built. Oh, yes, should the species being endangered be a national icon, like the koala, a large stink is usually raised in the press, and some concession is made to preserve the habitat of the creature. But what about all of those creatures that are not so widely known or not so widely loved?

As a wildlife carer, and possum lover, I do not like it when people say to me "Oh, it's only a possum! It'll move elsewhere!" or "A snake? Where's the shovel?" Many people now appreciate wildlife in the garden and thank goodness this old attitude is fading.

As humans, we are often very house proud. We like a nice house to live in and to have our gardens looking ordered. We take into consideration the well being of our pets, but all too often fail to take into consideration the welfare of our natives, cutting down trees with nesting cavities and moving dead fall from our land. These places are homes for native creatures.

In south east Queensland, there has been an identification of 134 species of wildlife that depend on hollows for survival. Good habitat that can support a diverse wildlife population may have three to ten hollow bearing trees per hectare, each with as many as thirty hollows of varying sizes - after all not all of our wildlife is the same size. Tree hollows are an integral part of the ecosystem of our country, and the older the tree, the more liable it is to fall down, the more hollows it has.

If there is a real need to remove older trees, try to scertain from the tree removalist if they can save some of the hollows for re-installing in other trees. Put up some habitat or nest boxes to supplement those already built by Mother Nature. There are some species that like their boxes or hollows to be horizontal i.e. Kookaburras and lorikeets.

Know that nest boxes in trees are not the only cover you can supply. There are many ground dwelling species as well. Take into consideration that Brush Turkeys like gardening too. Be aare of the local lizards. Supply them with ground cover and grasses so they can go about their business like the rest of us. In our particular area we have legless lizards and bearded dragons.

Small hollows provide day time shelter for many animals, including the green tree frog Litoria caerulea

When supplying nest boxes take into consideration the fact that our wildlife don't just find a hollow and move in - they are picky too! Factors such as the height and depth of the box, where it is situated, insulating from the weather, be it rain or sun, all play a factor in whether a box will be used. If you are concerned about damaging trees by attaching boxes, do what I do. I insert the wire that is holding the box up through a piece of black garden piping, so that no wire touches the tree, only the box. You can also use galvanised self drilling screws, as they have a less harmful effect on the tree. If you remove the box though, make sure you remove the screws.

Also be aware of natural predators. As much as we like to think that nature is all cuddly and furry, there are creatures out there that prey on those cuddly and furries - being eaten is part of the natural process of nature. The strong survive, to make a species stronger, and everyone needs to eat. The decision on who is to survive is not ours to make. We can give our creatures a second chance, but we can't molly coddle them - this is not what caring is about. As carers and human beings, we are here to give a helping hand, to try to repair some of the damage done by humans on a delicate environment. Put up some boxes, drop a few logs, plant some trees, but also let nature take its own course.

Beverley Clarke
ONARR Wildlife Carer

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Helping Ipswich Nature Adapt to Climate Change

Ipswich's plants and animals require your help to adapt to climate change. The predicted local impacts from climate change include increased temperatures, higher risk of bushfire and more extreme weather events. Rapid changes in the environment favour exotic species such as pests and weeds; this threatens native plants and animals long-term survival.

By reducing your carbon footprint, planting locally native plants, removing weeds and cleaning up waterways you can give Ipswich nature a helping hand. For more information on the impacts of climate change to Ipswich's nature and how you can help visit: www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/about_ipswich/environment/climate_change

For more information on reducing your carbon footprint visit: www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au

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Volunteer Profile

Andy Nisbet

Getting out and active in the great outdoors has been a long past time for one of the city's longest serving volunteers, Andy Nisbet. Since the late 1980's, Andy has tirelessly spent thousands of hours helping out at Blue Gums Reserve along the banks of the Bremer River at Karalee. He's helped plant around 5000 trees to help revegetate the area and continued to help maintain the area. In addition to contributing to the environment, keeping active through his activities at Blue Gums has also motivated Andy over the years to continue volunteering in the area.

Volunteering to make a difference to the environment out in our parks and reserves has provided Andy and many other volunteers over the years with a sense of pride and awareness of their local environment. Great friendships have been formed as likeminded volunteers get together and get their hands dirty while helping the environment. Whether its helping with a tree planting project, weeding, mulching or simply helping keep our parks tidy for the community to enjoy, it is certainly a rewarding opportunity to be part of.

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Arachnids - Nature's Eight Legged Wonders

The mere mention of the word 'spider' is enough to send shivers up the spines of some people. This is the similar groundless fear people have about snakes. Yet in a world without spiders, the populations of other insects would soar, potentially devastating our agricultural industry and causing widespread famine and disease. Spiders do not eat our crops, nor do they carry or spread disease. The poison of most spiders acts only on small prey, and only a few possess chemicals dangerous to humans. The spider's vital ecological role as a leading natural controller of agricultural, horticultural and everyday household insect pests has only recently become recognised.

What exactly is a Spider?

A spider is a small; eight legged invertebrate belonging to the class Arachnida. They are an ancient order with fossils dating back over 400 million years. All spiders are divided into two body parts: the combined head/thorax area onto which the legs are connected, and the abdomen area. They have no jaws so all of their food must be in a liquid form. All spiders have fangs and most possess poison glands, which are used in capturing other insects for food. In Australia there are basically two types of spider, the Mygalomorphs (containing the trapdoors and funnel webs) and the Areneomorphs (hunting spiders and web weavers). There are 70 families of spiders presently recognised in Australia. Within these spider families are 430 recognised genus, which consist of an amazing 2,000 plus described species.

Where do spiders live?

Spiders live in almost every habitat on earth. The only places where there are no spiders are the polar regions, the highest mountains and the oceans. A few spider species have invaded the ocean's edge, living in the rock and coral crevices of the intertidal zone.

Spider habitats and how can we help maintain them?

Bushland remnants are important habitats for spiders in urban/rural areas. On farms or larger parcels of land it is important to limit the damage done by livestock by reducing the trampling effect of hooves affecting the removal of native grasses and small shrubs. Dead logs and hollow trees in paddocks also provide habitat for predatory spiders as well as insectivorous bats and birds.

Many different spiders exploit the nooks and crannies of houses, sheds and gardens. Around the typical Queensland home, spiders make excellent guardians against the steady stream of irritating and destructive insects. Huntsman spiders for example are often mistaken as large "tarantulas" found scurrying across walls in our homes at night. Though some can give a painful bite if handled roughly they are not dangerous or aggressive. In fact they help control cockroach numbers! Using more environmentally friendly methods of insect control instead of the indiscriminate use of herbicides and pesticides, which kills both friend and foes, gives spiders the chance to do their work in a more natural and sustainable way.

Deadly Spiders

Our intrinsic fear of spiders and their various relatives has much to do with the fact that many of them pack a nasty bite. Two mentioned here are found in the Great South East - the Funnel Web Spider and the Red Back Spider. Deadly funnel web spiders are rarely found in Brisbane and usually only in outer suburbs bordering native forest, e.g. Rochedale, Springbrook, Kenmore, Brookfield, The Gap, Mt Coot-tha. The other deadly spider is the red back spider. Although red backs are more common than people realise, they are inoffensive and shy. People are more likely to be bitten by accident than a 'direct attack' from a red back. No one in Australia has died from a bite in 40 years (an effective antivenom was developed in 1956), however the venom of this species has proved fatal, so we must treat the redback with caution. Love them or loathe them, spiders command respect.

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Most spiders have eight eyes but, surprisingly, most have poor vision. Most rely on touch and vibration, which they sense through the hairs on their legs!

By Laurence Delbridge

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Ipswich's 150th Birthday Celebrated with 'Green' Works

Cr Cheryl Bromage and Powerlink Chief Operating Officer Simon Bartlett plating the 150th tree at Purga Creek

Ipswich's 150th birthday was commemorated with the planting of the 150th tree at Purga Nature Reserve in April as part of the $1.6 million Powerlink GreenWorks program. More than 3,000 native seedlings, including Queensland blue gum, matrush, wattle and weeping bottle brush varieties were planted at Purga Nature Reserve as part of the Powerlink GreenWorks Riparian Rehabilitation of Purga Nature Reserve project.

Cr Cheryl Bromage said, Ipswich City Council was delighted to participate in the Powerlink GreenWorks program and took the opportunity to acknowledge the city's important milestone in conjunction with the Purga Nature Reserve project.

"In our 150th year as a municipality, it is important to reflect on the achievements of the city of Ipswich, and to recognise Council's commitment to working closely with stakeholders such as Powerlink to deliver environmental benefits for the local community through conservation and sustainability initiatives like these," Cr Bromage said. Powerlink Chief Operating Officer Simon Bartlett said Powerlink was pleased to be supporting the 'greening' initiative which would improve the water quality of Purga Creek and the condition of the creek bank.

"The project will also enhance the natural habitat for in-stream aquatic life as well as land-based animals that travel along the waterway," Mr Bartlett said. "The Queensland blue gum is also a renowned vegetation community for koalas and wallabies, so it is hoped this protected area will also become home to more wildlife. "We congratulate Ipswich on celebrating its 150th birthday and look forward to delivering strong environmental and community outcomes in partnership with Ipswich City Council as part of our Powerlink GreenWorks program in the coming years," he said.

The revegetation work is one of six projects across Southern Queensland being funded through the five-year, $1.6 million Powerlink GreenWorks program. The initiative will deliver lasting environmental benefits to communities and enhance visual amenity in the vicinity of areas where Powerlink is planning to develop essential electricity transmission infrastructure in the future.

The Powerlink GreenWorks program, initiated by the State's high voltage electricity provider, Powerlink Queensland, is being implemented in partnership with the Lockyer Valley, Somerset, South Burnett and Toowoomba Regional Councils and Ipswich City Council. The program aims to provide positive, lasting environmental outcomes and improve visual amenity in areas in the vicinity of Powerlink's future 500kV powerline easements in Southern Queensland.

For further information about the Riparian Rehabilitation of Purga Nature Reserve project, please contact Ipswich City Council on telephone 07 3810 6666. For further information about the Powerlink GreenWorks program contact the Program Manager on 0447 200 069 or visit www.powerlink.com.au (go to 'Community and Environment').

The Purga Creek Revegetation Project Site sponsored by Powerlink

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Stream Rehabilitation

Water is one of our most valuable natural resources and the quality of our water supply depends greatly on the health of our waterways. One of the most significant contributors to water quality decline is the quantity of sediment, nutrients and other pollutants entering waterways through overland flow. One way to prevent sediments and pollutants from entering waterways is to protect, manage and enhance riparian corridors. A riparian corridor is any land that adjoins or directly influences a body of water whether it be a river, creek, gully, lake or wetland. A well vegetated waterway improves water quality by controlling bank erosion and creating a buffer zone that assists in reducing the level of excess nutrients and pollutants entering a watercourse. Riparian vegetation also enhances plant and animal diversity, can improve livestock condition, and provides important habitat for native wildlife.

If you are considering rehabilitating a waterway on your property, first assess the level of erosion (if any) that has occurred. If the gradient of the bank is greater than 45 degrees, or you have extensive erosion issues, you may need to consult an expert on how to best stabilise the bank before revegetating. When revegetating it is important to plant species that are native to your local waterway as these species will help to maintain biodiversity, provide suitable food for native wildlife, and have the right root structure to support bank soil. Council has a number of resources available to assist landholders and community groups in streambank rehabilitation including fact sheets, species list and a Riparian Corridor Revegetation Guideline. You can find these online or by contacting Council.

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Your Sustainable Backyard - Chooks

Have you ever wanted to save money, have an endless supply of healthy organic free-range eggs, and create great fertilizer for your veggie patch? Then chooks could be just what you are looking for! Chickens are natures perfect recycling machine. They will eat virtually anything from leafy greens, rotting fruit and dodgy leftovers (except chicken) so that your household waste will be massively reduced. A recent study showed that Australians waste close to three million tonnes of food per annum which is equivalent to 136 kilos per person.

For first timers who have never owned chooks before, here are a few handy hints:

• There are many chicken breeds so do your research. Each breed will vary in temperament, egg laying ability, and broodiness. Some breeds will readily let young children pick them up and carry them around like a pet, whereas others will tend to be very shy and flighty.
• Converting an old bird avery or small garden shed into a chook pen will create a safe and secure environment. Make sure it is warm, offers protection from the weather and has perches for roosting on at night.
• Provide a box approximately 30 to 45cm in height in the pen so that the chooks feel secure when laying eggs. Generally three to five pullets will supply enough eggs for the average family.
• Place hay in the box and pen as they love nothing more to scratch around looking for insects etc;
• A chicken run offers the chooks some room to roam around in. They can be any size however bigger is better.
• Locate the chicken run around an existing fruit tree as this will make great natural fertilizer. Avocado trees will benefit greatly producing larger and more numerous fruit.
• When introducing new chooks, make them the same colour as the rest of the flock, or if they are a different colour then introduce two or three so that the rest of the flock won't gang up on one poor different coloured chook.
• Chooks love to free range in the garden. To avoid undue destruction, let the chooks out late in the afternoon. They will tend not to roam too far from the pen and will go back by themselves on dusk.
• Healthy birds can live for up to 10 years, however their egg laying potential greatly reduces as they get older.
• There are a number of diseases which the birds should be vaccinated against by the producer before you buy them.

So get cracking and get into one of the most rewarding and beneficial hobbies for you and the environment.

For further information on all requirements for keeping poultry on your property including location and numbers, please call Council on (07) 3810 6666.

References: www.foodwise.com.au/did-you-know/fast-facts.aspx

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