Logan and Albert Conservation Association

Donate some time to plant

We are planning to work at these sites eack weekend Saturday 17 October to Saturday 05 December 2009  8.00am to 11.00am

PLEASE BYO DRINKING WATER, wear appropriate footwear, gloves and hat.

Bringing a bucket or two - if you can - it will help speed up the watering process

Please see the attached Working Bee Schedule for the remainder of 2009. VERESDALE-Scrub_Working_Bee_Schedule_Oct_Nov_2009.xls 

Thank you for your continued interest in the Veresdale Scrub Project. New helpers are always welcome. We would appreciate your contacting Carla beforehand unless you are coming along with a 'regular' helper.
Contact Carla Parker Phone: 5543 2414 or 0408 785448 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

VERESDALE  SCRUB   PLANT  IDENTIFICATION  WORKSHOPS

THIS  SATURDAY  1st  AUGUST  2009  BETWEEN    8.30am  and  11.30am 

AT  THE  BEAUDESERT  MARKETS 

BEAUDESERT  INFORMATION  AND  ARTS  CENTRE 

       in  the  Activity  Room  at  the  Centre

Cnr  Enterprise  Drive  and  Mt  Lindesay  Highway

The short workshops will be run every 30 minutes and will take participants through the basics of identifying local rainforest plants.

The  WORKSHOPS  ARE  FREE  and everyone is welcome.

LACA president and natural resource management guru Andy Grodecki and botanist, botanical arist and rare plant specialist Janet Hauser will be presenting the workshops. Drop in and find our about the endangered dry vine rainforest system which grows only here in the Scenic Rim and Logan City.

These workshops are part of LACA's Envirofund Project funded by the Australian Government

 Enquiries:    Ph   0408 785448

Snapshot of our energetic working bee organised by our volunteer project manager Carla Parker. (Click read more for the gallery.)

We appreciate all of her efforts and dedication towards protecting and reinstating the endangered Veresdale Scrub dry vine rainforest in the Scenic Rim and also now in Logan City.

Bilarabyn Reserve is being revegetated with some Envirofund funding for materials and Saturday 7 February  was a planting working bee.  LACA has developed a management plan and is working with Scenic Rim Regional Council who have overall responsibility for managing the site for state government.

Maclura cochinchinensis or Cockspur thorn is a favoured nesting habitat for many small bird species within and arouund Bilarabyn Reserve. The features that challenge humans and cats provide protection and shelter for small birds. Cockspur is a native Australian plant and one of the Veresdale dry vine scrub species.  It is a rampant scrambler, coarse with plenty of sharp thorns, found in dry and subtropical rainforests and along scrubby watercourses. It has yellow flowers, at base of leaves in summer, the fruit is orange, globular fleshy and edible. The fruit is popular with various birds and reptiles. From seed, it germinates easily and reliably within a few weeks. It can be used carefully as a barrier plant and as nesting habitat for small birds in the bush garden.

 This article is a work in progress. If any reader wishes to contribute please contact us.

After a short break, the final week with the Conservation Volunteers took place last week of August 2008.  Most of the preparation having been done by the previous three groups, the Week 4 team dug holes, prepared for and started planting the revegetation.

The soil is quite compacted from many years of dairy farming so large holes were dug and prepared for our unique Veresdale Scrub dry rainforest species. Members of Scenic Rim council staff helped with providing water. We hope to complete the first batch of 100 plants in ground this weekend.

As part of the Envirofund project we hope to have several community planting days to plant approximately 3000 plants. {gallery}week4{/gallery}

The fourth team from Conservation Volunteers Australia have spent a week clearing, weeding and PLANTING at last. Huge thanks to LACAs project manager Carla Parker for all her work in overseeing this stage of the project! Much mulching and staking should help with plant survival - but a regular team of volunteers to water as well as continue to plant is essential. Veresdale Scrub dry vine rainforest contains significant endangered plant species.

Thanks also to  Scenic Rim parks staff for working with our team and organizing water supplies.

Photos will be added here soon.

Environment and Planning article March 2008: Additional EPA approval now required for clearing least concern native vegetation - article by Melanie Simmonds on website for Deacons - a major law firm with many lawyers across Australia and Asia. The whole article can also be downloaded from that page

‘Least concern' plants are all plants indigenous to Australia, except those listed as threatened, rare or near threatened under the Nature Conservation Act. On 8 February 2008, the position in relation to clearing least concern plants changed due to the Environmental Protection Legislation Amendment Regulation (No 1) 2008, which repealed s7 of the NC Plan. Previously, a clearing permit from the EPA was only required if the plants to be cleared were threatened, rare or near threatened. Currently, a clearing permit from the EPA is required to clear any native plant.

This week the volunteers removed a large quantity of Lantana from the revegetation area and continued to stockpile mulch in readiness for planting. After 5 days of perfect Queensland winter weather it was obvious that the volunteers have had quite an impact on the area.

This is the third group of volunteers from Conservation Volunteers Australia to be involved in the revegetation of the area at Veresdale. The group is made up of overseas visitors (mostly students) who would like to learn more about Australia by working to benefit the environment.

Week four photos will be posted soon.

A TEAM of international young volunteers from Hong Kong, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, UK and Belgium has arrived for the next phase of the "Rescue Action for the Veresdale Scrub" managed by the Logan and Albert Conservation Association (LACA).  The team of seven young people and team leader Myrium De Rignies has been provided by Conservation Volunteer Australia to help LACA on the Bilarabyn Reserve site at Veresdale. The one per cent of the remaining areas of the Veresdale Scrub stretch across the Scenic Rim and Logan City Councils from Gleneagle to Cedar Vale.

Team leader Myrium De Rignies (left) with the LACA volunteers about to tackle rescue action at Veresdale Scrub with project leader Carla Parker on the right.

Bilarabyn Reserve is the area where Logan and Albert Conservation Association is working in partnership with Scenic Rim Regional Council natural resource management staff, and other, non government organisations, to revegetate a large parcel of land to restore the dry vine scrub rain  forest that existed pre farming activities.

Carla Parker is the Project Officer managing and coordinating work teams and volunteers. Botanical expertise is provided by Janet Hauser who is also a talented botanical artist who co-authored with Jan Blok, and illustrated Fragments of Green: An Identification Field Guide for Rainforest Plants of the Greater Brisbane Region to the Border Ranges.  Andy Grodecki is co-manager and our natural resource management guru.

Our partner groups will use our documentation and maps to guide their onground work. These documents can be viewed    Bilarabyn Reserve Managment Plan July 2008   Bilarabyn Reserve Revegetation Management Plan map

Jimboomba Times reporter recently visited and spoke with Logan and Albert Conservation Association Project Officer Carla Parker on site at Cedar Vale where some precious remnants remain. A copy of the newspaper story follows.

PROTECTION FOR SCRUB

A FRAGILE ecosystem based around endangered dry vine scrub species has attracted a Logan City Council grant to help protect the remaining pockets of scrub. The Logan and Albert Conservation Association was awarded $5000 to produce a colour brochure containing information on how to identify and protect the scrub.

Project coordinator Carla Parker said there was very little of the scrub left, although small patches could be found in Cedar Vale, Veresdale and surrounding areas."With development, that's eliminated a lot, as you can imagine, but there is still little patches of it left and we'd love people to recognise that and to try and preserve what we've got, because once it's gone, you can't get it back," Ms Parker said.

She said the brochure would help people who may have the scrub on their property, but did not recognise it or know what to do about it.

"The project is about informing, educating the community about what we have here, and to recognise it, protect it and encourage it," Ms Parker said.

"In this brochure we will be suggesting how to manage, to assist our wildlife, because they have to be sustained by what native vegetation we leave.

"We'll be giving people suggestions on wildlife friendly fencing, for example."

A late 2005 Beaudesert Shire Council report noted the Veresdale scrub originally covered about 7000ha from Cedar Vale to Waters Creek but only 4ha, or 0.06 per cent, remained.

The community services committee report noted the 1.48ha Champney reserve was considered one of the most biologically significant patches of bushland in the shire and contained 74 native plant species including one that was presumed extinct until the 1980s.
Ms Parker said the brochure would be distributed in numerous ways including letterbox drops and through information centres.

"It will encourage the community to manage this environment more sustainably and assist in retaining the natural environment, lifestyle, and amenity of Logan country and contribute to community wellbeing," Ms Parker said.

"If you've got pleasant surroundings - not just bricks and tin roofs - obviously that's got to make you feel better inside."

 Carla Parker identifies plant species at the Champney's dry vine scrub reserve in Cedar Vale.

Logan City Council recently recognised and awarded Logan and Albert Conservation Association's valuable long term restoration project in the endangered remnant dry vine scrub rainforest. Our group has received funding to continue surveys of flora and fauna and present that information in brochure format for the local community especially. Project Manager Carla Parker proudly received the certificate and cheque at the presentation event. Mayor Cr Pam Parker made the presentation. 25 groups in all received recognition and funding.

Our successful Enviro Grant application to Logan City Council will allow us to continue our work to record significant local natural history. Look for us in the Jimboomba Times.