Native Seeds Ripe For the Picking
On 13 December over 30 volunteers under the guidance of Greening Australia's Graham Fifield participated in a Sunday morning collection of ripe native seed from Bush Heritage Australia's ecologically diverse Scottsdale Reserve.
The group collected pods from waist-high Shaggy Pea bushes and Gold Dust Wattles, then got more adventurous and started to lop from taller Scribbly Gums, Peppermint Gums and Calitrus Pines.
Most of the landholders involved in the collection agreed to take part in the Kosciuszko to Coast (K2C) Kangaroo Grass Trial funded by the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative.
The K2C partnership focusses effort on private and public lands across the east-west band between Queanbeyan and Cooma – linking the edge of Kosciusko National Park with the western edge of forests running along the coastal escarpment – where landholders are interested in cooperative and voluntary arrangements. Bush Heritage Australia's purchase of Scottsdale Reserve was the first step towards bridging the ecological gap between Kosciuszko and the coast.
The Trial seeks to re-establish the area’s oldest native grass – once so prominent in the region – in cleared areas susceptible to weeds, providing a cover for flora, fauna and soil protection. Participating landowners extend out to Michelago, Bredbo, Jerangle, the New South Wales Coast, Dalgety, Jindabyne and Burra.
Kangaroo Grass is native vegetation and can, with the right conditions, manage the disastrous weed problem occurring in the area – a constant battle for landowners. It is also a source of protection and food for woodland and grassland birds and reptiles.
Each participant in the Trial will receive a satchel of Kangaroo Grass thatch for a patch on their property – presented to them by the K2C project.
Kangaroo Grass is a summer-growing plant which, when established, has very high conservation values. Even with light grazing occurring, densities of 1–2 plants-per-m² are capable of developing into thick stands within 3–5 years.
Scottsdale Reserve is participating in the project with an active area already planted. The Reserve is home to endangered Box-Gum woodlands and declining birds such as the Speckled Warbler and Diamond Firetail, plus threatened species like the Golden Sun Moth, Hooded Robin and Gang-gang Cockatoo.
Peter Saunders, Manager of Scottsdale Reserve, said this was a great way for local landowners and conservation groups to work together to help restore southern NSW.
'This gives us the capacity to re-establish the native grass on up to 30 properties – rather than on 1 piece of land only.'
'Without the enthusiasm of local landowners and support from the NSW Government, this trial simply would not have been possible.'
People interested in participating in the trial should visit the K2C website.
