Gracetown Environment News

Click here to read about the Gracetown Environment from Deborah Rooks

Revegetation sites

This season 1500 plants have been planted at revegetation sites around Gracetown. All seed was collected around Gracetown and propagated by Cowaramup Tube Nursery and funded by Cape to Cape Catchments Group. The plants were all and bagged and staked to protect from the rabbits. Plants were added to 7 sites around Gracetown. Two community planting days were held planting 700 plants at the new revegetation site behind the fence opposite the shop. This will help protect and maintain the important wildlife corridor connecting Cowaramup Brook to South Point. Brush Tailed Phasogale, Echidna, Goulds Goanna, Quenda, Western Ringtail Possum and Brushtail Possum have all been recorded at this site showing this is an important route around Gracetown when moving thru their ranges. Cowaramup Primary School has taken on Melaleuca Beach and Picnic sites to care for, participating in mapping and adding 300 plants to these sites. Cape to Cape Volunteers planted 300 plants at the Huzzas carpark sites, added  240 plants to the Brook west site and 200 to the Brook east site. Much thanks to everyone who participated. The sites will all be monitored,  weeded and watered as needed throughout the year. The new method of “Deep Dune Planting” was used and we are hoping for over 80% survival rate for all sites this year.

Weeds

With planting finished for the year it is time to concentrate on the weeds. It’s been great growing weather for both our local vegetation and weeds. The first of the Geraldton Carnation Weed are ready to be tackled and all of our mapped sites will be visited for removal. Double Gee at the oval are on shires list for spraying, and Arum Lily will be sprayed once the weather allows. Funding has been found to tackle the Arum Lily in the National Park towards Karri View. Victorian t-tree, Polygala, Purple Groundsel, Flinders Wattle and Purple Pincushion will also be tackled.

Cape to Cape Volunteers

The Cape to Cape Catchments Volunteer Group is assigned to environmental community groups within the Augusta Margaret River Shire each Thursday to help with on ground works. They have been assigned to Gracetown every last Thursday of each month. Over the last few months work has involved brushing of foredunes at Melaleuca Beach, removing Geraldton Carnation weed and Geranium weed at reveg sites, planting at three reveg sites, and pruning of the Cape to Cape and Big Rock tracks. During this last part of the year they will be concentrating on weed control on their work days in Gracetown. Ring the Cape to Cape Catchments office on 97572202 if you are interested in joining their volunteer work group.

Display Board

A display board with flyers and brochures containing environment information is now at the Gracetown Store. Much thanks to Peter Spence for building our display board and to Cass Fisher for finding space in the store. We have a pamphlet about Geraldton Carnation Weed, a “Weed Alert” flyer with 10 garden escapees, a plant list of “Local Plants For Limestone Gardens”, “Tips On Herring Fishing” and “Weed-It-Out” and “Plant-This-Instead” pamphlets produced by the Cape to Cape Catchments Group. Plus info on Whale watching, Hooded Plovers and Black Cockatoos and more.

Notices.

September is Biodiversity Month. Walks and talks are organised throughout the month by Cape to Cape Catchments Group. Contact 97572202.

The Cape to Cape Beach Clean Up organised by Tangora Blue will be happening again this year on the weekend of October 10/ 11. Sign in at the shop to help clean up our coast line. More details to come.

Fences

With the winter storms and heavy swells dunes at Melaleuca Beach have been undercut. The middle path with stairs to Melaleuca Beach have been undercut and are now unsafe and have been roped off. The Shire works team will soon be out to fix the site. Please use the other paths until the area has been made safe.

Peppis for Possums

Over this winter 80 Peppermint trees [Agonis flexuosa] were given away at the Gracetown store as part of the “Peppis for Possums” program. This program, backed by Geocatch, is to help increase the awareness of our Threatened residents the Western Ringtail Possum and to encourage the planting of Peppis, their main food source. Gracetown has a fragmented population of Western Ringtail Possums scattered thru the town site and at the Cowaramup Brook.

Osprey Perch

A pair of Ospreys were sighted courting and fishing in the bay during April/May. The Ospreys were sighted using the perch over this period. On 24 May an Osprey was sighted on the perch feeding on a fish. During the last few months a solo Osprey has been seen regularly fishing. We are hoping that it has been a successful breeding season, its mate has been on the nest and that the new fledglings will soon be seen.

 Flora and Fauna

So far this winter/spring we are getting good rains after a long dry autumn. The Cowaramup Brook started to flow on the 24 June. One month later than last year when we had 6 months flow. With good rains so far perhaps we shall manage to get more than 4 months flow again this year! The Karris along the brooks valley have been showing signs of severe stress after the long dry autumn. Historically the brook used to contain some water flow all year.

The yellow Hibbertias[Guinea flowers] are now in full flower along with the purple Hardenbergia and Hoveas. Add to that the white Leucopogans [Coastal Heath]and Spyridium[Basket Bush], red Templetonia[cockies Tongue] and orange/red Diplolaena there is a lot of colour scattered thru the varying shades of green. It’s a busy time of year. The possums have their young and birds are busy feeding their new families. Dryandra sessilis v.cordata[Parrot Bush], Hakeas and Jarrah are the main nectar source at this time of the year for insects, Honey and Pygmy Possums and Honeyeaters.

The Honey Possum is only mouse size with a long snout rounded ears and a very long tail. They are endemic to this area and are only found in the lower South West of WA .The  only food source for Honey possums is nectar and pollen and they are tied to the flowering patterns of nectar plants mainly from the Proteaceae[Banksia, Hakea, Grevillea, Dryandra] and Myrtaceae[Eucalypt, Melaleuca, Bottlebrushes] families. They need nectar and pollen every day of the year and have a minimum range of 300ha.  Gracetown’s surrounds provides different nectar flowering plants throughout the year, the connectivity of vegetation is extremely important. This tiny marsupial usually feeds at night probing flowers with its long pointed snout and brush tipped tongue, in return the flowers are pollinated from the pollen coated possum. When pollen and nectar are most abundant, females usually rear 2 or 3 young. Threats to Honey Possums are predation from foxes and cats, wildfire and hot burn fires, dieback affecting many of the species the Honey Possums are dependent upon, and clearing of vegetation affecting the availability of and connectivity to food sources.

Honey Possum asleep in Dryandra sessilis v. cordata[Parrot Bush]

Fauna report forms are available from the Gracetown store to report any interesting fauna. These are to be forwarded to DEC to add to data already collected for this area. To be appreciated by developers etc records must be official. Fauna of special interest are the Westerbn Ringtail Possum[Threatened], Brush-tailed Phasogale[Threatened], Chuditch[Threatened], Carpet Python[Special Protected], Bandicoot’Quenda’[Priority 4], Western Brush Wallaby[Priority 4], Echidna, Pygmy and Honey possums. All are found in Gracetown or its surrounds. Contact Debra Rooks 97555522 if you need help filling out the Fauna Report Form[eg.GPS, veg type] and to forward on to the appropriate person at DEC.

Debra Rooks, GPA Environment Committee.