|
Great reading at the Piccabeen Bookshop
Our little shop is bursting at the seams with a range of good
books, and there is always new stock to choose from. The
funds generated by this shop
are crucial in supporting our
work financially. Our volunteer staff are very friendly: do drop
in to say hello and buy a book
or two.
Shop 15 / 10 Main St Nth Tamborine (behind the shops
and down the laneway)
|
|
|
| News Flash Monday 30th October 2017 |
Scenic Rim's first Bioblitz
It was a very soggy weekend for the recent Scenic Rim Bioblitz, a project organised by the Queensland Wildlife Preservation Society and Scenic Rim Regional Council. These kinds of fauna and flora surveys, which involve the general public, are becoming very popular. They accumulate very valuable data and help to expand our knowledge of Australian biodiversity.
The objective of the Bioblitz was to capture some of the biodiversity of the region during a period of 48 hours. Flora and fauna experts and citizen scientists made observations and collections on private land at Skywalk and Thunderbird Park and also on Tamborine Mountain Landcare sites.
The highlight of the weekend was the finding of mygalomorphs (funnel web and trapdoor spiders) at our Landcare Ohia Court Reserve site. Spider expert Robert Whyte, the co-author of
A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia, led a group of spider enthusiasts, who were all very happy to sit in the rain and mud to check out these fascinating arachnids. Prof. Roger Kitching and his team of students from Griffith University enjoyed collecting and identifying moths, using light traps on various sites. Other experts included Andrew Franks (mosses), Jeremy Wilson (spiders), Rob McCormack (aquatic species), Gwen Harden and Bill McDonald (botanists). Further Bioblitz events are planned for the future.
Tim L Heller, a visiting Swiss student, captured this spider,
Hadronyche infensa, on film at Ohia Court Reserve.
|
Work is progressing well at the new Tamborine Mountain / Skywalk Biodiversity Corridor Project. Now that areas of the site have been cleared of invasive weeds, volunteers are invited to join the regular Tuesday Team volunteers to plant 250 trees.
Where: Skywalk - Please park in carpark and walk back down to site
When: Tuesday 21st November, 8am
What to wear: closed in shoes, gloves
What to bring: your own drinking water; tools and morning tea are provided
All members of Landcare and the public are welcome to participate in this valuable exercise.
Contractor Guy Cooper cutting a track through lantana with a brush cutter in preparation for planting with native species.
|
|
Cornelia Meesters
Our former president and recent vice-president, Cornelia Meesters, has decided to hang up her hat after many years involved in rainforest regeneration through TM Landcare. Cornelia coordinated the activities of the regeneration subcommittee and led a number of Conservation Volunteers Australia and Green Corps groups in rainforest restoration activities. Her advice and planning were essential to the success of the Energex Revegetation Offset project at The Shelf. She has also been involved in propagating rainforest species. Those of us at TM Landcare who have been active in on-ground work have valued Cornelia's extensive knowledge of native local species and her ongoing interest in and concern for the biodiversity of our forests.
We thank her heartily and wish her well in her future life.
Mike Russell
After fifteen years, Mike Russell has decided to retire from his role as Coordinator of the TM Landcare Biodiversity Subcommittee. The group's original, ambitious aim was to record and set up a database of all flora and fauna on Tamborine Mountain and to make this accessible to all via our website. The database they have developed draws on earlier recorded sightings and the results of thirty-six surveys conducted over recent years with botanists, Glenn Leiper, Bill McDonald and Janet Hauser and fauna expert, Doug White. It now contains more than 5,800 observed species by more than 110 observers, including one new, as-yet unnamed, species. Work is ongoing to import the database into an easily searchable program. In the meantime, therefore, Mike and others in 2013 published the very useful and highly recommended book, Tamborine Mountain Flora and Fauna, stocked at our Piccabeen Bookshop.
We thank Mike and his team for the invaluable work they have undertaken. Their records offer important evidence of the value of TM Landcare's work in enhancing the biodiversity of our mountain's natural environment.
|
New committee elected at AGM
At our AGM on 22nd October, the following were elected:
President Judith Roland
Vice-president Caroline Edwards
Secretary Wendy Morgan
Treasurer Tony Hall
Committee
John Bestevaar
Julia Cossins
Glen Edwards
Martyn Haynes
David Jeffrey
Elizabeth Russell
We wish the committee well as it continues to steer the very successful regeneration activities of TM Landcare for 2017-18.
|
Great bird book at Piccabeen Bookshop
This very useful, easy-reference book is available at our Piccabeen Bookshop for only $15. Sales of this book help to support the activities of Birdlife Australia.
|
New volunteers always welcome!
.. whether you would like to be part of our friendly regeneration teams or would like to lend a hand at the bookshop. No experience is necessary.
Contact our president,
Judith Roland, on 5545 2052 / 0429 808 206 / [email protected]
And if you have questions or suggestions, Judith is always keen to listen and talk about Landcare matters.
|
|
|
Sincerely,
Tamborine Mountain Landcare Inc |
|
Please consider the environment
before printing this e-mail.
|
|
|
