Oberon Council Staff Get a Grip on Chilean Needle Grass

There is no doubt that the Oberon district community’s awareness and management of noxious weeds has increased dramatically over the past couple of years. The ongoing challenge to control and manage the spread of noxious weeds, such as serrated tussock and blackberry has, in the main, been taken up by landholders of large, small and hobby farms alike.

However, there is another aspect to weeds management and that is the early detection of new invasive species that can have a dramatic and damaging effect on rural communities. One such species is Chilean Needle Grass, and it’s becoming a big problem with potentially devastating impacts. Chilean Needle Grass is a declared noxious weed as it affects both sown pastures and native grasslands by displacing more desirable species.  Heavy infestations can decrease summer productivity by as much as 50% and the long, sharp seeds can also cause injury to livestock and downgrade wool, skins and hides. 

The Upper Macquarie County Council’s Weeds Officer for the Oberon Local Government Area, Jill O’Grady, recently conducted a Chilean Needle Grass field day for Oberon Council’s Parks staff.  The training session is one part of an integrated program of weed control techniques to support the Central Tablelands Local Land Services and Environment & Waterways Alliance project to restore habitat through best practice noxious weed control along the Fish River at Hassall Park in O’Connell.

Staff from Oberon Council Park’s team were shown how to identify Chilean Needle Grass from other lookalikes as it is difficult to identify at certain times of the year and how best to prevent it’s spread through plant and equipment hygiene.  “Once the Park’s staff understood the damage this weed causes to landowners, the community and the environment they were eager to learn its distinguishing features and were fully engaged in understanding their roles in preventing its spread.  The area has now been treated by professional contract sprayers and will be regularly monitored for new germinations” commented Ms O’Grady.

Gillian Salmon from Oberon Council said “Oberon Council are delighted to be partnering with Upper MacquarieCounty Council and the Central Tablelands Local Land Services and Environment & Waterways Alliance to help raise awareness about best practice weed management. Chilean Needle Grass is a weed of national significance that can severely impact on the productivity of Oberon’s agricultural industries and on our stunning natural environment. Controlling this weed requires a ‘whole of community’ approach. Oberon Council are proud to be taking their part in managing Chilean Needle Grass and preventing its spread. We look forward to the next stage of the project involving the farming community and local schools”

Mick Callan the Project Support Officer from Environment & Waterways Alliance agrees.  "The Alliance and Central Tablelands Local Land Services place a great value in engaging with staff from Alliance Member Councils and providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve environmental outcomes within our region.  Partnering with agencies such as Upper Macquarie County Council allows us to bring a great wealth of knowledge and expertise to training events such as this Chilean Needle Grass Field Day event."

For assistance in identifying Chilean Needle Grass and control options download the NSW WeedWise App or contact your local Weeds Officer from The Upper Macquarie County Council on 6338 2875.

Council Staff to Undertake Nationally Accredited Project Management Training

Council staff from across the Central West will converge on Dubbo in March to attend Project Management Training specifically aimed at Local Government employees.

The training is being delivered by the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia in partnership with the Central West Councils Environment & Waterways Alliance and Local Land Services.

 A total of twenty two Council staff from across the Central West of NSW will learn how to effectively and efficiently manage projects to ensure that projects are delivered as planned, on time and within budget.  These are essential skills for staff to have when managing projects and will allow for attendees to not only improve their own skills but to become more valuable employees for their respective Councils.

This training will expose participants to a range of tools and methods to successfully manage Local Government projects including:

·        Defining a project and developing a project plan

·        Monitoring and tracking progress

·        Work breakdown structure and task scheduling

·        Resource requirements and approvals process

·        Risk management

·        Project evaluation and report writing

“This training is nationally accredited and highly regarded within Local Government.  Having the Environment & Waterways Alliance organise to host this training event in our region is a real win for our Alliance Member Councils” said Environment & Waterways Alliance Chair, Murray Wood.

“We are very excited to have Council staff from across the region attend this training and see this as a critical step in their career development.  This is another great example of how Local Land Services continues to invest in our Alliance Member Councils.”

The Environment & Waterways Alliance represents 19 member Councils across the Central West of NSW and is supported by Central Tablelands and Central West Local Land Services as their primary means of engagement with Local Government.

The training is being held at Dubbo City Council on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 March, 2016.

Floating Island Installation at Gosling Creek Reserve

In a first for regional New South Wales a floating island will be installed this Friday 18 March in Orange to attract and provide habitat for migratory birds.

The habitat pontoon, to be installed on the reservoir at the Gosling Creek Reserve, an environmentally focused recreation area on Forest Road south of Orange, is a joint project between Orange City Council, Central Tablelands Local Land Services, and the Environment and Waterways Alliance.

The Manager for City Presentation with Orange City Council, Nigel Hobden, says habitat for migratory birds, particularly wetland dependent species, has significantly decreased in Australia and across the world due to urban expansion (including the draining of wetlands for housing and sporting fields) and weed encroachment.

“We see this project as a crucial step in restoring water fowl habitat for a range of migratory bird species.  Partnering with Central Tablelands Local Land Services and the Environment & Waterways Alliance has allowed us to share our expertise and resources to ensure a very positive outcome for our environment,” said Nigel.

“The project will look to engage Citizen Science with the establishment of sign posted photo points where people can use their smart phones or cameras to record pictures of the island.  Over time this will provide a record of activities occurring on the floating island.” 

Approximately half of the 30 metre square pontoon will be planted with sedges, rushes and reeds to create habitat for wetland birds, while the remaining area will be left open as roosting space.  Additional habitat features will be included such as hollow logs to encourage birds to utilise the area.

The roots of the wetland plants penetrate through the netting base of the pontoon directly into the water where they will absorb nutrients from the water.

Planted pontoons have been used to aid water filtration at sewerage treatment plants and in stormwater applications in larger Australian cities, but according to Local Land Services this is the first time the technology has been specifically used to create bird habitat.

“We believe this is the first installation of a floating island habitat in regional NSW,” said Colleen Farrow from Central Tablelands Local Land Services. 

“Because the pontoon is surrounded by water, it will provide significant protection from feral predators such as foxes and cats.”

“Creating a floating pontoon using connected panels supplied by the company, AquaBiofilter, is a quick and cost effective means of creating habitat.”

“This is a much cheaper and more practical method than using machinery to create an artificial island, particularly as you need to either drain the water or wait for the water body to dry out before you can carry out earth works,” explained Colleen.

Additionally, revegetation of riparian land will be undertaken on the edges of the reservoir site to create habitat for a range of species including the threatened Superb Parrot.

Gosling Creek Reservoir was built in 1890 for the growing city of Orange.  While it remains an important element of Orange’s water supply catchment, water is not drawn directly from the reservoir for the city’s potable water needs.

The Migratory Birds pontoon project has been funded by Central Tablelands Local Land Services through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.  Orange City Council has also made a significant contribution to the project and will provide ongoing maintenance of the works.