Small things done now will be disproportionately important in decades to come.
NEXT MEETING - AGM - Thursday 15 th November, 7pm at Sunnybank Hills library
Level 2 Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown
Cnr. Calam Rd. and Compton Rd. Sunnybank Hills
Merry Christmas to one and all and a prosperous New Year
There will be no President’s Report this month due to a trip to Japan in October and time spent in Melbourne of more recent time. However, there has to be acknowledgment made and thanks given to Thomas Creevey for consistency of effort over the past twelve months with his informative reporting and keeping our awareness raised with issues about our green corridors, Karawatha and impacts on our environment and sustainability.
This is our last newsletter until February 2009—thank you for your readership and support.
BIRD BATH STUDY
This challenge may be of interest to you and those within family/friends framework who live near and far. Professor Darryl Jones from the Griffith School of the Environment is conducting a pioneering study on the impact of birdbaths on backyard wildlife.
He has invited the community to contribute information and observations to a study expanding from his department's ongoing research on backyard wildlife feeding. 'Virtually nothing is known about the use of birdbaths – or any other regular source of backyard water,' Professor Jones said in the Winter 2008 issue of Wildlife Australia Magazine.
Everyone is invited to submit details of observations of their backyard birdbath, whether it is in the suburbs, regions, rural area or inner city balcony.
Professor Jones says that rural and city species are being affected by the diminishing natural water supply. The changing climate has highlighted the importance of a regular water supply to local species and species driven into suburbia by rural drought.
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'The humble birdbath may be of critical importance to urban species already stressed by the declining quality of their normally unchanging urban ecosystem,' said Professor Jones. |
Members of the community were invited to participate in the study in an article by Professor Jones entitled 'Bring back the birdbath – and tell us about it' in the Winter 2008 Wildlife Australia Magazine vol 45/2. Wildlife Australia Magazine is published 4 times a year by Wildlife Queensland.
For more information go to: www.wildlife.org.au/news-birdbathstudy.html
AQUATIC HARVESTER
Harvesting salvinia from the lagoon by BCC saw two large truck loads being removed with an end use of being converted into fertiliser.
Salvinia weevils were released 7 November into three lagoons within Karawatha and Scrubby Creek to feed on the salvinia. Their feeding will reduce growth but will not eliminate it and this process is more favoured in the warmer months i.e. spring and summer.
JANE CAJDLER
Our thanks to Jane from the society for her long standing efforts over many years in her role as secretary and for undertaking many additional tasks.
BALLOONS
A recent article in the Bayside Bulletin reports that hundreds of green and gold helium balloons have this week been washed up on Stradbroke Island beaches posing a threat to our bayside wildlife.
As the balloons deteriorate they shred and resemble the tentacles of jellyfish which are then seen by turtles as a good food source. Turtles have no taste buds and regard any shiny or colourful object as food. The source of these dangerous objects is thought to have been from a sports event at Suncorp Stadium.
Local wildlife carers have been picking up bucket loads of balloons during the week and are increasingly frustrated by how little thought is given to the environmental impacts of our fun time actions far away in central Brisbane.
This is an important lesson for all those involved with the welfare of Karawatha Forest, its associated environmental corridors, as well as biodiversity in general. Even if we do not live close to the Forest or its supporting corridors our actions in our own little back yard can still have dire consequences for the biodiversity of other natural areas of the city.
An innocent attempt to poison bindiies in the lawn or to exterminate bugs in your vegetable garden or rose bed can lead to the contamination of local creeks and waterways leading to the death of many life forms not targeted by the original spraying.
Safe pesticides and insecticides can be made from:
Tomato leaves — against aphids and corn ear worm
Garlic – against aphids, cabbage loopers, earwigs
Hot peppers – against onion maggot flies as well as other root maggot flies from cabbage family plants and carrots. |
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These are just a few suggestions on offer with many more easily accessible on the internet or in one of the many increasingly popular organic growing gardening books which are on sale.
Next time you decide that you want to party and send up some pretty balloons to make a celebration more exciting, or decide to spray some poison in your garden, think of the end result of these actions once the substance leaves your back yard.
How far will it go and what else will it kill?
NOTICE OF AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held 7:00pm Thursday 20 November 2008 in the meeting room at the Sunnybank Hills library.
Guest speaker on the night will be Brendan Taylor from Southern Cross University.
Brendan has been researching the gliders in Karawatha and their usage of the land bridge over Compton Road. He will present his findings under the title “Urban Gliders, Their Ecology and Responses to Roads.”
BUSH CARE GROUP
Meeting at Pamela Cres Woodridge at 7:00—9:00am, second Sunday of each month
Contact Dennis Kerr on 3272 2918 for more information
DATES TO REMEMBER - November
Report illegal activities to 3403 8888 |
