Brook Park Bushcare Group

Location and history
Special features
Projects
Meetings
Group contact

Location and history

Our group works at Brook Park, Ferny Hills with entry via Kuringal Drive. Our close group of community volunteers has worked tirelessly to remove environmental weeds in Brook Park for over the past five years.

Kedron Brook serves as the southern boundary of Moreton Bay Regional Council - Pine Rivers District (previously Pine Rivers Shire Council) along this section. We get regular support from the Parks, Reserves and Landscape Services of the Council. Our current Bushcare Officer, Adam Christison, gives us regular guidance and assistance.

See our location on UBD Map 137 ref. 3R.

Special features

Brook Park is a vital link in the Mountains to Mangroves Corridor particularly because of the large forest remnant there. As such it provides both a significant pathway and habitat for a wide range of wildlife. This remnant is currently in good condition with a well established canopy of primarily native species.

However, Chinese elm, camphor laurel and other bird dispersed weed species have invaded the area. Bamboo appeared some years ago and has since spread rampantly over a grassy embankment into the forest.

Classified as a gallery rainforest (notophyll vine forest) on alluvial plains, this forest has considerable biodiversity and parts of it have "State significance" indicated on state environmental biodiversity maps. The other parts rate highly within the urban environment.

For management purposes in a recent vegetation survey, this forest remnant was divided up into four management unit areas at this location. Our bushcare group is mainly working in unit Bro002 that has been estimated as suffering the greatest threat in relation to the value it represents to nature and our community. This is because of its location, biodiversity and the immediate threat posed by a wide range of invasive enviromental weeds.

Link to http://www.kedronbrook.org.au/articles_reports/weed_project.html for a report on Kedron Brook Catchment that contains useful information on our Park.

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Projects

In early 2007, Brook Park Bushcare Group received a $5000 Community Assistance Scheme grant to support its bid to enhance the Kedron Brook Waterway. Personally supported by Councillor Battersby, the grant money was allocated under the environmental category of Pine Rivers Shire Council’s Community Assistance Scheme in 2007. This timely support enabled us to clear a large section of weeds along the banks of the Kedron Brook and to re-establish a buffer of native vegetation.

In 2008, a $2500 grant from Brisbane City Council was matched by Moreton Bay Regional Council - Pine Rivers District and another massive effort was carried out through the winter and spring seasons for this year.

The bamboo infestation has been particularly difficult to remove. But with steady work by our local volunteers, especially from Henry and Mary Cichowski, this patch will soon be completely removed. We expect to have to follow-up at periodic intervals with chemical treatment of the heavy suckering to be expected for some time until we can finally claim to have beaten this weed.

Meetings

Our Group would welcome any interested people along to our monthly weeding and revegetation activities. We normally meet on the second Saturday of the month between 2 and 4 pm. Come via the park access off Kuringal Drive. We always finish with a cuppa and a social mag. Check with our contacts below to ensure there has not been any changes in meeting timing.

Group Contact

For further information, please contact Sonya Schmidtchen by mobile phone 0400687959 or .

For contact to our Pine Rivers District - Bushcare Officer, Adam Christison, phone 3480 6745, mobile 0437 439 774, or

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CI   17/02/2010