News Item - Catherine's snippets for bushcare groups

From time to time this page will be updated with these useful snippets prepared to be relevent to our bushcare groups along our catchment. Perhaps you have a subject or question that could be added here for your interest and that means other like-minded volunteers! Just let Catherine know as detailed below and we'll give it a go!

Habitat Brisbane Officer, Catherine Cleary, at a community planting on a Ferny Grove Bushcare site on 9 July 2011

Out with the new(ish) and in with the old!

Fleur Sanderson’s maternity leave is coming to an end and she will be returning to work mid January 2012. A huge welcome back to Fleur!

I will hopefully be filling in for Mel Mclean at HB West for her maternity leave! I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Habitat Officer and would like to thank all of the Kedron Brook Habitat Brisbane groups for making my job such a pleasure. I wish you all the very best for the new year and look forward to seeing you all around the traps.

Your LaNina summer – What to expect?

Summer has arrived! – officially, but I’m sure we’ve all noticed the rising temperatures and increased humidity. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) maintains that we are all still looking at LaNina weather conditions for this summer.

Weather conditions of a LaNina event include:
• Above average rainfall. BOM predicts there is a 75-80% chance of receiving higher than average rainfall over the next few months
• Cooler oceanic temperatures
• Cooler than average night time temperatures
• Increased tropical cyclone risk for northern Australia

Hopefully this rain is good news for all of the Habitat Brisbane sites – as we come out of one of the driest Novembers since the early 1900’s! But please keep in mind that we might be dealing with another very wet summer. Being flood and storm prepared is the key – both at home and at your bushcare sites.

Bats and your bushcare site

As all of you are probably aware, bats are increasingly becoming a controversial issue as fear of the Hendra virus grows. It is probably timely to look at facts –

Habitat Brisbane Officer, Jenny Leask, at a Habitat Brisbane Celebration on 1 August 2004

• the bat lyssavirus (ABL) can only be transmitted to humans when an infected flying fox saliva comes into direct contact with open wounds or mucus membranes (mouth, nose and eyes). Please don’t handle a bat – dead or alive!
• Humans will not be exposed to the virus if flying foxes fly overhead, feed or roost in your site. Nor is the virus spread through droppings or urine.
• Conditions leading to the Hendra virus outbreak are rare and occur under exceptional circumstances only – as yet not well understood by medical science.

On a more positive note – During September to October is the birth time for the Grey-headed flying fox. Tthe Grey-headeds are giving birth after 6 months gestation. During this time these flying foxes return to roost and start the joyous task of raising bubs!

Making sense of a BCC Tree operations visit

Have you ever had a Council tree operation crew visit your site and been left with a confusing array of dots, dashes and letters spray painted on your trees? Here is a brief key to making sense of the symbols –

• Blue dot is for a prune
• Blue R is tree removal
• Blue H is habitat tree
• Blue dot and Blue H together on trunk is hooked up limb in canopy for removal
• Orange paint on exposed roots on ground is mass root grind
• Two blue dots are used by the BCC Asset Services  West Field Services to indicate a tree removal

Contact

Catherine Cleary was a Habitat Brisbane Officer - North, (Brisbane City Council) and shared the position with colleague, Jenny Leask, who now covers the early part of the week. Jenny Leask can be contacted on Ph: 3407 0818 or Fax: 3407 0856.