Hello everyone,

I hope this finds you in fine fettle and enjoying the beginning of the Dja Dja Wurrung season Wararak and Gurruk.

A wee message from the Revegetation Working Group – they are  scheduling another tree planting on Derngatuk Garingilang , Saturday 26 July. kick off planting at midday. and go till  about 5pm. 

Aim will be to get a few trees and shrubs planted in the SW corner of the block.

Please contact Sid Larwill for more details.

Kaz

Our annual Autumn working bee

was a great success

May 3^rd-4^th saw over twenty volunteers across the two days.  We focused our work on the Northwestern corner of the block.  Although natural regeneration is clothing the north-facing slopes in this quarter of the property with shrubby vegetation, the species mix is poor with Golden Wattle and Coffee Bush dominating.  Eucalypts are thriving in small planted nodes from past plantings but not regenerating more widely.  There is extensive erosion still and some open areas next to the western boundary have suffered from past concentrated sheep camps with high levels of Cape Weed in particular.  We planted over 160 shrubs and trees over the two days. 

The conditions then and since have been extremely tough.  Drought conditions – we’ve never before seen the dam completely dry!   Paul O’Connor has been back twice for follow up watering and our success rate is lower than our usual high standard.  Unfortunately, we estimate we have lost more than half the seedlings planted – some to the dry, but most to grazing by kangaroos.  The roos are in high numbers and are struggling in the very dry conditions.  Many of the plants have been pulled completely out of the ground with only root balls left.  WE have noticed that many of those that have survived are planted in amongst the Coffee Bush or close to other shrubs – perhaps less visible to the passing roos.  

We’ll keep monitoring how the surviving plants go.  There is something here for us to wrestle with – our standard tree guards not being proof against the main threat – at least in these super dry conditions.

We still have 150 seedlings to go in this season.  We’ve been waiting on winter to break with some decent rain – which may just have arrived this second weekend of June.  Stay tuned to the WhatsApp Group and the email notifications for a scheduled date soon.  We’ll give some thought to roo-proofing at least the Eucalypts.”

Sid