The working bee this weekend will help us to prepare for Love Mary Day and enable us to deal with some of the damage caused by the recent floods.
Please bring along the usual working gear - sturdy shoes, long sleeves and pants, hat, sunscreen, water bottle.
We'll have a shared lunch, so please bring a plate to share.
Where: 34 Vandoorn Rd, Tiaro, Qld
When: 9am, Sunday 24th March
Monday, March 18, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Making seed balls
Seed balls are a way of encouraging natural regeneration and working with the unpredictable weather patterns. Seeds appropriate for the location sit in the balls until a sufficient amount of rain falls to dissolve the clay surrounding the seed ball. Hopefully a few of the seeds germinate and then, depending on which are best suited to the prevailing conditions, one gets a great start on life and grows into a mature plant.
Seed balls are made up of finely ground clay and seeds. Compost may also be added to increase fertility. Another possible inclusion is diatomaceous earth to deter ants from carrying away the seeds.
Glenda Pitman, with help from Juanita and other GMA members has laboriously collected seeds from within the Koala corridor. Glenda and Juanita have also collected clay from the site and ground it finely. A mix of fast (eg wattles) and slow growing species are included in the seed ball.
Seed balls may well be a good way to speed up revegetation of eroded river banks. It's probably a tougher job for the seed balls to do their thing in a recovering riparian zone in amongst existing vegetation - in our subtropical climate grasses (particularly introduced pasture grasses) grow like crazy during the wet season and can sometimes cover any bare ground especially where considerable light is getting through. Some groundcover is better than none, though the ideal would be native grasses and forbs. The rapid growing grasses make it harder for natural regeneration to happen because the seedlings have to compete with the grass. Careful management of grazing can help shift the balance toward natural regeneration.
Love Mary day will include a workshop to make the seed balls. This will be a great activity for kids and their parents to do together. Big kids also very welcome!
Seed balls are made up of finely ground clay and seeds. Compost may also be added to increase fertility. Another possible inclusion is diatomaceous earth to deter ants from carrying away the seeds.
Glenda Pitman, with help from Juanita and other GMA members has laboriously collected seeds from within the Koala corridor. Glenda and Juanita have also collected clay from the site and ground it finely. A mix of fast (eg wattles) and slow growing species are included in the seed ball.
Seed balls may well be a good way to speed up revegetation of eroded river banks. It's probably a tougher job for the seed balls to do their thing in a recovering riparian zone in amongst existing vegetation - in our subtropical climate grasses (particularly introduced pasture grasses) grow like crazy during the wet season and can sometimes cover any bare ground especially where considerable light is getting through. Some groundcover is better than none, though the ideal would be native grasses and forbs. The rapid growing grasses make it harder for natural regeneration to happen because the seedlings have to compete with the grass. Careful management of grazing can help shift the balance toward natural regeneration.
Love Mary day will include a workshop to make the seed balls. This will be a great activity for kids and their parents to do together. Big kids also very welcome!
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| Individual piles of seeds from several species in the corridor ready to be made into more than a dozen seed balls - and yes the tiny specks are seed - from a eucalpyt! |
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| Glenda explaining how to make a seed ball |
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| The end product - these are left to dry, ready to be thrown or dropped into the riparian zone or bank |
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Free gift for all Mums at Love Mary Day
Love Mary Day now has a new date - Sunday 12 May 2013. Entry via 34 Vandoorn Rd, Tiaro.
We've had to postpone due to the floods - All the fabulous activities we have planned are still going ahead.
AND.....
Because it's Mother's Day we've added some special Mother's Day activities including a free gift for all Mums!
It will be a great day out for Mum's Dad's and the whole family. Hope you can make it!
To find out more about what's on go to:
greatermary.wix.com/riverlovers
and like GMA on facebook here
We've had to postpone due to the floods - All the fabulous activities we have planned are still going ahead.
AND.....
Because it's Mother's Day we've added some special Mother's Day activities including a free gift for all Mums!
It will be a great day out for Mum's Dad's and the whole family. Hope you can make it!
To find out more about what's on go to:
greatermary.wix.com/riverlovers
and like GMA on facebook here
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
Art competition information delivered to schools
This week, information about the Love Mary day competition is being delivered to schools in the Tiaro District and surrounds. Congratulation to Glenda and Juanita for all the work they have done to prepare these info packs.
Each schools is also receiving an image for a colouring in competition, a set of facts sheets about species of the Mary River, a "Something about Mary" book, and an A3 Mary River Characters poster.
Schools receiving the info packs are:
Entries into the competition will be on display on Love Mary day - 17 February 2012.
To find out more, email greatermary@gmail.com
Each schools is also receiving an image for a colouring in competition, a set of facts sheets about species of the Mary River, a "Something about Mary" book, and an A3 Mary River Characters poster.
 |
| Mary River characters poster from the Mary River Catchment Coordination Committee (www.mrccc.org.au) |
Schools receiving the info packs are:
- Tiaro
- Bauple
- Gunalda
- Tinana
- Gundiah
- Tin Can Bay
- Glenwood
- Theebine
- Brooweena
- Mungar
Entries into the competition will be on display on Love Mary day - 17 February 2012.
To find out more, email greatermary@gmail.com
Another planning walk for Love Mary day
The Mary River Koala corridor project has been progressing steadily - the trees we planted in September are also going well, weed control has been ongoing and planning for our community event is in full swing.
Our community event is called Love Mary Day and it will take place on Sunday 17 February 2013. The event includes stalls, speakers on many things to do with the river and biodiversity and an interpretive walk along the riparian zone.
Juanita and Glenda had already done some work on planning the interpretive walk. Yesterday a few more of us joined them to further map out some of the features that we will highlight on the walk. Glenda also collected seeds for inclusion in seed balls that will be made on the day.
On our walk we saw turtles, stormbirds, water dragons and loads of interesting features. We also collected some Cats Claw for weaving baskets.
Our community event is called Love Mary Day and it will take place on Sunday 17 February 2013. The event includes stalls, speakers on many things to do with the river and biodiversity and an interpretive walk along the riparian zone.
Juanita and Glenda had already done some work on planning the interpretive walk. Yesterday a few more of us joined them to further map out some of the features that we will highlight on the walk. Glenda also collected seeds for inclusion in seed balls that will be made on the day.
On our walk we saw turtles, stormbirds, water dragons and loads of interesting features. We also collected some Cats Claw for weaving baskets.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Pollinators homes created for Love Mary Day
Glenda and Juanita have experimented with some Bamboo donated by Steve Walked to create prototypes for the pollinators homes.
"We used garden saws to cut the bamboo to size, and secateurs for
the smaller pieces. We used an electric drill to make holes in either
end of the large bamboo, to take wire threaded through to make a
hanger. We found a chisel worked well to remove the internal 'wall' of
the bamboo to make it an open tube, and smoothed off the inside with a
large file. Then simply cut smaller pieces to length and fitted them
into the tube until no more would fit, and they didn't fall out.
We did another type, using plumbers pipe, and although I'm sure the
insects and solitary bees wouldn't mind them, we feel they look a bit
less wonderful than our first one."
We've invited local school, Glendyne, to be part of this project and Love Mary day.
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