Our Volunteers Voice Green SpaceOur Place ISSUE 36 SEPTEMBER 2022
2 In this issue: • From the Editor.............................2 • Kawana Krew - new group Caravonica.....................................3in • The Vegie Patch...........................4 • The Green Space snippets.......4 • Friends provide funding for The Green Space entry gate............5 • Volunteering opportunities......6 • Finalising Salties revegetation site at Yellow Arrow trail head...7 • Pandanus...................................8-9 • A year of discovery on a island.........................................10-11coral • Moth Night at Cooktown Gardens........................................12Botanic • Friends provide tour for South Australian birding group..........13 • Mud crab sculptures nip into a new home....................................14 • Track the state of the Cairns environment online...................15 • Introduced Featheries........16-17 • Feathered Friends....................17 • The world beneath our Earthworms..........................18-19feet: Front Page: The Tracks ‘n’ Trails group are a fit and hard working bunch repairing Mt Whitfield’s arrow WithBacktracks.Page:anochemical use policy, The Green Space is attracting wildlife: a juvenile White-lipped Tree Frog nestled in kale.
ItWelcome,hasbeen a busy few months since the last magazine with a few changes to the Green Space Our Place Withoperations.his knowledge of track management, Volunteer Support Officer Christian Cluver has joined the Cairns Works team to support them and the city’s track networks at Mt Whitfield, Ivan Evans and Earl Hill. Christian will continue delivering the Tracks ‘n’ Trails and Sandpipers volunteer programs.
FromEditorthe
Council’s native plant nursery at Stratford Depot, along with horticulturalist Ryan Zihrul, is now operating under the Green Space Our Place team which will add value to the revegetation programs we Wedeliver.also
There are also further opportunities to volunteer with the program, with two new activities being created before the end of the year - see page 6. We would also like to thank the Friends of Botanic Gardens Cairns for supporting The Green Space with their generous donation for the front entry gate.
Editor - Volunteers Supervisor, Louisa Grandy Proof readers - Michelle Walkden Volunteers Jennifer H. Muir, Sandy Long Contributors: Tom Collis, Janice Pichon, Dr David Rentz AM, Jennifer H. Muir, John Peter, Barry Muir and Sarah Gosling.
OCNTENTS
Louisa
have a new enthusiastic volunteer group at Kawana St in Caravonica (see next page). It has been a pleasure supporting them in their endeavours, with a total transformation of the middle island garden beds.
Kawana Krew - new group in Caravonica
Steve Jo
They came down the hill. Anna, Mark and Sam.
Sue, who suggested the group, planting with enthusiasm.
Local resident Sue showed initiative by contacting Green Space Our Place to see what they could do to upgrade an old landscaped section of her street. Due to the enthusiasm shown by the majority of residents, it was decided that Council would remove tired old plants, prune the remaining hedges and mulch the site for the volunteers to landscape and maintain.
The new volunteer group, the ‘Kawana Krew’ getting ready to plant, from left, Steve, Mark, Jeanette, Jo, Helena, Rod, Roxanne (front, orange shirt), Anna (very back), Sam and Sue.
AFTERBEFOREhappyKawanaKrewwiththeresult. 3
Twelve enthusiastic neighbours in Kawana St, Caravonica rolled out of bed on a Sunday morning in August for their first ‘Kawana Krew’ working bee. As a result, and in about 45 minutes, they had planted all 40 Lomandras and watered them in. Job well done!
They came up the hill. Roxanne.
Sue explained, “Covid lockdown is what actually bonded this street and we’ve been meeting each Friday evening ever since. The island is between us and we wanted to improve what we were looking at. Everyone in the street is delighted with the improvement since Council trimmed and mulched and there have been lots of happy comments.”
In the Garden:
• A new ‘Bog Garden’ has been created at the front of the garden to take advantage of a wet area with plans to grow water-loving plants such as Taro.
The Green Space education garden is being well supported by our volunteers and growing well, with enough kale and endive to feed the masses!
• Check and feed daily. Happy worms will eat most of their food each day.
Suzy and Kandy with the espalier lemon.
• We have been taking advantage of the bamboo which is controlled by the Tracks ‘n’ Trails team and using it for tomato trellises.
• Now there is ample shade under the banana patch, a worm farm has been installed (donated by one of our volunteers).
Did you know?
• Tropical worms are best to keep in Cairns as they can withstand our hot summers (these can be purchased locally).
• We have been sharing recipes in the use of the various green leafy vegetables.
Vegie
• The volunteers were shown how to espalier a lemon tree in a pot. This method is a horticultural and ancient agricultural practice of controlling woody plant growth for the production of fruit by training it to grow flat against a supported frame.
Marian afteraproducehomeheadingwithandfewflowersspendingamorningvolunteering.
• Keep your worm farm in deep shade.
Worm Farming
Position the worm farm in deep
Family Day Care planting seeds. Banana leaf bowl with Tabouleh.
• Water down the worm juice to the colour of week tea and use as a liquid fertiliser.
Sarah Gosling
• The education garden is also attracting the younger generation with a family day care group spending a couple of hours one morning planting and weeding.
The Patch
• Regularly drain the worm juice so that their bedroom (bottom layer with soil) doesn’t get waterlogged.
The Green Space snippets
• Our struggles involve controlling ‘pests’ in the garden such as rats that eat our produce and the Orange-footed Scrubfowl that scratch up the gardens looking for grubs.
Thanks to the Friends of the Cairns Botanic Gardens and their generous donation, we now have a formal entrance with a stylised gate designed by team leader Louisa Grandy, and created by Elefantus. This has certainly drawn attention to the space and attracting regular visitors.
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• Worms don’t like onions, garlic, citrus or pineapple (although little amounts are okay).
• Worms eat half their body weight each day.
Wormshade.food.
Volunteers support officer Christian Cluver installing the new front entrance gate.
Friends of Botanic Gardens Cairns committee members with The Green Space new entry gate, from left, President Val Schier, Membership Officer Jenn Muir, general members Jeannette Wehrle, patron Dr David Rentz and Del Van Mierlo.
Friends
ThefundingprovideforGreenSpaceentrygate
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Stage One will begin in Rollinia Close, near the Manoora Community Garden with the aim to enhance the area.
This will be a different revegetation project than our last project at Aeroglen (see next page). There will be shade for those hot summer days; a different soil profile with moist, sandy clay soils; with the sound of a freshwater creek in the background.
• connect children and their carers in nature activities;
START DATE: Friday 4 November 9am-12noon.
START DATE: Thursday 13 October
All are welcome. If you would like to join us, the first working bee will be Friday 4 November.
As with the Little Taccas children’s nature activities program, we cannot deliver this without our volunteers’ support. If you enjoy making a difference in a child’s life and connecting them with nature, we would love to hear from you.
Volunteering opportunities
Following the works by a local Indigenous group (see next page for details), we want to add to this site with a follow up enhancement program involving revegetation, waterway clean up and litter collection.
The program aims to:
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MOODY CREEK REVEGETATION
This new program will be held fortnightly on Thursdays at The Green Space, Jess Mitchell Park beginning on Thursday 13 October from 10am-noon. Bookings are essential, with registrations opening for the first program on Monday 14 September.
Are you interested in revegetation projects or supporting our kids to connect with nature?
• connect kindergarten aged children with growing food;
• raise awareness of suitable plants for the tropics;
Moody Creek meanders from the Moody Creek Detention Basin at Ramsey Drive, Kanimbla, to Manoora in Rollinia Close and then through the city to Trinity Inlet.
Kindy Kids Program
• connect carers with other carers in the community.
These two new programs offer further diversity and new opportunities to become involved with the Green Space Our Place program. If you are interested in volunteering for these programs contact Louisa Grandy 4032 6648.
LITTLE SPROUTS
Our next reveg project at Moody Creek
The original group members: Aude, Judy, Isak and Jit.
Revegetation by Ngai-kungo-i People Inc. at Moody Creek. Kim Barlow
This will follow on from the works completed by the Ngai-kungo-i People Inc. (pictured below). Under incorporation president, Kim Barlow’s direction, the family spent months in 2020 litter collecting, prunign, weeding, brushcutting, mowing and planting to create an incredible transformation (this work concluded due to COVID-19).
The next revegetation project will begin at Moody Creek, in Rollinia Close, Manoora.
Under Green Space Our Place Volunteers Support Officer Sarah Gosling’s lead, the Salties volunteers began this revegetation project in 2017 which was then a Guinea Grass weedy haven that became a major fire hazard every dry season (pictured right).
Over 2,500 trees have been planted at this site, turning the area into a lush ‘forest’ (pictured below) that beautifies the area, provides habitat and more resilient to fire.
This revegetation project is a very different site to the Yellow Arrow trail head, with plenty of shade and good soil profile; good for those hot summer days.
We have had many individual volunteers support this project over the years, as well as groups from CentaCare Migrant Settlement Services, Clontarf Foundation and Gapforce international volunteers. Thank you to every one of you for your enthusiasm and continued drive to achieve this tremendous result.
Finalising Salties revegetation site at Yellow Arrow trail head
2017 - Salties Site Project Begins
Ngai-kungo-i People Inc. members involved in the 2020 project, from left Phillip Barlow, Elizabeth Knudsen, Mahli Barlow and Luke Fat.
Moody Creek Site
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After four years revegetating the base of Mt Whitield’s Yellow Trail site in Aeroglen, it is now time to move on.
September 2022 - Salties Site Today
Pictured in August 2022: Raiza, Sue, Rosi, Chris and Rosy the dog.
Swamp Pandan, Pandanus solms-laubachii is mostly found in wetland areas such as paperbark swamp, where it can survive in water that is inundated for several months each year. Swamp Pandan is supported by prop roots and is one of the tallest pandanus species growing to a height of 20m. It is common near the boardwalk through the wetlands at the Centenary Lakes.
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Rats are able to chew through the tough fruit and retrieve the highly nutritious seeds. Red-tailed Black Cockatoos are occasionally observed extracting seeds with their powerful bills.
In the Wet Tropics, several rainforest pandanus species are host to the unusual Peppermint Stick Insect. Unlike other stick insects this species is green so that it is camouflaged in the pandanus leaves where it shelters, feeds and lays eggs. If disturbed from its hiding spot it releases a milky fluid that smells strongly of peppermint, presumably to warn off predators.
There are 14 species of Pandanus in North Queensland, growing in a variety of habitats including rainforest, wetlands and beaches. Most species tend to be absent from drier inland places. Two common species seen on beaches and headlands of North Queensland are Beach Pandan, Pandanus tectorius, and Cook’s Pandanus, Pandanus cookii. The latter species is easily recognised by the corkscrew appearance of the old leaves on the trunk.
Some pandanus species have large, heavy fruits that consist of multiple woody segments each containing edible seeds. Native rodents such as Black-footed Tree
Pandanus
Beautiful handmade coiled pandanus baskets and woven mats for the tourist trade and art markets are a source of income for some communities. A woven pandanus sail (dhomala) by Margaret Garrawurra, an artist from Arnhem Land, was a winner in the 2022 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
Pandanus trees are one of the most recognisable plants in the tropics, often featuring in postcards, photographs, artworks and tourist brochures. They have a palm-like appearance with long graceful leaves, straight trunk and stilt roots leading to the alternate name Screw Palm. Although they look like palm trees, they are not related but belong to the Pandanaceae family.
Native pandanus are relatively easy to grow but are not often seen in suburban gardens probably because of the sharp spines along the edges of the leaves. There are some magnificent pandanus trees with impressive stilt roots growing in Cairns City along Shield Street that have feature lighting to highlight the trees at night.
Tom CollisPanadnus at sunset
Several pandanus species prefer rainforest such as the Scrub Breadfruit, Pandanus monticola. When fruiting, this species produces large red fruits that look similar to breadfruit. Pup Pandanus, Panandus gemmifer is a rainforest species that forms plantlets (pups) along branches that eventually fall to the ground and take root.
Indigenous people in Australia and throughout the South Pacific have a long tradition of using pandanus. The long leaves are well suited for weaving and are used to make pandanus mats, sails, baskets, dilly bags, hats and arm bands. Dried leaves are often coloured with natural dyes before weaving to enhance the patterns in woven items. Other parts of pandanus provide materials for building, food, medication and decoration.
Swamp Pandan, Pandanus solms-laubachii canopy.
Pup Pandanus, Pandanus gemmifer
Fruit of the Swamp Pandanus, Pandanus solms-laubachii.
Scrub Breadfruit, Pandanus monticola
Cook’s Pandanus, Pandanus cookii
Swamp Pandan, Pandanus solms-laubachii
Spines on the Pup Pandanus, Pandanus gemmifer.
Coiled pandanus basket.
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Armed with a rock hammer, the beforeofthecataloguingandhutthewereTheexperiments.conductingandspecimenscollectingexposedtidedaytimespentteamthelowonthereefnightsspentinlaboratoryexaminingcatchthedaypreserving
The expeditioners arrived at Low Isles on the 16 July 1928 and got straight to work. Unfamiliar with sandflies, sunburn and the hot muggy climate, the British team adapted well to their new home. As mid-summer approached, Maurice Yonge described the living conditions as a “perpetual Turkish bath”!
them, ready for their eventual return to England. One hundred cases of specimens were despatched at the end of the expedition.
All in a day’s work
Located 15km offshore from Port Douglas, Low Isles is a low wooded island girdled by a coral reef. It is situated in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon approximately halfway between the northern and southern extremities of the reef, and midway between the mainland and the outer barrier reef. In 1878, a manned lighthouse was installed to facilitate ship navigation in the inner channel.
Janice Pichon
Low Isles showing lighthouse and expedition huts.
In May 1928, a group of young Britons set out for the voyage of a lifetime. Sailing to the other side of the world, they were off to spend a year on a coral island, all in the name of science. With little experience of the tropics, imagine their excitement to have their own coral reef laboratory right on their doorstep!
Low Isles
Other than the company of the lighthouse keepers, a radio provided night-time entertainment. Mrs Yonge’s pet possum, acquired on a trip to Cairns, also amused the team with its antics as it raided the huts at night. In summer, they were visited by breeding Torres Strait pigeons, while whales passed offshore in winter.
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Logistics
The research team comprised mostly British scientists, in collaboration with several Australian researchers. It was led by 27-year-old Maurice Yonge, accompanied by his wife, who was the medical officer.
A year of discovery on a coral island
The underwater work was done with a diving helmet: a rigid metal structure with viewing windows which is now at the Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville. Samples could be collected down to 5m provided the
The team was provisioned weekly from the mainland, including four dozen loaves of bread and fresh water. There was an unwritten rule of ‘no shop talk’ at meal times. The Christmas dinner menu had a last minute change when the pre-ordered fowls failed to arrive and were replaced by tinned meat.
The 1928 Great Barrier Reef Expedition to Low Isles
This famous expedition was ground breaking as it was the first in-depth and long-term study of a coral reef. The approach was multidisciplinary, and each scientist focussed on their area of expertise – biology, ecology, physiology, chemistry and geomorphology. Even more remarkable for that era was the relative youth of the team and the presence of four women in the starting line-up of 10.
Coral cleaning beside the laboratory hut.
Instigated by the Brisbane-based Great Barrier Reef Committee, the Great Barrier Reef Expedition selected a small coral cay called Low Isles for their year-long scientific programme. Due to a lack of resources and trained people in Australia, the committee approached the Royal Society in London for help in organising the scientific study.
Collecting corals on exposed reef flat.
tender kept pumping air to the helmet and the diver remained upright, so that no water flooded the hardhat. Underwater “garden plots’’ of individual species were also Temperamentalmonitored.
The first accurate information on the life history of trochus came from the expedition’s intensive study of the growth rate and reproduction. One trochus, the shell of which was marked for this research is kept by the Queensland Museum. The experimental results were an early enabler for legislation on sustainable harvesting, and this trochus fishery continues today in the GBR.
Putting Low Isles on the map
One hundred years later
This year marks the first century of the Great Barrier Reef Committee, now known as the Australia Coral Reef Society. It is the world’s oldest institution for coral reef study. What started as an audacious plan to study an island reef has become a priceless baseline from which comparisons can be made of reef health.
Commercial potential
Today, these publications are just as valuable to our understanding of the GBR as when they were first issued. The expedition’s survey of cross-reef transects provides a detailed baseline of a relatively pristine reef. Resurveys at the exact locations of these same transects by subsequent expeditions to Low Isles have revealed the long-term changes to this World Heritage ecosystem.
Donning the diving helmet.
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The team worked hard and completed the original
The expedition also had an economic focus by investigating reef species of commercial interest. One such species was the trochus shell which was already being fished on the GBR: shells worth £60,000 were exported from Thursday Island in 1928. The mother-ofpearl layer of trochus is used to make buttons.
research program. They achieved more than was hoped and had time to survey other reefs along a 300km stretch of coastline, providing data on the geographical variability of the Northern GBR.
Today, there would be many budding marine scientists who can only dream of being sent for a year to a tropical island, replete with thriving coral reef communities.
Image sources
Monitoring trochus breeding experiment.
While the Great Barrier Reef Expedition made Low Isles famous, nothing remains today that hints at its glory days as a trailblazing research station. This historic expedition was the stimulus for coral reef research in the subsequent decades and continues to serve as a ‘point-zero’ for monitoring reef health almost a century after the expedition.
outboard motors were among the few problems encountered, and most reef researchers would tell you that nothing has changed today. There were no major medical incidents excepting a serious sting by a venomous jellyfish. When the victim fell unconscious, it was proposed to amputate the leg to save his life. Fortunately, the man’s wife, who was also part of the expedition, vetoed that option and her husband recovered, both legs intact!
The success of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition became apparent when the results were published in seven weighty volumes. These precious tomes provide a very thorough snapshot of the health of Low Isles and surrounding areas nearly a century ago, when the scourges of coral-eating starfish plagues and mass reef bleaching were unheard of.
Photographs from the Sir Charles Maurice Yonge's album of the Great Barrier Reef Expedition 1928-1929. Available www.gbrmpa.dams.me
Both events were staged at the Gardens and were combined with a night walk. I was surprised at the small number of people that chose to attend. There were about 20 each night with visitors and locals in equal numbers.
Anyone who has visited Cooktown will know that it seems to be perpetually windy there. The Moth Nights were no exception; gusts of 40kmph were common. The wind seemed to come from all directions and that makes it very difficult to run a successful light sheet. Even though there were few insects, those who attended seemed to find them of interest. Several of the insect visitors were ‘old friends’ seen at many of our Moths Nights elsewhere.
Moth Night at Cooktown Botanic Gardens
If you haven’t visited the Cooktown Botanical Gardens recently, you are in for a surprise. Many changes have been made: the tracks have been paved, trees labelled and there is extra signage. The visitor centre is outstanding and comes complete with a nice restaurant.
David Rentz AM
I was asked to present two Moths Nights –one to open The Cooktown Discovery Festival on the night of 17 June, the other to close it on the night of 19 June.
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The group met early at the Friends House and wended their way through the beautiful tropical Flecker and Gondwanan Evolution Gardens, past Tanks Art Centre, then across Collins Avenue and south to Saltwater and Freshwater Lakes (the Centenary Lakes MuchGardens).tothe
Scott Ritchie was delighted to capture photos of the beautiful Rufous Fantail and a Pacific Baza, an attractive raptor / bird of prey that is more often heard than seen. He’d been trying to get a photo of this species for some time.
Radjah Shelduck Photo: Shane Kennedy
Rufous Fantail Photo: Scott Ritchie
Photo: Jennifer H Muir
The group was also very pleased as it was a six-Kingfisher day: Laughing and Blue-winged Kookaburras; Forest, Torresian, Sacred and Little Kingfishers – an excellent ‘haul’ for one morning in the AsGardens.aspecial
highlight for our visitors, the nocturnal Papuan Frogmouth was saved until the end of the tour. Shane took a beautiful photo of it resting quietly in its day roost. Its eye (when you can see it) is red. Many thanks to our visitors for joining us all the way from Adelaide, and to Shane, Scott and Sean for their valuable contributions to such a successful birding tour. Importantly this tour also demonstrates the high value of Cairns Botanic Gardens as a conservation reserve so close to a city.
In August, a group of keen South Australian bird photographers finally got to attend a guided Bird Photography Tour with the Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns (Friends), a tour that had been arranged just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leaders Shane Kennedy, Scott Ritchie, Sean Han and Jenn Muir provided this particular tour with the visitors well set up with digital cameras, tripods, monopods, and the enthusiasm to match.
pleasure of the visitors, and the tour guides, 51 bird species were recorded during the four-hour tour – a good record for a morning Cairns Botanic Gardens bird tour. Included in the sightings was a Lovely Fairy-wren and Rufous Fantail, both of which are rarely seen in the Gardens.
Shane Kennedy photographed the beautiful Radjah Shelduck showing its lovely rich plumage colours.
The Friends raise funds from these booked tours with donations being used to enhance the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
The South Australian bird photography group pause near the Tanks Art Centre.
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Papuan Frogmouth Photo: Shane Kennedy
Pacific Baza (aka Crested Hawk) Photo: Scott Ritchie
Jennifer H Muir
Friends provide tour for South Australian birding group
Three giant, well-travelled mud crab sculptures by renowned local artist Brian Robinson have taken up a new permanent home in Centenary Lakes in Edge Hill.
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Onespace Gallery Director John Stafford congratulated both Cr Manning and Mr Robinson at the donation of the sculptures to the Cairns Regional Council Collection.
TheEsplanade.original
Artist Hendrick Fourmile said his red design gave insight into where his ancestors would go looking for mud crabs, and also captured design elements from the nearby
They have now been gifted to the city by the artist, whose work includes the much-loved and widely photographed Woven Fish at the Cairns Lagoon and the Citizen’s Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef sculptures on the
“Art should inspire us and these pieces certainly do that,” Cr Manning said.
The metal and aluminium crabs have been placed and fabricated in such a way as to allow them to be touched and explored by locals and visitors.
Singleton described his design style as a combination of realism and traditional patterns, which reflected the ancestral lines of his mother and father.
“The crabs look as if they are emerging from the surrounding vegetation, which I know will delight children, tourists and locals alike who come across the sculptures as they wander the paths of Centenary Lakes.”
Tarquin Singleton, Cr Rhonda Coghlan and Hendrik Fourmile.
The Malu Githalayl sculptural work was first displayed in Monaco in 2016, where the crabs appeared to be scuttling up the facade of the historic Oceanographic Museum as part of the exhibition, Australia: Defending the Oceans at the Heart of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art.
sculptures were decorated with traditional Torres Strait Island designs. After consultation with the artist and Traditional Custodians of the lands surrounding Centenary Lakes and the Cairns Botanic Gardens, it was decided the sculptures would fit into their new home better with new shells.
“I chose a green ochre colour with a design that represents the anatomy of the crab – with the gills and chambers – and also reflects the landscape where it is sitting,” Mr Singleton said.
The four-metre mud crabs came home to Australia after the exhibition and were temporarily displayed at Munro Martin Parklands.
“I am sure Malu Githalayl will attract a similar level of attention, wonderment and selfies as Mr Robinson’s iconic pieces in the city. Mr Robinson’s sculptures interact so beautifully with the natural environment around them.
“Brian is delighted to give back to the community which has supported his career so enthusiastically. All of these artworks boost the city’s cultural tourism offering to both interstate and international visitors,” Mr Stafford said.
Mud crab sculptures nip into new home
To recognise and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land and First People of the region, two of the new shells have been decorated with designs by Yidinji artist, Hendrick Fourmile – whose red patterned crab stands alone – and Yirrganydji artist Tarquin Singleton, whose white and green design sits alongside Mr Robinson’s Torres Strait Islander patterned blue and green design. Cairns Mayor Bob Manning thanked the three artists for their generous gift and designs, and said the colourful crabs were sure to attract attention in Cairns, as they did in Europe.
Artistmangroves.Tarquin
“For example, Council endorsed the Climate Change Strategy 2030 earlier this year, which outlines our commitment to climate action.
Key highlights of the 2021 State of Environment report include:
• Council greenhouse gas emissions have generally remained steady since 2016/17, although Council saved approximately 3,600 tonnes of emissions through the installation of 2.8MW of solar panels on Council facilities.
Bob Manning said the transition to a webbased dashboard model made it more accessible to the “Thepublic.collation of the data and presentation of the report in a document format has produced a 40-plus page record that was generally uninviting to the general public,’ Cr Manning said.
“Work has also started on the Towards 2050 Growth Strategy, which will deliver holistic and contemporary land use planning that supports growth, liveability and Tosustainably.”access the report, go to council/state-of-environmentcommunity-environment/sustainability/sustainability-at-www.cairns.qld.gov.au/
“It provides an overview of Council’s environmental and urban sustainability initiatives, and shows the condition of our local natural environment, pressures it faces, and our responses to those pressures.”
• Queensland Government remnant vegetation surveys show that Cairns has close to 68% of vegetation cover in the LGA, with this figure being close to constant since •2013.Council raised 32,874 native seedlings through its nursery and supported 427 volunteers through its Green Space Our Place program.
• Council supplied 24,652 megalitres of water and processed 20,435 megalitres of wastewater in 2020/21, recycling 1,731 megalitres for applications such as watering the Botanic Gardens and golf courses. On average, Cairns residents are using less water each year, per capita.
“This year we’ve switched to an interactive web-based report, which is much more engaging for the community. It will also be more efficient for Council to update the community as data becomes available.
• The population in Cairns grew by an estimated 439 residents in 2020/21 to 168,583. A reversal in international migration in recent years contributed to Cairns population growth rate slowing to 0.26%, a decrease from the preCOVID average of 1.03%.
Bob Manning said that despite not being a legislative requirement, this was the 15th State of Environment report released by Council.
Council Operations
The 2021 State of Environment report has been launched in a web-based format, making it easier for the public to access and visualise environmental and sustainability
Transport
• Total fuel consumed by Council vehicles decreased to the lowest it has been in the past eight years, with a 2.5% drop from 2013/14 levels.
Biodiversity:
Thedata.report draws data from various sources to present a picture of the Cairns environment, including graphs tracking water and energy consumption, annual average rainfall and temperature, development, waste and Cairnsrecycling.Mayor
Climate:
Built Environment
“Council needs to balance the needs of a growing population with protecting the environment, and we will continue to do that,” Cr Manning said.
This year’s State of Environment report features data gathered from both 2019/20 and 2020/21.
• A total of 99,945 tonnes of waste was received by Council in 2020/21, an increase of 4.6% on the previous year. However, data revealed the Cairns residential population has increased by 6.5% since 2013/14, indicating a 3.3% reduction in waste generated per person over the longer •term.Overall, there was a 63% recovery rate of waste received by Council.
• Council's total electricity use was 37,350 MWh in 2020/21, with the higher usage level largely attributable to largescale capital works projects, increased facilities electricity use, and additional street, traffic and public lighting.
Water:
Council has created an online dashboard that allows residents to track the state of the Cairns environment.
• Personal motor vehicles remain a popular choice of transport for residents, with an average of 1.08 vehicles for every driver.
Waste Management
Track the state of the Cairns environment online 15
Cr Manning said the report provided an important guide to Council manages its environmental impact when delivering services for the community.
• Average daily air temperatures at the Cairns Aero Station have increased by about 1 °C since records began in 1942. Data shows that 2020/21 had an average annual maximum of 29.1 °C and an average minimum of 21.4°C.
The State of Environment report has historically been published in a PDF format and uploaded onto Council’s Cairnswebsite.Mayor
Jennifer H Muir
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species such as House Sparrows and Rock Doves, however, thrive in these circumstances.
They make untidy nests crammed into crevices in trees and buildings; even in the ‘cross arms’ at the top of power poles, and under solar panels. Females do most of the incubating and both parents feed the young.
These birds are a good example of the enormous potential for introduced species to breed up and multiply exponentially into huge numbers. Scientists have done
House Sparrows seem to pair for life. During the breeding cycle, they have group displays that last about a minute in which up to a dozen males may chase a single female in close, rapid flight, eventually disappearing into cover chirruping loudly. These displays are so loud that they’re sometimes referred to as “sparrow parties” (these happen in our garden in Whitfield).
This doesn’t seem to be happening with House Sparrows in Australia, perhaps because they live in separate flocks over huge areas. Some flocks may crash but other flocks come to the funeral then occupy the ‘newly-vacated’ area. This could be one of the ‘secrets’ to their success.
Introduced Featheries: Part 2
some calculations. Consider this: a pair of birds rears two broods of five young each, every year of its threeyear adult life. If all these young and their descendants survived and bred at the same rate, 10 years down the track the result of that original pair’s breeding would have increased the population of its species by several million.
Increases of this magnitude rarely occur in nature because of controls such as drought, temperature extremes, disease and predation. But they do sometimes occur in unusual circumstances, such as the introduction of a species to a country where the things that usually control its population in its natural home, are lacking.
House Sparrow is a good example. Over about 150 years, this species has increased from a few pairs to millions of birds widely spread throughout eastern Australia. From 1863 to 1870 they were introduced to Australia from Europe following successful releases in Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart. Since then, they have expanded throughout eastern Australia, reaching the Torres Strait islands by the late 1970s. So far, fauna authorities have prevented them from expanding into Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
They rarely occur far from human habitation, being mainly in cities, towns and farmland. They live in flocks that feed on the ground, and rest in trees and shrubs, rarely entering forest. They roost at night often tightly packed together in shrubs, vines or under eaves of buildings or in farm outbuildings.
House Sparrows will eat almost anything that ‘fits past their faces’, eg seeds, insects, grubs and scraps. This is a highly competitive, successful diet. A lot of human foods are either grains (eg wheat, oats, rice) or based on grains (eg bread) providing an ideal, human-made smorgasbord for them. Thus, with such an advantageous, opportunistic diet, House Sparrows have thrived and considerably expanded their range since they were introduced about 150 years ago.
Numbers will increase during a series of good seasons and decrease over a series of bad seasons. This is known as ‘boom’ (good seasons) and ‘bust’ (bad seasons), a good example being house mice with their well-known Whenplagues.the
In my previous article ‘Introduced Featheries: Part 1’, I discussed why so many exotic plants and animals were introduced into Australia, and touched on why many of them thrived. We talked about Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon), one of Australia’s most successful introduced / exotic species. Now for another tale. This time it’s about the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), and why it’s another of our highly successful introduced bird species.
‘bust’ happens, species in such plague proportions crash, often because of disease epidemic as the animals are in close contact with each other, and disease can rapidly spread through such packed groups, devastating their numbers.
In the wild, native populations are relatively stable. In the ‘natural balance of things’ the golden rule is the number of young that survive each year should be balanced by the death of an equal number of individuals.
Altering habitats has also caused changes in native species numbers and distribution, thereby opening up ideal opportunities for introduced birds such as sparrows. Some native birds have increased (eg Galahs), while others have declined (eg Bustards). Grazing stock and rabbits have had a dramatic affect by eating grasses to low stubble, thereby removing the tall straw that provided cover for some ground birds (eg quail) that fed on the seeds of mature grasses. Grazing has also tended to change the plant species to those that are mainly annual, often introduced weeds, providing little food or cover for some Introducedbirds.
In breeding plumage, the male House Sparrow is strongly coloured with a prominent grey crown, black bill, chestnut over its ears and back of the neck (the nape), and a large black ‘bib’. These colours are paler in non-breeding males, and the bill is then a horn-brown colour. Females are generally paler, with a pale brown head, a horn-brown bill and a buff-coloured stripe behind the eye.
That’sstep.
Feathered
JOHN PETER BirdLife Australia
how they hunt too, and Bush Stonecurlews eat all sorts of invertebrates — insects, spiders, crustaceans, centipedes — as well as the occasional small lizard or snake, all caught on the
A ghostly wail heard on a still, moonless night is not always as sinister as it might seem. If you’re lucky, rather than a poltergeist, the source of the eerie call may be a Bush Stone-curlew. Sometimes called the ‘Bush Thick-knee’, the Bush Stone-curlew is not closely related to its namesake, the Eastern Curlew, which forages on the mudflats along the foreshore. The only similarity is that both birds emit an evocative call that’s generally rendered as ‘keer-loo’ or something similar.
AndrewFriendsSilcocks
ground.Bush
Although their presence may be betrayed by their calls at night, these shy birds are often difficult to see during the day, when they rest quietly in the shade, among the leaf litter on the ground — their streaked plumage blends seamlessly into the surroundings. However, although they’re often shy, some may become quite tame, walking about brazenly in the open with a distinctive style: their head held low and feet placed slowly and deliberately with each
Stone-curlew
Before Europeans arrived, the call of the Bush Stone-curlew was a regular feature in lightly timbered woodlands in many parts of Australia. In the south, they’ve disappeared from around settlements, but in Far North Queensland they became an essential part of the urban birdscape — they’re often heard calling at night in suburban gardens across Cairns.
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Muscles around each segment and along the body allow them to move, sometimes quite speedily if they feel threatened. Touching an earthworm causes both a pressure response and a response to the toxic salt on human skin, and elicits a reflex causing the writhing movements observed when we pick up an earthworm. This response does not require the animal’s central nervous system: it is purely a defensive reflex and does not indicate pain. The sudden movement is probably intended to scare off a predator. Generally, the number of segments in the body is consistent within a species, and individuals are born with the number of segments they will have throughout their lives.
worm. The worm then backs out of the ring, and as it does so, it injects its own eggs and the other worm’s sperm into it. As the worm slips out of the ring, the ends seal to form a cocoon in which the baby worms develop. Baby earthworms emerge fully formed, lacking only their sexual structures which develop in about 60 to 90 days. They attain full size in about one year. Scientists predict that the average lifespan of a worm under field conditions is four to eight years, while most garden varieties live only one to two years.
The earthworm’s burrowing also creates a multitude of channels through the soil and is of great value in maintaining the soil structure, improving aeration
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Earthworms are normally hermaphrodites, each carries male and female sex organs, but they need to mate with another worm to produce eggs. However, there are a few common species that are mostly parthenogenetic, meaning that growth and development of embryos can happen without fertilisation – very handy if there are not many worms about!
In soils, earthworms play a major role in the conversion of large pieces of organic matter into rich humus, thus improving soil fertility. This is achieved by the worm’s actions of pulling deposited organic matter, such as fallen leaves or manure, below the surface, either as food or to plug its burrow. In addition to dead organic matter and fungal fragments, the earthworms ingest minute soil particles into their gizzards, wherein those minute fragments of grit grind everything into a fine paste that is then digested in the intestine. When the worm excretes this in the form of ‘worm-casts’, deposited on the surface or deeper in the soil, minerals and plant nutrients are changed to an accessible form that fungi can then pass to plants. Investigations in the United States show that fresh earthworm casts are five times richer in available nitrogen, seven times richer in phosphates, and 11 times richer in potassium than the surrounding soil.
There are over 1,000 named native species in three families in Australia and probably lots more to be discovered, especially in Tropical North Queensland where very little work has been done. They breathe through their skin, so must keep it moist; have a circulatory system with red haemoglobin (same as us); and a central nervous system with a ‘brain’ surrounding the mouth, with nerves running the length of the body. They have special sensory organs near their mouth which allow them to detect food, and a gut with a grit-filled stomach called a gizzard. The gut runs the whole length of the body.
the world beneath our feet: earthworms
Earthworms are wonderful little critters, admired by gardeners everywhere: if you have lots of worms the soil is considered healthy. But what are earthworms? They are tubular, segmented worms that eat living (microbes, fungi, etc) and dead organic matter such as decaying plant material and dead animals.
Barry Muir
Mating occurs on the surface of the soil, most often on damp nights. After mating, long after the worms have separated, the clitellum (that fatter group of segments about one-quarter of the way down the worm from the mouth) secretes material that forms a ring around the
and drainage, and forming pathways along which mycorrhizal fungi can grow their mycelium. Permaculture co-founder Bill Mollison pointed out that by sliding in their tunnels earthworms “act as an innumerable army of pistons pumping air in and out of the soil on a 24-hour cycle (more rapidly at night)”. Thus, the earthworm not only creates passages for air and water to pass through the soil but also modifies the vital organic component that makes a soil healthy.
There are at least two species of earthworms in the Cairns Botanic Garden, a bright red one about 12cm long and a pale pinkish one that gets up to 20cm or more in length. I have observed both in the Flecker Garden on the surface after heavy rain, but there are probably many more species in the rainforest area and in moist soils surrounding the Freshwater and Saltwater Lakes. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had some 2m long bright blue ones as thick as garden hoses, like those found in the hills behind Cairns and in the Daintree area?
Inside an earthworm head end. You thought they were simple, didn’t you?
CircularmuscleLongitudinalDorsalmusclevesselIntestineNephridium Ventral vesselSubneural NervecordLeftMouthcircumpharyngealconnectiveSeminalreceptacleTestesSpermfunnelOvaryEgg funnel and oviduct 19 JOIN THE FRIENDS Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns Membership details email - phone 4032 3900 or email info@botanicfriendscairns.org.au After joining you can support the Friends in many ways; as a committee member, in the Friends Shop, as a tour guide or assisting with events. Friends of Sugarworld Botanic Gardens Contact Fran Lindsay frantastic10@bigpond.com Newsletter Contributions: Please submit articles (must be volunteer or nature based) by first week of November for the next quarterly publication in December. Email: l.grandy@cairns.qld.gov.au Please note articles are subject to editing. Like us on Facebook to keep up to date with all events or visit our websites: - Green Space Our Place - Cairns Botanic Gardens - Friends of the Botanic Gardens, Cairns • Mondays - Russell St Environmental Park Egrets 9am-noon • Tuesdays - Cattana Wetlands Jabirus 9am-noon • Tuesdays - City Sandpipers, Tuesdays 9am-noon • Wednesdays - Botanic Gardens Down ’n’ Dirty volunteers 9am-noon • Wednesdays - Tracks ‘n’ Trails 9am-noon • Thursdays - Stratford Nursery volunteers 9am-noon • Thursday (once a month) - Sugarworld Friends & Gardeners • Fridays - Saltwater Creek ‘Salties’ 9am-noon • Fortnightly Thursdays - Children’s Nature Activities Program - Little Taccas • Fortnightly Thursdays - Little Sprouts kindy kids program • Visitor Enhancement Volunteers - rostered hours to suit individual • Heritage Tour Guides - Thursday 10am • The Green Space - Wednesday 9am-3.30pm / Fridays 1.30-3.30pm Interested in becoming involved with your local park, reserve or tracks in your community? Contact us to register as a Council volunteer and be involved in beautifying your park (enhance planting, weed management, litter clean-up), reporting on issues (graffiti and vandalism, anti-social behaviour, maintenance issues) and building community participation (networking activities) with Council Ifsupport.youare interested in supporting any of our weekly groups or volunteering in your local area contact Volunteers Supervisor Louisa Grandy 4032 6648 or email greenspaceourplace@cairns.qld.gov.au Green Space Our Place ProstomiumBuccalcavityBrainPharynxLateralnerve Second left aortic arch vesiclesSeminal Esophagus EpidermisGizzard
In Australia, the application of toxic superphosphate on pastures and a switch from sheep and cattle to grain farming has had a devastating effect on populations of native earthworms. Globally, as a result of the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, many earthworm species are endangered. Additionally, about 80 species have been introduced to Australia from overseas, some as worm-farm inhabitants which
From: homework.sdmesa.edu
are then released when people get tired of looking after them. We have no idea what impact these feral worms are having on native species, but like most introductions of animals (cane toads, rabbits, cats), they are probably causing extinction of native species.
