Cradle to Coastlines - March 2023

cradle cradle tto o coastlines coastlines

IN THIS ISSUE

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Visiting Queensland RALFs and farmers learn about Tasmanian agriculture

Science says snakes can hear!

Glow-worms receive annual accolade

Crayfish project nearing completion

North West Ecofest 2023

Page 8 Mixed fortunes for Giant Freshwater Crayfish project participants

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Conservation action urgently needed to save the King Island Scrubtit and Brown Thornbill

Slow down for our devils

A muster of devils

A krill-iant sight for shearwaters

C'Mon the Bees!

King Island cat survey

A new reef growing near us!

Page 15 Tasmanian Sea Spurge biocontrol release

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Talented artists put the focus on Maugean Skates

Feral cat control in Tasmania to protect Hooded Plovers

Events & activities

A new artificial reef at Turner's Beach. Page 3

King Billy Skate is raising skate awareness, Page 16

VISITING QUEENSLAND RALFS AND FARMERS LEARN ABOUT TASMANIAN AGRICULTURE

Across the expansive brown land that is Australia, farmers face a wide variety of challenges as they quietly go about growing our food. Despite many differences across the NRM regions that make up Australia such as climate, production techniques and crop variety, there are many common threads to draw upon. During February, a group of Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitators and farmers from North Queensland visited north-west Tasmania for an immersive agricultural learning experience

Included in the itinerary was a visit to Redbank Farm at Sisters Hills, where a diverse range of enterprises, adoption of cutting-edge agricultural technology and a balance of farm production with conservation, demonstrates what is possible in innovative land management

A visit to Van Diemen Quality Bulbs at Table Cape showcased how temperate climate cover crops are being used to protect, feed and repair the soil to sustain intensive cropping and annual horticulture

With an interest in dung beetles across the visiting group of graziers, sugar cane farmers and croppers, an evening dung beetle trapping session was put on by Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator, Tom O’Malley. The most significant dung beetle activity in the region occurs from mid-summer through to late autumn, so the timing of the visit was ideal

The species in abundance at this time, the ‘Blue Bomber’ (Geotrupes spiniger) is a large (20-25 mm) tunnelling dung beetle which forages predominantly in the evening

“All the action happens in a 20–30-minute window starting when the light begins to fade at dusk Clear, windless evenings see the highest numbers flying, as spiniger forages by scent, so if the beetles are feeding you will see what is out and about in this brief part of the evening While the species of dung beetle in grazing systems in Queensland are different to Tasmania, all aspects of their life cycle, biology, agricultural and environmental benefits in addition to ecosystem services they provide are identical. It was a pleasure to host this enthusiastic group and share with them what we are doing in the Cradle Coast region, while also learning from them” Tom said.

Above: RALF Tom O'Malley talks to attendees about the benefits of dung beetles

Above: The catch from a dung beetle trapping session

This project is delivered by Cradle Coast Authority through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare program.

SCIENCE SAYS SNAKES CAN HEAR!

Have you heard that snakes are deaf and sense the world around them via vibrations through the ground? Well, a recent study has debunked this popular belief by demonstrating that snakes do, in fact, respond to noises!

Researchers from the University of Queensland’s Venom Evolution Lab conducted 304 controlled experiment trials on 19 snakes across five genera in a soundproof room to observe the effect of sounds on individual snake behaviour. The sounds tested either did, or did not produce ground-based vibrations The snakes were monitored for displaying the following snake behaviours in response to the noise: body movement, body freezing, head-flicks, tongue-flicks, hissing, "periscoping", head fixation and lower jaw drop.

All of the snake responses were strongly genus-dependent, with three genera (Death Adders, Taipans and Brown Snakes) more likely to move away from sound, signalling potential avoidance behaviour. One genus (non-venomous Woma Pythons), significantly increased their probability of movement and approached the sound, suggesting curiosity! The variation in responses is thought to be from differences in hunting and predator avoidance behaviours between species

This snake was a little too preoccupied with a shearwater chick snack to react to any surrounding noises!

GLOW-WORMS RECEIVE

ANNUAL ACCOLADE

Thehumbleglow-wormhasbeennamed2023’sAustralianCave AnimaloftheYear.Youcanlearnmoreaboutthisinitiative(and otherworthycaveanimal“winners”)attheCaveAnimaloftheYear website

Australia has eight species of glow-worms in the genus Arachnocampa and unsurprisingly, Tasmania is home to the species Arachnocampa tasmaniensis, which was the first Australian species of glow-worm to be described These fascinatingcreaturescanbefoundindarkplaceslikedampcaves and rainforests, and congregate to form the most spectacular displaysoftinybluishlights.Unusuallyamongstterrestrialanimals, glow-wormsproducelight(bioluminescence)tolureprey Inglowworms,thislightisproducedincellslocatedatthetipsofinternal tubular structures branching from the gut, known as Malpighian tubules

Glow-worms,however,arenotwormsatall,andinfact havefourstagestotheirlifecycle:egg,larvae,pupaand a mosquito-like adult fly stage Their genus aptly describes the charismatic larval stage, Arachno –meaning spider and campa meaning worm-like The spiderpartoriginatesfromthelarvalstage’sspideresque feedingtechnique Glow-larvaeproducemucus-cladsilk threads(upto50cminlength)fromtheirmouth-partsto catch unsuspecting passers-by, which they then accordinglydissect,suckandchewon,beforediscarding of inedible parts by lowering them on a thread It’s dangerousbeingacaveanimal!

Their beauty has not gone unnoticed by curious scientists and one researcher believes that the mucus dropletsontheirwebsmaycontainanaesthetic.Other novelresearchcarriedoutbyDrDavidMerrittandDr Andrew Maynard has found that glow-worms may synchronise and illuminate more brightly or dimly dependingontheirneighbours’behaviour

Thanks to Cathie Plowman and Dr David Merritt for information in this story

Another wonderful glow-worm article is here: https://tasmaniangeographic com/the-lure-of-theglowworms/ and a podcast is here: https://www listnr com/podcasts/the-factdetectives-listnr

If you are interested in seeing glow-worms, you can visit Mole Creek Karst National Park. Due to damage sustained during the October 2022 flood event Marakoopa Cave has been closed to visitors to allow the PWS to undertake assessment and repairs. Marakoopa Cave is planned to reopen on 20 March 2023.

A glow-worm and its silk threads with sticky mucus droplets Photo: David Merritt

Hundreds of glow-worms showing why they won Cave Animal of the Year Photo: David Merritt

CRAYFISH PROJECT NEARING COMPLETION

After nearly four years of hard work and investment, the Giant Freshwater Crayfish Project under the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and the State Government’s Private Land Conservation program, is nearing an end. The project worked with adjoining landholders in six priority catchment areas to improve the riparian environment and habitat for the Giant Freshwater Crayfish.

By helping neighbouring landholders to undertake project works, we were able to get improved habitat across significant river reaches. Works have included willow and weed control, fencing to exclude stock access, off-stream watering points installed and revegetation in badly impacted reaches In addition, three landholders have opted into putting a conservation covenant over good quality remnant vegetation on their properties to provide long term habitat protection

FINAL FIELD DAY

A final Field Day for the project is planned at Roger River in the Duck River catchment

Date: Wednesday 5 April 2023

Time: 10:30am - 1pm

Location: Brodies Road, Roger River, more detail available upon registration

Catering: Light lunch provided afterwards

Cost: No charge

Guest speakers include:

Todd Walsh, to show live crayfish and discuss their life cycle

Assoc Prof Matthew Harrison, UTAS, will talk about soil carbon and carbon credits Dr Helen Morgan, TLC, will talk about revegetation

Fiona Marshall, CCNRM, to share insights from the GFC project

You are welcome to join us, please RSVP for location and catering purposes to Fiona Marshall on 0413 382 390 or fmarshall@cradlecoast.com

Good Eucalypt regrowth six months after planting and after flood events in the Inglis River

Good Dogwood regrowth six months after planting and after flood events in the Detention River

This project is supported by Cradle Coast Authority, through funding from NRETas and the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.

NORTH WEST ECOFEST 2023

- A FESTIVAL OF SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Cradle Coast Authority NRM is pleased to again sponsor North West Ecofest 2023 on Saturday 1 April 2023 at Camp Clayton, Ulverstone North West Ecofest is an annual sustainable living festival run by the North West Environment Centre. The event attracts stallholders and presenters from across Tasmania and provides information and inspiration on how to help make our environment a cleaner and safer one in which to live

There is an exciting list of guest speakers in 2023 including permaculture designer, educator and TV presenter, Hannah Moloney of Good Life Permaculture and ABC’s Gardening Australia; Oberon and Lauren Carter, authors of ‘A Family Guide to Waste-Free Living’ sharing their story of seven-years living waste free and Peter Lawrence from the Central North Field Naturalists talking about the importance of small reserves and how people can get involved.

The Australian Electric Vehicle Association will host electric vehicle test drives and the Good Car Company will be presenting on affordable EV options for Tasmanians.

Feast on delicious food, browse the market and information stalls, participate in workshops and let the kids loose at the Ecokids activities This is always a very inspiring, fun and family-friendly festival

Cradle Coast NRM is hosting a stall with the latest information on projects we are delivering and welcome the opportunity to connect with people from across the north-west coast.

CONSERVATION ACTION URGENTLY NEEDED TO SAVE THE KING ISLAND SCRUBTIT AND BROWN THORNBILL

King Island Scrubtits and King Island Brown Thornbills live only on King Island. They are small, brown and hard to spot, and they are among the top three most critically endangered birds in Australia The main threat is from loss of their habitat due to land clearing, fires, agricultural draining, herbivore browsing and trampling, and incursion of weeds Given the extensive loss of native vegetation on King Island and the highly threatened status of the KI Scrubtit and KI Brown Thornbill, it is likely that, in the absence of recovery actions, these subspecies will become extinct in the wild in the near future

The King Island Threatened Birds Survey Project has highlighted the conservation status of these endangered birds and their habitats. The project was supported by Cradle Coast Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, and it recently finished after more than three years of intensive survey work

Many local flora and fauna extinctions have occurred on King Island since European settlement in 1880 This is primarily due to land clearing for agriculture and the threat of fire

Despite the impact of agriculture, King Island is still rich in biodiversity For this project, a team of ecologists, led by Dr Phil Bell, embarked on describing the habitat and improving the mapping of vegetation on King Island Drone aerial imagery was used to map habitat at a fine scale and to assist in a major review of the TASVEG map of the island. A refined habitat map of current and future potential habitat for the King Island Brown Thornbill and King Island Scrubtit was also produced, to guide conservation efforts

Bird detections were enhanced by playing song recordings using portable speakers, and listening for replies Although both birds’ ranges were extended, their estimated numbers remain alarmingly low (only 50 scrubtits and 100 thornbills) and uncertain and require future monitoring

Habitat modelling found that the KI Scrubtit favoured mature swamp forest and thus climate change further threatens these damp areas upon which the scrubtit depends and increases fire risk The KI Brown Thornbill prefers mature Eucalypt forests which now have a very limited extent on King Island.

Since European settlement, King Island has had a history of devastating wildfires More recently, fires in 2001 and 2007 burnt extensive areas of the island’s native vegetation, in particular in Lavinia State Reserve.

Dr Bell said: “Fire is the most imminent risk to these birds’ remaining habitats, so one conservation priority is an island-wide fire management strategy and a fire emergency response plan for critical threatened bird habitat.”

Other key recommendations of the project call for these habitats and potential future mature forests to be given immediate priority for protection from land clearing and formal conservation management to be implemented. Where habitat exists on private land, stock can be fenced out of vegetated areas to allow plant regeneration

This project is delivered by Cradle Coast NRM through funding from the Australian Government

Updated distribution maps. Left, blue triangles indicate KI Scrubtit detections and right, red triangles indicate Brown Thornbill detections. Yellow dots are survey sites.

SLOW DOWN FOR OUR DEVILS

ThehighroadkillrateintheCircularHeadregion,particularlyof Tasmanian Devils, has concerned stakeholders who have joined together to form the Circular Head Roadkill Mitigation Working Group. This group includes representatives of the organisations androadusersonMontaguandWoolnorthRoad,suchasFonterra andVanDairy,aswellasCircularHeadCouncil,CradleCoastNRM, scientistsandlocalcommunitymembers.

Thegrouphasbeencollaboratingtointroducearangeofmeasuresto reduceroadkillincludingvoluntaryspeedreductions,awareness-raising, virtual fencing, road signs, recording roadkill, school education, and supportingthereductionofthespeedlimit TheWorkingGroupcontinues toexploreotherideastofurthermitigatewildlifecollisions.

Researchshowsthatbyslowingdownfrom100km/hrto80km/hr, roadkillcanbereducedbyupto50%,givingbothdriversandwildlife moretimetorespond Slowerdrivingspeedsarealsobeneficialinareas wherethereisvirtualfencinginstalledasthedevicesaremuchmore effectiveattrafficspeedsunder80km/hr

Acommunitypledgehasbeenrolledoutacrosstheregion,askingroad userstomakethecommitmenttoslowdownontheroadstoprotectour wildlife Sofartherehavebeenmorethan230pledgesmade,andyou canjointhecommunitybyscanningtheQRcodeontheflyerorvisiting circularheaddevilsautoalsomakethecommitment Bypledgingtoslow downonourroadsfordevilsyouwillgointothedrawtowinoneofseven familypassestoDevils@Cradleandhavethechancetoseethemup closeonafeedingtour

Circular Head Councillors have also become involved in the roadkill issueandhavediscusseditattheirlasttwomeetings

InFebruary,theCouncilvotedinfavourofsubmittingaproposalto theTransportCommissioner,toreducethespeedlimitto80km/hr fromWestMontagutoWoolnorth.

This change could come at a critical time for the Woolnorth population of Tasmanian Devils, because it was reported recently that a devil with Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) was discovered close to the Woolnorth gates While the Woolnorth population had thankfully remained DFTDfree until now, the advent of the disease could dramatically reduce the size of this population, as it has elsewhere in Tasmania This possibility makes it all the more important that other threats to the species, such as roadkill, are reduced.

Will you make the pledge?

A MUSTER OF DEVILS

After a two-year break, the Devil Country Muster music festival was back on in full swing this February. Held at the Riverbend Youth Centre in Smithton, country artists such as Adam Harvey, Dean Perrett, Aleyce Simmonds, Gina Timms and Pete Denahy took to the stage to play to locals and travellers alike.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was Errol the dancing devil who joined in the festivities and bopped along to his favourite tunes, while raising awareness of roadkill and asking festival goers to slow down on the roads for wildlife

A big thank you to Eric, Gina and the Rotary Club of Smithton for putting on a great event and to UTAS for kindly lending the devil costume to Cradle Coast NRM for the occasion.

A wildlife phenomenon, thought to be caused by ocean upwelling has seen thousands of krill washed up on Ocean Beach, Strahan, on the West Coast, and as far north as Marrawah!

Upwelling is a process in which currents, winds and the rotation of the Earth, bring deep cold water to the surface of the ocean, locally known to be part of the Great Southern Australian Upwelling System Conditions are optimal for upwelling along the coast when winds blow along the shore Displaced surface waters are replaced by cold, nutrient-rich water that “wells up” from below Because the deep water brought to the surface is often rich in nutrients and is exposed to sunlight, coastal upwelling supports the growth of algae and plankton

These, in turn, provide food further up the food chain for fish, marine mammals, and birds On the west coast, krill swarms have gathered to feed on the phytoplankton.

This is all great news for Tassie birdlife, particularly the Short-tailed Shearwater. During their life cycle, a shearwater’s single egg hatches in early January and both parents feed the chick regurgitated food inside the burrow. Chicks can wait up to two weeks between meals if the adults have to travel to the waters around Antarctica to feed, so when the krill are closer to the Tasmanian coastline, there’s a much shorter trip to bring food back to their burrows

C'MON THE BEES!

Would you like to have more bees in your paddock or garden?

Providing optimum pollen and nectar sources not only safeguards the survival of vital pollinators but helps maintain our food security too! Now you can encourage bees to your patch with all the tips and tools provided in a handy new guide. The Wheen Bee Foundation have produced new area-specific guides, “Powerful Pollinators” that give relevant information about pollinator habitat and floral resources.

The guide is designed to enable users to select the most appropriate native plant species that will increase the prevalence, health, and diversity of pollinators in the landscape Powerful Pollinators encourages the strategic planting of ‘trees for bees’ and other pollinators and provides Pollinator Planting Guides developed by experienced botanists and field ecologists for use by landholders.

Check out the Northern Tasmanian Slopes Guide here: SF001-T-20.1-Pollinators-8pp-Tasmanian-NorthernSlopes.pdf

wheenbeefoundation.org.au

KING ISLAND CAT SURVEY

Are you a King Island resident aged 18 or over? We want to hear from you!

TassieCat has teamed up with Cradle Coast NRM and King Island Landcare to launch the King Island Cat Survey Your answers will help us to better understand some of the issues around domestic and feral cats on King Island

The survey launched on 7 March, and will be open until 7 April

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/97XZPVP

GROWING NEAR US!

In February this year, Turner’s Beach became home to one of two new artificial reefs deployed in Tasmania Following pre-assessment by Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST), the newly deployed reef consists of 152 pre-cast steel-reinforced concrete modules that will provide hard surfaces where algae and small invertebrates can establish and grow

The accumulating marine life creates new habitat and food for smaller fish which in turn become food for larger fish. Artificial reefs provide opportunities for recreational fishers, which can ease the pressure on natural reefs, or provide fishing opportunities in areas where little natural reef exists.

Of interest to fishers in the Cradle Coast region, Snapper, Jackass Morwong and Yellowtail Kingfish are all expected to colonise the reef over time. The exact locations of the new reef can be found here

The two reefs are part of a 2018 election commitment to recreational fishers (Taking Recreational Fishing and Boating to the Next Level) and are aligned with the Tasmanian Recreational Sea Fishing Strategy – a 10 year strategic plan to maximise new opportunities in recreational fishing

The impacts of the reef will be monitored long term by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, particularly in the first five years with the first assessment to be undertaken within six months of deployment.

LevenScubaClubinstalledtheirownartificialreef years ago (The Reefballs Site), and were impressedathowmuchmarinelifewasattracted tothestructure

Divers are planning on checking out the new TurnersBeachreefthisweekend

It’snotjustthefishingcommunitywhowillbenefit!

TASMANIAN SEA SPURGE BIOCONTROL RELEASE

DECEMBER 2022 UPDATE BASED ON JON MARSDEN-SMEDLEY’S REPORT

Across southern Australia, the highly invasive weed Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias) has formed extensive infestations and is a major environmental threat to coastal values.

Along the southern Tasmanian coastline, south of a line from Bicheno to Macquarie Heads, Sea Spurge is still in its expansion phase In this zone it has either not established large infestations yet, or is being controlled by volunteer groups using intensive weeding.

However, in northern Tasmania, Sea Spurge has established massive ecosystem-transforming infestations, containing 10s to 100s of millions of plants In these very large infestations, spraying and hand weeding are not practical A Sea Spurge biocontrol agent has been developed and tested by the CSIRO and approved for release with the aim of assisting with the control of large infestations The biocontrol consists of a highly specific fungus, Venturia paralias, and it is now being tested on Tasmanian coastlines.

Three initial test sites were established in Tasmania in October 2021 with monitoring conducted in April and November 2022 By November 2022, the biocontrol had established and had started impacting the Sea Spurge Of the tagged trial plants, 100% were killed at the Bakers Beach and Low Head sites, and 66% at the Duck Creek site with all remaining tagged plants infected

There has also been a reduction in Sea Spurge health at the three initial sites along with a moderate reduction in cover. To date, there have not been significant impacts to plant height or reproductive status. The biocontrol has also started to spread from the initial sites and infect new areas.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

JON MARSDEN-SMEDLEY FROM SPRATS

JON.MARSDENSMEDLEY@GMAIL.COM

SPRATS.TAS@GMAIL.COM

Further monitoring and new biocontrol releases will help scientists understand its effectiveness in varying conditions

TALENTED ARTISTS PUT THE FOCUS ON MAUGEAN SKATES

The art exhibition was a key to improving the recognisability of this elusive fish, as very few images of the species exist The strategy was to harness the skills of artists to create a range of artworks that would stimulate interest and conversations about this iconic micro-endemic species A total of 76 entries were submitted by artists from all over Tasmania and attracted the interest of a couple of mainlanders.

The competition launched on National Threatened Species Day and allowed the artists 100 days to create their works and submit them, just before Christmas

"RARE FISH IN THE SPOTLIGHT" WAS THE HEADLINE IN THE ADVOCATE ON 10/1/23 AND THE OPENING OF SKATE-BASED ART EXHIBITION SKATEX IN STRAHAN CERTAINLY RAISED THE PROFILE OF THE SPECIAL MAUGEAN SKATES OF MACQUARIE HARBOUR.

A panel of three local art-savvy judges, Troy Ruffels, Anne Morrison and Sally Sadler, kindly volunteered their time to appraise the diverse entries and select the exceptional works

The open category spanned the ages from 4 – 70+ years young and there was a huge variety of art mediums including paintings on canvas, pastel and pencil drawings, carved skates from Huon and King Billy Pine, sculpted skates from recycled metals, skates crafted from felt and vintage woollen blankets as well as skates made from driftwood, glass and pieces of marine debris A number of wearable skate art pieces included delicate jewellery ear rings and brooches made from silver and polymer clay.

The pre-opening anticipation increased with the NRM Facebook page running red hot in early January, with record numbers of people visiting the virtual exhibition and voting online in the People’s Choice awards A sweltering 32 degree day in Strahan didn’t deter exhibition-goers with more than 40 people attending the opening event on Saturday 14 January

The People’s Choice awards were hotly contested and true to form the people saw things very differently to the judges In the end it turned into a family affair with both local NW Coasters Linda and Paul Ledger, who both used recycled materials to create their skates, getting the nod They were both very excited to receive prizes that will see them travelling on the West Coast Wilderness Railway for the first time but wondered if rafting down the King River might be just a bit outside their comfort zone!

The exhibition was deliberately planned for the peak visitation to Strahan over the summer and by creating a Skate Art Trail displaying the works in twelve different venues across Strahan and Queenstown gave both locals and visitors the opportunity to see one of Tasmania’s rarest fish.

Congratulations to all the artists who received a commendation from the judges:

Josephine Lawrence, Darren Wakefield, Jennifer Pelham, Janet Fenton, Minnow Flora, Iona Flett and Etta MacFie.

Strahan Primary School students each created either a clay model (Kindies) or a poster, with a catchy skate tagline Judging from the sentiments expressed by many of the students, there is considerable concern for this species among the next generation of skate stewards. The support of school principal Emma Scicluna, and her staff was critical for the success of the project and the school hall was the only venue large enough in Strahan to accommodate all the pieces under one roof for the grand opening.

Well done to entrants from Strahan Primary School for their wonderful contributions and particular congratulations to the nine students who received judges' commendations. If you missed the exhibition you can still view the entries electronically online

This project is supported by Cradle Coast Authority through funding from the Australian Government.

An interview with Helen Shield ABC Radio Evening Show helped to ensure that the Maugean Skate becomes a household name. Listeners were also able to learn more about Maugean Skates from species expert Prof Jayson Semmens, one of the principal researchers from IMAS, in the following segment.

This project also partnered with PWS Tasmania and included educational activities conducted by Discovery Ranger Ella, which were well attended by both locals and visitors with 323 people attending 11 skate-based activities. The tactile, life-sized latex skates ‘Spike’ and ‘Katie’ were great conversation starters and they joined Ella on two cruises on Macquarie Harbour and also attended the popular local event, the Mt Lyell-Strahan Picnic Day at West Strahan Beach.

This three-dimensional approach is going to be utilised again, but this time in bronze, using the same moulds Sculptures are being cast of a male and female skate, some egg cases and a couple of crabs, which are one of the primary food sources of these skates The sculptures will be installed in Strahan and will be accompanied by an interpretative panel framed by a steel stencil in the shape of a skate’s egg case The effectiveness of using life-like sculptures that are designed to be touched by people has been proven in many settings elsewhere. They will enable people to connect with these denizens of the harbour and they will also add to the aesthetic value of the visitor precinct

The project has already hatched other important art-based initiatives with the West Coast Council getting local youth on board to work with some renowned street artists Denni and Greeley from the Tasmanian Hip-Hop collective to create a permanent piece of skate art appropriately located on the skate ramp on Strahan’s waterfront. CCNRM were able to contribute some paint to ensure that the vibrant mural could be completed in a day!

We are very grateful to all the artists who spent so much time, effort and imagination to create so many varied and interesting art works A special thanks to Jo and Peter Lawrence for joining The Advocate photoshoot at short notice We are also extremely grateful for the fantastic prizes that were kindly donated by local businesses: Gordon River Cruises, World Heritage Cruises, West Coast Wilderness Railway, Strahan Village, NRMA Resorts Tasmania, West Coast Council and King River Rafting. Thanks also to all the local businesses that have hosted pieces in the skate art trail over the summer

As another project legacy, CCNRM purchased ‘King Billy Skate’, masterfully carved by Nigel Griggs out of King Billy Pine. The sculpture will tour local libraries and other public spaces to continue to raise awareness of this elusive and cryptic endangered species that now only lives in the dark tannin-stained waters of Macquarie Harbour.

CCNRM Project Officer Ben Correy with life-sized latex "Spike"

Discovery Ranger , Ella, with some future skate stewards

Skate art on the skate ramp, Strahan

FERAL CAT CONTROL IN TASMANIA TO PROTECT HOODED PLOVERS

Three Hummock Island, off the north-west coast of Tasmania has been the location for an exciting feral cat control trial program to create a stronghold for Hooded Plovers.

Hooded Plovers are vulnerable to human impacts on Australia’s southern beaches, but Three Hummock Island receives few visitors as there is only one place to stay. It is also a State Reserve managed by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, so dogs are not allowed.

Cradle Coast Authority, in partnership with Biosecurity Tasmania and with funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, has been running a project for the last four years that aims to remove another threat to the island’s wildlife: feral cats

Feral cats on Three Hummock Island are thought to be in low numbers, and spread across the denselyvegetated island The island is difficult to access and very difficult to traverse, meaning that conventional feral cat control techniques are less effective and much more expensive than in other places

A new piece of technology, called the “Felixer” cat grooming trap, has been trialled on the island and is showing promise

The jetty at Three Hummock Island from the air

Feral cat automatically targeted by a Felixer’s detection beams

A Felixer in operation on a track

Beach-nesting birds like Hooded Plovers are vulnerable to feral cat predation, as are Short-tailed Shearwaters and Little Penguins that breed all around Three Hummock Island’s coastline

BirdLife Australia ecologists, Dr Sonia Sanchez and Dr Dan Lees, visited the island in December 2022 to assess the Hooded Plover population

They were impressed with the view of the island flying in in a small plane “Three Hummock has some beautiful beaches! Volunteers have been removing Sea Spurge to keep space clear for the birds, but actually several beaches were washed out by winter storms so it’s really a difficult place for the birds to survive,” said Sonia.

Despite these difficulties, the Hoodies are faring well “Numbers of Hoodies on Three Hummock were similar to 2019, with breeding activity detected on many of the suitable beaches We also found Sooty Oystercatcher nests, and there are lots of Pied Oystercatchers too!” said Dan

Iona Flett from Cradle Coast Authority is looking forward to the day when Felixers can be used everywhere. “Every feral cat kills an estimated 740 animals per year, so reducing feral cat numbers, and eradicating cats from high conservation-value places is really important. It’s great that we could contribute to their development and trial them on Three Hummock Island while removing some cats from this beautiful ecosystem,” said Iona.

Sooty Oystercatcher on one of Three Hummock Island’s attractive boulders (Photo: Dr Dan Lees)

Hooded Plover performing a courting display (Photo: Dr Dan Lees)

Hooded Plover nest hidden in washed up seaweed (Photo: Dr Dan Lees)

CatCam: A feral cat picked up in a shearwater colony

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

WHAT WHERE AND MORE INFO WHEN

Ocean Fun Day

King Island Clean-up

North West Ecofest 2023 - a festival for sustainable living

Giant Freshwater Crayfish & Soil Carbon Field Day

Draft Climate Change Action Plan 2023-25

Boat Harbour Beach

More info: www marinelife org au

NRM South's Smart Seafood Partnership is organising coastal clean-ups Contact Jane: projectmanager@tsic.org.au

Camp Clayton, 41 Clayton Road, Ulverstone ecofesttas.com.au

Roger River Contact: Fiona Marshall on 0413 382 390 or fmarshall@cradlecoast.com to register

Consultation now open You can attend public online workshops to learn more and provide feedback

More information:

https://recfit tas gov au/consultation and community /draft climate change action plan 2023-25

Sat 18 March

Thu 30 March - Sun 2 April

9:30-3:00pm Sat 1 April

Wed 5 April 10 30 – 1pm, lunch available

Written submissions close Thu 6 April

Wings on King Autumn Surveys

Marine Parks info session

Where? Where? Wedgie!

Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle citizen science surveys

For more information and to register: https://www birdsofkingisland com/launch-2017

Devonport - Mersey Yacht Club

More info: www.marinelife.org.au

https://naturetrackers.com.au/projects/wherewhere-wedgie/take-part/

27 - 30 April

Thu 4 May

12 - 14 May and 26 - 28 May