Three Hummock Island

What’s happening on Three Hummock Island?

In early April, a group of eight people descended on beautiful Three Hummock Island. Some were there to work on CCA’s Creating a Hooded Plover Stronghold project, some to sample sediment, and some to work on planning cultural burns and check out the island’s yula (mutton bird, or Short-tailed Shearwater) population.

The field trip team with the island managers (Left to right: Simon, Colin, Jarrod, Iona, Matt, Jesse, Ray, Roy and Taylor) Our Hooded Plover Stronghold project is progressing well, with an array of wildlife cameras now monitoring cat activity over the shearwater fledging season. We’re all set for the next stages of the project: feral cat control and Sea Spurge removal, planned for this winter.

Ray Turnbull in Rendezvous Swamp (Image: Simon Haberle)

Researchers from Australian National University and UTas have been looking at sediment cores from several Bass Strait Islands over the past few years. Contained within these sediments are fragments of charcoal that allow the scientists to reconstruct the fire history of the local environment, and also pollen grains, that show the changes to the vegetation over time. The Three Hummock Island work will hopefully tell us how frequently the vegetation was burnt in the past. This information can be used to give us a better understanding of past fire regimes, and may also help to inform fire management practices in the future.

Three PWS Aboriginal employees also joined the field trip. They were there to work on a plan for burning the island in a culturally appropriate way, to maintain access to the Island’s resources, and protect the shearwater colonies from the risk of a highintensity unplanned bushfire. There are lots of important Aboriginal cultural sites around the coast of Three Hummock Island, including living places and rock engravings, demonstrating that Aboriginal people have been visiting and living on the island for thousands of years. Aboriginal Rangers from PWS and community are continuing this connection here on Three Hummock Island.

Travellers on ocean currents

Thanks to a certain kids’ movie a few years ago, most of us have heard about the East Australian Current, that moves warm tropical water down the east coast of Australia. Travellers on the current include tropical and subtropical fish and invertebrates, which can sometimes become established in a new home further south.

Iona recently made an interesting find on a beach on Three Hummock Island off northwest Tasmania – a coconut! It would be fascinating to know which current took this tropical seed to a Tasmanian coastline.

It’s estimated that Tasmania’s east coast seas are warming at rates 3 to 4 times the global average.

The Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and the State Government are investigating ways to control the invasive pest including by;

a biological approach such as the rebuilding and translocation of lobster stocks;

market-based strategies such as subsidies and the development of new domestic and overseas markets; and

a physical approach that includes divers smashing and harvesting the pest.

Warm currents move down both sides of Tasmania (Image: CSIRO)

As our oceans heat up due to the effects of global warming, species that would not previously have been able to survive Tasmania's cold winter temperatures are now able to establish themselves in Tasmania's waters and compete with our temperate species.

The Long Spined Sea Urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) is a nasty example of the impact of such incursions. Over the last 40 years, as waters off Tasmania have warmed, the urchins have travelled southwards from their native habitat in New South Wales and become established on Tasmania’s east coast. Once established on a reef, the urchins graze on kelp and other marine plants, forming bare patches called 'barrens'. Overgrazing can completely denude the reef of all seaweed, and impact all the other species that live within and rely upon it.

Red map - help monitor changes in marine distribution

There is a citizen science project which invites Australians to share sightings of marine species that are ‘uncommon’ to their local seas. ‘Redmap’ stands for Range Extension Database and Mapping project.

Fishers, snorkelers and beach dwellers are asked to spot, log and map interesting and unusual marine species and help identify changes in the distribution of species. Over time, Redmap will use this ‘citizen science’ data to map which Australian marine species may be extending their range – a.k.a moving house - in response to changes in the marine environment, such as ocean warming.

To find out more about this great project, how you can get involved in logging your own sightings and what to look out for, visit: www.redmap.org.au/region/tas/

Introduced fungi, Favolaschia calocera, spreads across the region

If you’ve been out looking for fungi this autumn, you may have come across a very distinctive, bright orange species with big obvious pores on the undersides of its caps. This is an introduced species called Favolaschia calocera, the Orange Pore Fungus, or Orange Ping Pong Bats.

Ecologists in Tasmania are worried about the spread of Orange Pore Fungus around the state, since it is very easily spread, is appearing more and more often, and it may out-compete native species of fungi.

If you see Orange Pore Fungus in the Cradle Coast, or elsewhere in Tasmania, you can help map its spread by reporting your sighting in iNaturalist, and by letting the administrators of the Tasmanian Fungi Facebook Group know. The map below shows the locations that have been reported to the group over the past few years.

F. calocera is native to Asia and Madagascar, but it is now widespread in Europe and New Zealand, with records from Queensland and around Melbourne too. It’s easily spread because of a quirk in its biology that allows individual reproductive spores to grow into fertile fruiting bodies on their own (whereas most fungal spores need to grow into a primary mycelium that meets another mycelium of the same species before combining to form a fruiting body). This means that any human or wallaby that ambles close to a colony can pick up and transfer spores on their clothes, boots or fur. It may even be wind-spread. Non-native species ar

If you see Orange Pore Fungus in the Cradle Coast, or elsewhere in Tasmania, you can help map its spread by reporting your sighting in iNaturalist, and by letting the administrators of the Tasmanian Fungi Facebook Group know. The map below shows the locations that have been reported to the group over the past few years.

e one of the biggest threats to natural systems and biodiversity. Fungal diseases like Chytrid, Phytophthera and Mucor (platypus fungal disease) are recognised as extremely serious threats to the values of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Orange Pore Fungus spreads in a similar way, and our response to all these diseases can be the same: better bush hygiene!

Favolaschia calcoera sites recorded across the Cradle Coast by members of the Tasmanian Fungi Facebook Group.

Any footwear, equipment or vehicles that have been exposed to water, soil and vegetation from contaminated sites pose a risk.

To help slow the spread of F. calocera and other fungal and plant invaders, we can all follow some important biosecurity steps:

Check. Clean. Disinfect. Dry.

Usually, cleaning and drying your clothes and boots carefully after visiting an infected area will be enough. But if you travel between sites in one day, you can use a disinfectant like F10 or methylated spirits to treat your equipment. See NRM South’s information sheet for more details.

Thank you to Dave James, Dydee Mann, Charlie Price, Elaine McDonald and Dr Genevieve Gates for compiling this information and contributing to this article.

FOUR STEPS TO FRESHWATER HYGIENE

CHECK

Thoroughly CHECK your waders, footwear, equipment, boats and vehicles for mud, soil, algae and plant material before you arrive at or leave each location.

CLEAN

CLEAN your waders, footwear, equipment, boats and vehicles by scrubbing in local or town water before you leave each location. Ensure that all mud, soil and debris is removed and left on site.

DISINFECT

In remote areas, where completely drying footwear and equipment is not possible, DISINFECT by spraying with F10 solution (or for absorbent materials, soaking and scrubbing for at least one minute).

DRY

Before use at another location, completely DRY all waders, footwear, equipment, boats and vehicles.

Introducing the General Biosecurity Duty

You may have heard that the General Biosecurity Duty (also known as the GBD) recently came into effect here in Tasmania. What are the important things you need to know about the GBD?

We asked Biosecurity Tasmania’s Industry Collaboration Manager – Ryan Wilkinson, to explain…

The What?

Tasmania’s Biosecurity Act 2019 (the Act) places an emphasis on shared responsibilities and the need for all levels of government, industry and the community to work together to help protect Tasmania’s primary industries, economy, environment and our way of life from the harmful impacts of pests, weeds and diseases

A key element of the Act is the GBD which means that everyone now officially has a role to play in protecting primary industries and our unique environment from biosecurity risks.

The Who?

The GBD applies to everyone!

Industry, government, and members of the public (including visitors to Tasmania) now have a duty to take all reasonable and practicable measures to manage biosecurity risks when dealing with any biosecurity matter or carrier (see definitions at the web link below).

This doesn’t mean that everyone has to be a biosecurity expert, however it is important to understand and manage, or minimise, to the best of our ability, the biosecurity risks that apply to our industries, businesses, workplaces and outdoor leisure activities.

The How?

For many people, their knowledge and understanding of biosecurity risks, and their preparedness to manage those risks, is already an integral and important part of their routine activities. The GBD formalises those related practices and actions.

If individuals are following and complying with existing biosecurity legislation, regulations, guidelines, codes, policies and processes then they are likely to be meeting their GBD obligations in most cases, but not always.

The GBD provides an extra level of biosecurity protection to ensure that all foreseeable biosecurity risks, whether or not they are covered by specific requirements or guidelines, are appropriately managed.

The current focus for BT is making sure the Tasmanian community is well informed about the GBD, what it means for them and how they can meet their obligations. This is the start of a long journey and BT will be talking about the GBD for the months and years to come.

Where to go for more information?

The Biosecurity Tasmania website (www.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/GBD) provides overview information about the GBD and examples of how simple and practical everyday actions can help everyone meet their GBD obligations. Staying connected is another important way to keep up to date on important biosecurity developments in Tasmania. You can do that by following BT on Facebook and/or by subscribing to the Biosecurity Advisory service.

www.biosecurityadvisory.dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Pages /Subscribe.aspx.

Weed Action Fund

The Large Grant Round of Weed Action Fund Display planter box at 14 days post seeding. is now closed but please continue to let our team know if you have any strategic weed control project in mind which would deliver exceptional productive or environmental outcomes. The Tasmanian Weeds Action Fund (WAF) is a $5 million State Government initiative, funded for five years from 2018/19. The funds provided by the WAF will be invested with farmers and other community organisations to tackle weeds that are impacting valuable agricultural and environmental assets. CCA have partnered with NRM North and NRM South to deliver Stage Two of the fund over the next three years, the fund will be available state-wide. Please contact Hannah Sadler for more information via hsadler@cradlecoast.com.

Nominated weed, African love grass (Eragrostis curvula) is generally unpalatable, produces copious seed, and can rapidly spread over and dominate degraded pastures.

what Who and more info when

Reconciliation Week 2021-

More than a word, reconciliation takes action

World Environment Day

World Oceans Day

Plastic Free July

Central Coast Region - Vegetable Industry Network Event We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

Visit www.nrw.reconciliation.org.au/ to find out more.

Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.

www.worldenvironmentday.global/

One Ocean, One Climate, One Future – Together

www.worldoceanday.org/

Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste.

www.plasticfreejuly.org/

New technologies, trial result updates, education and awareness, extension opportunities, reduced till inter-row weeding technology and more…

Contact Ali Dugand for more information: adgand@cradlecoast.com Friday 27 May to Sunday 3 June 2021

Saturday, 5 June 2021

Tuesday, 8 June 2021

July 2021

Friday, 6 August 2021

Understanding Soils: Road to Net Zero webinar series Farmers for Climate Action, 4 part webinar series.

Each webinar is recorded so can be viewed anytime. More information can be found here: www.farmersforclimateaction.org.au/portfolio/und erstandings-soils-pt-4/ Online - anytime!

Events1-3 Spring St, Burnie, Tasmania, 7320 03 6433 8400 www.cradlecoast.com www.facebook.com/CradleCoastNRM/