back to nature
Back to School and Action
Watch Out For Wildlife
Yolanda Dasgupta is a mum of two boys and a disaster-management expert. She is also a member of Australian Parents for Climate Action (AP4CA), a volunteer-run group of parents from around Australia who are advocating for a safe climate for our children’s future.
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s a disaster expert, having a La Niña or El Niño often meant redoubling of preparedness efforts as either flooding or droughts were to be more likely. Indeed, the biggest climate related hazards I have battled, the drought of 2016 and the floods of 2011, were both in years where these oscillation patterns occurred. Now as a parent, I am selfishly grateful to that thanks to La Niña, the mild summer we have enjoyed on the Sunshine Coast has felt like a welcome relief after the horror of last year. When one looks at the State of the Climate reports (csiro.au/ en/Showcase/stateof-the-climate) it’s clear our baseline of climate bodes poorly for many more summers like this, and I wonder if, should La Niña not visit us again for another ten years, this might be one of the last mild summers. When I first began to be an advocate for climate change, I had to confront, particularly in regional Queensland, a certain stigma. The way I found strength in this discomfort was to write a letter to my two little boys, imagining them reading it in a warmer and transformed world. I constantly remind myself that what is important is their opinion. Part of that letter was a pledge, to take more climate action and to try and make changes.
This month Australian Parents for Climate Action is supporting its members to take a personal climate pledge. Find out more on our website. Climate action of the month: Make your schools climate smart As children return to school, we as parents and community members have a great opportunity to multiply our climate action through our school communities. We can join our Parents and Citizens (P&C), our school, and support them and the students to take climate-friendly actions. Many schools are already well on their way for this. The ABC series Fight for Planet A has a great ‘Action Toolkit’ that is helpful starting points for schools, individual and community groups alike. (abc.net.au/tv/pdf/ Fight_For_Planet_A_Good_ for_the_Hood.pdf ) Some actions might include conducting an energy audit at the school, supporting a school’s sustainability club, kitchen gardens or screening an inspiring climate movie like 2040, helping the school canteen to be more climatefriendly or improving the schools rubbish management systems. You can find Sunshine Coast Parents for Climate Action on Facebook or via ap4ca.org. Meet up on the second Tuesday of each month at Homegrown Café in Palmwoods for a casual and friendly get together, complete with children’s activities and face painting.
with wildlife carer, RACHEL ASPINALL
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his loveable pair pictured are called Fraser and Tidda. Fraser is an Eastern Grey Kangaroo that came into care on December 23. Fraser was trapped down a hole at a construction site for an unknown amount of time but likely at least several days. After rescue he was painfully thin from malnutrition, but luckily there had been rain for him to drink so he had managed to survive this long. However, on Christmas day, Fraser was very lethargic and not very interested in drinking his bottle of specialised marsupial formula milk. Thankfully, Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital is open 24/7 every day of the year and the vet on duty was able to check him out and identify that he was suffering from Theileriosis, an illness caused by the blood borne parasite Theileria orientalis resulting in anaemia.
Mulch and Maintenance
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e have certainly had a wet start to the year. Growth has been prolific with new plants establishing well, forests green and healthy, and inevitable rampant weed growth. In come the two M’s, maintenance and mulch.
it will last. Newspaper, cardboard (dry soil underneath can result), baled hay (pasture and sugar cane), coir mulch mats and bark chips might be suggested. At least six sheets of newspaper are needed to cut out the light but can be spread around by the turkey population. Wet down to stop the wind picking them up as you lay them. It always happens! Keep stems clear to avoid moisture build-up and rotting.
In our climate of good rainfall and generally fertile soils, weeds will proliferate. Your particular suite of weeds will depend on your soil type and inherited vegetation like kikuyu, glycine, privet, and the list goes on. Rest assured, you will in time get on top of the problem(s) but it does take time and regular attention, i.e. maintenance. Mulch is effective in controlling weed growth around growing plants until their canopy shades the ground. Collectively, that is canopy closure. Weeds love light and mostly don’t thrive in the shade. Some tolerate lower light intensities and Barung staff can help identify those.
Poison is not usually recommended as a method of weed control but some very nasty environmental weeds like Madeira Vine and Cat’s Claw Creeper cannot be eliminated without using specific poisons. If you have those vines, seek advice as to what to use and method of application. And now to mulch. What you use will depend on availability, cost and how long
Sugar cane is great for the vegetable garden but now expensive. Fine stemmed pasture hay may not last more than one season so watch the quality and ask whether it is seed free. Find out what your neighbours and other Barung members use as that is probably the best guide. Bark chips look neat in the garden. Hardwood uses soil nitrogen as it breaks down so add some organic fertiliser. The choice is yours, but mulch really is important and will reduce maintenance!
Barung Native Plant Nursery Phone 5494 3151 Porters Lane Nursery opening times: Wednesday - Friday - 9am -3pm, Saturday 9am - 12pm
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With the right medication Fraser was able to be treated and he has since returned to a healthy weight. He’s also made a good friend in a female
Eastern Grey close to his age who is also in care, Tidda, who was orphaned in a motor vehicle accident. A member of the public was thoughtful enough to contact a wildlife group and arrange for her rescue and care. This is always the right thing to do when you encounter injured or even dead wildlife. Joeys can live in the pouch of their dead mother for several days and wildlife rescuers are always on call to rescue them and bring them into care. Importantly, if you are comfortable to check a pouch yourself, do not remove a joey from a teat if they are latched on. This can potentially cause serious injury to the joey. Leave it in place within the body until a wildlife carer arrives with the expertise to safely extract it. If you find a joey that is not on the teat, keep them warm and wrapped up snugly. A jumper, towel or even pillowcase will work and they should be wrapped up with their head covered too – the joey isn’t going to suffocate in those conditions similar to being in a pouch, and it’s more important for it to stay warm. After rescue, joeys always need to be checked by a wildlife veterinarian even if they don’t seem to be injured, there are many less visible risks to their health that only an expert can assess. If the adult is still alive, do not attempt to check the pouch. For injured macropods (kangaroos and wallabies), cover their head and call a wildlife group for help. If the macropod is still able to hop around, do not approach them. Please instead notify a wildlife group to assist the animal who will be suffering, for both your own good and that of the animal.
Rachel Aspinall is privately licensed to rescue animals and happy to do so, or will call other groups for help when needed. Phone: 0407 881 008. Found an injured or sick animal? The HT also recommends contacting one of the many wildlife rescue services across the Sunshine Coast, such as the following: Wildlife Rescue Qld 0478 901 801; WILVOs 5441 6200; RSPCA 1300 ANIMAL; Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital 1300 369652; Eumundi Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre 5442 8057; Bat Conservation and Rescue 0488 228134; Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast 0458 682 152.
