=== VALLEY OF THE BANDICOOTS UPDATE #8 ===
Monday, February 28, 2003
(circulation: 62)
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'VALLEY OF THE BANDICOOTS UPDATE' is an occasional email newsletter for people who are interested in the 'Valley of the Bandicoots' project in Aldgate Valley, South Australia.
To subscribe, send an email saying 'subscribe VOB UPDATE' (or 'unsubscribe') to David Mussared, mussared@emailmedia.com.au (phone: 8388-5608).
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CONTENTS:
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1. BANDICOOT INFORMATION EVENING (Monday, March 10)
2. WORKING BEE 10am THIS SUNDAY (March 2)
3. GREEN CORPS TEAM MAY COME TO OUR AID
4. FOX TRAP FOR HIRE (PROCEEDS TO BANDICOOTS)
5. HOW ARE THE SEEDLINGS GOING?
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1. BANDICOOT INFORMATION EVENING (Monday, March 10)
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=> WARRAWONG EARTH SANCTUARY <=
You are invited to a FREE Information Evening about 'The Valley of the Bandicoots' March 10, 2003. Come and learn about a wonderful native animal in your backyard - the Southern Brown Bandicoot. Discover how local residents of the Aldgate Valley have come together to plan a wildlife corridor for this endangered animal. See wild bandicoots thriving at Warrawong Earth Sanctuary, and learn about Earth Sanctuaries' conservation program.
Where: Warrawong Earth Sanctuary Conference Room,
Stock Road Mylor (5kms from Stirling)
When: from 7:30pm
Contact: Angela Yeend on 8370 9422 to book.
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2. WORKING BEE 10am THIS SUNDAY (March 2)
There will be a two-hour Working Bee at 10am this Sunday, March 2, at the Aldgate Valley Reserve (corner of Shanks Road and Aldgate Valley Road - roughly midway along the Valley of the Bandicoots). Newcomers are most welcome. We will be cutting and poison-swabbing weeds to protect new native plants (some of which are regenerating following previous weeding, and some of which we have planted).
Tools are supplied (you don't need to bring anything). Gloves and old clothes are advised.
The Landcare Group holds Working Bees at the Reserve at 10am on the first Sunday of every month and the third Saturday of every month.
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3. GREEN CORPS TEAM MAY COME TO OUR AID
My wife Chris Duigan and I had a very positive meeting with Adam Main from Greening Australia yesterday (Thursday) about the possibility of securing a team of Green Corps trainees to work on the Valley of the Bandicoots this year.
A decision is still some weeks away, but this week we are applying for a group of 10 young people (aged 17-20) and a superviser to spend a total of 14 weeks working on the Valley of the Bandicoots between June and December this year.
If we succeed, the Green Corps team will be available to work on both public and private land, performing tasks which are directly related to the Valley of the Bandicoots. It will be up to the Valley of the Bandicoots management committee to set the priorities for their work.
We would also need to design their work program to ensure the best possible training for the young people - with a variety of tasks and access to local experts.
IMPORTANT: We need to get the application in by next Friday (March 7), and it would be greatly helped by any letters of support from landholders, partner organisations, project officers etc (hint hint).
If you are willing to sign a letter of support and fax or post it back to me, please email me at mussared@emailmedia.com.au and I will send you a form letter (or you can write your own, or add things to the form letter I send you).
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4. FOX TRAP FOR HIRE (PROCEEDS TO BANDICOOTS)
We have a 'live capture' (cage) fox trap - generously custom-built for the Valley of the Bandicoots by Bob Thomas from the SA Mammal Club.
Residents along the Valley of the Bandicoots can hire the trap for $1 a day (all proceeds to the Valley of the Bandicoots project).
We make no promises about success, but we do have some instructions from the Mt Lofty Ranges Animal and Plant Control Board about how to maximise the chances of success with such traps successfully.
For humanitarian reasons, it is vital to check the trap frequently, and to remember that animals other than foxes may also be inadvertently caught in it. Any foxes caught should be destroyed humanely.
Please contact me (David Mussared) at Mussared@emailmedia.com.au (phone 8388-5608) if you would like to hire the trap. The limit will be one week at a time (unless there is no-one waiting).
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5. HOW ARE THE SEEDLINGS GOING?
As reported in the last newsletter, volunteers and project officer Mark Fagan have planted some 4,000 pots ('tubes') with local native seed for the Valley of the Bandicoots project, using about 30 plant species believed to be suitable for bandicoot habitat.
We have also planted four trays of native plant cuttings, and about 20 punnets of 'hard-to-grow' seeds. Most of them are being grown in the Adelaide Hills Council nursery, aside from about 1,000 tubes (and the cuttings) in our carport.
Many (but not all) of the seeds have now begun germinating. I haven't seen them this week, but last week it appeared we had achieved at least some germinating success with most of the species, but that some were germinating unevenly.
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If you are organising a Working Bee or event which is associated with the Valley of the Bandicoots (or have some news), please email me the details and I will include it in this newsletter.
Do you know anyone who would like to be on the email list for this newsletter (and also for notices about Valley of the Bandicoots working bees etc)? If so, please forward a copy of this newsletter to them (they can subscribe by sending an email to mussared@emailmedia.com.au saying 'subscribe VOB Update').
CONTACTS FOR VALLEY OF THE BANDICOOTS:
The Valley of the Bandicoots employs a part-time project officer, Mark Fagan. Mark's time is very limited, but he can be contacted at 8339-1359 (email: meshach@iweb.net.au ). Mark is available to visit and advise people who's properties are part of the wildlife corridor).
You can also contact me (David Mussared, Aldgate Valley Landcare Group) at email: mussared@emailmedia.com.au (telephone 08-8388-5608; fax: 08-8388-5372).
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