May 2008

http://www.bulimbacreek.org.au

Email: b4c@bulimbacreek.org.au

With Thanks To Our Major Sponsors:

This Issue:

• Natural Resource Awareness

Week activities

• Bulimba Creek Catchment

• Battler for Bushland

• Peaks to Point Festival

• Save our Turtles & Dugongs

• Salisbury to Kuraby Rail

• Know your Creek Booklet

• Wildlife Monitoring Program

• French volunteer

Thanks to:

We would also like to thank Judy Spence State Member for Mt Gravatt for her continued support with the printing of

our newsletter

ABN: 46 101 092 637

(B4C)

Phone: (07) 3420-4800 to Whites Hill

SCHOOL TWINNING DAY (Wed 21 May)

Thanks to a grant from the Department of Natural Resources and Water, B4C was able to organise a day of environmental education activities for 4 local schools. Students from Tingalpa, Mansfield, Mount Petrie and Lota were very excited to take part. Students were from Years 4 to 7. Each school divided into four animal groups and the mixed groups then rotated through four activities.

1) Habitat Creation through tree planting with the volunteers of B4C. 150 native trees and grasses were established.

2) Aboriginal Culture with Rick Roser, included boomerang throwing, didgeridoo playing, face painting with natural ochres, hair decoration with emu feathers, fire making and story telling.

3) Wildlife Presentation with Geckoes. 10 Australian animals native to TIngalpa Wetlands were presented by Geckoes. Animals included turtle, squirrel glider, flying fox, green tree frog, tawny frogmouth and carpet python.

4) Macro invertebrate study presented by Brisbane City Council officers from Boondall Wetlands.

CATCHMENTS BUS TOUR (Sun 25 May)

The Catchment Bus Tour involved 43 participants, from local bushcare groups, volunteers and members of both Bulimba Creek and Bayside catchments. Staff from Department of Main Roads, Brisbane City Council and Western Corridor Recycling Water Pipeline also attended.

Our guest presenter was Ric Nattrass, an expert in biodiversity, especially birds. The community members were taken to five significant sites (Oxbow, Hemmant Recreation Reserve, Tingalpa Wetlands, Melaleuca Park and Lota Boardwalk) and were educated about the function and values of key urban ecosystems and the wildlife of these important refuges.

NATURAL RESOURCES AWARENESS WEEK ACTIVITIES

Catchment tour at Hemmant Recreation Reserve

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BULIMBA CREEK CATCHMENT Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C) is a voluntary, non-profit community organisation. It is comprised of volunteers, bushcare groups and concerned residents within the catchment.

We work from a self-funded Catchment & Volunteer Centre with a Brisbane City Council funded Coordina-tor, Luke Diett. Our work is made possible through support from Powerlink, Brisbane City Council, community groups and individuals.

The catchment itself comprises a complex network of creeks and major tributaries covering 122 square kilometres, or ten percent of Brisbane’s land area. This makes it one of the largest creek catchments in the greater Brisbane region.

The catchment extends from the southern suburbs of Kuraby and Runcorn to Hemmant and Murarrie near the Brisbane River in the north. The catchment is home to in excess of 120,000 people.

Land is currently used for residential, rural-residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and open-space purposes. The catchment contains bushland and wetlands of regional significance. Infrastructure projects, such as roads, rail, power and pipeline upgrades, are affecting the green space in the catchment.

The catchment is ringed by significant remnant forest and includes extensive zones of restorable creek corridor. B4C is the key catchment management group in this area.

Grey areas on map show large natural areas such as Mt Gravatt, Whites Hill Reserve, Belmont Hills and Minnippi.

BATTLER FOR BUSHLAND

For many years, Tom Creevey has been a staunch defender of the environment, working in association with B4C. For the past decade, the Stretton resident’s work has managed to save large tracts of bushland as B4C’s Upper Catchment co-ordinator and as President of the Karawatha Forest Protection Society.

He was also a key player in establishing the Kuraby Fauna Crossing Bridge on Compton Road, setting the stan-dard for future road projects near bushland.

On Australia Day he was presented with the newly created Lord Mayor’s Green Heart City Smart Australia Day Award. Mr Creevey accepted the award with a warning that the city has reached a critical juncture in setting the level of green cover for the future.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman presents

Tom Creevey with the Green Heart City Smart

Australia Day Award.

PEAKS TO POINTS FESTIVAL Communities caring for their Catchments

The Peaks to Points Festival celebrates the diverse natural environment of greater Brisbane’s southern region, from Flinders Peak in the west, to the shores of Moreton Bay. The Festival raises awareness of the diverse eco-systems within this area, through a varied program of arts, cultural and environmental events and activities. Previously known as the Oxley Creek Water Festival, Peaks to Points now encompasses the catch-ments of Wolston/Centenary, Bulimba Creek, Bayside Creeks and Eprapah Creek. The Festival runs from 19 July to 3 August 2008 and brings the community together to celebrate our spectacular natural environment, the land, the waterways, and our native plants and animals. For more information visit www.peakstopoints.com.au

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SAVE OUR TURTLES AND DUGONGS!

The Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland (WPSQ) has called for urgent action to be taken to protect the dwindling numbers of turtles and dugongs in the Bay.

The call follows release of an Environmental Protection Agency report showing that large numbers of the marine creatures are dying in Moreton Bay Marine Park.

Spokesman for the WPSQ Bayside Branch Simon Baltais said in only three months (September to December 2007) 131 turtles were reported dead in the marine park.

Most deaths were due to boat strikes, loss of marine habitat and pollution. Mr Baltais called for better safe havens where fishing and heavy boat traffic were banned to be established for turtles and dugongs in Moreton Bay.

Mr Baltais said for the past eight years dugong mortality in the Moreton Bay Marine Park had been very high and consistently higher than most other areas in Queensland.

“Interesting to note that less than one per cent of the Moreton Bay Marine Park offers full protection” he said.

“Clearly the Queensland Government needs to do more for Moreton Bay’s dugongs and turtles as the general long term trend in fatalities can only be expected to get worse unless better protection is provided.

“This protection means providing dugongs and turtles real safe havens and greater protection for their habitat. It also means greater controls placed on coastal development, storm-water pollution and boating traffic” Mr Baltais said.

SALISBURY TO KURABY RAIL LINE EXTENSION (S2K)—COMPENSATORY PLANTINGS

IN LOCAL PARKS The opening celebrations for S2K were held at St Laurence’s College playing fields on Sunday 2nd March, 2008. Hundreds of people attended and enjoyed the day. Bulimba Creek Catchment (B4C) set up a stall and initiated a tree planting in our S2K project area. In the course of fighting for preserva-tion of natural areas during development of infrastructure, B4C often comes into conflict with g o v e r n m e n t agencies. We are used to suffering the pa in of such necessary develop-ments and always work to seek a good final outcome for the environment and the community — green offsets. This project has given us a benchmark in achieving the best possible outcome we could and we had to work hard and raise the issue at all levels to have the support for such a commitment to environmental infrastructure and recovery. We are now privileged to be undertaking the project for the S2K Alliance and the project is to restore and replant areas along the Altandi to Kuraby Rail area. We have started and despite the weather and flooded fields are now revegetating St Laurence’s fields, Runcorn rail area and several BCC parks adjoining Beenleigh Road, including the large Wally Tate Park. This is going to be a great investment in environmental values and the liveability of this area. We are thankful for the support of those we have engaged with in the S2K Alliance and also Ministers Spence and Robertson and Councillor Gail McPherson. Without their interest and representation the green budget may have been lower, we believe. Seeing several BCC parklands will be upgraded without the impost on Council ratepayers, I am hopeful that the Council will look at this project and consider dedicating more financial support to the on-going maintenance of the parks we are rehabilitating and landscaping. We always work on three basic objectives - protect - enhance - maintain. We have achieved the first two with the Salisbury to Kuraby Rail and now need to find the commitment to "maintain" our new natural area parks beyond the initial 12 month period. Council's LAS needs a hand and we are willing to provide it, with some assistance from Council.

Turtle caught in trap in Moreton Bay.

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PO Box 5, Carina QLD 4152

Ph: (07) 3420-4800

Fax: (07) 3420-4811

E-mail: b4c@bulimbacreek.org.au

http://www.bulimbacreek.org.au

WILDLIFE WATCH ON MT GRAVATT

On Sunday 9th March about sixty people met at Rover Street Mt Gravatt to launch Bayside/Bulimba Creek Catchments’ joint Biodiversity Monitoring Program. The philosophy underpinning the scheme is that the public will be the eyes and ears and the information will be provided to Brisbane City Council. Over time the data will be collated and feedback will be provided to the community regarding the biodiversity in the area concerned.

The event was very successful and Ric Natrass was present to conduct the bird-walk and to answer various queries from those participating. Several other speakers were on hand to present interesting talks on related subjects.

As part of the same program an evening spotlighting was held from Gertrude Petty Place on 31 March with 26 people attending. Volunteers are now being contacted to set up diurnal and nocturnal wildlife monitoring. The next evening will be in July. Contact B4C office if you are interested in participating.

FRENCH ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER VOLUNTEERS WITH B4C

Amandine Crambes, a graduate from University of Marseilles in France, is volunteering with B4C between May and August. Amandine has a degree in Environmental Engineering and is assisting us with a number of projects. Her strength is in mapping and design. Amandine is assisting with planning for the Sustainability Centre landscaping, bushcare, water testing, school education and corporate days.

A new booklet produced by the Brisbane City Council Water Resources department, with input from B4C is now available to interested people.

This 44 page coloured publication covers many areas of interest concerning Bulimba Creek, and con-tains a wealth of information on the catchment and general catchment and water information. Topics include history, biodiversity (plant and animals), weeds within the catchment, rehabilitation, waterway health, maps and many more topics.

We have already circulated over 200 copies to local schools and at community and corporate days.

For a hard copy please contact us by telephone or email. There is also a PDF version available from the Council website: http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/b c c w r / e n v i r o n m e n t / d o c u m e n t s /know_your_creek_bulimba_2008.pdf

Koalas have been

sighted at Mt Gravatt

and the team is hoping

to record their presence

Amandine with a carpet python at the

School Twinning Day at Tingalpa