Supported by:

Canning River Regional Park Volunteers (CRRPV)

2009 happenings

17.1.09
Planning meeting and group BBQ at Canning River Eco-Education Centre.

23–24.09
Promotion of the group’s activities at both Stocklands, Riverton and the Canning River Eco-Education centre.

7.2.09
First work day for the year, at Urban Forest, near Nicholson Road. Brush-cutting and raking was carried out, with 13 bags collected. Paspalum sp (Crab Grass) was also removed from beneath shrubs and black plastic sheeting was laid as an environmentally friendly trial control of introduced Carex divisa.

1.3.09
Clean Up Australia Day. The group worked in conjunction with Stocklands, Riverton to target two areas of the park: Ferndale Flats and Masons Landing, with some members using canoes to collect rubbish from the river and its banks in the Masons area.

14.3.09
Work Day at Morning Glory Site. Removal of Paspalum sp (Crab Grass), Epaphyllum sp (Willow Herb) and small amounts of other introduced plants such as Wild Aster, Nightshade and Japanese Pepper. Some brush-cutting was done in preparation for work with a school group in April.

4.4.09
First Community Conservation Day at Canning River Eco-Education Centre.
CRRP Vollies supported the staff with talks about the importance of riparian vegetation, followed by the opportunity to view healthy riverbanks, as well as damage to banks caused by boats and careless visitors. The group also provided of tea / coffee and cakes, and bird walks.

5.4.09
Bird Survey. Our 12th survey since we began in Nov 2003. This time, with the help of two regular volunteers and several members of Birds Australia Western Australia, we were able to carry out surveys on six routes, which meant virtually the whole park was covered for the first time. 68 species were recorded on the day and the overall total species for these surveys now stands at 100 species.

Results of Bird Survey (April 2009)

9.5.09
Walk for members of the public, which 17 people attended. Conservation efforts and problems between Ferndale Flats and Lambertia Flats were pointed out.

23.5.09
Work Day at Morning Glory Site. More brush-cutting was carried out, plus the removal of Kikuyu which had been sprayed and brush-cut prior to the work day. A large flock of Australian White Ibis feeding on the old farmland east of the Billabong was of interest, with birds coming and going overhead as we worked.

1.6.09
Foundation Day. In conjunction with the City of Canning, the CRRP Vollies again provided tea, coffee, cakes, etc as well as children’s activities and displays.

20.6.09
Work Day at Urban Forest. Planting of upland areas in the recently extended section near Nicholson Road. Using Bentonite clay product as a trial on hydrophobic soils, plants were put in on both the north and south sides of the ancient Eucalyptus rudis (Flooded Gum), which is now included within the fenced area.

18.7.09
Work Day at Litoria Fenced Site. Further planting was carried out in the upland areas, as well as more brush-cutting.

15.8.09
Plant Salvage from Fiona Stanley Hospital Site. A small group, joined by the City of Canning Bush Crew, collected approximately 200 plants, which were later replanted at Nicholson Billabong and on the upper levels of Litoria Sedge Site.

16.8.09
Taste of Science Day. CRRP Volunteers contributed to the Taste of Science Day held at the Canning River Eco-Education Centre by providing children’s bush craft activities.

22.8.09
Work Day at Nicholson Billabong. Watering in of new plants and mulching to reduce water loss. A flock of Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoos flew into the site as we worked. They spent close to half an hour ripping into branches of Acacias to extract fat white grubs.

14.9.09
There were Australian Shelducks and ducklings – 14 in one case – and Black Swans with six cygnets on Wilson Lagoon. Another family of swans with six cygnets was seen on Carden Lakes.

19.9.09
Work Day at Litoria Fenced Site. Weeding of Cape Tulip etc and planting on the lower, wetter levels. A possible new species of Tribonanthes and another interesting fungi, Gold Coral Fungi (Ramaria sp)

24.10.09
Work Day at Litoria Sedge Site. Removal of Sticky Bartsia (Parentucellia viscosa) from the eastern end of the site. Brush-cutting and bagging of weeds from among sedges to remove seed heads before they shed. Photos, taken from the same place in Sept 2006 and Oct 2009, show development of the site.

1.11.09
Bird Survey. Six routes surveyed with help from experienced birders outside the group. A total of 69 species recorded – some 1538 individual birds! Striated Pardalotes were more common than usual and numbers of Rainbow bee-eaters and Black-winged Stilts were higher than on previous surveys.

Results of latest Bird Survey (November 2009)

14.11.09
Work Day at Urban Forest
Thanks to City of Canning we now have extra watering points which make the job of watering recent plantings much less onerous.

28.11.09
Group Canoeing Day. A pleasant couple of hours spent exploring the areas upstream from the weir, followed by a barbecued lunch. There was evidence of recent nesting by Darters.

12.12.09
Work Day at Urban Forest. Removal of yet more seeding weeds – thistles, Lotus, Crab Grass, etc and preparation of access tracks for work later in the month, followed by morning tea beneath the enormous old Eucalyptus rudis at the site.

14-18.12.09
Removal of large tracts of blackberry (and other weed species) from among dense Melaleuca on the lower levels of Urban Forest by Eco-Jobs and some of the volunteers. Cut stems were then treated to reduce the likelihood of regrowth.

Click here for 2008 happenings