WILDCARE Inc News Library
Friends of Maatsuyker Island
This article appeared in Wildtimes No. 23 on 23rd December 2005
Weed Eradication Project 31 October 2004– 12 November 2004
THE LONG PLANNED WEEDING working-bee on Maatsuyker Island took place from the 31st of October to the 12th of November. The WILDCARE group, Friends of Maatsuyker Island, had been successful in securing funding through Envirofund and have worked in partnership with the PWS Southern District to arrange the trip. Much work was achieved by a remarkable and resourceful bunch of volunteers.
Dense patches of blackberries that intertwined an over-storey of tea-tree were brush-cut to allow for spraying of the regrowth that will occur over the summer. The mass of blackberries left hanging were pulled from the trees to allow for ease of movement in the forthcoming spraying and to ensure that all the canes had been cut to ground level. The edges of these large patches of blackberries were also cut and paste, with frilling of the bottom of the canes.
Other previously unknown patches of blackberries were located and treated. Although some of these were not that small they were treated by the cut and paste method to minimise disturbance to native vegetation. The tedium of this is what may have inspired the American Negro style slave songs being sung.
Monbretia (a flat leaved lily with orange flowers and masses of underground corms) was sprayed with backpacks in locations around the lighthouse precinct and along the edge of the track that runs from the lighthouses out to the disused haulage way.
Of interest and concern was the identification of another weed problem, Hebe elliptica that had originally been planted around the lighthouse quarters. This woody shrub extends into the surrounding tea-tree, upslope of the quarters in a cryptic manner until it reaches the ridge above the beautiful tussock grassland known as the Macquarie Slopes. With less competition from other woody shrubs it has become the dominant species.
Alex Buchanan of the Tasmanian Herbarium confirmed the plant as Hebe elliptica, an introduction. This plants only other known "wild" distribution in Tasmania is on Entrance Island in the mouth of Macquarie Harbour. By coincidence this island also has a lighthouse on it. You can imagine the keepers’ wives sending cuttings of this plant via the re-supply ships.
The natural distribution of Hebe elliptica is widespread, including the islands of New Zealand, Southern South America and the Faulkland Islands. All weed locations were also mapped to allow effective follow-up.
But the trip was not only work.
Our trip was blessed with many things. Tremendous flying weather for the helicopter trips in and out from the island. We were also fortunate in the broad culinary skills of the group. Many loaves of bread, cakes and fine meals were baked and cooked. The frequency of El Fresco dining is testament to the predominantly fine weather we got. Even the heavy easterly rain was a treat with the island being covered in a sheet of water. The welcome of Caretakers on the island Phillipa Foster and Mick Eccles was amazing and we enjoyed a creative social calendar. This included BBQs with views to catch the sun dropping below the horizon (is there really a green lash), social croquet matches that only threatened to get ugly a couple of times, they ensured that we didn’t fail to observe the Australian tradition of the Melbourne Cup Sweep and the slide shows were very impressive. But what impressed us all the most was the conjuring up of a Southern Light Show that few people in Australia would have had the opportunity to see with as little light interference as we enjoyed on Maatsuyker Island.
All up a remarkable trip. The group are all acutely aware of the need for regular follow-up for effective weed control and everybody expressed a desire to be involved. Must have been an OK experience.
Volunteers: Kate Kiefer, Jason Whitehead, Victoria Reid, Pip Buchanan, Steve Cronin, Jean Jackson, Mark McCall, Colin Malcomn-Rowe and Karen Ziegler. Thanks to Craig Saunders from PWS Hounville who helped coordinate the trip.
By Karen Ziegler.
