A day of learning, connection, and inspiration at Scholfield’s TSR

 

Many Landcarers and community members turned out for the popular Below Our Knees: Exploring Our Native Grasslands workshop, held at Scholfield’s Travelling Stock Reserve (TSR) near Bywong. Jointly hosted by the Yass Area Network of Landcare Groups (YAN) and the Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council, the workshop brought together experts, local Landcarers, and curious community members to learn more about managing and restoring our native grasslands.

 

    

 

Understanding the value of native grasslands

 

The day began with Friends of Grasslands (FOG) ecologist Sue McIntyre, who introduced the group to the ecology, value, and management needs of native grasslands. Sue emphasised one crucial rule: don’t fertilise. Native grasslands thrive in low-nutrient environments, and where past fertiliser use or pasture improvement has occurred, it can take decades for nutrient levels to drop enough for native species to return.

But the long wait is worth it—many native grassland plants are hardy perennials that offer year-round groundcover, productive grazing, rich biodiversity, and habitat for insects, birds, and a wider ecosystem, all while requiring very little intervention.

 

      

 

Sue also explained how weeds often invade grasslands via runoff lines, where both nutrients and seeds accumulate. While small-scale erosion can create opportunities for native species to establish, more severe erosion tends to favour exotic annual weeds. Maintaining groundcover and slowing water movement, using logs or other small interventions can make a significant difference.

 

Restoring native grasslands, Sue reminded everyone, is a long game requiring patience, consistency, and strategic weed management. Allowing native species to spread naturally, or assisting them through targeted planting, can slowly shift degraded areas back toward ecological resilience.

 

   

 

Exploring the reserve

 

The group then toured the reserve with FOG members Margaret Ning, David Johnson, and Sue, who pointed out species of interest and shared insights into native–exotic look-alikes (including plantain). Participants enjoyed hands-on plant identification and lively discussion among the grasses.

 

      

 

   

 

Weed identification and management

 

Local Land Services officers Bella Hart and Alicia Kaylock then led a practical session on weed identification and control within grassland ecosystems. They covered key strategies for managing blackberry; choosing the right herbicide, timing treatments, and considering factors such as residual effects on nearby plants and what is practical to achieve with consistent effort.

 

   

 

Weed ID and control methods were also discussed for serrated tussock, African lovegrass, and St John’s wort. The message was clear: consistency is the key, and even simple tools can be powerful—nothing beats a good old-fashioned hoe.

 

Learning the history of the reserve

 

David McDonald from the local Geary’s Gap/Wamboin Landcare Group shared some of the history of the TSR, including the origins of the Scholfield name and how the reserve once formed part of a much larger protected area.

 

        

 

Collaboration and community: tackling weeds together

 

The group then moved to the Bywong Community Hall to hear from Dr Sonia Graham from the University of Wollongong. Sonia presented her research on how Landcare groups work together to tackle weed issues across landscapes.

She highlighted approaches that lead to success:

• - Defining a clear geographic focus
• - Setting achievable goals
• - Assigning tasks based on people’s strengths
• - Involving the whole community—from landholders to government agencies
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Beyond the environmental outcomes, Sonia also spoke about the powerful social benefits: reducing isolation, building emotional support, and forging new friendships among neighbours.

 

   

 

Local connections and next steps

 

After Sonia’s presentation, participants broke into smaller, geographic-specific groups to introduce themselves, discuss issues important to their local area, and share ideas. Conversations continued over lunch, strengthening connections and sparking enthusiasm for future collaborations.

As a follow-on from the workshop, YAN and our partners hope to support interested groups to connect and work together on issues and activities they care about. If you’d like to get involved—or simply learn more—please reach out to your local Landcare group or coordinator.

 

   

 

   

 

Get in touch

 

Gearys Gap / Wamboin Landcare
[email protected]

Yass Area Network of Landcare Groups
[email protected]

Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council
[email protected]

 

Written by Sarah McGrath, YAN Local Coordinator

 

Murrumbateman Landcare turned plenty of heads at this year’s Murrumbateman Field Days with a tremendous display all about our local lizards. From feisty little stone geckos to the goannas that stride through our paddocks, the full cast of scaly neighbours was represented.

 

       

 

The team also highlighted some of the region’s rare and endangered species, including the striped legless lizard and the ever-intriguing earless dragon. Visitors could learn about the habitats these species rely on and what we can do as a community to protect them.

 

Volunteers from Murrumbateman Landcare spent the weekend chatting with curious locals about everything from lizards to the broader work Landcare contributes in the village. The conversations ranged wide: the Murrumbateman nursery, stewardship of local reserves, advocacy, biodiversity, native plant choices, and simple ways residents can make their gardens more wildlife-friendly.

 

         

 

             

 

One volunteer summed up the vibe beautifully: “But I have to say that talking to the kids was my highlight. So many switched-on, thoughtful young people.”

The kids certainly had a ball. The hands-on “lizard gardens” were a hit, giving young naturalists plenty to poke, investigate and imagine. It was a joyful reminder of how much wonder these events spark for the next generation of nature lovers.

 

   

 

If you’re keen to explore the incredible variety of lizards living right here in our region, check out the NatureMapr guide below or get in touch with Murrumbateman Landcare’s growing crew of lizard experts.

 

Nature Mapr Southern Tablelands Reptiles

 

A big thanks to all of the volunteers who spent thier time creating displays, collecting information, seting up and showcasing lizards to our community.

 

Written by Sarah McGrath, YAN Local Coordinator

 

Yass Landcare hosted a fun-filled morning with their Children’s Frogwatch Habitat Hunt — a hands-on adventure celebrating our local waterways and the fascinating frogs that call them home.

 

As the group made their way down the hill, the sound of croaking from the nearby creek sparked excitement among the young explorers, who couldn’t wait to discover what lived beneath the water’s surface. Guided by Anke Maria Hoefer from the ACT Frogwatch Program, children dived into a morning of discovery, learning all about frog life cycles, habitats, and the incredible adaptations that help frogs survive.

 

   

 

      

 

Through games, puzzles, and interactive displays, Anke brought the world of frogs to life. The children discovered that only male frogs croak, while females have spectacular hearing that helps them choose the healthiest mates. They also learned the surprising fact that frogs use their eyeballs to eat, sucking them in to help ‘chew’ their food!

 

   

 

           

 

A highlight of the morning was meeting a mock-up of the world’s largest frog,  the Goliath frog, weighing around 2.5 kilograms. The children were amazed by its size (and weight!) as they passed it around. They also explored frog anatomy models, discovering short ribs, small lungs, and how frogs breathe through their skin, a reminder that frogs are great indicators of water and environmental health.

 

      

 

      

 

  

 

The activities didn’t stop there. The group made frogs “jump” on a giant parachute, hid under floating plants to imagine escaping predators, and pieced together frog puzzles. But the biggest thrill came when they headed down to the creek itself. Shoes and socks were quickly discarded as curious minds and hands turned over rocks, spotted tadpoles, insects, and plant life, and watched the thriving ecosystem up close.

 

   

 

      

 

It was a wonderful morning of laughter, learning, and connection to nature — exactly what Landcare is all about.

 

A big thank you to Anke Maria Hoefer and all the Yass Landcare volunteers who made this engaging event possible.

 

 

Written by, Sarah McGrath, YAN Local Coordinator

 

On Sunday 12 October 9 people gathered for another mini- working bee at the Sutton Village reserve. A lovely sunny morning for an enjoyable time outside. 

The group moved to the second part of the larger area of the Reserve and a lot of woody weeds were removed. We were once again impressed with the amount of work that can be done by a small group of people in one and half hours. To give you an idea: over the last 9 months we have removed 435 Sifton, 15 Cootamundra wattles, 140 escapee small grevilleas, 250 young pines, 70 briar roses, 41 hawthorns, 170 serrated tussocks, 150 St Johns wort’s, 2 cotoneasters, 1 privet, 25 thistles, 6 blackberries and six 50 L bags of litter. Aside from our own efforts, Yass Valley Council has sprayed large patches of blackberries and hundreds of serrated tussocks. 

 

 

Sutton Landcare now has its own Facebook page as well as a dedicated site on the Canberra Naturemapr 

 

>> NatureMapr | Sutton Reserve 

 

 where plants we find on the Reserve are posted. 

 

All the work is done with support from Crown Lands and Yass Valley Council. 

 

Over the next 12 months we will keep going and in addition to weed removal the environmental work may include (depending on Crown Lands collaboration and permission) removing some large pine trees that are throttling old eucalypts, healing (or cool) burns, St John’s wort removal by professionals etc. In December -January we will embark on rabbit eradication with help of Local Land Services. 

 

 The long-term plan is to provide information signs, create walking paths, yarning circles, improve the fencing to provide better access for the Sutton Community and have the Reserve as a proper community asset. If you would like to know more, or get involved, please contact us via [email protected]. 

 

Our next activity will be a twilight weed walk at the Reserve. Keep an eye on the Sutton Facebook pages for date and time. 

 

Written by Arnold Dekker, Suttton Landcare