On Wednesday 21st May a number of YAN representatives were involved in a meeting and site visit on the Barton Highway upgrade. The meeting was organised by Ginninderra Catchment Group as an opportunity to discuss and look at the planned work. It was a productive afternoon - we got to talk about a number of concerns related to the environmental impact of the project and learn more about the approach of Transport NSW, their efforts to minimise damage and mitigate impacts. There was a shared interest in keeping on with communication and hopefully working together in the future.  

Over the ANZAC Day weekend, Linda Thane and family finished planting Acacia deanei and Dodonaea viscosa at the supporting site on Wattle Valley. It is a challenging site, on a ridge line, rocky and exposed, so it will be a good test.  The site was thoroughly burnt in a major fire in 2013, so there is some ash in the soil. Linda will give them water twice a week until they get some good rain, then they’ll be on their own. 

This inspiring short film from Local Land Services looks back at the last 5 years of Catchment Action NSW projects in the Yass and Boorowa areas. Catchment Action funding has contributed to improved biodiversity, habitat connectivity and productivity on private land in this highly cleared area. Hear from a few of the project participants about why they got involved and the legacy they hope to leave.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjyVBhchcLQ

The Climate Ready trial planting at Mountain Vale near Murrumbateman was completed in April with a workforce of 20 enthusiastic and capable volunteers who dug holes, watered, and put guards on for a total of 552 plants. The layout of this site is provided in this link. Many hands made light work.  You will hear more about this climate ready site and the Kangiara trial site over the coming years as to how the local and admix plants thrive or die in those sites.

Here are some important lessons from the day (thanks Geoff!):

We have the 10 great buckets from Bowning Bookham. Each bucket labeled A or L  and I've cut frames to hold 8 tubes in each bucket. ie 4 acacia plus 4 hop bush. We have enough people coming to have two teams of two on these and one team of two finishing the eucs ahead of them. I'm keen to avoid people having to bend over too much so the bucket system will be better and easier than putting tubes on the ground at each spot. 

I've also got a container that fits on my belt that holds 8 so that's an option as well. 

Another team of 2 or 3 to supervise and load the buckets and place the A or L buckets at the A or L marker posts and one team of two watering in and one or two teams doing guards. 

Correct and consistent planting and quick follow up with watering in will be the priority.  Guards after that.

Gill and I had a trial run with the guards and like you, we found the stakes a bit rough on corners and hard to easily put through holes in guards so I rotated them across my bench sander so hopefully they'll be easier.