Bangalee Bushcare is a group of dedicated volunteers working under the auspices of Shoalhaven City Council towards the eventual rehabilitation of Bangalee Reserve.
Located on the northern side of the Shoalhaven River, approximately 8km upsteam of Nowra, NSW, Bangalee Reserve is a 130 hectare public park. It encompasses many different types of habitat ranging from dry eucalypt forest high on the ridges, to rainforest and riparian habitats closer to the River. Since its formation in the early 2000's, Bangalee Bushcare has successfully regenerated 17 hectares of bushland in some of the most degraded parts of the Reserve.
What's Happening this Month?
(2 December) Bushcare is continuing each Saturday from 8am until 1pm. We are focusing on removing lantana from the riverbank area west of the picnic ground. Since September, we have cleared about 170m x 50m of lantana along the western river track. We aim to keep going until we reach the western fenceline. At the current rate of progress, that should take us until early February.
The new plants in the gully area to the east of the picnic ground are all growing really well. Only 4 out of 300 planted have died since they were planted in August. We have watered them all several times using our 1,100 litre IBC tank which is probably why the success rate is so high. The weeds are also well under control with most of the regrowth being native Sigisbaekia and native Kangaroo Apple. The main weeds, Datura are being hand pulled while most of the others have been treated with glyphosate.
This week, the group is conducting its annual fauna survey. Small cage traps will be set up in different parts of the reserve to capture small mammals for monitoring. Tuesday 4, Wednesday 5, Thursday 6 and Friday 7 are the trapping days. We will be at the Reserve from 6am until about 7:30am to monitor and release the animals.
The Shoalhaven River
Bangalee Reserve has nearly 2.3km of frontage along the Shoalhaven River. As a result, the River plays a major role in the biodiversity of the Reserve and is a main focus of Bangalee Bushcare. Because much of the riverflats are severely weed infested and degraded, we spend most of our time working towards rehabilitating that vital zone.
The video below shows some of the wildlife in the River as well as the extent of the erosion and weed infestation. (music: www.scottbuckley.com.au)
Our Work
Bangalee Bushcare works on bush regeneration activities throughout the Reserve. Although we mostly focus on the riverflats due to the extent of degradation in that area, we do also maintain significant sections of rainforest higher up the ridges.
On the riverflats, the main weeds we control are lantana, wild tobacco and several different types of vine. Once these are cleared, we revegetate with native trees and maintain the cleared areas to prevent weeds from returning. Not all the work is done onsite however. We also have a significant plant propagation operation spread between our various personal residences.
The video below shows a time lapse of lantana clearing along the riverflats (music: www.scottbuckley.com.au). Apologies for the slightly blurred rendering. It will be fixed at some point if possible.
