Men’s Shed | Mount Gravatt Environment Group

June 8, 2012

World Environment Day – Girl Guides Pollinator Link Garden

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Pollinator Link, Showgrounds Precinct, Wildlife Corridor | Tags: B4C Native Plant Nursery, Common Crow butterflies, Grass Trees Xanthorrhoea johnsonii, Long-tailed Pea-blue, Men's Shed, Mt Gravatt Girl Guides, Oval Woodland Cockroach, Pollinator Link, Ringtail Possum, Running Postman Kennedia rubicunda, Waxflower Vine Hoya australis, World Environment Day |
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Landscape Plan

By Michael Fox

Sue Jones and I joined Mt Gravatt Girl Guides for World Environment Day last Tuesday night, to plant our first Pollinator Link garden. (Pollinator Link is a trademark of Mt Gravatt Environment Group)

Planting Team in action

Guide Leader, Lizi Dyrsdale, approached us at the 2 Millionth Tree planting in February with the idea of partnering in an environmental project. The project has become a real community effort with a grant from the Lord Mayor’s Suburban Initiative Fund supported by Cr

Watering Team

Krista Adams, raised gardens beds designed and constructed by Mt Gravatt Men’s Shed, Western Landscape Supplies providing a discount on garden soil and mature Grass Trees Xanthorrhoea johnsonii contributed by Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C) (relocated from road development site with DERM approval).

Sue (left) and the team planting butterfly vines

On Tuesday night a team of Girl Guides, parents and friends planted, watered, dug out weeds and removed rubbish.

Sue Jones worked with one team planting butterfly vines – Running Postman Kennedia rubicunda – caterpillar food plant for Long-tailed Pea-blue, and Waxflower Vine Hoya australis – caterpillar food for Common Crow butterflies.

The Team … dirty gloves and all

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We finished the night with a proud and happy team.

Oval Woodland Cockroach

The local wildlife also appreciated our efforts. Our Australian bushland cockroaches are not the home invaders we commonly see. Species like this Oval Woodland Cockroach live in leaf litter and do a valuable composting job.

Ringtail Possum

And a final inspection by this handsome Ringtail Possum.

Pollinator Link plants were sourced from B4C Native Plant Nursery at Carindale.

August 28, 2011

Griffith University Green Market display

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under Bushcare, Fox Gully Bushcare, Mt Gravatt Environment Group | Tags: Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee B4C, Griffith University Green Market, Men's Shed, Nest boxes, Nest hollows, Wildlife corridors |
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Mt Gravatt Environment Group partnered with Bulimba Creek Catchment Co-ordinating Committee (B4C) to engage Griffith University students at the Green Market.

Our aim is to engage students in active participation with our restoration work. Griffith Uni has a large proportion of international students and our restoration activities represent a unique opportunity for these students to experience the real Australian bush. Interestingly our display at the OWeek Markets in February drew as much or more interest from business and engineeing students as it did from environment students. One approach we are trying is to promote bushcare as recreaction, much like going on a picnic.

Our links with Griffith University start with Mimosa Creek which has its headwaters in the university grounds and forms a key wildlife corridor linking the Mountain with Toohey Forest and Bulimba Creek.

Daryl, Hannah and I shared the display last Tuesday, handing out information on bushcare events and maps showing how to find Fox Gully Bushcare site.

The new Summit Track self-guided walk brochure was very popular: take the inter-campus bus to Mt Gravatt Campus and go walking.

The prototype nest box made by the Men’s Shed also attracted interest. The Men’s Shed is working with us to develop nest boxes we can install in the wildlife corridors where there are a very limited number of suitable nest hollows left for gliders, Lorrikeets, owls and Kookaburras.

May 13, 2011

Men’s Shed and nest boxes

Posted by Mt Gravatt Environment Group under MEG Activities | Tags: Bushcare, community, Men's Shed, Mt Gravatt Environment Group, TreePopper |
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I was honoured to present our Mt Gravatt Environment Group vision, to sixty members of our Mt Gravatt Men’s Shed last Monday.

The Men’s Shed is an interesting collection of retired tradesmen, professionals and farmers who share an interest in practical projects for the community, particularly focused on woodworking, wood-turning, carpentry and welding.

Over a barbecue lunch I talked with a food scientist who still does voluntary work for CSIRO, an accountant/actuary, farmer/landscaper, electrician and engineer. I was also able to demonstrate some of the specialist bushcare tools like the TreePopper.

My Men’s Shed Presentation covered our vision of a Mountain centred community actively engaged in consolidating healthy habitat areas and reducing habitat isolation with wildlife links. I also covered the threats to the Reserve:

Garden waste dumping: garden plants become weeds in bushland
Downhill mountain biking: erosion, damage to vegetation, danger to walkers
Feral/domestic animals: smell of dog waste not picked up keeps Koalas away

And our habitat restoration at four bushcare sites:

Gertrude Petty Place – over 2,000 hours volunteer contribution
Rover Street – Koalas and Gliders returning to site
Roly Chapman Reserve – looking for a new group leader
Fox Gully Bushcare – 2,095 native grasses, vines and trees planted

Discussion of how the Men’s Shed could be actively involved covered the potential for nest boxes and, longer term, construction of an environmental/historical display at the Rover Street bushcare site.