Community Volunteers Success Story

Labour intensive work by volunteers to remove a woody weed without using pesticides results in the additional benefit of producing nesting and refuge for wildlife in a NSW sanctuary.

At Oolong Sanctuary, near the picturesque village of Dalton 75 km from Canberra, volunteers are succeeding in removing a weed menace and providing a nesting place for fauna.

The not-for-profit association, the Friends of Oolong, which is also registered as an Environmental Organisation, is managed by volunteers.

Native woody weeds, Sifton Bush (Cassinia arcuata) have established themselves with the extended droughts and cover several portions of the sanctuary.

The Friends of Oolong have tried several methods to remove this weed:

• Slashing is very detrimental. Owing to the large amount of seed produced, the soil disturbed by the wheels of the tractor encourages a greater growth the following year.
  
• Herbicides would poison the ground and are to be avoided.
  

The volunteers then tried a third way: they removed some plants by using a brush cutter to cut the main stem close to the ground. The plants were then piled up and left for a season.  The following year the plants were dead and, as a bonus, birds were nesting in the piles of cuttings.

This method succeeds in removing a menace and providing a nesting place for fauna at the same time.

Once the weed is removed, if the soil is not disturbed, the native grasses take over.

The weeding program is progressing satisfactorily but requires intensive labour. Three brush cutters are operational and kept in good order by Mr Lewis Merriman, the permanent resident volunteer, who also supervises the other volunteers.

Oolong Sanctuary has basic accommodation facilities and welcomes any volunteers to continue this program.

If any group of volunteers would like to spend a day, a weekend or several days in this program Oolong Sanctuary can assist with travelling expenses if required.

Oolong wildlife

For further information

Contact	:	Gianni W D'Addario
Address	:	Bush's Lane, Dalton, NSW
Phone	:	0248456267
Mobile	:	0423 200202
Fax	:	as a bove
Email	:	gianni@pcug.org.au

WWW

:

http://www.pcug.org.au/~gianni