Vegetation, boxes bring back wildlife

THE 2006 round of offers for the Western Port Catchment Landcare Network is now open.
Landholders are invited to apply for fencing and revegetation works on their properties.
The Landcare Network offers fencing subsidies for protecting remnant vegetation and creating shelter belts and corridors across properties to protect stock and pasture.
Landholders can also apply for revegetation of the corridors.
Assistance is also available in identifying salinity-affected areas, advice on land management issues such as weed control and soil erosion, and training sessions on land management are also available.
Applications can be made by calling the Western Port Catchment Landcare Network Facilitator on 5942 8580.
One of the reasons people apply for a Landcare project is that they are keen to encourage birds and animals back onto their properties.
The fencing and revegetation works provide extra habitat for birds and animals to move into.
One of the questions often asked is how quickly will the wildlife return.
The Landcare Network has had an innovative project running throughout 2005 on five properties with Landcare projects to evaluate and monitor how effective the Landcare plantings are in encouraging the return of wildlife to the sites.
The study also focused on how quickly wildlife returned to make homes in the sites planted out four years ago compared to sites planted only a year ago.
Preliminary results indicated the types of plants planted was vital to providing habitat.
The Landcare Network will focus on providing the right species to provide food and shelter.
Some of the best species to plant are silver wattle, sweet bursaria, kangaroo apple, prickly currant, grasses and flax lilies.
Another finding was that providing nest boxes quickly to the site increased habitat.
The Landcare Network was fortunate as they were able to obtain the generous support of Steve Hardy from Hardy’s Mitre 10 to provide the materials, and the Deep Creek Landcare group and Jim McNabb, a field naturalist, to provide the labour to make the boxes.
Together the team from Deep Creek made five masked owl boxes and five brushtail possum boxes.
Special thanks go to Keith Waterhouse and Neville Clarke for organising the team of volunteers.
The boxes have been installed onto the five properties with the help of Brendan Davidson and Dan and Bill Robertson.
They are now ready to receive their new occupants.
A special field day will be organised with the Maryknoll Wildlife Shelter to put homeless possums into the boxes.
The owl boxes will be monitored to see how long it takes owls to take up residence.
The Deep Creek group will continue to make other boxes for parrots and bats to put onto properties.
Anyone interested to help make the boxes would be most welcome.
Inquiries can be made to the facilitator on 5942 8580.