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IMAGE OF THE MONTH & DESCRIPTION WATER-WISE GARDEN PLANTS MY LATEST REPORT
THE COOTS GROUP
My name is Jeff Reid, and I am the co-ordinator of the COOTS Group, which is the conservation group in the Australian Plants Society. (To contact Jeff)
My website is devoted to all the projects that we work on, and some other interesting features. I extend to you a very warm welcome to this site, and hope that you will spend some time looking at the various pages and information that I have placed there for you.
The Australian Plants Society which I belong to first of all, is a national body, and this site is devoted to the South Australian branch of that Society. If you were to look at a map of Australia, South Australia is that state in the middle, and to the bottom of the map.
I live in Adelaide, which is quite a unique city, because it sits between the sea on it's western side, and the beautiful Adelaide hills on the eastern side. The hills run north south, and that makes the city and it's suburbs fit into a narrow band that runs both north and south. It's a beautiful city but it does have some problems because of that layout with transport and the transport system. However few cities in the world can boast an exceptional view of the city lights, only fifteen minutes from the heart of the city, which is one of the many wonderful features that Adelaide can boast about.
I love this state, and everything about it, with the exception of one thing. We have over the last 150 years or so, systematically reduced the natural vegetation to only a few percent of what was original, in fact so much so, that today much of the remnant vegetation is rated as rare, endangered, and vulnerable.
This is where the COOTS Group and I fit into the picture.
Conservation is a subject which is becoming more and more important every day, and it is for this reason, that I decided to put this site up for everyone to see the work that this COOTS Group does. There are many conservation groups, and we are probably just another cog in that big wheel, but it is always useful to understand what all groups do. It may be a good reason to come along and be part of this one if you are able to, once you have seen the work that we do, and as with all other groups, we certainly can do with all the help we can get. I also welcome comments from other groups, and would really like to hear from those of you who might be reading this in another country, because you may find many similarities to where you live. (Would you like to contact me?)
The site is split up into the respective projects, and other topics, which are far from being completed, but I shall continue to work on it. I decided to set a site up, because so many people have asked me to explain what it is that the COOTS Group does, and rather than explain it over and over again, the idea of having a COOTS website became more of a necessity I think.
There is a page devoted to each project, and at the moment there are seven projects, some of which are no longer current, but could be started up again at any time, if the need arose.
One in particular is the Coorong Project. This area has had a lot of work done to it a few years ago, but on a recent visit, I saw many small pockets of sand erosion which need to be stabilised before they get much bigger. Another is the Airport Project, which was temporarily halted because of the uncertainty of the area in regards the new terminal and the possibility of a golf course being established right where our project is. I was not prepared to see all our hard work bulldozed, so I am waiting to find out where we stand with the area. I saw a large fence erected recently where we drove onto the project, so we would have to get permission now to even go into the site. Security is very tight there now.
However on a better note, all the other projects are very much alive, and we will be working on them all for many years to come I suspect.
One of the most important projects for those who live close to Adelaide, is the one at the Hope Valley Reservoir, because it is one of the last few remaining patches of native grasslands, which was a common sight on the Adelaide Plains back before European settlement.
Let me explain to you at this point where my COOTS volunteers come from. Some are members of the Australian Plants Society, but many others are concerned members of the public, who have a strong passion about our environment, and how they can help mother nature repair some of the damage that our forefathers have left us as a legacy. It is unfortunate that all the damage is man made, so it really is our duty to fix it up, no matter how long it takes.
All my volunteers are, without doubt, the most important feature of the COOTS Group, because without them, the work could never be done, and I am eternally grateful to each and every one of them, for their dedication and commitment.
Do spend some time looking at what we do for our environment, and feel free to drop me an email of your thoughts, because it always is good to listen to other points of view.
Jeff Reid.
The Previous Image is another new face to become part of the COOTS Group, her name is Anifa, and I have asked her parents first of all if she can be my latest participant, and it is my intention to spend initially an hour every week to teach her as much as I can about the value of conserving Australian plants, and of course how to grow them.
Previous Image is of a section of railway line heading to Whyalla, where the wild hops are spreading rapidly. Many people think that they are a native species, when in actual fact they are an introduced weed. Apparently they came to this country as packing in camel saddlebags from the early pioneer days, and now they are spreading everywhere. It is sad when postcards show the Flinders Ranges in red and purple. What is being shown are the weed species, hops and Salvation Jane.
Previous Image is a shot of Tim Edmeades doing some damage to one of the many Acacia cyclops that are taking over the reserve at Lands End. There are many weed species there, but this is a native species which does not belong in the area, and they are coming up by the thousands, and will continue to do so for many years to come. It is therefore imperative for us to keep control over that species, otherwise it will smother out completely, the endemic species of the area. Well done Timmy, keep up the good work.
Previous Image is not an unusual sight, but it is a little uncommon. It is a lighter version of the Calostemma purpurea that was noted for the first time in the Hope Valley Reservoir Project this year. It was only a few years ago, when you might be lucky to find about twenty plants in the area, but now you will see hundreds of them, and the number is increasing. Each year as seed is produced, some of it is picked, and spread to other sections of the project. I encourage people to grow it also.
I have one young girl from the neighbourhood, called Chloe, who has grown it successfully from the seed that she collected, and is now growing Eucalyptus porosa from one of the remnant gums in the project. Chloe collected the seed from that tree also, and with a little encouragement and help, has many young seedlings emerging.
Previous Image is something that I believe is quite unbelievable in this day and age, and something that must be stopped at all costs. I was contacted a few years ago by a very concerned resident in the Monarto area, telling me that moves were afoot to widen the road past the Monarto Conservation Park to all a number of rubbish trucks to access a new landfill rubbish facility being planned for the area. It would mean the removal of roadside vegetation to do this. The image of the month and at the top of the screen, shows the possible start of that roadside vegetation removal, and I will be doing my utmost to find out how this can be allowed to happen, and try to stop it proceeding. More information is in my article in "Reports and Items of Interest".
Previous Image is of a slow but inevitable invasion into South Australia, of a weed species coming from the Territory. It is called Buffel Grass, (Cenchrus ciliaris) and was introduced initially as a fodder species for cattle in the top end. It is a perennial native to Africa, Southern Asia, and the Middle East. It is now classed as an environmental weed, even though it is still being sown in places. It out-competes the native species, causes a reduction in bio-diversity, alters the pH of the soils, and is resistant to fire. The seed is wind-blown, hence it spreads very rapidly. I believe that we have another environmental nightmare on our hands if it's left to spread as it is. This image was taken south of Port Augusta, and you can see it spreading from the roadside into the nearby vegetation very rapidly.
Previous Images - is of the very first planting that we did at Lands End up on the "bald hills" back in 1998. It shows a group of Allocasuarina verticillata trees that stand three to four metres tall, and are bearing large amounts of fruit. It is wonderful habitat for the kangaroos that roam the area. I notice also that many bird species are flying in and out of the trees. This stand is part of the COOTS group plantings, however there are many thousands of trees, planted by Greening Australia, that are equally as big, and must now be getting to the stage where consideration can be given to getting some Glossy Black Cockatoos back to the mainland.
Previous Images - a view of John and Tim Edmeades, with Judy McLean planting the last of our seedlings on the very steep slopes near Fishery Beach. It was the only moist spot left in the area, as we had very little rain down there in 2005, which is quite unusual. We were planting Muntries (Kunzea pomifera) seedlings, which needed to be planted. These Muntries seedlings would have been there, but grazing over the years by cattle and sheep has wiped them all out, so its all the more reason to plant them back.
This site was last updated 24th June 2009.
