Trailblazer Challenge 2013 - A Great Cause

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Category: South Australia
Created: Friday, 26 July 2013 22:28

trailblazer logo
In October 2013 I will be taking part in the Trailblazer Challenge, an annual multi stage team fundraising event held in Adelaide for Operation Flinders.

Trailblazer is a multiple stage endurance challenge:

18km  Adelaide to Athelstone via Linear Park West

34km  The Above then on to Morialta

50km  The above then onto Mount Lofty Summit

100km The above then onto Kuitpo Forest

back 50km Mount Loft Summit to Kuitpo Forest (Starts at 7pm and goes through the night)

This year I am part of a team of four with good friends Luke, Mel & Milton and we are going to hike the front 34 kilometres which will take us along Linear park and through Black Hill Conservation Park into Morialta Conservation Park.

Operation Flinders logoOperation Flinders is a program to help children at risk aged between 14 & 18, taking them out to the Flinders Ranges (an incredibly beautiful part of South Australia) for 8 days, giving them a range of experiences they would not experience otherwise in an attempt to steer their lives towards the positive.. It's an excellent program that has had some great results. One of my favourite parts of visiting the Flinders Ranges is the near perfect night time viewing conditions. On a good night, the immensity of the night sky becomes apparent.

If anyone wishes to donate towards Operation Flinders (donations over $2 are tax deductible for Australian Residents) please go to our Team Peregrination fundraising site  and donate to one of the team members. The site should be up to the end of October.

 

Brookfield Conservation Park with Conservation Volunteers Australia

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Parent Category: South Australia
Category: Adelaide
Created: Tuesday, 16 July 2013 06:58

Brookfield Group Shot

Brookfield is located 130 kilometres North East from Adelaide in the Riverland region of South Australia. Originally a sheep station, the property was purchased in 1971 by the Chicago Zoological Society. In 1978 it was gifted to the South Australian Government and proclaimed as a Conservation Park. Brookfield has a small section open to the public but is mostly restricted to scientific research. The research is primarily on, but not limited to, the Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat.


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Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) have managed the park since 2008 and provide a range of Environmental Volunteering and Citizen Science opportunities. CVA work with the local community to maintain the area as well as with Universities other institutions to allow research to occur.

I took part in a 'Wombat Weekend' with CVA. This trip is an excellent introductory experience.

To understand a little of the reason for this project read:

What's happening to the Southern Hairy Nosed Wombats?

Our purpose in joining is part of a Citizen Science initiative, assisting professionals in the collection of data to further their research. Citizen Science is becoming an integral part of research assisting to reduce the time and cost of data collection necessary for project advancement.

It starts with the group meeting at the Adelaide office of CVA at 8am on a Saturday morning before driving the 1 ½ hours to Brookfield. We had a group of 10 which is a full bus, the minimum group is 4. The group is made up of a range of people with various scientific backgrounds from current students to professionals, and myself a scientific layperson.

Once there, you have an orientation with the scientific team regarding the work required. This time around it was a vegetation survey to ascertain how much wombat food (Stipa nitida) and the average size and health of the grass, the number of invasive weeds (Onion Weed - Asphodelus fistulosus, Ward's Weed - Carrichtera annua), and the density of plant coverage.

PlantIn the study that we were assisting, there were 10 wombat burrows to record data on. The group is divided into teams and given a direction to explore. Our team was East. Each team is provided with a GPS (to record location of data sets) a compass (to determine their direction and orientation), A 1 metre 10x10 square grid (to record plant density), 10 location stakes, and data sheets.

 

The group drive to one of the sites, ascertain their start point according to their direction, place the grid on the ground. We had a team of 4, so we broke into two groups – 1 to record data, the other to pace out 50 metre lengths due East for recording sites to a distance of 500 metres, allowing for 11 data sets. The data recording team have the GPS, grid and data sheets, and move between each of the markers laying the grid down and counting the plants within that grid.

This probably doesn't sound particularly interesting, but if you have any level of curiosity, this is a fascinating exercise. The variability of plant density and environment is amazing. Some areas are barren while others densely populated. It is also interesting how many burrow sites you come across as you walk out the 500 metres. We came across 3 different burrow sites along one 500 metre length.

Over the course of the first afternoon we completed 5 sites and another 4 the next day.

The evening meal was prepared by everyone and we all ate together around the table, sharing stories and getting to know each other, which continued throughout the evening.

This was an excellent and rewarding experience, assisting in the collection of data, meeting new people, and learning about the local environment and Wombats.

So, if you are like me and environmentally minded, want to help out on some excellent projects, check out CVA. There are single day activities that are free through to multi-night programs with some cost.

Wills Conservation Park, Price South Australia

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Parent Category: South Australia
Category: Yorke Peninsula
Created: Sunday, 30 December 2012 00:13

The Wills Conservation Park is a small park located at Price on the Yorke Peninsula, approximately 130km from Adelaide, and runs north to Port Clinton. It is a mangrove wetlands and has very little documentation, and not even listed on the www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks website although it is mentioned in the Mainland Conservation Parks of Yorke Peninsula Management Plan 2009.

There is a 7 kilometre linear walk between Price and Port Clinton following the old road (now closed to traffic) along the western edge of the conservation park. It starts at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Price and finishes at the southern edge of Port Clinton. Allow 1 ½ to 2 hours each way. The walk is mostly flat with 73 stairs about half way along.

The trail offers a view of Samphire flats, Tecticornia spp, and the mangroves beyond. South Australia has one species of mangrove, Avicennia marina. Amongst these are a number of other species of mallees, saltbush and wattles. The walk does not take you into the flats or mangroves but does offer a wonderful view of them stretching eastward to the sea. The variations among the various low lying salt tolerant plants is excellent, offering a colourful mottled landscape. From the hill top the vista stretches over the mangroves to the sea with the view changing with the tides.

This walk is an excellent one. Depending on the time of day there are opportunities to see some wildlife including birds and wombats. There is very little shade along the path, so on warmer days it is best to walk in the morning or evening, and ensure you carry plenty of water. There are seats dotted along the path, but other facilities are available at Price or in the township of Port Clinton.

Wills Conservation Park Walk, Price, South Australia



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