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Brigalow Fauna Survey: Moonie, QLD
We have been busy using science to explore Brigalow remnants in our region to gather baseline data about biodiversity, vegetation types and overall ecosystem health, specifically in the Moonie area.
Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) is a species of silvery wattle that creates open forest and woodland communities known as the Brigalow Belt. Belah, Gidgee, Lancewood and Bendee trees grow alongside Brigalow as part of these forests and woodlands.
Excitingly, the eastern boundary of the Brigalow Belt is an ancient system. There are scattered patches of semi-evergreen vine thickets which are remnants of the extensive subtropical rainforests that occupied much of the brigalow lands millions of years ago. Due to land clearing for agriculture, only fragments of this system now remain.
The Brigalow and surrounding ecosystems provide habitat for many distinctive fauna species, all of which are key indicators of the overall health of the area.
Our team lead by Sandy Robertson and Holly Hosie spent the first week of March camped near Moonie where they identified four key sites across private and public land to undertake a fauna survey. They built trapping mechanisms at each site and recorded their findings over five days to create a snapshot of what lives in the area – read on to see what they found at each site.
The trapping set up
Sandy and Holly set six funnel traps, three pitfall traps along a drift fence and 20 elliot traps -10 on either side of the drift fence at each site.
Two infra-red remote camera traps were also set up at each of the four sites with one to capture feral animals in identified impact zones and one set up at the fauna trap site to measure the movement of species along the drift net.
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ButtonHolly setting a camera trap
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ButtonFunnel trap
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ButtonHolly and Sandy after digging in the final traps
Drift net fence
SITE 1: Open Woodland / Grassland
Characterised by knee high grasses and shrubs, fallen timber piles and a widely-spaced eucalypt trees, the open woodland site produced some of the most thrilling finds of the survey.
A couple of exciting reptile finds were made in the grass including a healthy eastern brown in one of the funnel traps and a Bynoes gecko. Sandy identified the snake within the safety of the trap and carefully released it away from the trap site.
Amphibian species were also trapped, including green striped frogs, rough frogs and wrinkled toadlets. It was the perfect time to survey for frogs following the much-needed summer rainfall.
An eastern barn owl was spotted near the site at night, eastern grey kangaroos passed through the grasslands morning and evening, and a lucky bearded dragon was moved from the road near the site by Sandy. The dragon was in the middle of shedding its skin, something adult dragons do once or twice a year lasting 2-3 weeks.
The infra-red camera at this site captured a number of photos of a mob of feral pigs travelling along an established track late at night and early in the mornings - not a great sign but not unexpected.
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ButtonBearded dragon shedding
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ButtonGreen-striped frog
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ButtonBynoes gecko, by Will Brown (sourced)
Feral pigs caught on infra-red camera trap
SITE 2: Wetland / Woodland
The wetland site provided the highest count of fauna out of all the trap sites. The recent rainfall in the region meant there was plenty moving around – both native and introduced. The site was marsh-like with plenty of mud, grasses, wildflowers and low shrubs.
Frogs were abundant at the wetland site with 167 individuals counted in just one day. Unfortunately, there were plenty of signs of feral pigs also in the area including wallows, hoof prints and uprooted vegetation.
Feral pigs don’t have sweat glands and therefore require water to cool themselves. Additionally, feral pigs eat many native frog species so although it was promising to see so many frog species represented, it was also worrying to see strong evidence of this destructive species once again.
Observed frog species included ornate burrowing frogs, green striped frogs, wide-mouthed frogs and wrinkled toadlets.
Ornate burrowing frogs were the most common species discovered throughout the survey. These frogs are remarkable survivors that – as their name suggests - burrow during dry or cold times, emerging when it becomes warmer and rains. They occur in a wide range of habitats from the coast to central arid environments.
Their feet have special hardened plates known as tubercles that they use like a shovel to help them dig their burrows. They burrow backwards at an angle giving them the name 'backwards-sliding burrower'. (Source: Backyard Buddies.)
A number of other species were also spotted in proximity to the trap site including a lace monitor, brolga, red-tailed black cockatoos and feral species such as mice and a piglet.
SITE 3: Brigalow woodland
The trap sites in the Brigalow woodland revealed a number of reptile species such as Ingram’s skink, Dwyers snake, Bynoes gecko and tree skinks alongside a couple of amphibians – wide-mouthed frogs and ornate burrowing frogs.
Excitingly, a couple of mammals were also observed at this site – a slender-tailed (common) dunnart and an echidna. Australia has the worst mammalian extinction rate in the world so finding mammals in the ecosystems we’re working to protect is always celebrated.
Common dunnarts are endemic to Australia and are nocturnal insectivores whose diet consists mainly of beetles, spiders and cockroaches. Unfortunately, these small marsupials are a similar size and therefore often mistaken for house mice, a pest found in farm houses and sheds all over rural Australia. A trained eye can easily spot the difference though.
Dunnarts have sharply pointed snouts, large, bulging black eyes to help them with their nocturnal hunts and delicate white hind feet with no nail on the inner 'big' toe on the hind foot. They also have white bellies and cat-like teeth, excellent tools for feeding on insects where mice have rat-like teeth for eating seeds and grain.
Caper white butterflies and their chrysalis were found on the native orange bushes, and plenty of birds were observed including Rufous whistlers, an olive-backed oriole and yellow thornbills.
SITE 4: Brigalow woodland and associated wetland
The team were relieved to discover that the second brigalow site had the easiest soil for digging traps into. A Dubious dtella was trapped at this site, a four-clawed gecko native to north-eastern Australia. Tree skinks were also observed to be quite common to the area.
Amphibian species trapped mirrored those caught at the other sites - wide-mouthed frogs, short-footed frogs, green striped frogs and rough frogs. A few other species were also observed near the site such as an emerald spotted tree frog, broad-palmed frog and a number of fluorescent juvenile crucifix frogs.
Crucifix frogs also burrow into soil waiting to emerge after summer and autumn rains. They are one of the few species of Australian frogs which has skin patterning that does not provide camouflage, but instead acts as a vivid warning against predation. It is not clear whether the pattern is intended to warn against a poison, or a bad taste that the animal may possess, however the species and its relatives do also have glands that secrete a glue-like substance which may act as a deterrent against predators such as snakes and birds. One member of the same genus is known colloquially as the 'Superglue Frog' for this reason. (Source: Australian Museum)
Unfortunately, wild dog paw prints were found in the mud around the puddle where the crucifix frogs were found indicating that pigs weren’t the only feral species moving around the brigalow country.
A swamp wallaby made its way through the scrub while the team were working there and like the other sites, insects were abundant. The butterfly explosion was quite the sight with blue tiger and caper white butterflies dancing around the woodland. A large number of native cockroaches were also found at this site.
The team observed a wedge-tailed eagle in the area, pale headed rosellas and a burrowing spider, yet to be identified - added bonuses to the species trapped.
The data we’ve collected from our fauna survey at Moonie is essential as we work towards better understanding the state of Brigalow remnants and the fauna that relies on its existence and health. For information about our Brigalow project, visit our project page.
ENVIRONMENT PROJECT
The Board of Southern Queensland Landscapes recently met in Toowoomba. In addition to the Board meeting, Board and Executive worked through updating SQ Landscapes’ strategy. Company Secretary Pam Murphy highlighted the importance of the latest Board meeting and what it means for the company’s future. “The updated strategy will help SQ Landscapes deliver sustainable natural resource management (NRM) outcomes that improve the lives of people in regional communities now and for the future,” Pam Murphy said. “We’re excited to continue delivering value for our region and build Flourishing Landscapes and Healthy Communities across Southern Queensland under the guidance of the Board,” Mrs Murphy said.
Annual General Meeting When: Wednesday, 13 December 2023 Where: Online via Zoom Time : 9.00am for 9.30am start
When Sophie and Adrian McInnerney began adopting their “paddock to plate” experiment into their lambing business, they quickly discovered how a new and exciting approach to running their enterprise transformed their resilience and soil health. Multi-species cover cropping was the answer, and now their business has become a diverse enterprise that has embraced variations in livestock feed and crop rotation, building riparian fencing, and investing in healthier soils. This has opened the young couple to new opportunities to create new revenue streams, protect their business against natural disasters, drought, and prepare for economic hardships. Their property, “Bellhaven Brook”, located just an hour east of Goondiwindi, was the site of Macintyre Ag Alliance’s latest Multi-Species Cropping Field Day. With the support of Southern Queensland Landscapes (SQ Landscapes), the event aimed to promote the McInnerney family’s new land practices, offering an opportunity to educate land managers in the region of new ways to strengthen their property and enterprise. SQ Landscapes’ Goondiwindi-based Project Delivery Officer Keith Walker joined land managers for the workshop and highlighted how multi-species cover cropping could pave the way to rebuilding healthy soils and farming enterprises. “What was great about visiting ‘Bellhaven Brook’ is that you don’t have to be a scientist to understand this stuff. The idea is to just try and experiment like the McInnerneys did,” Keith Walker said. “These cover cropping systems are all about building your experience, experimenting and slowly developing a healthier and richer soil profile; which is the basis of all businesses; cropping and grazing alike.” Mr Walker said. “It was interesting to see the range of people, the ages from young and old, and the differences in enterprises. It’s a reminder that this genre of agriculture is starting conversations,” he said. “It’s all about implementation on the ground and getting the results for less money and experimenting with what people are doing.”
Cool burns, camels, and funding for local farmers were on the agenda at 'Risdon Stud' as land managers Nick and Liz Suduk hosted the Southern Queensland Landscapes and Department of Resources site visit to showcase the success of the Natural Resources Investment Program 2018-2022 (NRIP). Risdon Stud, south of Warwick, was primarily a high-intensity horse stud, but under new ownership with the Suduk family, the focus has been on restoring productivity and landscape health. “The Suduks participated in the NRIP project, where they received on-site guidance from First Nations fire practitioner Robbie Williams from Fire Lore, for cool burning in native vegetation areas,” Project Delivery Lead Natasha Mylonas said. “This was their first exposure to this type of burning and they have since embarked on a journey towards building their confidence in applying it elsewhere on the property,” Ms Mylonas said. “The NRIP project also supported livestock fencing, largely to exclude cattle from a large patch of remnant vegetation, combined with weed management in that remnant vegetation,” she said. “It is really difficult to muster out of the remnant vegetation, so the fencing has meant easier mustering of the cattle, as well as reduced weed spread and damage to the native vegetation in the patch.” “Outside of the NRIP project, they maintain a herd of agisted camels as part of their weed management strategy and experimented with fire to manage wattle regrowth,” Natasha Mylonas said.
Fire is crucial to maintaining our landscapes. That’s according to fire practitioner Robbie Williams, who accompanied Southern Queensland Landscapes earlier this year to bridge fire practitioner knowledge with First Nations Peoples across the southwest. Robbie has since returned to the region - this time accompanied by members of our Charleville team as he hosted training along the slopes of the culturally significant site of Mt Tabor, just outside Augathella. “This is the continuation of what we achieved last time we were in the southwest,” Robbie Williams said. “Last visit, SQ Landscapes connected me with local First Nations mobs including Kunya, Bidjara, Mardigan, Boonthamurra, Kooma, Kullilli, and Murrawurri,” Mr Williams said. “During this visit, many of these mobs agreed to trial fire practitioner training for young men in the area to bring burning back onto Country; and that is exactly what we’re here to do today!” he said. “It’s really inspiring to see these communities taking on the opportunity to learn about burning and we’re hoping this will develop into businesses the local mobs can build to manage their Country.”
Winners in the Southern Queensland Landscapes and University of Southern Queensland’s 2023 First Nations Art Competition have been announced to a crowd of more than 150 people in Toowoomba. Overall Grand Prize and Digital Medium Category winner has gone to Robert Claude Manns for his piece ‘Mandan’. "I wanted to express the fractured relationship that I have with some of the Mandandanji People. Unfortunately many of us feel connected to our Nation, but not always the people," Robert Manns said. "My piece was assisted through artificial intelligence (AI) art and I found that to be a really powerful tool in discovering how I wanted this art to go," Mr Manns said. "I've always been artistic, and I wanted to explore Indigenous art, but I wasn't great at it and I found the style difficult to personalise. AI and digital art has allowed me to connect with Indigenous art in my own way and explore things the way I wanted," he said. "I'm really glad it worked out and people liked the art!" "In truth, I thought I might only get an encouragement award, but to first see I won the digital art and then the Overall Grand Prize was just spectacular. There were tears in my eyes. I wasn't expecting to get so far!" Robert Manns said. "I want to thank everyone who made Indigenous art through the millenia; otherwise I wouldn't have done it," Mr Manns said. "Shortly before he passed away, my dad put me onto the competition and I thought I'd give it a go. I wish he was here to see it, as he was my inspiration for making this art." he said. "He was my inspiration and my supporter through it all."
By Kellie Stewart When land managers Phil & Anne Donges entertained the idea of retirement they looked to the natural assets of their property located between Yelarbon, Inglewood and Texas to provide the answer. For almost 90-years ‘Glenarbon’ had supported generations of the Donges family; with key crops and land use pivoting numerous times as a result of market demands, economic climates and practice change. “Glenarbon was established back in 1932; our family came out then and it was to grow tobacco, that was in the middle of the depression,” Phil Donges said. “Five years ago we sold our main farm about 10-kilometres down the road and we decided to go into semi-retirement keeping about 100-acres of the original farm along about 1-kilometre of the Dumaresq River,” Mr Donges said. “We’re using Glenarbon now to run a few head of steers and then we’ve also gone into this eco-tourism where people can come and enjoy the environment like we like it ourselves,” he said. “We saw the ecotourism as an opportunity to give us some extra income by going into the camping side of things, but also to diversify our business so that we could in tougher seasons rely less heavily on livestock and more on the natural assets of the farm.”
It’s amazing how quickly a landscape can rebalance itself according to Jarrod and Sam Thomson of ‘Gum Gully’, located some 14 kilometres south of Drillham in Queensland. The couple purchased the 820 hectare property in 2020 and since then have been working to reverse landscape damage caused by years of drought and overgrazing. “Gum Gully is a very diverse farm with a lot of timber ranging from Mallee box to belah, sandalwood and a lot of native pastures,” Jarrod Thomson said. “It’d been really knocked around by the droughts and our main goal was how do we bring back this place to make it a viable enterprise again?” Mr Thomson said. “Quickly realising that we had to rehabilitate the land and rehydrate it fast; desertification had set in and we were struggling to grow galvanised bur,” he said. Rehydration works included some contouring and soft engineering works combined with farm dams to slow the flow and manage water across the property to maximise each rain event regardless of whether it was 10mm or 100mm.
Reconciliation was on the agenda at Gummingurru for National Reconciliation Week. First Nations, local community, and avid gardeners came together for a round of truth telling and tree planting. Located north of Toowoomba, Gummingurru is an ancient and sacred site for Western Wakka Wakka Peoples, serving as a stopping point for First Nations Peoples on their way to the Bunya Mountains. Western Wakka Wakka man Shannon Bauwens, a First Nations man from the Bunya Peoples’ Aboriginal Corporation (BPAC) led the event with a smoking ceremony and a round of truth-telling at the yarning circle near Gummingurru. “Reconciliation is about talking to each other. Coming together and making something positive as a community,” Shannon Bauwens said. “This yarning circle we are standing in now represents thousands of years of storytelling,” Mr Bauwens said. “Today is all about sharing our stories and finding new ways to come together as a community; whether you are Indigenous or not,” he said. “We have people from all different Nations, from Western Wakka Wakka, to Bunjalung, Gomeroi, and more.”
Meet Lorinda Otto. She is Southern Queensland Landscapes’ latest addition to the team as our Relationship Lead and the incoming Roma Node Manager for the Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales Innovation Hub. Lorinda joins our team with a wealth of experience in stakeholder engagement and community networking, working with government, non-government, community organisations, farmers, small businesses, and apprentices/trainees. “I’m all about connecting land managers and helping them understand how to become connected with innovation, upskilling, resilience, and cost-saving programs.” Lorinda Otto said. “My parents were farmers. Farming is in my blood and I have a passion for our environment. Outdoor experiences have helped shape who I am today.” Ms Otto said. “I was born in South Africa and I attended university in Johannesburg and initially started in the dental industry as an oral hygienist, but when we emigrated to Australia, I decided to be a stay at home mum for three years before later working at Queensland Health for nine months.” she said. “Following my work with Queensland Health, I worked briefly in the energy industry at Powerlink for 18 months which opened a door for me to work at Santos in their administration, community engagement, and data catchment fields.” “That opportunity led me into the government sector where I enjoyed five years in the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, as their Senior Field Officer conducting key stakeholder engagement, supporting small business, and also monitoring the progression of apprentices and training programs,” Lorinda Otto said. “I worked across seven western shires, many of which are in SQ Landscapes’ catchment including Bulloo, Murweh, Ballone, Maranoa, Quilpie, and the Western Downs - alongside Banana and Blackall,” Ms Otto said. “I want our agricultural sector to be strong and healthy and I believe I have a role to play in that!” she said. Lorinda’s team includes Ally Southern, an Adoption Officer based in St George. They will work closely across the SQ Landscapes region to help land managers drought-proof their property and prepare for a more resilient industry. As the incoming Roma Node Manager, Lorinda will have lots on her plate, but she’s eager to rise to the challenge and bring her unique style to the role!