Thirty-five enthusiastic children and adults turned up on 29th March at Guanaba Creek, near Rosser Park, to learn about and catch water bugs. After a brief information session on the types of water bugs to look out for and ways to identity them, kids, parents and grandparents gathered up nets and buckets and the real fun began, down at the creek.
 
With the help of identification sheets and a very high powered microscope connected to a television screen the participants identified and counted a range of bugs. Among these it was good to see a large number of caddisfly larvae (the tiny insect that makes its home inside a stick), mayfly nymphs and even a stonefly nymph. All of these are very sensitive to water quality and therefore a good indicator of the creek water's health. Approximately 15 different species of bugs were identified, including various beetle larvae, dragonfly nymphs, freshwater shrimp and worms. Unfortunately there was also a large number of Gambusia (mosquito fish), which are a declared pest.
 
A water quality grant from Landcare Australia, the expertise and enthusiasm of Lynn Churchill (Landcare volunteer water monitor and teacher) ensured the day was a great success. Thanks are also due to Steve Rowell (Jacobs Well Environmental Education Centre) for giving up his time to assist on the day and for lending the screen, microscopes and iPads.
 
Another water bug monitoring day is to be held in October.
 

         

Following on from the great work done last year by a team from Conservation Volunteers Australia, another group will be back at Ohia Court from 13th to 17th April. They will be working on the last section of the site to be restored, clearing tracts of lantana and other weeds and planting approximately 250 trees.

Do call in any time during that week from late Monday morning until midday Friday to have a chat with the very friendly volunteers and see the great work they're doing. Just follow track through the site.

Later in the year the mountain community will be invited to tour the site, to celebrate 10 years of work initiated by a group of local residents and TML, with the financial support of SRRC.

The photo shows CVA volunteers hard at work in April 2014.

         

Hordes of keen readers turned up to the Great Rummage Sale, held at the Landcare Centre Shed on 28th March. They hunted through boxes of books to find bargains. Some went away with laden bags to see them through a winter's worth of good reading; others found just the one book they'd been hunting for - or didn't know they wanted until they saw it. 

Our thanks to David Jeffrey and the Piccabeen Bookshop volunteers who organised and staffed the sale. The morning not only yielded a good profit for TML regeneration projects, but also whittled down the great store of second-hand books donated by locals.  

         

Annual membership fees were due on 1st March. Your contribution is vitally important in supporting the good regeneration work we do on the mountain. Please renew your membership promptly, and make the work of Maureen Booth, our Membership Secretary, so much easier!

Single membership: $10

Family membership: $15

Business: $50

It's easy to do: you can make your payment in one of several ways:   

• by Direct Deposit: BSB 084 835 Account 896195989 (Bank: NAB; Account Name: Tamborine Mountain Landcare). Important! Please use your surname & initials as the Reference
• at Piccabeen Bookshop 10/15 Main St (behind Joseph the Greengrocer: go down the lane beside the health shop)
• by cheque, made out to Tamborine Mountain Landcare Inc. and posted to The Membership Secretary, PO Box 161, North Tamborine, QLD, 4272

If you have any changes to your contact details (particularly postal or email address), please let us know by filling in a Membership Application / Renewal form and leaving it at the bookshop or posting it to the Membership Secretary. Forms are available at the bookshop, the TM library, or online: http://www.tamborinemtnlandcare.org.au/library.php - click on the link under Administration.

Thanks for attending to your renewal promptly!  

         

 ... and help restore our mountain's rainforests. 

Our friendly working groups are always glad to welcome new volunteers to join in the satisfying work of weeding, planting - and learning more about our wonderful natural forest environment. Whether you're a long-time member or a newcomer to Landcare, there's sure to be a team close to where you live.  

If you'd like to join in, learn more about a site and the work, find out when the next working bee is scheduled, contact one of our site team coordinators: 

• Youngman Family Park: Karin Schianetz, 0413 532 953
• Manitzky Park: Caroline Edwards, 5545 0453
• Contour/Kinabalu Roads: Wendy Morgan, 5545 4618
• Rosser Park: Gillian Blowers, 5545 4335
• John Dickson Conservation Park: Elizabeth Russell, 5545 3601
• Landcare Centre on Hartley Road: Judith Roland, 5545 2052
• Ohia Court: Judith Roland, 5545 2052
• Kalmia Court: Alan O'Neill, 0400 544 440

Our site teams know the truth of the saying, The more the merrier!  

Contact Judith Roland on 5545 2052 / 0429 808 206 or email her on juditroland@yahoo.com.au