MARCH GATHERING

The Hills Local Permaculture Group met on Saturday March 17th for its first monthly gathering for 2012. In keeping with our 2012 intention to assist each other and other local groups to learn about and implement permaculture in our daily lives, we joined with others to support the regeneration of a tiny part of our local waterway ecosystems.

This ‘Zone 5‘ work took place beside a tiny stretch of Nyaania Creek in Morgan John Morgan Reserve in Glen Forrest. This section of the creek meanders alongside the newly-approved site for Glen Forrest Community Garden. Our ‘task force’ included members of the local Friends of the Reserve group and the Glen Forrest Community Garden Group.

The group gathered in the shade of tall marri beside the creek to learn something of the place and the tasks of the morning. In contemporary times the creek is a winter waterway, and at this time of the year the dry creek bed is thick with paspalum, kikuyu, and watsonia along with multitudes of other opportunistic weeds.

To begin the morning the group heard from Val about ongoing conversations with South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council in relation to management of the system of underground and aboveground waterways of Wadjuk country, of which Nyaania Creek is a part. In carrying out our intention to contribute to the regeneration of this part of the creek, the group acknowledges the traditional and ongoing ownership of the Noongah people, and the essential knowledges of local Noongah Elders in managing restoration of local ecosystems.

We were joined by local bush-regenerator-extraordinaire Kathy Woods. Kathy gave a short talk and demonstration of ways to assist in revitalising the creek’s natural plant and animal systems. The group heard that rather than simply removing the weeds, creating more disturbance and inviting new crops of these same and other weeds to move in, we would be planting small clumps of endemic rushes within weedscapes. Once established even a little, these local rushes such as juncus pallidus and juncus subsecundus will provide protection to endemic creatures such as frogs and bandicoots from foxes, cats, dogs and other hazards to creek systems.

The group divided into small teams to plant the rushes. We first ‘scalped’ small patches of paspalum and kikuyu on the edges of the creek, using small pickaxes or spades to remove roots and dig holes in the baked earth. Once an initial bucket of water had soaked into the hole, we planted the rushes with some water-holding granules, watered them well again, and covered with stone-and-stick mulches. We planted rushes in groups of two or three to optimise protection for small animals.

An important part of the morning was the careful bagging and removal of all scalped weeds soil in order to minimise and prevent further spread. Weed seeds are likely to inhabit about 30 cm of the top soil profile.

The rushes will need some water supplied as we are probably still some way from substantial rain, and we will be keeping a close eye on the new plantings until the rains come.

We’re looking forward to watching as the creek slowly transforms itself with the assistance of the local rushes and animals which will find their way back once protective habitats begin to be established.

Many thanks to all who came and to those who sent their good wishes for the day. A special thanks to Robyn from the Mundaring Garden Centre for supplying the juncus seedlings for planting.

Updates on the progress of this tiny patch of creek regeneration will appear here in the blog.

The next Hills Local Permaculture Gathering will be on April 21st 2012 at the Silver Tree Steiner School in Parkerville.