VINC News
April, 2006
The wetland makes new friends!
by Mark Hursch
After the highly successful 'Weeds in the Wetlands Day' last November, I broached to participating members the possibility of starting a Friends Group for the VINC Wetlands. Peter Tucker (guest speaker for the event) must have really captured our group's imagination because the idea received overwhelming interest. In all, eight interested people 'signed on' to participate in and/or receive information about future 'Friends' maintenance/planting days.
While the 'Friends' group and plans for its working structure are still in their embryonic to formative stages a fellow staff member and I are currently busy working on proposed activities for the year to get the ball rolling. It is envisaged that the Friends will operate under the auspice of VINC (which is already incorporated). Although our group have not yet met, by the time this article makes it to print; we will hopefully be well on the way to initializing our first group meeting/working bee.
In the meantime, look out for our group's first 'official' Maintenance Day (Sat 13th May) in VINC's Calender of events in this issue of the VINC News. Peter Tucker has volunteered to become the Friends 'mentor' and will be able to assist our group with practical advice and periodically assist us during activities. His significant historical connection to the wetland and his ongoing role in the revegetation industry will no doubt prove invaluable.
If you are interested in joining our group or would like to know more about this exiting development, please contact Mark on 9482 1710 or vinc@vicnet.net.au. Stay tuned for regular updates in forthcoming newsletter editions.
Volunteering: My Day at VINC
by Michelle Hogan
Last Friday was another typically enjoyable day as a volunteer at VINC.
After our convivial morning cuppa, we were off to collect Correa Glabra cuttings from Yarra Bend Park. The weather was sublime - hard to believe it was still August with such a balmy, sunny day as this. We found our cutting material just a few hundred metres down the road, alongside a parking area. The plants were vibrant and fresh from overnight rain, and yielded a bounty of cuttings.
Back at VINC, we spent the rest of the morning preparing the cuttings - blending the soil mixture, filling the trays, stripping the bottom leaves, re-cutting, dipping in hormones, and placing the cuttings in the trays. The trays then go into one of the igloo hothouses, placed on warming beds for germination - like eggs being incubated. All done by lunchtime.
The weather is still brilliant so we lunch outside. The old laminex table and assorted chairs are reminiscent of the 50s, but they are familiar and comfortable and bathed in sunshine. The kettle is brewed again and the talk flows.
The afternoon sees us re-potting some grasses (Carex Inyx) from tubes into larger pots. These are tricky little beasts. The roots are vigorous and in some cases it is quite difficult to remove the tubes from their containers and to remove the plants from the tubes. Once this is done, we trim the roots, clean up the foliage by removing any dead stuff, and pot them up into 6 inch pots. This is almost like extreme makeover - they are transformed and look brilliant.
During the day we take time to admire Jess's work in the retail section. A small, decorative garden bed is now complete. Its framework is defined by volcanic rocks and some rustic-looking logs, and the bed has been filled with soil, top-dressed, planted and mulched. It is now an impressive little display for grassland plants. We also admire the other work done by RMIT marketing students to "jazz up" the retail section. This is a work in progress, and by the time I return next Friday, the next instalment may be ready to be admired.
Wonderful Wetlands
by Elspeth Brock
Wetlands are ecosystems that are inundated with water for part or all of the year. Many Australian wetlands, including the VINC wetland, are ephemeral, meaning they dry out for part of the year. This is an important cycle for plants as it allows a large diversity of species to grow in the areas of varying moisture levels. Wetlands also provide habitat for local and migratory birds, frogs, fish and insects such as dragonflies.
Vital ecological processes are also carried out by wetlands, including the moderation of floods and purification of waterways. Wetlands filter sediments and recycle nutrients. Plants slow the flow of water allowing sediments and particles such as heavy metals to settle. Microbes living on the plants then take up excess nutrients and recycle these nutrients back into the system in less harmful forms, such as those that can be used in plant growth.
Since European invasion Victoria has lost 37% of its wetlands to land clearing and drainage. An estimated 15,000 hectares have been lost from the east of Melbourne alone! Waterways have consequently become more polluted and support less biological diversity. The Ramsar agreement is an international treaty to protect remnant wetlands. Victoria has 11 Ramsar wetlands and some revegetation of wetlands is occurring in Melbourne to treat storm water and improve the health of Port Phillip Bay.
Ponds in residential gardens can also play an important role for habitat and may even filter some rainwater or grey water runoff. Ponds also increase the diversity of indigenous plants you can grow. There are many interesting wetland species; rushes- Juncus and Isolepis species, sedges- Carex species and attractive flowering herbs- Ranunculus inundatus- Water Buttercup, Myriophyllum crispatum- Fairy Dusters and Xerochrysum palustre- Swamp Everlasting Daisy.