Coca Cola staff event at Kev Hooper Park Inala

Coca Cola staff get direction from group leader Craig Toms

Teamwork in action, mass planting

The Kev Hooper Park Bushcare Group, in conjunction with Habitat Brisbane, very much appreciate the contribution of staff from Coca Cola when they participated in planting and cleanup of Boss Creek near Rosemary Street Inala in October 2011. The group brought fantastic enthusiasm and energy and worked together as a team to quickly plant an incredible total of around 1200 native plants! An immense area of creek bank was heavily planted and then watered in with minimal direction from our busy team members Craig Toms and John Maelich.

Craig brought 800 plants to the event but it soon became apparent the Coca Cola team would have them all in the ground and be looking for more, so another 400 were quickly brought to site. These were then planted and all watered in.  Even then the team were not satisfied and set to work cleaning up all the rubbish including removing a shopping trolley from the creek itself.  

Another team activity removing a shopping trolley from the creek

It has been difficult for the small bushcare group to keep up with the weed control in this area but it is hoped that the natives will continue to grow, all be it in competition with weedy grass species.  The true value of this work will become apparent over time.  Already since the Bushcare group started at this site in 2009 we have seen the return of native species of plants and animals including bandicoots and butterfly species

Huge pile of removed rubbish on completion of work

Qld Glider Network event

Camera in place, checking pictures.

Recently we joined a Qld Glider Network activity in some bushland near Inala to find and check nest boxes for gliders.  We were fortunate to find two families of gliders, probably Squirrel Gliders, and also a couple of brushtail possums.  Many of the empty boxes showed that they were used from time to time and we had at least one unexpected nest box resident, a Lace Monitor (Varanus varanus), hopefully you can see it's leg and tail sticking out the bottom of the box  in the picture.

Lace Monitor

Measuring the height of the box

Qld Glider Network has  developed a specialised rig for seeing inside a nest box with minimal disturbance to any residents.  This allows an electronic view of what is inside without having to climb up and open the box itself.  The rig can also be used to measure the distance from ground to the box.  Other records are also taken, location, tree species and what side of the tree the box is on.  Over time it is hoped to have a better understanding of gliders preferences so that future boxes will more closely suit their needs. Nest boxes are also used by many of our bird species, bees and even ants can colonise a box.  There has been much destruction of Glider habitat and in particular the large old "dead" trees with many hollows which used to be used by so many of our native creatures.  We are lucky to retain a small population of Gliders and we must protect what is left of their habitat to keep even this small remnant of the glider population in our area. 

Almost too high for the rig!

Sunlight hazard

 A number of gliders in this box