News location:

Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Canberra’s rangers head over the border to battle mouse ear-hawkweed

ACT Government weed control officers will be lending a hand to their counterparts in New South Wales this week to help contain an outbreak of mouse ear-hawkweed in Kosciuszko National Park.

“Five ACT rangers will assist in a major seek-and-destroy operation to eradicate mouse ear-hawkweed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Parks Victoria, neighbouring shire councils and volunteers,” Senior Weeds Officer, Steve Taylor, said.

“This is another great opportunity for us to support our colleagues in NSW and it is in keeping with our philosophy of mutual assistance through the Australian Alps cross border program.

“Mouse ear-hawkweed is a highly invasive plant which poses a major threat to biodiversity in conservation areas and native grasslands and can also kill pasture grasses. It displaces native plants and pasture grasses by forming dense mats which smother other vegetation. The weed kills surrounding vegetation by releasing aluminium from the soil. It is a small invader but packs a powerful punch, so it is important to eradicate it as soon as it is spotted.

“This operation will also put us on the front foot in terms of being prepared for any possible outbreak of mouse ear-hawkweed in the ACT. Controlling this noxious weed in Kosciuszko National Park will make controlling the weed easier in the ACT. It is also great training for our staff in responding to the weed.

“The five ACT Government staff will be deployed to the Kosciuszko National Park from Tuesday 15 December to Thursday 17 December 2015 to assist in the eradication program.

“The ACT Government previously sent a team to Kosciuszko National Park in February this year to help control the spread of hawkweed after it was spotted near a popular camping area.

“Visitors to Kosciuszko should keep an eye out for the plant, which has similar flowers to the common dandelion, but mouse-ear hawkweed has reddish stripes on the underside of the petals, the leaves are very hairy and it forms distinctive large mats, killing the surrounding grass. Campers and walkers should remember to brush down and clean all equipment before entering a national park or when moving from one part of the park to another. This will reduce the likelihood of weeds being dispersed.

“So far there has only been one record of mouse-ear hawkweed in the ACT at Nursery Swamp in Namadgi National Park. The infestation was reported by a local bushwalker, allowing rangers to quickly control the weed.”

To report weed sighting in the ACT please email InvasiveWeeds@act.gov.au, along with a photo and detailed location. For more information visit tams.act.gov.au

[Photo by Mark Hamilton, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service]

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews