Rehabilitating Roe 8  |  View this in your browser
Kaya! We have entered the season of Kambarang, the season of birth and renewal. Wildflowers are still in abundance, Balgas (grass trees) are flowering and reptiles such as bobtails and nesting female snake-necked turtles are on the move again.

It is also the Carnaby's black-cockatoo nesting season, which many of them spend in remnant eucalypt woodlands throughout the wheatbelt. We are hoping to see them back in the corridor over the next month or tow with young ones in tow.

Have you been for a bush walk in the corridor recently to enjoy the change in season and weather? As always, there is lots to see and discover!
Reptiles on the move!
To help people understand turtles and their behaviour better, City of Cockburn recently held two free Turtle Information Sessions for the community.
 
Rehabilitating Roe 8 sponsored PhD candidate Anthony Santoro to present during these events. Anthony has conducted extensive research on snake-necked turtles, including around Bibra Lake and the Rehabilitating Roe 8 project area. His research found that whilst some turtles don’t tend to move around very much, others are more adventurous and have crossed Hope Road several times!

What can you do to help protect turtles?

  • Drive slowly around wetlands
  • Record all sightings of turtles using the TurtleSAT website or App.
  • If they need help, assist them in the direction they were heading
  • Keep your dogs on a leash
  • Protect them from predators (keep your distance, but you can wave off ravens)
  • Take all injured or dead turtles to the WA Wildlife Hospital (formerly Native ARC) at Bibra Lake. 
Also watch out for bobtails, in particular when whipper snipping long grass this time of the year!
Beeliar Wetlands cover story in Bushland News

Permanent protection for the Beeliar Wetlands made the cover story of Bushland News! 

In August 2021 the Metropolitan Region Scheme (Beeliar Wetlands) Bill 2021 passed Legislative Council, rezoning 34ha of wetlands from Primary Regional Roads to Parks and Recreation reserve. This sees the eastern half of the corridor rezoned and protected, covering the Bibra Drive, Hope Road North and North Lake Road East zones.

Read more about this in the Spring 2021, 30th anniversary issue of Bushland News, which also covers highlights and achievements of Rehabilitating Roe 8, as well as of other community and landcare projects in the region. 
Wildflower Walk & Gladi Grab
Volunteers from the Wildlfower Society WA took around 25 wildflower enthusiasts on a guided walk in the corridor at the beginning of the month. We spotted an amazing variety of spring wildflowers, saw orchids and trigger plants and learnt how to tell Jarrah, Marri and Tuart trees apart by looking at their bark and gum nuts. A big thank you to the Wildflower Society volunteers for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm and also to all who stayed for a 'Gladi Grab' hand weed afterwards.
Volunteers hand-weeding Pink Gladioli (Gladiolus caryophyllaceus). Whilst some may consider them pretty to look at, they are an invasive bushland weed.
Nature Discovery Walk & Journaling
Nature Journaling & Discovery Ramble enjoyed by all
Artist and Biodiversity educator Angela Rossen led a group of 35 participants on a nature discovery ramble through the corridor a couple of weekends ago.

We were invited to pause, observe and draw the small and often overlooked details of nature. Families and other community members thoroughly enjoyed the serene afternoon in the corridor, followed by a peaceful picnic afternoon tea. 
Birdlife Citizen Science Project has kicked off
Our survey plots are live - get involved!

We successfully launched our citizen science bird monitoring project in the corridor last Saturday, led by Birdlife WA's Citizen Science Project Coordinator Dr Tegan Douglas. 

We carried out a 2ha, 20 minute survey in one of our six, newly established monitoring plots. Amongst other feathered friends, we recorded Carnaby’s black-cockatoos, a Rainbow bee-eater, Australian Ringnecks and Weebills. We even discovered a Wood duck nest!

Now it’s your turn to get twiching! It's super easy. Download the Birdata app, head to one of the six monitoring plots at a time that suits you and start recording your sightings. Everyone can become a citizen scientist and help us gather valuable data!

Read more here & watch our step-by-step video and instructions!
The six birdlife monitoring plots will automatically display on the Birdata app, once you zoom in on the corridor. 
Land Management & Works Update
Spring works well under way
This year's seedlings have been thriving with all this rain, however so have the weeds! Grass and geophyte weed control have been completed and spring weed control is under way, so you may see our weeding contractors in the corridor.

Annual spring vegetation mapping is about to commence next week and firebreaks across the corridor have been slashed and are being pruned in preparation for bushfire season. Some additional fencing has been installed to protect revegetation and an additional hop-over has been installed in 'S7' / Stock Road West to improve connectivity.
Path upgrade in Malvolio bushland
As part of implementing the Path Network Plan, the eastern section of the North Lake Road West zone, also known as Malvolio bushland, will see the existing central sandy track formalised. A narrow limestone walking path will be installed along the existing alignment and link up with the wider firebreak tracks along the outer perimeter.

Informed by the Path Network Plan consultation, we have already closed off some unofficial 'goat tracks' in this area with temporary fencing, further protecting rehabilitation areas.
New Nature Gathering Space
Sit & Relax
Have you seen our new nature gathering space nestled in a circle of trees in the 'Stock Road East' zone yet? It is only a short, 200m walk from Progress Drive and offers superb views of Bibra lake and the rest of the wetlands.
Simply follow the limestone firebreak from the Progress Drive entry point. It's a real hidden gem! Log pieces and mulch were brought in from outside the corridor.
Adopt a Wildlife Hydration Station!
Do you go for regular bush walks in the corridor or are you a nearby resident?

If so, consider adopting a Wildlife Hydration Station to help our wildlife out over summer! 

Local community members and regular bush walkers have already adopted several Wildlife Hydration Stations. As part of this community-driven initiative, they have become custodians of designated stations by keeping shallow water dishes topped up and maintained across the corridor.

While we had an unusually cold and wet October, the first hot days are not far away. Our wildlife will truly appreciate access to clean water without needing to cross busy roads. 

If you'd like to get involved by helping to keep a Wildlife Hydration Station topped up with clean water, contact us and we can set up a station along your regular route in the corridor!
Yes, I would like to look after a Wildlife Hydration Station!
Upcoming Events
The guided Aboriginal walk tomorrow, as well as our Nyungar language morning in the corridor on 13 November are currently both fully booked. If you would like to be placed on a waitlist for the Nyungar language class, please email Izzy Streckhardt at istreckhardt@cockburn.wa.gov.au
Save Beeliar Wetlands, Rethink the Link and the Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor are getting together to celebrate the passing of the Beeliar Bill and are inviting everyone to  join them tomorrow, Saturday 30 October from 6pm at the Hilton Bowling Club. What a milestone!

Both Save Beeliar Wetlands and the Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor are members of the Rehabilitating Roe 8 Advisory Committee, and their representatives attend our monthly committee meetings. 
BirdFest -Saturday 6 November 2021, 10am-3pm
Join us under the pines at Manning Park for a celebration of all things birds, hosted by BirdLife WA! 
There will be activities for all ages, as well as stalls from a flock of environment and conservation groups, crafts, food and more. Fly in, have a gander, and join the fun as we put the spotlight on our wonderful native birds and their precious habitats.

We will be sharing a stall with City of Cockburn, so pop by and chat to us about our citizen science bird monitoring project in the corridor!
Plant of the Month
Hackett's Hopbush or Perth Hopbush (Dodonaea hackettiana) is putting on a stunning display of it's showy, yellow to red, three-winged fruit in the corridor at the moment, in particular around the Tuart trees west of Stock Road.
The colourful fruits resemble Hop fruits used in brewing, however Dodoneaea is not related to Hops used for making beer.

This species is endemic to the Perth region and has been assigned the 'Priority Four' Conservation Code (rare, near threatened or in need of monitoring) due to its limited distribution range, so it's great to see it thriving in the corridor!
The Rehabilitating Roe 8 project acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which we conduct our business.  We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present.  We acknowledge that the Rehabilitating Roe 8 project area is Whudjuk country and pay respects to Elders and Nyungar people past, present and future.
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