Rehabilitating Roe 8  |  View this in your browser
Kaya! It is the Nyungar season of Birak. The rains have eased up and we are experiencing the 'first summer', with hot and dry easterly winds during the day and a cooling sea breeze in the afternoon.

This is also the season of the young, with fledglings venturing out of their nests. Reptiles such as snakes and bobtail lizards are frequently spotted across the corridor soaking up the sunshine after a very long winter.

You will also see our iconic Moodjar (Australian Christmas Tree or Nuytsia floribunda) flowering in abundance in the corridor, in particular in the eastern zones.

Did you know that the Moodjar tree is one of the world's largest parasitic plants and sources a lot of its water and nutrients from the plants surrounding it? It only grows in south-west Western Australia and many Nyungar people consider this tree as sacred and spiritual. 
Land Management & Works Update
We've had a busy couple of months in the corridor!  Below is a brief update:
  • Weed control has been completed, firebreaks have been maintained and property boundaries have been brush cut. 
  • Field work components of our annual weed mapping and vegetation monitoring have been completed.
  • Murdoch University students continue their tree guard trials, comparing plants with cardboard guards, plastic guards and no guards in the corridor.
  • Cardboard guards have been removed from our Turtle Corner planting site to allow more light getting to the plants.
  • Watering has commenced and sites are now getting watered fortnightly, so you may pass one of the watering trucks in the corridor!
  • Spring control of feral European rabbits has been carried out in liaison with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the City of Cockburn and three active warrens had been located within the corridor.
  • Installation of the first step of the Path Network Plan in the Malvolio bushland in zone North Lake Road West has been scheduled for early next year.
Guided Aboriginal walk enjoyed by all
Local Nyungar woman Marissa Verma led a group of community members on a guided Aboriginal walk through the corridor last month. Marissa yarned about ancient traditions, as well as contemporary ways that still exist today. We learnt many new insights about bush foods, traditional uses of local plants and the six seasons.

Marissa topped it all off with a delicious bushtucker morning tea, which we enjoyed at the new log seating area just west of Progress Drive with beautiful views of Walyabup Lake (Bibra Lake). 

What a fantastic morning!
Nyungar language morning in the corridor

Qualified language teacher and Whadjuk Nyungar woman Sharon Gregory introduced us to the Nyungar language in the corridor. As we gathered in the shade in the Malvolio bushland, we learnt about the history of language, spelling and pronunciation. All this new knowledge was put straight to the test, as attendees got to practice some Nyungar words and phrases in teams of two.  

What a wonderful way of (re)connecting with our natural environment through local language!
Annual aerial mapping about to commence

It’s time for our annual aerial vegetation mapping again, so you may see a drone buzzing over the corridor!

A specialised drone operator will be capturing high resolution near-infrared and RGB imagery of the vegetation across the corridor, which will enable us to monitor changes to vegetation cover, height and health. This also helps us to understand how well the different revegetation areas across the corridor are regenerating and which areas may need some extra attention, for example installation of additional infill planting.

It’s fantastic to be able to utilise the advances in technology to help our bushland to regenerate!

Please don't interfere with any 'crosses' that have been sprayed onto the ground this week, as they are in place to aid the drone operators. 
2020-21 Annual Report

Have you had a look at our most recent annual report yet?

  • Our third annual report details actions and outcomes that have occurred within the 2020-21 financial year. We have achieved a lot this year and highlights include:
  • Installation of 87,282 native tubestock
  • 940 volunteer hours
  • Development of the Path Network Plan
  • 13 community events, including our first Hands Healing the Land Community Science Conference and a successful Open Day and the
  • Commencement of the second 2-year term of the Rehabilitating Roe 8 Advisory Committee, who continues to meet monthly.


What a year! Have a look through our report to learn more.
Birdlife Citizen Science Project
Contribute to our citizen science project over the holidays! 

After the successful launch of our citizen science project earlier this year, our bird monitoring project is live and everyone can now head out and contribute to our monitoring efforts. That includes you!

Simply download the free Birdata app, head to one of the six monitoring plots at a time that suits you and start recording your sightings.

The app helps you to identify the birds you see, so you don't have to be an experienced twitcher to become a citizen scientist. Give it a try and help us gather valuable data.

Keep an eye out for Rainbow bee-eaters, whose nests have been spotted across the corridor!

Read more here & watch our step-by-step video and instructions!
See you next year!
We wish everyone in the community a safe and peaceful holiday period and will be back with more events and updates next year.

In the meantime, keep up-to-date with what's happening in the corridor by visiting our website.
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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