Friends of Edgars Creek

Hi FoEC'ers and Friends,

Well if anyone knows where our winter rain is could you please give it back! We'll just have to hope for spring storms to keep some moisture in under the mulch!

We have only two plantings left for the year already...where did that season go?

We are undertaking an extension and consolidation of the Livingstone Street crossing area on Sunday with works up the escarpment as well - mountain goats welcome on the day. The usual scenario applies - 1-3PM with early birds welcome - contact me to confirm a start time if you need (or want) to be around a bit earlier (Rob and Stephen always are!!!).

The forecast is not fantastic, will be a cool day with a chance of some showers around - though let's just wait and see on that as most forecasts for showers in the past few months amounts to essentially not much precipitation at all - we'll have to wait and see.

Site access is easy from Livingstone Street on a good rock crossing though if we do have a bit of rain, in the next few days, we might need to use the Kodak bridge and wander across.

Details of the planting as per the calendar:

Sunday 19 August 2018, 1-3pm Planting: Stream bank & escarpment restoration at the Livingstone St easement area (west side of creek). Hosted by the FOEC, Funded by MWCG. Meet at the Livingstone Street easement site – access from Livingstone Street, North Coburg. 

See you on the creek!

David.

And from my grant application:

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Silurian Cliff site expansion, consolidation and maintenance project seeks to build on FoEC’s MWCG funded project of 2017 that involved an upstream progression, building on the 2014/15 FoEC revegetation work (MWCG funded projects) to the north of the Silurian Cliff. The proposed project involves additional works at the northern fringe of the Silurian Cliff site on the west bank of the creek. The area for works directly links with the Livingstone Street escarpment project; this was funded through capital works expenditure by Melbourne Water. The site includes escarpment area where woody weeds (boxthorn) were removed, though no planting has been undertaken and erosion risks are evident.

The proposed projects will seek to re-establish escarpment habitat through the planting of trees, shrubs, grasses and reeds. There are also plans for in-fill planting to compliment the 2017 project which will assist the development of the site through weed competition which will reduce maintenance expenditure and enhancement of the asset already in place.

The project seeks to further build and maintain volunteer’s engagement with this area of the creek and enhance its amenity as it was previously impacted negatively by the density of boxthorn growth. A sense of custodianship will be enhanced in the short term with reclamation of the escarpment by indigenous flora and also over time as the project evolves into a mature planting site.

Plant list for the site expansion at the Livingstone Street Escarpment area 2018.

Scientific name	Common name	Quantity
Poa labillardierei	Common Tussock Grass	150
Lomandra longifolia	Spiny-headed Mat-rush	100
Goodenia ovata	Hop Goodenia	18
Clematis microphylla	Small-leaved Clematis	10
Acacia melanoxylon	Blackwood	10
Leptospermum lanigerum	Woolly Tea Tree	4
Eucalyptus camaldulensis	River Red Gum	8
Bursaria spinosa	Sweet bursaria	12
Callistemon sieberi	River bottlebrush	4
Acacia verticillata	Prickly moses	20
Melicytus dentatus	Tree Violet	10
Dodonea viscosa	Wedge-leaf Hop Bush	18
Eucalyptus melliodora	Yellow Box	6
Acacia paradoxa	Hedge Wattle	20
Acacia acinacea	Golddust Wattle	15
Rhagodia parabolica	Fragrant Saltbush	24
Apium prostratum subsp. prostratum	Sea Celery	54
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani	River club sedge	54
Juncus kraussii subsp. australiensis	Sea Rush	90
Einadia nutans	Climbing Saltbush	12
Allocasuarina Verticillata	Drooping Sheoak	10
	TOTAL	648