cradle to cradle to coastlines coastlines
CRADLE TO COASTLINES
IN THIS ISSUE
Page 3 Where? Where? Wedgie!
Page 4
King Island native birds & threatened vegetation information day
Page 5 Our Natural Advantage: New Climate Smart Monthly Newsletter
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 12
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Dung beetle program begins to show results
New weed alert: Common heliotrope
Community Capacity Small Grants: Applications now open
Small Grants in Action: Circular Head Landcare Rice Grass Spraying
Macquarie Harbour (parralaongatek): Deep Waters, Deep Connections
Just Cats to receive funding for a shelter in the North-West
Biosecurity Update: Second detection of the Brown Marmorated Stinkbug at Bell Bay
Agfest Adventures
Prioritising barriers to fish migration across the region
Is a river alive?
UTAS research about private land conservation
Rodent Poisons – Silent Killers of Native Wildlife
Upcoming events, activities and positions
Front cover: Autumn fungi by Kylie Ashley.
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WHERE? WHERE? WEDGIE!
By Clare Hawkins, Citizen Science Co-ordinator, Bookend Trust
Congratulations to everyone who has participated in the annual Wedge-tailed Eagle surveys as part of Where? Where? Wedgie! This is the seventh year of this volunteer citizen science project which monitors population trends of Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagles and other birds of prey across the state
Wedge-tailed Eagles are one of our many endangered species with their numbers threatened by habitat loss, nest disturbance, collisions with infrastructure and poisoning. Monitoring population trends can help assess effectiveness of conservation efforts. The good news is that, from the data collected to date, we can see that the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle population is fairly stable, with no major change in population size over the last six years But to cover the highs and lows affecting population size, data across at least 10 years is always required.
So, we need to keep surveying! Even with these signs of stability, our Tassie raptors face new challenges including high-toxicity rodenticides, avian flu, and climate change If things change, it’s crucial that everyone is aware of the change, to support and guide adjustments to conservation efforts.
Where? Where? Wedgie! surveys take place across two weekends (Friday–Sunday) at mid-May and end-May each year. If you are keen to get out and about for a few hours of surveying, or to learn more about Wedge-tailed Eagles, please consider popping next May’s surveys in your diary The more numerous and evenly spread our surveys, the more accurately we can interpret results. Find out more at Take part | Where? Where? Wedgie! | Our projects | NatureTrackers
KING ISLAND NATIVE BIRDS & THREATENED VEGETATION INFORMATION DAY
Cradle Coast NRM hosted an informatio day on Friday, 2 May for community members to learn more about the native vegetation communities on King Island, their threatened status and tools to identify the different communities which landholders might have on their properties
Ecologist Phil Bell, who has surveyed the native habitats of threatened birds acro King Island, presented on the day Demonstrating his wealth of knowledge on the native vegetation types of King Island, Phil explained their importance as critical habitat for threatened birds which are unique to the island – the King Island Brown Thornbill and the King Island Scrubtit There was plenty of community engagement and questions on the day.
Vicki Stokes, Cradle Coast NRM Biodiversity Program manager spoke about the Threatened Bird Recovery project being delivered on the island by Cradle Coast NRM, funded under the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust The project is working with and supporting landholders to protect and enhance native vegetation on their properties and reduce threats to birds through stock exclusion fencing of habitat, feral cat control and weed management
A take home message from the workshop was that when you lose more than 70% of native vegetation, as has been the case on King Island, ecosystems become increasingly degraded
With only a third of native vegetation remaining on the island much of that is now in poor condition due to fragmentation, weed infestations, livestock and wildlife damage, and being ravaged by wildfire The workshop highlighted the importance of protecting and looking after the remaining native vegetation so as to retain functioning ecosystems and protect biodiversity on King Island
The afternoon involved a field trip to the heart of Pegarah State Forest where participants walked through the type of vegetation the threatened King Island Brown Thornbill and King Island Scrubtit rely on They feel like ancient forests as Phil points out the importance of large eucalyptus and melaleuca trees, and complex understorey and ground layers afforded by logs, shrubs and deep litter layers
Phil and Nicky setting the acoustic recorder
The group learnt about the challenges of locating and monitoring the threatened bird species due to their low numbers and preference for dense habitats. It is estimated there are only 50-100 individuals each of Brown Thornbill and Scrubtit occurring on King Island Phil noted how acoustic recorders may be a useful tool to monitor the birds because they can be left in the forest for many weeks to detect the calls of the birds Participants were rewarded with a Thornbill call on the day to let them know they were there
NEW WEED ALERT: COMMON HELIOTROPE (Heliotropium
europaeum)
By Phil Hrstich, NRM Officer, Burnie City Council
A new weed record of Common Heliotrope was found in the Burnie Municipality in March which is the first for the state Biosecurity Tasmania has been informed and control at the site has been completed by physical removal and herbicide.
Image: Lisa Edwards, Biosecurity Tasmania
Common Heliotrope is an annual herb that is native to Southern and Central Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa It grows up to 40 cm high, with trumpet-shaped flowers that are white with a yellow throat. It is poisonous to livestock if consumed in large quantities. All plants are killed off by frosts, so most are now dead and will return in the warmer months. Seeds of Common Heliotrope germinate during late spring and summer, provided that sufficient moisture is available and that there is little or no competition
If you see any Common Heliotrope in the NW region, please contact your local council Weeds Officer or Biosecurity Tasmania on 03 6165 3777 or email invasivespecies@nre.tas.gov.au. Round 3 of the Weed Action Fund may be covering onground control of this emerging weed
Ecologist Phil Bell explaining how the bird acoustic recorder works
This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Cradle Coast NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel
DUNG BEETLE PROGRAM BEGINS TO SHOW RESULTS
A first-person story by Tom O’Malley, Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator at Cradle Coast NRM
Four years ago in May of 2021, I received a call from a South Australian beef producer who was interested in an exotic species of tunnelling dung beetle which is prolific in parts of Tasmania. Farmer Matthew, from Reedy Creek, was keen to get his hands on some ‘blue bomber’ (Geotrupes spiniger) dung beetles which are active from approximately mid-summer through to mid-autumn in northwest Tasmania Unfortunately, the blue bombers had finished up for the season, so there would be no chance of sending a box of beetles to Matthew until the following summer. The next day, Matthew rang again, telling me he had trapped 5,000 autumn and winter-active Bubus bison dung beetles and would he like me to send them over to us? We enthusiastically agreed, marking the beginnings of a now four-year dung beetle exchange program Bubus bison is another exotic species of tunnelling dung beetle, which begins seasonal activity as the blue bomber winds down for the year This species has been introduced to parts of Tasmania before, but not for around 20 years and populations in numerous districts haven’t persisted.
Fast forward to May 2025, and we have now exchanged over 20,000 beetles across Bass Straight Bubus bison have been released on four properties in the Cradle Coast region at Ridgley, Camena and Montumana; and we have additionally had a go at breeding them. While doing some autumn beetle surveys this year, we actually trapped five B bison beetles in mid-April at Ridgley when B. bison would be expected to begin activity in Tasmania. The significance of this is that these five beetles had to have pupated locally to be trapped there, as the beetles from South Australia released the previous winter would have perished following the completion of their life cycle Following their emergence from the soil as a young beetle, tunnelling dung beetle species such as these find a mate and breed for a period of months before expiring once their biological imperative to reproduce has been achieved. These five beetles were their progeny and demonstrated that we had successfully reintroduced a medium sized vigorous tunnelling dung beetle to the Cradle Coast region We hope to keep swapping beetles with Matthew in South Australia, and at some point in the future have increased the numbers of B bison at our release sites to be able to trap locally and repopulate more livestock production districts of the region.
Image: One of the newly-bred Tassie Bubus bison tunnelling dung beetles
OUR NATURAL ADVANTAGE
NEW CLIMATE-SMART FARMING MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
The Cradle Coast NRM Land team have created a new monthly climate-smart farming email newsletter Each monthly edition will have a different theme and provide practical information, resources, and opportunities for north-west Tasmanian farmers and agricultural service providers around climate-smart agriculture risks and opportunities. The first edition, distributed at the start of May 2025, we focussed on the value of trees on farms
You can view the first edition via this link: https://mailchi.mp/.../our-natural-advantagenewsletter...
You can sign up to receive future monthly editions direct to your email inbox via this link: http://eepurl com/cSWzf1
We would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts via our survey to help shape the way we deliver Our Natural Advantage agriculture project and go in the draw to win 1 of 3 $50 Yolla Co-op vouchers (or equivalent if on King Island)!
Complete the short survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3SJBKBM
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN! COMMUNITY CAPACITY SMALL GRANTS
The 5th round of our Community Capacity Small Grants program is now open for funding of up to $1500 for projects up to 12 months in length!
Round 4 has been full of incredible projects that have increased NRM community engagement, treated a plethora of weeds, increased fire resilience, maintained management tracks on remote islands and utilised innovative technology. We are excited to see what the new round brings.
To access copies of the grant guidelines and application form, head over to our website here: https://www.cradlecoast.com/natural-resource-management/our-work/currentprojects/community-nrm-engagement-program/
Please give Claire Jinnette, NRM Engagement Officer, a call to discuss your project ideas and for assistance with your application on (03) 6433 8400
Image: Friends of Three Hummock Island Track Care received a grant in Round 4.
CIRCULAR HEAD LANDCARE RICE GRASS SPRAYING SMALL GRANTS IN ACTION
The Small Grants in Action series aims to highlight the action created by Cradle Coast NRM’s Community Capacity Small Grants program.
Circular Head Landcare have recently completed a successful round of Rice Grass control in the Duck estuary, thanks to support through one of our Community Capacity Grants awarded in Round 4. The works, undertaken on the 17th and 18th of February, involved the aerial spraying of 2 31 hectares of Rice Grass across four hard-to-reach areas of the estuary Drone application allows for targeted spraying in locations that are otherwise difficult to access on foot or by boat.
Rice Grass is a well-known invasive species that poses a threat to the ecological health of estuarine environments. Circular Head Landcare have been working consistently to manage and reduce its spread in the Duck estuary Their continued efforts are a good example of how local community groups can contribute meaningfully to environmental outcomes when supported with appropriate resources and funding.
This project was funded under Round 4 of our Community Capacity Grants program. Round 5 is now open, and we encourage all eligible community groups to apply for funding to support their environmental initiatives We can’t wait to shine a light on more community NRM projects across the region!
MACQUARIE HARBOUR (PARALUNGATIK): DEEP WATERS, DEEP CONNECTIONS
Macquarie Harbour, known as Paralungatik in palawa kani, holds deep cultural and historical significance as the traditional land of the Toogee nation, including the Mimegin and Lowreene bands It was also seasonally visited by the Ninene nation from the south-west and the Peternidic nation from the north-west who were also collectively part of the Togee nation.
Cradle Coast NRM and the Healthy Harbour Project recently had the privilege of joining members of the Melaythenner Teeackana Warrana Aboriginal Corporation (mtwAC) on an on-Country visit to Paralungatik. The group, which included Tebrakunna Rangers, was led by Program Manager Jarrod Edwards who was born on the West Coast and was involved with collecting the four adult Maugean Skates that initiated the IMAS captive breeding program
Before setting off, the group met with Matt Barrenger, a Technical Director at Salmon Tasmania and a member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, who helped organise and accompanied the on-water journey. Shortly after departing Strahan (traditionally known as Timkarik), we paused at the King River delta to discuss how dam construction has altered the harbour’s hydrology, as well as the long-term impacts of mine tailings from the Queen River particularly bioaccumulation and biomagnification in aquatic life.
We soon arrived at Langerrareroune/Sarah Island, a former penal colony notorious for its h
We then toured ‘the Wombat' barge, part of the Macquarie Harbour Oxygenation Project (MHOP) a joint initiative by IMAS, FRDC, and Salmon Tasmania. Matt Barrenger and IMAS’s Jimmy Hurtle explained how the barge improves oxygen levels by drawing in low-oxygen water, infusing it with saturated oxygen, and returning it to deeper areas helping to offset aquaculture impacts and remediate the Maugean Skate’s fragile habitat The trip concluded with a tour of nearby aquaculture pens and a visit to Table Head, a key habitat location of the Maugean Skate.
Exploring Paralungatik alongside Matt Barrenger and members of the Melaythenner Teeackana Warrana Aboriginal Corporation was an inspiring experience rich with knowledge-sharing, connection, and reflection The West Coast certainly remains a place of immense cultural and spiritual significance for Tasmania’s Aboriginal community.
Thomas Bock, 'The Settlement at Macquarie Harbour, 1830 (Tasmaniana Library, SLT)
This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Cradle Coast NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel
JUST CATS TO RECEIVE FUNDING FOR A SHELTER IN THE NORTH-WEST
In great news for felines of the north-west of the state, Just Cats has been awarded $424,600 to develop a new cat management facility in Burnie
The facility will support the Tasmanian Government’s Cat Management Plan which promotes responsible cat ownership and introduces measures to better manage cats' impacts on the environment
Just Cats Tasmania was chosen from a competitive grant process that ran from the 6 January to 21 February 2025.
BIOSECURITY UPDATE: SECOND DETECTION OF THE BROWN MARMORATED STINKBUG AT BELL BAY
Image: Biosecurity Tasmania
Since the release of our Summer Cradle to Coastlines, Biosecurity Tasmania have confirmed a second detection of the Brown Marmorated Stinkbug (Halyomorpha halys) in their surveillance traps at Bell Bay. Following the initial find in February, an additional fourteen traps were deployed, one of which captured a second Brown Marmorated Stinkbug on the 11th of March
While these detections do not indicate an outbreak, the pest could pose a serious risk to agricultural enterprises across Tasmania due to the species’ wide range of hosts Any suspected sightings should be reported immediately to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.
AGFEST ADVENTURES
We had a fantastic time attending AgFest this year, with members of our team out in force on all three days, spread across two stalls in the Department of Natural Resources and Environment tent.
CCA’s Cat Management Coordinator Kylie had a great time at the TassieCat stall, promoting responsible pet ownership and TassieCat’s statewide cat survey. The TassieCat DIY “Catio” was on full display, leading to some great conversations on the importance of containment in promoting cat health and decreasing the impacts of cats on Tasmania’s precious biodiversity.
Over at the NRM stall, our Land team joined forces with NRM North to chat with AgFest-goers about everything from soil health to land conservation.
NRM North’s model Giant Freshwater Crayfish drew in the young and old alike, sparking many great chats about the importance of protecting this threatened species. As always, our portable multi-species garden made an appearance - the living demonstration contrasts single-species pasture, multi-species pasture, and multi-species cover crops to highlight clear differences in root depth, surface moisture, and green cover.
AgFest is always a great opportunity to connect with the community, share what we’re working on, and hear what matters to the people on the land. We’re already looking forward to next year!
PRIORITISING BARRIERS TO FISH MIGRATION ACROSS THE REGION
As part of our Giant Freshwater Recovery project, we are also undertaking work to learn more about the EPBC-listed Australian Grayling, a mullet-sized freshwater fish that was abundant in Tasmanian rivers until colonisation.
Now it is a rare sight, and one of the main reasons for its threatened status is that the grayling is diadromous. This means that it needs to migrate between freshwater and marine environments to complete its life cycle. When humans build weirs, culverts, dams, road crossings or other river modifications, they sometimes prevent juvenile fish from migrating up the river to grow into adults to spawn.
Last month, freshwater ecologist, Matt Moore, from Catchment Solutions in Queensland, visited the Cradle Coast and gave CCNRM staff some training in identifying and assessing barriers. We’re now producing a detailed map and report about the barriers and will work on modifying or removing some of these in future stages of the project
In the last issue of Cradle to Coastlines we reported that ecologists from Nature Glenelg Trust detected grayling in the Montagu, Black, Detention, Duck, and Emu rivers, all at the downstream sites close to the estuaries It looks like there are significant barriers further upstream on some of these rivers which probably prevent grayling and other migratory fish from completing their life cycle
Weir on the Blythe River, a barrier most of the year
The Confluence: where the Queen enters the King River This is likely to be a chemical barrier to fish passage
The Black River Ford is a barrier to juvenile fish during low flow conditions
This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Cradle Coast NRM, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel
IS A RIVER ALIVE?
This is the question posed in Robert Macfarlane’s new book, a thought-provoking read that delves into the status, power, stories, connectedness and meaning of rivers Throughout the book, rivers are “who”, not “which” They have rights Around the world, and through history, different human cultures have understood that as well as giving life, and being intricately braided with all other life, rivers themselves are living beings The same goes for forests, mountains, trees and oceans Could this be a paradigm shift we could make in our current culture? A way to help humans reverse environmental destruction and prioritise conservation over consumption?
A group of people got together in Gunns Plains recently to think about the conservation of Kokonnengar/Leven River. Coordinated by Anna from Landcare Tas and Stuart from Conservation Management, community members and natural resource managers pondered the values of, and threats to, Kokonnengar’s catchment From willow-busting kayakers, to farmers who cherish clean water and wonder about the downstream impacts of their land management, to families who want their kids to fish like they did, to hikers who revel in the scenery… it was clear that there is a passionate community of thoughtful guardians to speak on Kokonnengar’s behalf. Get in touch with CCNRM Water Program staff if you have ideas (new or old) about catchment management
UTAS RESEARCH ON PRIVATE LAND CONSERVATION
Professor Ben Richardson from the University of Tasmania is leading a research project called “Conservation Covenants for Ecosystem Restoration and Climate Adaptation” Ben and colleagues hosted a workshop in April, bringing together experts and practitioners of Tasmanian private land conservation, including representatives from the three NRM groups
The workshop focused on the obstacles and opportunities for private land conservation in agricultural landscapes, and started with the international context: Conservation covenants have a role in Australia’s National Reserve System, and could help us meet international targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (e g , Target 3 - “30 by 30”)
Conservation covenants are often part of restoration initiatives, and of long-term management of land for its natural values, carbon storage and other ecosystem services. There is a well-connected network of conservation covenant landholders and Land-for-Wildlife properties Many of these receive support and advice from Tas Land Conservancy (TLC) or the State Government’s Private Land Conservation (PLC) Program
Many of the barriers to effective private land conservation are well-known in the NRM community: out-dated legislation, limited financial resources, insufficient monitoring of ecological changes, disconnected protected areas across the landscape, and a huge oncoming challenge: climate change causing increased extreme events, unpredictable weather and threat of fire.
Despite committed staff in NRE, resourcing issues mean that there are still limited opportunities for landholders to enter into conservation covenant agreements in Tasmania, and they can be expensive to establish Under our King Island Threatened Birds projects and our Giant Freshwater Crayfish projects, Cradle Coast NRM will have the opportunity to support the establishment of a small number of conservation covenants on high-value habitat for threatened species over the next few years.
RODENT POISONS – SILENT KILLERS OF NATIVE WILDLIFE
While black rats and house mice are unwelcome visitors during the colder months getting into homes and farm buildings, poison baits used to control them can be deadly to native animals that eat rodents such as native owls, raptors, devils and quolls. Poisoning of such predators typically occurs after they eat one or more rodents that have ingested an anticoagulant rodenticide and is referred to as ‘secondary poisoning’. Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) such as brodifacoum and bromadiolone are widely used in Australian households They are highly toxic and very effective in killing rodents after a single feed of the poison by causing internal bleeding. However, it typically takes 4 to 5 days after ingestion for rodents to die, during which time they are still running around, possibly eating more poison bait, and often easy prey for owls, devils and quolls.
SGARs are also problematic because they are very slow to breakdown and so remain active in the tissues of dead animals and can accumulate in native predators that eat or scavenge animals that have ingested poison baits. Accumulation of toxic levels of SGARs ultimately causes death directly through poisoning or indirectly by increasing susceptibility to disease and car strike
SGARs have been implicated in wildlife deaths globally. In Australia, there are increasing reports of high SGAR exposure and poisoning of native wildlife, including many threatened species such as Masked Owls and Tasmanian Devils. Researchers estimate that rodenticides may be directly increasing the mortality rate of Tasmanian Devils by 15%, with a further 30% of sampled devils exposed to sub-lethal doses High SGAR concentrations in Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagles are a concerning sign of broader contamination of food webs beyond rodents which are not a primary prey of eagles. Household baits that contain SGARs have been banned from general sale in the USA, Canada and Great Britain, but are still unfortunately available for household purchase in Australia We are hopeful this will change soon
meantime, you can help!
se of SGARs with active ingredients: brodifacoum, diolone, difethialone, difenacoum or flocoumafen poison options to reduce unwelcome rodents the home or farm Check out this easy guide o use alternative poisons, use them responsibly by g the instructions for use and making them only ble to rodents (bait stations inside buildings) g petition for action to regulate SGARs
5 Sign this petition calling on Bunnings to stop selling SGARs
Image: Pexels (Miguel Cuenca)
EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
MORE INFO & LINKS
Strahan Winter Solstice Festival
National Science Week
AgriCultured
Beaker Street Festival
Cradle Coast NRM Community Capacity Small Grants Round 5
Wettenhall Environment Trust
Carbon Farming Advice Rebate Pilot Program
WHEN & WHERE
https://westcoasttas.com.au/lightupthewest 19 to 22 June, Strahan
https://www scienceweek net au 9 to 17 August
https://www.agricultured.com.au
31 July to 3 August, Launceston
https://www.beakerstreet.com.au/2025about 12 to 19 August, Hobart
https://cradlecoast com/projects/communit y-nrm-engagement-program-2/
Applications due midnight 30 June 2025
https://wettenhall org au/grants/dates-forapplying/ Applications due 23 June 2025
https://nre.tas.gov.au/agriculture/governme nt-and-community-programs/carbonfarming-opportunities/carbon-farmingadvice-rebate-pilot-program
1-3 Spring St, Burnie, Tasmania, 7320 03 6433 8400
www cradlecoast com
www.facebook.com/CradleCoastNRM/
Open until funding exhausted
