MAJOR THREAT TO HOWARD RIVER PARK POISONED
LITCHFIELD council workers have gone the extra mile to save a local wetland in the Howard River Park estate. It was early this year that I noticed an outbreak of olive hymen-achne at the lagoon on Bronzewing Avenue.
This is such a threat it is listed as one of the top 20 Weeds of National Significance (WONS).
This rampant weed takes over wetlands in short times smothering all the eleocharis reed that has bulbs below the soil that geese depend on for protein and make up the bulk of their natural diet.
Not only does olive hymen-achne render swamps uninhabitable to geese it also makes swamps impassable to barramundi for the purposes of spawning their eggs and fry in viable wetlands.
Maybe when this fact is brought to bear more will be done to halt its spread.
I contacted Litchfield council mayor Maree Bredhauer via an ABC radio interview and it wasn’t long afterwards that the staff contacted me to learn more about the infestation.
The decision to implement control measures in October have had a devastating effect on the outbreak.
I have kept in contact and sent follow up photos to show small areas missed in the first pass and those too have been mopped up.
While this lagoon in the rural area offers nothing to waterfowl hunting it does support a local flock of geese and duck.
The odd jabiru and pelicans also frequent the water hole as the levels recede to catch bait fish.
Had this infestation been left unchecked it would have overtaken the entire wetland, but in the interim those geese would have transported weed seed all over the Howard Swamp and Shoal Bay Hunting reserves. Thereby ruining more habitat.
The timely intervention of the workers from the Litchfield Council have done their best to control the spread of this scourge.
Rainfall on the reserves to Wednesday, December 12: Middle Point 2mm.