Friends of Waite Conservation Reserve
– What’s on –
2023 AGM and guest speaker, 17 May
Our AGM for 2023 will be held on Wed 17 May at 7.30pm at Urrbrae House, Waite Campus. Don’t miss our internationally renowned but very down to Earth guest speaker Dr John Read who will give a presentation on “Outsmarting the feral cat – innovative solutions to the extinction crisis”.
Download the AGM and Guest Speaker flyer here.
Ecologist, conservation biologist and author Dr John Read will share his cutting-edge research to protect endangered Australian wildlife from feral cats. John authored “Among the Pigeons: Why our cats belong indoors”, described by Jane Goodall as “meticulously researched, extraordinarily informative and engagingly written.”
Don’t miss this extraordinary speaker! The venue is filling up quickly so please book your seat ASAP, and no later than Friday 12 May, by email to info@friendsofwaitereserve.org.au
Bushcare Days (working bees)
We now call our working bees Bushcare Days. They are your chance to get to know the reserve better, meet other volunteers, and enjoy doing something positive for nature.
Bushcare days often involve walking through the Reserve with others searching for and removing seedling olives and other weeds while enjoying the beautiful natural environment of the reserve. They can also include tree planting and other tasks. Opportunities also exist to volunteer in the reserve during the week. All tools and equipment are provided. Email notices with the details for each Bushcare day are sent to all on our mail list. You can also get the details on the next Bushcare day by emailing: info@friendsofwaitereserve.org.au
Control of seedling olives is a common focus of the working bees in the drier months. Download our “how to” guide: Seedling-Olive-Control-101
When: Our bushcare days are open to everyone and are normally held on the first Saturday and third Sunday of each month April – December, from 9.00 am to midday. BYO lunch if you want to stay for a chat afterwards.
Where: The meeting point for working bees is usually Springwood Park, 198A Mt Barker Rd, Leawood Gardens, but PLEASE check our events page on FaceBook for the starting location and other details in case of any changes.
Guided Walks
Our last guided walk was our Fungal Foray on 23 July 2022, led by Teresa Lebel, mycologist at the State Herbarium, and Anita Xian, convenor of the Adelaide Fungal Studies Group. The fungi of the reserve are a poorly known but important part of the biodiversity of Waite Conservation Reserve. Teresa demonstrated tools to identify fungi including iNaturalist to help us to catalogue the species that occur in the reserve. Teresa followed up the tour with an article on fungi in our FWCR Newsletter 57_Spring 2022.
Groups of 10 or more can book guided walks of the Reserve by contacting the Manager Dr.Kate Delaporte. Email: kate.delaporte@adelaide.edu.au
Note: If the forecast temperature for the day is 35°C or above or if a Total Fire Ban for Mt. Lofty Ranges is declared the tours of the Waite Conservation Reserve are cancelled. Please, check the CFS website (https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/site/bans_and_ratings.jsp)
Biological Surveys
Our next survey will be the Great Waite BioBlitz, on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October 2022. This will be part of the Great Southern BioBlitz, an international period of intense biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within several designated areas across the Southern Hemisphere in Spring. To take part all you need to do is register for one or more of our 3 events and download the iNaturalist app to your mobile phone or tablet. If you would like to take part contact us on info@friendsofwaitereserve.org.au
Friends of the Waite Conservation Reserve conduct occasional surveys in the Reserve. Friends and volunteers assisted with a survey of Western Grey Kangaroos in the reserve in November 2019. See our FWCR Newsletter 47_Autumn_2020 for the results.
Please contact Peter Bird if you would like to take part in future surveys: info@friendsofwaitereserve.org.au
Talks
From time to time we host talks at the Waite Conservation Reserve and Historic Precinct. Details will be posted here.