News
Four-spotted Cup Moth
Land for Wildlife member Uwe Path has sent in another great photo from the ever-growing menagerie that can be found on his property. This caterpillar had us stumped initially but in the search for a positive identification, we found a very useful website. The Coffs Harbour Butterfly House website has a resource for anyone trying
Gardening may go to the very heart of what it means to be human.
The Radio National archives have served up the following morsel for all the gardeners out there. This interview with Robert Pogue Harrison on Late Night Live with Phillip Adams provides some interesting perspectives on gardens and gardening. The interview dates from 2009 and serves up some interesting food for thought. Follow this link to download the entire
Land for Wildlife Workshop: Rabbit Monitoring and Control – 10 am Saturday, 31st of March at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens
The 2012 series of Land for Wildlife workshops will commence on Saturday the 31st of March, with a workshop on rabbits and their control. The workshop will be held at Olive Pink Botanic Gardens in the meeting room beside the cafe. The information session will commence at 10am, and should run for about 20 minutes.
Central Australian Bats with Dennis Matthews
Bats are one type of wildlife which we don’t often get to have a close look at here in Alice Springs. They’re certainly about and are actually quite common. This was conclusively shown by a recent workshop that we were able to hold at the Land for Wildlife offices. Renowned bat expert Dennis Matthews was in
Spectacled Hare-wallaby Roadkill in The Tanami…
Some bittersweet news this morning when I got into the office. Dave Price, photographer extraordinaire and regular contributor to our newsletters and blog posts, has sent in some more pics. Unfortunately, he and wife Bess found a roadkilled Spectacled Hare-wallaby Lagorchestes conspicillatus, just north of Rabbit Flats on the Tanami Road. Initially they thought it might
Ayers Rock Yulara Resort Gives Land for Wildlife the Thumbs Up!
Exciting news this week with management at Ayers Rock Yulara Resort giving the go ahead for full registration of the resort with Land for Wildlife. This is the culmination of many months of collaboration between LFW coordinators Jesse and Chris and Adrienne Horton, a representative from resort managers, Voyages. Adrienne has several bold conservation initiatives planned, to
Scribblers of The Centre – Get Busy!
If you’ve got something on your mind, we’d love to hear from you. Jesse and Chris are always looking for interesting wildlife stories and photographs for the newsletter, interstate newsletters, and this blog. If you’ve got some pictures or tales to share and think they might be appropriate for distribution to the national Land for
LFW – Spreading the Word Further in 2012…
2012 is rapidly building pace, and Jesse and Chris are looking for new memberships everywhere, but there are two areas we are particularly interested in at the moment. We have received some funding recently from long-time supporter Territory Eco-link, to start helping landholders on indigenous and pastoral lands in central Australia. These are two types of land
Mystery Skull Baffles the Land for Wildlife Office
Throughout the year, numerous Land for Wildlife members send us interesting photographs and specimens of plants and animals they find on their properties. Often they come with the question “What is it?” Usually we’re able to answer that question, sometimes with a bit of research, conversations with colleagues at Low Ecological Services, or by forwarding
New Year Heat Brings in the Wildlife
It seems to happen every year in the Alice – 40+ degree tempeartures welcoming the new year – and although weather like this makes headlines down south, it hardly rates a mention in Central Australia. It might sound suprising, but during the heat is a great time to check out the wildlife that’s using your garden
Sensational Spotlighting
On warm summer nights, much of our desert wildlife is at its most active and with the weather heating up, now is the perfect time to have a go at spotlighting. All you’ll need is a good torch or head lamp, a sturdy pair of walking shoes and a good patch of wildlife habitat, whether
Global Media – Local Action
Who would have thought that a deep sea fish living around sea mounts in the frigid Southern Ocean off Tasmania might owe a small part of its continued survival to a few knowledgeable, concerned, and connected folks in our desert town? A great example of local community consciousness-raising using global media has just come to a
Nominate Significant Trees Online
Online nomination is now available for the NT Register of Significant Trees. You will find the online form at the link on the right of the page. None of the fields on the form are compulsory but please provide as much and as detailed information as you can; this will help to make the register a
Wasp vs Spider – a backyard drama in miniature
Local biologist Holger Woyt photographed a great spectacle in his yard this week. Spider Wasps, family Pompilidae, are common enough around town but it is unusual to witness the full sequence of their hunting behaviour. In the picture above the wasp (on the right) is facing off against a wolf spider Lycosa sp. In these interactions the wasp
Online Sign Up – Available Now!
A bit of tinkering with the blog this week has resulted in a big advance with our application process. You can now apply for registration with Land for Wildlife or Garden for Wildlife – online. The forms are accessed by clicking on the appropriate link at the top of the links column on the right of the
Spinifex Pigeons, Wolf Spiders, Rodents, Dasyurids, Macropods; a smorgasbord for wildlife lovers during annual biodiversity surveys
Jesse and Chris have been conducting the annual biodiversity surveys lately on properties along Roe Creek. There is some stunning habitat through this area, and we have had a few interesting encounters. Stripe-faced Dunnarts Sminthopsis macroura, have been the most common mammals trapped but we have also had Long-haired Rats Rattus villosissimus, and the odd
LFW Alice Springs Wins NT Landcare Award
Central Australia had outstanding representation at the NT Landcare awards held at Parliament House in Darwin last Friday evening. Local Landcare hero Tim Collins was recognised for the tireless work he has put in over the years with the NT Landcarer of the Year award. This is a richly deserved gong for all of the time
The Camel Song – camel control hip-hop straight outta the AP Lands by Lee Brady and Morganics…
An astonishing bit of collaboration has appeared on Youtube; this is a bit of hip-hop freestyling on the theme of camel control in the AP Lands by local elder Lee Brady, produced by Sydney-based hip-hop renaissance man, Morganics. I particularly like the inclusion of some arabic flute in the background and the buzzing fly sample could
Buffel Busting to Protect our Significant Trees
Further to our post yesterday about the Land for Wildlife Significant Tree Register, it is worth mentioning the great success of Alice Springs Landcare at their annual Buffel-Busting day last weekend. Arid lands eco guru Peter Latz was on hand to give his thoughts on the scourge of Buffel and came up with some interesting insights
The Fire Chief – all-in-one water tank/pump/hose unit
This is an innovative bit of gear that has been developed by local Chris Newton. Most of the details are in the brochure image above. We thought that as summer approached, this might be a useful unit for a few LfW properties. Easily manhandled into a ute or trailer when empty, the 1000l tank can