Watermark   

Mid 2009 completed as part of the Heart Morass Restoration Project.

• An ongoing, seasonal botanical survey by botanists from Australian Ecosystems of all of the plants on the property and surrounds which continues to unearth plant species of regional, state and national significance.
• Botanical Monitoring – 8 10m X 10m quadrats monitored twice yearly to record the changes in vegetation which occur as time moves on.
• Photo-point Monitoring - An extensive visual record of the restoration process and response of landscape.
• Kevin Rule from the State Herbarium visited to record and determine the identification of 2 highly significant Eucalypt species found on the WET Trust property, including one potentially new species of Eucalypt.
• Earthworks to block artificial cuts in the natural bank of the Flooding Creek Billabong. Gated culverts were installed to allow management of the water levels in this billabong area to be independent from the rest of the Morass.
• The creation of artificial earth mounds or “habitat” islands which have been planted with indigenous plants.
• Spraying of the highly invasive Reed Canary Grass and other weeds around the diverse and significant freshwater marshes which are found on the property.
• Direct Seeding of indigenous vegetation.
• Tree-planting as part of various community days.
• A new gravel road surface and parking area.
• Rock beaching at the entrance of 2 drains.
• Management of the drain entrances to maintain water levels in the wetland.
• Further clean-up of remaining debris .e.g.: old wire and fences.
• Over 15 tonnes of Carp removed from the drain entrances by Keith Bell and K and C Fisheries. Good for the morass and the wider Latrobe River.
• Trial plantings of aquatic plants
• Summer 2008/09 sees a major program in association with Greening Australia and the Maffra Seedbank to collect seed from over 30 wetland species to support future revegetation efforts.
• Developed relationships with neighbouring private landowners and Parks Victoria
• Partnered in research with a 3 year Monash University program
• Acid-sulphate soils research by Department of Primary Industry (DPI)
• A student from Monash University will be using the property as the basis for an Honours research project looking at Acid-Sulphate soils in 2009.
• Contributed significant fauna records to the statewide databases of the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) – Sea Eagle nest and Growling Grass Frog population.
• Trust for Nature tour and meeting with neighbouring landholders

The future possibility of neighbouring, privately owned parts of the Heart Morass being purchased for conservation and restoration purposes holds enormous potential and would provide the following.

• Botanical assets - including the highest quality indigenous vegetation remnants in the area and populations of nationally endangered species.
• Hydrological benefits – better management of drains, environmental water entitlements and biodiversity values associated with water levels will be possible without competing agricultural values.
• Community benefits – the remaining private properties are surrounded by Ramsar listed wetlands and the WET trust. If protected and restored the adjoining protected areas will form a very significant, contiguous parcel managed for conservation.

In early 2008, the restoration plan for the western Heart Morass was completed and adopted by the working group. The plan contains many actions for the entire property and various restoration project areas. Through discussion with the working group members, initial efforts have focused on the priority areas of Flooding Creek Billabong, The Main Swamp and the Sea Eagle Marsh.

The community and partner organizations have combined to host a number of events. Volunteers associated with various community groups and contractors have also completed a number of restoration activities.

Some of the community engagement and media which have occurred as part of the restoration project;

• Over 500 school-children attended two Bug Blitz events which were hosted in association with the Hugh T Williamson foundation. These events involved various community groups and volunteers and gathered a great deal of associated media coverage on radio, TV and in various newspapers. The students completed a number of activities at each event – Tree planting, Waterwatch, Bug Blitz and Birdlife.
• 2 Field and Game Field Days – tree planting, clean-up, weed control, direct seeding – Over 70 people attended each
• Numerous tours of the property provided to interested individuals, partner and community groups and potential future partners and funding bodies.
• WGCMA hosted a Wetland Plant Identification and Seed Collection Field day at Sale Common – 35 people attended and learnt a great deal. The events attracted potential seed collectors and showed the high level of interest in the restoration of wetland environments.
• Maffra and District Landcare Network.
• The creation of 2 Heart Morass “Connies Cards”.
• A Community Open Day was organized as part of the Wellington Shire “Water, Water Festival” (but was postponed due to crazy weather at the last minute)
• An ABC “Landline” story on the history of Field and Game Australia heavily featured the property and restoration efforts.
• A growing awareness in the local community of what a valuable local asset the Heart Morass
• Waterwatch, local bird-observers, Field Naturalists Club of Sale.

The very dry period which peaked in the summer of 2006/07 coincided with the beginning of a new era of management of the western Heart Morass by the WET Trust and Heart Morass Working Group. This “drought” resulted in the entire Morass area being completely dry for the first time in living memory. Heavy grazing of the property up until this time meant that the ground-layer of vegetation was practically absent. The dry and dusty conditions and salt-encrusted wetland bed created a very symbolic “blank canvas” from which to commence restoration activities.

In early 2007, the WGCMA was able to obtain funding from the State Government Drought Employment Program to employ a crew of 5 drought-affected farmers for 3 days/week for 3 months. The crew took advantage of the very dry conditions to repair and re-instate all of the major fencing infrastructure on the property, clean-up debris and old fencing, control weed infestations and begin restoration activities such as indigenous seed collection.

One of the highlights of this period was the successful breeding by a pair of endangered Sea Eagles on the property.

The two flood events of 2007 (June and November) could not have come at a better time for the health of the Morass and the restoration process. The massive June floods inundated the Morass and created the desired “flush” to export some of the salt which had accumulated in the intervening decade without flooding. The surviving wetland plants benefited greatly from the return of water, showing promising signs of new growth.

The November flooding was of a smaller scale but also highly beneficial, providing another flush of the system, resulting in fresher conditions. The population of endangered Growling Grass Frogs which survives in the eastern part of the Heart Morass certainly took advantage of the conditions – as evidenced by their noisy advertisement of interest in breeding.

Numerous waterfowl also took advantage of the full Morass to successfully breed and Ibis returned to re-establish a breeding rookery in the surviving reed beds for the first time in over a decade.

The management of the existing drains during this period is important to note because a higher water level was maintained to help create positive wetland conditions. The removal of cattle grazing was also highly significant as the post-flooding burst of natural regeneration of native plant species was not grazed away as would have occurred following similar events over the past century. The first significant recruitment event of River Red Gum’s in over a century was clear evidence of the ecological benefits of this new restoration-focused management regime.

Over the course of the following year the benefits of this new management regime became increasingly apparent as the natural regeneration of a diverse array of indigenous plants continued the recovery of ecological conditions and habitat on the property.