2: Property size profile for the Christmas Hills catchment Up to 0.4 ha Up to 1 ha >1 to 4 ha >4 to 10 ha >10 to 40 ha >40 to 100 ha >100 to 400 ha Total No./ % properties 5 (2%) 7 (3%) 55 97 (43%) 46 (20%) 12 (5%) 5 (2%) 227 Total area / % 0.8 ha 4.1 ha 145.6 ha 558.8 ha 799.4 ha 558.4 ha 906.6 ha ha Source: Nillumbik Shire Council 2010 Catchment Description A catchment is an area of land bound by hills or mountains from which all run-off water flows to the same low point. The low point may be a lake, a dam, a river or the mouth of a river where it enters the ocean. Rainwater will flow to this lowest point via creeks, rivers and stormwater systems. Together with rivers, creeks, lakes and dams, a catchment includes groundwater, stormwater, wastewater and water-related infrastructure. Catchments are connected from top to bottom, so what happens upstream in a catchment has a great influence further down the catchment. Human activities across a whole catchment, such as pollution, soil erosion and the spread of weeds, can adversely affect the quality of water and the environment at the bottom of the catchment. This is why it is important to manage a catchment as a whole rather than in parts. Christmas Hills catchment area Our catchment includes the three narrow valleys of Watsons, Reedy, and Five Mile Creeks. These are within a landscape of predominantly low hills through the central catchment that merge with long ridges of steep hills and rugged terrain on 9
Identify garden plants that have the potential to become bushland invaders. Control pest animals. Have access to machinery and equipment for rabbit and fox control. Hold/attend workshops on rabbit and fox control. Have access to skilled contractors for rabbit and fox control. Form/join Rabbit Action Group(s). Landholders, Landcare, Council Implement pest animal control programs. Continue targeted pest control programs for rabbits and foxes. Implement pest control programs that also target deer and goats in areas adjoining National Parks. Council, Victoria and Melbourne Water Reduce gully erosion. Undertake coordinated action to reduce erosion across properties. Improve design and construction techniques for road drainage in the Shire. Improve land managers’ knowledge of drainage construction through access to improved information and design advice. Educate constructions Educate landholders in erosion issues. Landholders, Melbourne Water, Landcare and Council Protect existing scattered paddock and limit dieback. Landholders, Landcare
to protect selected trees from stock and routine agricultural practices in paddocks. Propagate local trees for paddock use. Plant shade trees for stock away from isolated paddock trees. Don’t apply fertiliser in tree root zones. Reduce herbicide drift as much as possible. Don’t burn logs, stumps or fallen branches. (If they are in an inconvenient place, move logs to a more appropriate remnant vegetation area or creek, as wildlife habitat.) Promote natural regeneration. Install temporary fencing to enclose areas twice the size of tree canopies to encourage regeneration. Manage grazing to help young plants survive. Control herbivores such as rabbits, and goats. Plant additional paddock trees in appropriate areas. Landholders Develop a plan to remove Burgan for fire prevention purposes. Ensure that no covenants or other legal agreements are on your land that protect native flora, such as a Section 173 Agreement under the Planning and Environment Act 1987. Make sure other native flora species are not destroyed during the removal program, by using appropriate removal techniques. Landholders
Encourage agricultural producers to maintain agricultural land in sound condition by applying sustainable practices. Provide short courses about viable enterprises and value-adding, and producing sales to tourists and customers of farmers markets. Promote land use match with land capability. Primary Industries and Council Waterway health Goal To manage the catchment for protection and improvement of water quality Actions Responsibility Exclude from waterways by fencing. Landholders Develop guidelines for the design of private roads and drains. Council Provide workshops about the impacts of land uses on waterway quality. Landcare and Melbourne Water Promote Melbourne Water’s to private landholders with freehold or licensed waterway frontage. The program provides support for works such as fencing, off-stream stock watering, weed control and revegetation. These grants are designed so that the landholder is responsible for implementing works and an ongoing program. Melbourne Water Conduct GIS mapping of current works funded under the Stream Frontage Management Program and identify gaps in the work. Then submit a proposal with Melbourne Council, Melbourne Water
Appendix 3 Significant Flora Records from the Christmas Hills catchment Common Name Scientific Name EPBC Listing VROT Listing FFG Listing Last Record Number of Records Habitat Nationally significant Little Pink Spider-orchid Caladenia rosella Endangered Listed 2002 4 Grassy Dry Forest; Heathy Dry Forest on sandy clay loams derived from sandstone and mudstone. State significant Wine-lipped Spider-orchid Caladenia oenochila - Vulnerable - 2001 13 Damp and valley sclerophyll forests. State significant Southern Varnish Wattle Acacia verniciflua (southern variant) - Poorly Known - 2002 6 Dry eucalypt forests and woodlands, along rocky streams or on skeletal ridges. State significant Helichrysum aff. rutidolepis - Vulnerable - 2001 4 Swampy Areas.
significant Late Calochilus therophilus - Poorly Known - 2002 2 Unknown. State significant Slender Ruddyhood Pterostylis aciculiformis - Poorly Known - 1997 2 Low eucalypt forest, often on rocky hills and ridges. State significant Slender Desmodium varians - Poorly Known - 1987 2 Plains grassland and crevices in escarpments. State significant Austral Geranium solanderi var. solanderi s.s. - Vulnerable - 2001 1 Occurs on a range of soil types and situations. State significant Thelymitra X irregularis - Rare - 1999 1 Favours heathland and heathy forest.
Crested State significant Scentbark Eucalyptus fulgens - Rare - 2002 1 Moist loam soils of valleys in the foothills. State significant Pale-flower Geranium sp. 3 - Rare - 2002 1 Well drained soils tolerating dryness once established. State significant Velvet Billardiera scandens s.s. - Rare - 2002 1 Unknown. 46
Significant Fauna Records within the Christmas Hills catchment Common Name Scientific Name EPBC Listing VROT Listing FFG Listing Last Record Number of Records Habitat Nationally significant Growling Grass Frog Litoria raniformis Vulnerable Endangered Listed 1988 1 In water or very wet areas in woodlands, shrublands, and open and disturbed areas. significant Powerful Owl Ninox strenua - Vulnerable Listed 2004 31 Drier forest types which have many live hollow bearing eucalypt trees. significant Brush-tailed Phascogale Phascogale tapoatafa - Vulnerable Listed 2004 21 Open dry foothill forest with little ground typically associated with box, ironbark and stringybark eucalyptus. State significant Common Bat Miniopterus schreibersii Critically Endangered Endangered Listed 1998 17 Habitat preference is associated with the availability of foraging
significant Southern Toadlet Pseudophryne - Vulnerable - 1988 3 Lower elevations in damp areas usually under litter, logs or rocks. State significant Azure Kingfisher Alcedo azurea - Near Threatened - 1992 1 Creeks and rivers. State significant Brown Toadlet Pseudophryne bibronii - Endangered Listed 1992 1 A wide variety of habitats, including dry forests, woodland, shrubland, grassland, coastal swamps, heathland, and State significant Eastern Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus megaphyllus - Vulnerable Listed 1988 1 Habitat preference is associated with the availability of foraging