Download Autumn 2014 - Kara Kara CMN

Naturelink
Autumn 2014
Naturelink is the regular newsletter of the Kara Kara CMN
that keeps you up-to-date with events, activities and
programs aimed at protecting and enhancing remnant
temperate woodland in the St Arnaud region.
Reptiles - from back yard to
the bush
For most people, the occasional glimpse of a
snake or Blue-tongue Lizard during the height of
summer is the closest they ever get to a reptile
encounter. So it was no surprise when over 20
curious members of the local community took
the opportunity to attend a free seminar in St
Arnaud on Wednesday, 26 March 2014, to learn
more about these enigmatic creatures and brush
up on their reptile identification skills.
Titled ‘Reptiles - from back yard to the bush’
and featuring Peter Johnson, Senior Biodiversity
Officer with the DEPI and Statewide Coordinator of the Land for Wildlife Program, the
seminar provided an overview of the 29 species
and 3 subspecies of reptiles that call Victoria
home, ranging from snakes, lizards and skinks
to one species of turtle.
While reptiles have evolved to live in many
different habitats, these are generally grassy
and/or rocky with plenty of cover to provide
protection from predators. Unfortunately, the
loss of suitable habitat in many areas of Victoria
has led to several of our reptile species being
listed as threatened under either Victorian or
Federal legislation. These include the Striped
Legless Lizard (profiled overleaf) and the Pink-
tailed Worm Lizard (pictured below).
Hosted by the Kara Kara CMN and funded
through Parks Victoria’s ‘Healthy Parks Healthy
People’ program, this seminar was the latest in
a series of similar events aimed at educating the
community about our native flora and fauna,
and raising awareness about threats to Victoria’s
biodiversity.
Above: Pink-tailed Worm Lizard (Aprasia
parapulchella). Photo— Museum Victoria.
Diary date
The Kara Kara CMN hosts regular free
events that are open to the public. Details for
the next event are:
Friday, 6 June 2014
Time: 10.00 am to 1.45 pm
Topics and speakers:
 Lichens and mosses - jewels of the
forest by Dr Graeme Ambrose, Zoologist
and lecturer in environmental management
at Federation University, Ballarat (retired).
 ‘The Big Twitch’ and other birding tales
by Sean Dooley, comedian, birdwatcher,
author and Editor of Australian Birdlife
magazine.
Seminars are held in the Community Meeting
Room, St Arnaud Town Hall precinct (behind
Library). Includes a light lunch. Bookings
essential for catering purposes to 0428 160
297 or [email protected]. All welcome.
Joint program targets foxes on
public and private land
Striped Legless Lizard
Following Parks Victoria’s recent announcement
that its annual Autumn fox baiting program in
the Kara Kara National Park and adjacent
Conservation Reserves had commenced, the
Kara Kara CMN will provide financial support to
a complementary fox control initiative by local
landholders on private land.
Studies have shown that foxes site their dens in
good vegetation cover and close to food sources,
such as in bushland reserves, but they also
venture onto cleared agricultural land to feed.
Ground-dwelling native birds, reptiles and
animals, and newborn lambs, are particularly
vulnerable to predation.
The success of the 2013 joint program, which
saw over 400 foxes removed from the environment, shows that synchronising control efforts
on both public and private land has maximum
impact on fox populations and helps keep
numbers of this introduced pest to a minimum.
Private landholders in the St Arnaud region,
particularly those with properties close to or
adjoining forested areas, are encouraged to get
behind this important initiative.
Often mistaken for a juvenile snake, the Striped
Legless Lizard (Delma impar) grows to about
30cm long and has light and dark brown parallel
stripes running down the side of its body.
Its preferred habitat is grasslands dominated by
tussock grasses such as Kangaroo Grass
(Themeda triandra) or Spear Grass (Stipa sp.)
on Victoria’s Volcanic Plains, where it shelters in
rock crevices and soil cracks. It feeds mostly on
insects and, like most reptiles, is active from
September to May but spends the colder months
in torpor.
The Striped Legless Lizard is listed as
threatened under Victoria’s Flora and Fauna
Guarantee Act (1988) and Vulnerable under the
Commonwealth Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999), and is
therefore a protected species.
Snake or legless lizard: which is it?
While they resemble snakes, legless lizards have
some distinguishing features that can help with
identification. The most obvious feature is their
ear cavities, which are seen as a small hole on
each side of the head.
Legless lizards also have a broad and fleshy,
rather than forked, tongue and will readily drop
their tail when threatened. Remnant hind limbs
are also present, but these are often difficult to
see.
About the Kara Kara CMN
Established in 2010, the Kara Kara CMN brings together people and organisations who share a
common vision ‑ to protect and enhance habitat critical to the survival of our woodland birds, and
threatened fauna and flora species.
Our area of interest spans nearly 2,000km 2; from St Arnaud in the north to Moonambel in the
south, and from Morrl Morrl in the west to the Avoca River in the east. Central to this area is the
St Arnaud Range which takes in the Kara Kara National Park.
To protect this important habitat, we work with both public and private landholders on a variety of
programs, from revegetation and restoration projects to weed and feral pest control. We also host
regular public seminars and field trips to raise awareness within the community about our unique
fauna and flora. The Kara Kara CMN can be contacted on 0428 160 297 or by email to
[email protected].