Here's a Territory take on Gamba grass.
https://sites.google.com/site/bfntvolunteers/weeds/gamba-grass
Denise
On 8/7/13 5:05 PM, "David Clark" <> wrote:
> Well, I'll be writing to the relevant Territory and Commonwealth Ministers
> when I get home and I urge others to write too.
>
> Ministers take letters from ordinary punters quite seriously and it will be
> interesting to see how they respond about Gamba grass.
>
> Cheers
>
> David
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 08/07/2013, at 5:00 PM, Denise Goodfellow <>
> wrote:
>
>> The problem is also the grass itself. It grows to 4 m. high and 70 cm. in
>> diameter. So it can easily smother other vegetation. Plus it changes
>> soil-nutrient cycles and water cycles. Rossiter et. Al found that:
>>
>> "compared with sites dominated by native grasses, sites invaded by gamba
>> grass had (1) increased fire intensities by more than threetimes; (2)
>> reduced available soil nitrate levels by 70%; (3) trebled grass water use;
>> and (4) more than halved deep drainage of water. Gamba grass therefore has
>> the ability to out-compete native species, and alter catchment hydrology to
>> the detriment of wetlands and streams".
>>
>> Rossiter, N.A., Setterfield, S.A., Douglas, M.M., Hutley, L.B. & Cook, G.D.
>> Exotic grass invasion in the tropical savannas of northern Australia:
>> Ecosystem consequences. 14th Australian Weeds Conference 168 - 171 (2004).at
>> <http://espace.cdu.edu.au/view/cdu:1598>Google Scholar BibTex RTF Tagged XML
>> RIS
>>
>> Denise
>>
>> On 8/7/13 11:40 AM, "Peter Shute" <> wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for that, Denise. Those articles indicate that the problem with this
>>> grass is not its presence, but what happens to other vegetation when it
>>> burns.
>>> Is that correct, or does the grass itself cause problems too?
>>>
>>> Peter Shute
>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Denise Goodfellow
>>>> Sent: Monday, 8 July 2013 8:18 AM
>>>> To: Peter Shute; 'David Clark'; Birding Aus
>>>> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Cats
>>>>
>>>> Yes, certainly, and thank you, Peter, for asking. The second
>>>> title says it all.
>>>>
>>>> Africanising the tropical woodlands: Canopy loss and tree
>>>> death following gamba grass Andropogon gayanus invasion
>>>> Ferdinands, K, Douglas, MM, Setterfield, S and Barratt, JL (2006).
>>>> Africanising the tropical woodlands: Canopy loss and tree
>>>> death following gamba grass Andropogon gayanus invasion. In:
>>>> Sindel, BM and Johnson, SB 15th Australian Weeds Conference:
>>>> Managing Weeds in a Changing Climate, Adelaide,
>>>> 24-28 September 2006.
>>>> http://espace.cdu.edu.au/view/cdu:6670
>>>>
>>>> "Field of nightmares: gamba grass in the Top End", Aaron Petty (2013).
>>>>
>>>> http://theconversation.com/field-of-nightmares-gamba-grass-in-
>>>> the-top-end-
>>>> 12178
>>>>
>>>> I'm awaiting more articles from Dr. Petty.
>>>>
>>>> As I think I mentioned in an earlier email the NT Government
>>>> has declared that Gamba grass is out of control from Darwin
>>>> to Katherine. They are fighting a rear guard action trying
>>>> to prevent it moving further south. The situation may have
>>>> been made worse by the loss of Indigenous rangers from key
>>>> parks - they tell me that weeds were under control before
>>>> they resigned, but not now.
>>>>
>>>> Denise
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 8/7/13 7:33 AM, "Peter Shute" <> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> You often mention Gamba Grass here, Denise, but there's rarely any
>>>>> response. I know nothing about it, do you have any online
>>>> references about the problem?
>>>>>
>>>>> Peter Shute
>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From:
>>>>>> On Behalf
>>>> Of Denise
>>>>>> Goodfellow
>>>>>> Sent: Monday, 8 July 2013 7:11 AM
>>>>>> To: David Clark; Birding Aus
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Cats
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I suspect that the impact on wildlife of cats or cane
>>>> toads will pale
>>>>>> into insignificance against that of Gamba Grass, and I
>>>> can't see any
>>>>>> body, Government or otherwise, investing much money in
>>>> fighting that
>>>>>> weed!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
>>>>>> PO Box 71, Darwin River,
>>>>>> NT 0841
>>>>>> 043 8650 835
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 7/7/13 9:48 PM, "David Clark" <> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I am currently travelling through northwestern Queensland
>>>>>> and I have
>>>>>>> been surprised at the number of feral cats scavenging around
>>>>>>> campsites, crossing roads in broad daylight and feeding
>>>> on roadkill.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> My first response was to bemoan the increase in the population of
>>>>>>> feral cats and to wonder about what damage they are doing
>>>>>> to native fauna.
>>>>>>> However, the situation is not that simple.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> There has been no wet season for the past two years and the seed
>>>>>>> bearing plants haven't produced seeds. This has had a
>>>>>> dramatic impact
>>>>>>> on the numbers of seed eaters, particularly finches and
>>>>>> small rodents.
>>>>>>> The latter are the main prey of feral cats and, in their
>>>>>> absence, the
>>>>>>> cats are starving. There is not an increase in the feral cat
>>>>>>> population; the starving survivors are congregating where
>>>> they may
>>>>>>> find food and are more visible to the casual observer than
>>>>>> they are in normal conditions.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm not saying that feral cats aren't a problem but, in terms of
>>>>>>> impact on native animals, they come in well behind the Cane Toad.
>>>>>>> Goannas used to be common in the area through which I am
>>>> travelling
>>>>>>> but not anymore. Olive Pythons are absent from most of
>>>>>> their range.
>>>>>>> A dead Freshwater Crocodile floating down the creek two
>>>>>> days ago was
>>>>>>> most likely a victim of Cane Toad poison. The Kites are
>>>> back, and
>>>>>>> have presumably learned to avoid Cane Toads.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> There is a lot of local concern about feral cats and many
>>>>>> of the north
>>>>>>> Queensland shires offer a bounty on cats' tails. While
>>>>>> that may put
>>>>>>> some money into the pockets of local people, it won't
>>>>>> really address
>>>>>>> the problem and I'm not sure that Governments are prepared
>>>>>> to invest
>>>>>>> the money necessary to control feral cats, Cane Toads,
>>>> feral pigs,
>>>>>>> feral camels, feral goats, feral dogs, Common Mynas, etc, etc.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> David
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Sat, Jul 6, 2013 at 6:21 PM, Peter Morgan
>>>>>> <> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> We felt sickened when we found a large ginger tabby curled
>>>>>> up in what
>>>>>>>> we presume is a Letter-wing Kite nest in the tree where
>>>> we found a
>>>>>>>> family of 2 adults and 2 young last year in SA. Bev got
>>>> one poor
>>>>>>>> photo, but the cat scooted down and out of the tree as she
>>>>>> approached to get better shots.
>>>>>>>> We have seen more cats on this trip through NSW, Qld,
>>>> and SA than
>>>>>>>> ever before. Today, we watched a large grey cat stalking
>>>>>> a huge mob
>>>>>>>> of Little Corella feeding on the ground just after we
>>>> came out of
>>>>>>>> Sturt NP on our way to Tibboburra.
>>>>>>>> Throughout the trip, we have had many locals, some from
>>>>>> the grazing
>>>>>>>> industry, bemoaning the number of cats and the damage they
>>>>>> are doing.
>>>>>>>> One suggested that explosion of bush rats in western Qld
>>>>>> in 2011 led
>>>>>>>> to an increase in cats that lives on to this day.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Peter and Bev Morgan
>>>>>>>> ===============================
>>>>>>>>
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