APRIL 2000

I do what I can, where I am.

The day is perfect for weeding: blue sky, white clouds, a calm bay and lots of sunshine. In some patches Plantain is spreading thickly, preventing indigenous plants; such as the Beaded Glasswort (Sarcocornia quinqueflora) or Australian Salt-grass (Distichlis distichophylla), from flourishing. Today we are all women of different ages working together. Except for baby Hugh, who lies on a blanket so happily and plays with sand, sleeps, feeds, and then giggles with his watchful Grandmother. Someone jokes that we are like traditional gatherers, harvesting - weeds! Jo-Anne and Rebecca imagine the plants sigh with relief to have more space in the sand. Moving slowly across the site, sitting amongst plants and sand, there is much conversation, sharing of ideas, listening and quiet company. Ruth lives in a flat and really enjoys her hands being in the soil. Resting for hot cross buns, sandwiches and tea, we see how strong the patch of self-sown Knobby Club Rush (Isolepis nodosa) is growing. Surprises unfold: Josephine spots a tiny brown bird – Goldenheaded Cisticola. And what is that small white flowering ground plant that no-one remembers the name of? (Later, we know that it is Frankenia pauciflora) Jo-Anne loves the many changing colours of the Austral Seablite (Suaeda australis), which are mostly red now. Then Zoe arrives to help; she’s already been snorkelling above seagrass beds. It seems that there can be much more to a weeding day than just weeding.

We will be handweeding Plantain (again!) and some other nasties.

Please bring your own gloves and hand tools, drinking water, sunscreen and hat.

Refreshments, lunch and some gloves and tools will be provided.

Contact: Jo-Anne 9533 8707 for more information

Earthcare would like to thank Dennis Jones for the marvelous work he has done distributing the childrens’ book Alfreda The City Penguin.

Profits from the sale of this book have been used to improve fencing, vegetation cover, and public signage at the St. Kilda penguin sanctuary. Funds have also been used for vital research into penguin movements during the day and their food sources.

As you are aware the book is translated into Japanese and won an Australian Sister City Award in 1998. As a result visitors from Obu, our Japanese sister city, often attend the sanctuary and contribute to the cause.

The book is used by many Victorian schools and we have organised many children's excursions to the sanctuary as a result.

Alfreda The City Penguin is available from The Eco Centre for $10

Cowderoy Creek

West Beach

Friends of Westgate Park aim to plant 10,000 plants this year and are having planting days every third Sunday of the month. They are off to a great start with the planting of 1500 wetland plants in March. In April they planted salt bush, and on May 21^st they will be planting trees and shrubs.

Please bring drinking water, hat, sunscreen and gloves.

20^th April, Friends Of Sandy Rail Reserve, The EcoCentre, 7.30pm

7^th May, Water Testing at Cowderoy Creek, West Beach, 2pm

13^th May, West Beach weeding, 10am- 2pm, contact Jo- Anne, ph. 95338707, for details.

16^th May, Greening Australia Training Session, Environmental Philosophy. Cost $15.00. Contact Kay Strothers 9457 3024

18^th May Friends of Sandy Rail Reserve meeting, The EcoCentre, 7.30pm

21^st May, Planting Westgate Park, 11am. Contact Naomie ph: 9387 9041 for details

The following examples illustrate some of the properties of bamboo: when an animal dies in a bamboo forest it takes a considerably long time for it to rot, laying bamboo grass leaves at the bottom of a container in which you will place fish will remove the fishy smell, and wrapping fish that you will give as a present in leaves of bamboo grass will keep it fresher for longer.

Years ago when people went away on holidays they would wrap their lunches in bamboo bark and drink water from bamboo cylinders. Even nowadays bamboo and bamboo grass are used in many ways to naturally prolong the life of food. Silicic acid which is a component of bamboo and bamboo grass and terpen which is emitted from the leaf surface are said to contain polyphenol which is the agent which fights bacteria and oxidisation.

Port Phillip EcoCentre is proud to announce the first of its planned Environmental Forums to encourage informed public debate on important environmental issues.

A panel of four "greenhouse specialists" will summarise topics such as the physical, chemical and biological processes involved in bringing about climate change, how people affect this change, the current Australian National Greenhouse Strategy, and how YOU contribute to its successful implementation. There will be ample time for debate between the panel members and the public.

To assist catering, persons planning to attend are requested to inform the EcoCentre Coordinator as soon as possible by phone or e-mail. Admission is free but donations gratefully accepted.

Neil Blake, Mark Casey, Meyer Eidelson, Rebecca Lucas, Russell Jenkins, Alison Strachan,

Naomie Sunner, Jo-Anne Thyer, Lucy Turner and Zoe Hogg