STEP has received an ACT Environment Grant of $9,900 for our project entitled: STEP Master Plan Stage 2 – Out Door Education Space.
News
News from the STEP garden
ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher attends STEP Planting
Warrren Saunders, was quick to capture this great clip on his mobile phone of Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher planting a Hardenbergia at the STEP site on 1 April 2012. Thank you Warren!!!
STEP Newsletter Summer 2011
The Summer 2011 STEP Newsletter may be downloaded from this link.
- STEP News Summer 2011 (PDF)
Step Lot 100 Stage One Masterplan Panels
STEP has developed 5 colourful display posters with information on the iconic ecosystems of the southern tablelands. The display posters present the STEP plans for landscaping and planting stage 1 of the southern tablelands regional botanic garden, education and ecosystems recovery centre.
NSW Scientific Committee makes final determination on Snow Gum
Tony Lawson requested that STEP news publicise the news that the Scientific Committee, established by the Threatened Species Conservation Act, has made a Final Determination to list the Tablelands Snow Gum, Black Sallee, Candlebark and Ribbon Gum Grassy Woodland in the South Eastern Highlands, Sydney Basin, South East Corner and NSW South Western Slopes Bioregions as an ENDANGERED ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY in Part 3 of Schedule 1 of the Act. Listing of Endangered Ecological Communities is provided for by Part 2 of the Act.
An Interview with Andy Russell
This article is based on an interview in April 2011 with Andy Russell, a founding member of STEP and currently both the STEP treasurer and Public Officer.
Telling the understorey
Barbara Payne of Quandong Designs, our pro bono landscape architect, is completing her work on the landscape design for the STEP site. This project is supported by an ACT Environment Grant entitled Growing Our Natural Capital, awarded to STEP in September 2010, by the former Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and the National Arboretum.
Developing Molonglo Connectivity …a proposal
Members will be interested to know that the STEP Committee is supporting the Conservation Council’s application for an ACT Environment Grant round for 2011/2012.
STEP Working Bees
Working bees have been very productive recently. Now is a good time for STEP members to visit the STEP site and see what has been achieved so far. We are always glad to see members who would like to join our Thursday morning ‘working bees’.
The Birdlime Spider of Block 100
Article contibuter by Stephen Skinner
The Birdlime spider (Celaenia kinbergi) is an interesting member of the diverse family of Orb Weavers. She, and yes, she is the big spider, the male is tiny, builds a day-bed and the wonderful ‘lobster buoy’ incubation sacs and little more.
She is believed to lure her diet of moths using a pheromone-mimicking scent. The more she eats, the more of the incubation sacs she will construct, and the ground below her day-bed will be littered with moth carcasses. Given warm weather and so plenty of moths she may build one egg sac every five to seven days, taking a bit longer as the days shorten and the weather cools. She is a long lived lady and may have bunches of about a dozen sacs across the season. The spiderlings are tiny and may have hatched from the early sacs well before the last one is finished. This lady has seven sacs hanging in her chosen sapling. 22nd May 2011.