March 2015 Easter Edition - Rockingham Regional Environment

Web Site: www.naragebup.org.au Phone: 95913077
March 2015 Issue: 18 Editor:
Diane Anderson
Will be held on Wednesday 22nd April, 2015
6pm—7pm
at Rockingham Regional Environment Centre 49 Safety Bay Road, Peron
CHAIR REPORT
Hello everyone and welcome to our first newsletter for 2015. We have had a very busy six months with many projects
taking place and some more are about to begin.
The Garden project is nearing completion with final touches being applied. Our Bush Tucker Trail is having the reticulation
completed and then the final few plants can go in. Our Reptile area is undergoing some exciting new work and a rescue/
rehabilitation ‘hospital’ has been completed and is beginning some very important work as you read this. Finally the
Marine Display area is being painted and made ready for a new tank and information to be placed in the area ready for
visitors to learn about this amazing area of coastline we call home.
The Centre is undergoing some really wonderful development presently with the help of volunteers and sponsorship
partners, all of whom we couldn’t do without, so thanks to all who are doing a massive amount of work for and with us to get
these projects completed.
Come and visit to see the new works, animals and displays as I am sure you will be pleasantly
surprised and enjoy the proactive atmosphere we have going on.
We would love to show you around and collect even
more ideas for future projects.
Finally I would like to remind you all about our Annual General Meeting being held on Wednesday 22nd April, 2015 from
6pm-7pm. It is important to the future of Naragebup that we enjoy the input of our members wherever possible. The
AGM also gives us an opportunity to outline our plans for the future and inform our members of our successful ventures
over the past twelve months. Hope to see you there.
See you soon! Alexis Grayson
In Conjunction with
Will be celebrated at Naragebup
On Saturday 23rd May, 2015 10am—3pm
Entry Fee $5.00 per person including members
Friends of the Western
Swamp Tortoise
Turtle Oblonga Rescue
& Rehabilitation Network
WANDERER BUTTERFLIES AT NARAGERBUP
Thanks to some very hard work by Janete Reos our gardens in the
butterfly house are looking very attractive and this summer we
have again had some butterflies taking advantage of this peaceful
area.
Thanks to a Naturalist Club member who brought in some plants
with the eggs upon them. By putting some branches of the weed
into the house the hatched out caterpillars were supplied with
some of the only food they will eat.
Over the months the butterflies have laid their eggs onto the red flowering milkweed plants that we have provided.
The red flowering milkweeds is a slow grower and not included in the noxious weed ban the white flowering milkweed are
under. Supplying these voracious caterpillars with enough food is demanding.
If any members would like to aid by growing some of the red flowering plants they can apply at reception for some
seed.
Article by Mary Vaughan
Congratulations to Rockingham Regional
Environment Centre for its superb work to
safeguard our future.
Fremantle Ports—proud supporters of
Naragebup and sponsor of this
Newsletter.
Current Sponsors helping to sustain
Rockingham Regional Environment Centre
Local schools have been enjoying first terms nice
weather especially around Lake Richmond and our
grounds.
Once again it is School Holidays, how fast they come
around.
We have put the holiday program on our
facebook page and the website so please come and
keep the kids busy with some fun and educational
activities during the break.
Alexis Grayson
Dates and times will be organised and made available in the coming month.
GET ACTIVE AND HAVE SOME FUN
SCHOOL HOLIDAY ACTIVITY PROGRAM
APRIL 2015
DATE
AM: 10-1130
TUESDAY
7TH APRIL
LAKE
RICHMOND
ANIMAL WATCH
WEDNESDAY
8TH APRIL
REPTILE
REALM
THURSDAY
9TH APRIL
PM: 1-2.30
TERRARIUM
MAKING
ENVIROMENTAL
TREASURE
HUNT
LAUGHTER
WORKSHOP
MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT
MAKING
WORM
FARMING
FUN
FOSSIL
MAKING
WEDNESDAY
15TH APRIL
REPTILE
REALM
MOSAIC
FISH
THURSDAY
16TH APRIL
BOTTLE BUG
LIGHTS
TUESDAY
14TH APRIL
LAUGHTER
WORKSHOP
EACH ACTIVITY IS $5.00 PER PARTICIPANT AND INCLUDES ENRTY TO THE CENTRE.
CHILDREN UNDER 7 YEARS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT (charged at child rate)
BOOKINGS RECOMMENDED AS SOME ACTIVITIES ARE VERY POPULAR:- PHONE 95913077 OR BOOK
ONLINE ON THE ‘CONTACT US AREA’ OF OUR WEBPAGE. www.naragebup.org.au
Rockingham City, FREE April School Holiday Activities
Located near Coles at Rockingham City Shopping Centre
Friday 10th April
Saturday 11th April
Monday 13th April
Thursday 16th April
Friday 17th April
Reptiles
Recycled Art
Recycled Art
Recycled Art
Reptiles
10:30am—13:00pm
10:30am—14:00pm
9:30am—13:00pm
11:00am-14:00pm
10:30am—13:00pm
A very important area for Naragebup is ‘Lake Richmond’ as the
Environment Centre was originally built with the view of protecting
this natural habitat for many birds and other animals found
around this beautiful fresh water lake.
This column is created to inspire
children’s interest in their
environment. Naragebup,
believes children are our future,
and education is the key to truly
understanding our world.
DID YOU KNOW:
Thrombolites are alive today. Lake Richmond is one of the
few places on earth where these ‘living rocks’ grow.
Before the 1900’s the lake area was used by local aboriginal
people for camping, fishing, hunting and gathering.
We now have three feathery
residents at Naragebup.
The lake is a very
important resting and
feeding place for both
migratory and local
birds.
In 2012 the lake was
Heritage Listed to be
used for bird watching,
bush walking and environmental education.
Our first is Nara, he is a
Long-billed Corella. These
birds have quite a long beak
compared to many of the
other native wild birds in
Australia.
Naragebup features a Lake Richmond Display within the Centre
where visitors can learn about this unique area.
The Long-billed Corella is a
medium-sized white cockatoo
that has red-pink markings on
its face and neck and has a grey-blue ring around its eyes.
The average wing span of a full grown Long-billed Corella
is 80-90cm. Long-billed Corellas can live for well over 20
years, in the wild – but have been known to live even
longer in captivity. They eat seeds, corns, roots, insects
and grubs.
Nara is only young but is already learning to copy what
people say and do. He likes to play peek-a-boo, and
seems to like being told he is very clever…
A Barramundi has kindly been donated
for our marine display. He was kept in
isolation for three weeks prior to being
introduced to the Aquafriends pond.
Most of us know Barramundi as a
species keenly sought after by fisherman in the northern areas of Australia
as they are a delicacy to eat. They
can inhabit both fresh water and salt water and have a very
interesting and complex life cycle. They can live up to 20 years
of age, grow to over one metre in length and are opportunistic
predators that will eat almost anything aquatic.
The male fish mature in fresh water lakes and rivers for the first
three to four years, and at the beginning of the wet season, are
washed downstream to the ocean. The salt water triggers a sex
change and they will spawn. The eggs and larvae are washed
into coastal swamps which remain their habitat for the first year
before the immature fish begin to make their way up stream,
where they remain until they reach maturity at about three to four
years. At the beginning of the wet season the mature barramundi
will make their way downstream to the ocean, where the sex
change and spawning will occur.
Fish that are introduced into
landlocked fresh water lakes will all remain males and cannot
breed.
Marian Dixon (Marine Manager)
Our other 2 feathery residents’ names are “Georgy and
Porgy”. They are Weiros, also known as Cockatiels.
There are many colour variations of Weiros. Georgy and
Porgy are mainly grey with a yellow head and what look
like rosy red-orange cheeks. They are a bit bigger than a
budgie. Weiros have been
known to live for over 15 years
in captivity.
They love their seeds, fruits
and vegies as well as native
foods such as eucalyptus,
wattle and bottlebrush.
They are roughly 10 years old.
Georgy and Porgy are quite
new to us here at Naragebup,
but seem to be settling in quite
well.
It’s great having the chatter and
whistles of these birds heard
around the centre.
Article by
Becky Sparrow
FUNCTION CENTRE FOR HIRE
Consider holding your next function at Naragebup.
Our 75 seat Lakeview Room is available for hire at very
reasonable rates for parties, meetings,
conferences or seminars. We also have
movie projection and sound equipment
available for hire.
See our website for details or email
admin@naragebup.org au
TURTLE RESCUE
IMPORTANT TO
REMEMBER TO HELP
US SURVIVE.
If you find a turtle on the beach or in the sea, don’t put it
back in the water, it will not survive. Put it on a dry towel
and bring it into the Environment Centre or Phone
Wildcare on (08) 94749055
As Autumn approaches our gardeners will be planting
potatoes and winter vegetables including brassicas.
The reticulation in the garden beds is still being tweaked
to achieve good coverage of garden beds with minimum
water wastage in surrounding areas.
Our sensory garden is presently being established under
the Sheoak Tree in the garden area and will soon
feature new plants.
This will provide a shady rest
area which can be enjoyed by our gardeners and people
with disabilities and their families.
Happy Gardening Roly
For Enquiries: Regarding garden plots or general
information please contact our reception on
95913077 or email: gardens@naragebup.org.au
JANETE REOS grew up and
attended school and College in
the Federal University of Rio
Grande do Sul in Brazil.
I have become very passionate to interact with the public and
have always had a great interest in Socialising to improve my
knowledge with English and in health and environmental
issues, subjects that I have studied from 2004 to 2013 leading
me to get my PhD in Sociology with interface in Political
Science.
When my family moved to Australia, in 2013, I looked for
volunteer work in the environmental non government
organizations and found Naragebup, located in my own
suburb, so I became a member and was very excited to start
my volunteering.
I have enjoyed working in the gardening team, which has Roly
as a leader of it and in agreement between us I was placed in
charge of the Butterfly House. I gladly accepted the
challenge and have been enjoying learning about Monarch
Butterflies and how to interact with the visitors to the Centre.
However, more than this, I enjoy the sociability that the Centre
has been promoting to me in my new "environment" called
Australia.
Janete
URGENT— VOLUNTEERS TO HELP US REJUVENATE NARAGEBUP
Consider joining our happy team of Volunteers. Gain friendships and social interaction whilst helping your
community and our future generation learn about our environment.
We need people with various interests and skills.

Receptionists

People with experience or interest in Fund Raising.
Email: volunteers@naragebup.org.au or Phone: 9591 3077
CONTACTS
Rockingham Regional Environment Centre Inc. Management Committee
Administration
Email: admin@naragebup.org.au
Education
Email: education@naragebup.org.au
Membership
Email: membership@naragebup.org.au
Marine
Email: marine@naragebup.org.au
Reptiles
Email: reptiles@naragebup.org.au
Garden Enquiries
Email: gardens@naragebup.org.au
Treasurer
Email: treasurer@naragebup.org.au
Volunteer Enquiries
Email: volunteers@naragebup.org.au
NARAGEBUP
P.O. Box 5375
Rockingham Beach 6969
Phone: 9591 3077
Stamp
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