Duckpond Recovery after the floods
The January floods had a huge impact on the Duckpond Nature Reserve, located on the southern side of the Fitzroy river flood plain. The access road and a considerable proportion of the Reserve area was underwater for nearly 2 weeks. Scrubby Creek, which occupies a former course of the Fitzroy, acted as a channel for approximately a third of the volume of the floodwater and the strong flow caused considerable bank erosion. Much damage was sustained by the fencing infrastructure from the turbulent floodwaters and the heavy debris it carried, something that requires major repairs and rehabilitation. Many of the native seedlings planted over the past couple of years were destroyed. However, on the positive side, the lagoon has been replenished and is now quite full, providing a good habitat for waterbirds and other wildlife.
Wildlife Queensland Head Office has provided the Branch a flood recovery grant of $500 to help make progress with rehabilitation. A working bee made a good start to repairing some of the damage (see below photos). In January ( after the flood ) an energetic group of a dozen volunteers put a full day’s work into clearing flood borne hay bales and other debris from the fencing and making interim repairs to some fence posts – but much more needs to be done.
Recovery team hard at work
Fortunately, the Branch has been successful in gaining enough funding to provide for the hire of a Bobcat for three days plus some materials from a Caring for our Country grant through our regional NRM organization, the Fitzroy River and Coastal Catchments (FRCC), for purchase of materials and erection of replacement fencing as well as for stream bank rehabilitation and revegetation along sections of Scrubby creek where the force of the turbulent floodwaters caused major erosion. The Branch has also negotiated the donation, from Ergon Energy corporation, of a supply of old electricity poles which will be cut into lengths for reuse as fence posts.
Jeff and friends keep up the great work.