Sowing seed & going solar — The latest news from NGT’s Mount Vandyke Restoration Reserve

It’s been all go recently at Mount Vandyke, NGT’s predator-proof fenced Restoration Reserve in the heart of Cobboboonee National Park, in SW Victoria!

With our commitment to full ecosystem recovery, we are continuing to focus on habitat restoration activities before the future planned release of threatened small mammals into this strategically located free-ranging enclosure, which is completely surrounded by high-quality bushland.

The latest activity we have tackled is direct seeding a new area of Carex iynx, an important structural species for reconstructing a functioning native grassland/sedgeland at the site. This sedge is one of the dominant species found in the remnant reference habitat still found just outside the fence at Mt Vandyke (see previous article here).

NGT staff John and Andy sowed 5 kg of Carex iynx over 0.5 ha of the lower flats. The seed was cleaned by the NGT Community Nursery and Western Plains Flora.

Now we patiently wait and hope for seasonal conditions that will favour successful germination and establishment… fingers crossed for a positive result!

In some other exciting news at Mt Vandyke, we’ve just had our brand new solar system installed. Needless to say, given the remote location of this Reserve in the middle of Cobboboonee National Park, mains power isn’t anywhere nearby!

The power system will provide much needed flexibility and improved functionality at the site for our staff and volunteers, and education groups that we will host there in future, not to mention giving us the option to electrify the predator proof fence – if required – down the track once we release small mammals inside the fence.

We are very grateful to Judy Glick for making the solar upgrade possible.

The ongoing habitat restoration work at Mount Vandyke is currently being made possible thanks to a number of NGT’s supporters, including Purryburry Trust, Leith Hope Memorial Foundation, Pixel Seed Fund, NGT monthly donors and other individuals who wish to remain anonymous. The project is also receiving significant public co-investment in the form of a grant from the Victorian State Government, via the Nature Fund program.