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Current Projects
Feral Horse monitoring in the Cobberas area
The Friends of the Cobberas is a very small Friends group looking after a very remote part of the Alpine National Park, known as the East Alps Unit. The small but enthusiastic group focuses on the Cobberas area which is between Benambra and the Snowy River. One of the project ideas right from it’s inception in 1996 was to be involved in some monitoring of the impacts of feral horses (colloquially called brumbies) that roam this part of the High Country in quite high concentrations.
The late Ian Smith was the group’s initial convenor and his enthusiasm for this project and his connections with High Country folk, saw the group’s membership grow and funding made available for the project through the Australian Alps Liaison Committee. It was important that the project be set up with the type of scientific rigour required for the results to be acceptable to the scientific community.
Consultants Kevin Thiele and Suzanne Prober (Ecological Interactions) were the contractors appointed to establish the Feral Horse Exclusion Plots Project in conjunction with Friends of the Cobberas. The aims of the project are “to monitor the effects of exclosure from feral horses on floristic composition and structure of favoured grazing areas (grasslands) and on bank condition and disturbance of streams draining these areas”.
Friends used their local knowledge to assist the consultants and Parks Victoria rangers to select two sites in the Cobberas area. Both sites (Cowombat Flat and Native Cat Flat) are frequented by Feral Horses, but are not grazed by cattle ensuring that impacts could be directly attributed to Feral Horses, not to introduced grazers in general. Each site consists of 4 replicate pairs of plots, one fenced and one unfenced as well as 4 replicate pairs of stream segments, again one fenced and one unfenced.
With the initial data collected fences were erected in July 1999 by Parks Victoria with assistance from work crews at Nowa Nowa NRE (DSE). The Friends group took on the task of regularly checking the plots to ensure fences remain in good condition and annually taking a set of prescribed photos from designated photos points. From time to time horses damage the fences, leaning in to reach the long feed, so regular visits are required to ensure fences are kept in good condition. It is beautiful wild country, so no great chore to gather Friends for the visits!
In March 2001, Friends conducting the annual monitoring were devastated to find all the plots at Native Cat Flat had been vandalised with wires cut to all the fences. A subsequent working bee saw a big turn out of Friends to collect all the dangerous loose wire, fit new wires and strengthen fences. Much discussion occurred on how to stop this happening again.
The group decided to apply for a Parks Victoria Community Grant for funding to produce and install interpretive signs at both sites to explain the reason for the fences and to demonstrate the co-operation of the various groups involved with the project to date. As the project had the backing of the Mountain Cattlemen’s Association and Alpine Brumby Management Group as well as Parks Victoria and the Friends of the Cobberas, it represented a wide range of community interest groups. Funding was successful and the signs were erected in April 2002. It is with great pleasure that we can report no further vandalism has occurred at either site – public eduction worked!
In January 2003 the Alpine Fire raged through the East Alps. As the plots are situated on “wet” drainage lines, the flames slowed enough not to burn the fences, although vegetation in some plots was burnt. The extent of the burn to vegetation in the plots was carefully recorded, so that any affects of the fire could be taken into account in future results. It has also been noted that the fire has redistributed feral horses through the area resulting in altered concentrations.
This is a long term project and although from about year two, there were dramatic visual differences between the fenced and unfenced plots, it is expected that changes to the composition of plant species within the fenced plots could take many years.
Although ten years was a suggested period for first monitoring, Friends of the Cobberas received a Parks Victoria Community Grant to fund interim monitoring in year six.
Monitoring feral horse plots
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Ecological Interactions were again contracted to conduct floristic and streambank monitoring. Blessed with superb weather for the monitoring, this was a fantastic learning opportunity for Friends to ask question and learn from Suzanne and Kevin, how have an exceptional knowledge of flora, fauna and ecology.
We now eagerly await the report on the interim monitoring, although it is expected that results will not be spectacular at this early stage.
The consultants have indicated that apart from a much greater height of vegetation growth as a result of exclosure, the stream structure and function will show the most striking changes. |
The fenced stream segments were significantly shallower with less streambank pugging and slumping than the unfenced (grazed) segments. They had an indistinct channel with vegetation cover across the channel and no or little visible free water. This change to the stream channels if scaled to sub-catchment or catchment level could have implications on the effects of feral horses on hydrology and stream health.
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| Horse impacts on stream segment outside the fence |
No horse impacts on stream segment inside the fence |
It would be potentially valuable to value-add to the existing plots by embarking on a hydrological study using appropriate methods to study rates of water flow through fenced and unfenced segments….another potential project!
Friends contact ranger Paula Dower from Parks Victoria, Omeo said “Involvement with this project provides an excellent opportunity to step out of everyday life, spend time the great outdoors and be involved in a worthwhile scientific project. Congratulations to the Friends of the Cobberas for continued ownership, enthusiasm and assistance with the project.”
Anyone interested in more information on Friends of the Cobberas or the Feral Horse Monitoring Project can email the group info@friendscobberas.com.au
You might like to have a look at the feral horse link on our links page which includes more facts about feral horses in the High Country.
Mt Stradbroke Walking Track Project
In 2003 the Friends of the Cobberas had discussion with Parks Victoria about the feasibility of the Friends group being involved in work on a walking track to Mt Stradbroke. This is a walking track which was proposed in the management plan for the East Alps (Cobberas) Unit of the Alpine National Park and would follow a now disused and overgrown 4WD fire trail for part of the walk. Our request was met with enthusiasm by Ranger in Charge of the East Alps Unit, Dave Foster who accompanied the group on an on site appraisal of the walk in November 2003. With the aftermath of the 2003 bushfires, the proposed track was littered with fallen trees and it was decided to wait until a works crew could complete the heavier clearing work, before the Friends took on the project. Some time elapsed before this was possible and there is still a constant (but gradually reducing) accumulation of fallen dead wattles and branches.
“The weekend of March 25-26, 2006 saw an enthusiastic group of Friends meet at the start of the Mt Stradbroke Track for a Working Bee on the track. It was great to welcome a new member on his first activity with us along with a visitor who had joined up by the end of the weekend! Two rangers from Parks Victoria at Omeo came along with the new sign and lots of gear.
We took turns digging the holes for the posts, assembled the sign and carefully located it in quick set concrete. Then sat back and admired our handy-work.
After a cuppa, we walked off down the track. One of the rangers went on ahead with the chainsaw to cut larger branches off, while the rest of us follow pulling smaller timber off the track.
Post fire there are some really thick patches of wattle seedling, spelling walking problems in the near future.
It quickly became evident that the clearing work was too much to do in a day, we settled for concentrating on marking this unmarked section of track. |
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Even so, the time ran out before we reached the summit unfortunately and we had to turn back without completing the job. It was a long but productive day and the weather was beautiful. While the rangers had to head home, the rest of us enjoyed a lovely night camped at Native Dog Flat.”
See Forthcoming activities page for details of the next Working Bee at Mt Stradbroke
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While work on the walking track is not completed, it is signposted and open for adventurous walkers. A number of groups have used the track, enjoying the fantastic scenery and remoteness of the area. Thanks to Melbourne Bushwalkers for these photos.
Left: Last bit to the summit of Mt Stradbroke, Melbourne Bushwalkers Easter 2007
Above: Pointing out the Snowy River from summit of Mt Stradbroke, Melbourne Bushwalkers Easter 2006 |
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