Dear members,
The Launceston Field Naturalists Club is organising a Bioblitz at Skemps, in partnership with Tamar-NRM and coinciding with the Great Southern Bioblitz.
Here are some of the details – there will be excellent domain experts (DE) present as well as displays, talks and a sausage sizzle lunch. So we hope to see many of you there on Saturday 21st September (9:15 for 9:30) at the Skemps property at Myrtle Bank (search for Skemps in Google Maps).
Registrations are important for catering purposes – please register here
First the DE’s. We are very grateful that a lot of people have offered their expert help on the day:
- Simon Fearn and Alfonsina Arriaga Jimenez of QVMAG: insects
- Roy Skabo: vascular plants
- Trevor Yaxley, Elaine Upton and Jeff Campbell: orchids
- Sarah Lloyd: fungi and slime moulds
- Nigel Forteath and Noel & Karen Manning: water invertebrates and our usual biannual water monitoring event
- Geoff Shannon, Megan Byrd and Ian Cameron: birds.
| When | What | Details |
| Sat 21 Sep: | ||
| 08:00 | Birding group meet | Birders meet at junction of Tasman Highway (A3) and Targa Hill Rd (C828) – turn off the A3 – park on gravel near Patrick River. Geoff Shannon will meet you there and give further instructions for a walk up to Skemps (approx 2 km, moderate uphill walk) |
| 09:00 | Skemps gate open | |
| 09:15 | Sign-in | Start accepting attendee sign-ins. Tea and coffee and biscuits at Centre attendees allocated to DE groups depending on preference and group size limits |
| 09:30 | DE intros | Introduction of DEs, DEs brief their groups |
| after 09:30 | Field observations | DEs lead field observations |
| morning | Centre open – LFNC greeters present for latecomers and to keep an eye on any displays, etc. Centre open for less intrepid visitors who choose not to participate in field observations. Light refreshments available (Tea, coffee, biscuits, fruit) |
|
| 12:30 | Lunch | Barbecue; Sausages, bread rolls and salads provided by Tamar-NRM Or bring your own lunch with the barbecue, microwave & two burner stove available Opportunity to see displays, discuss field observations etc. Help with iNaturalist records |
| 13:30 | Short Talks by DEs | Alfonsina Arriaga Jimenez (QVMAG curator), Simon Fearn, Sarah Loyd, Roy Skabo |
| 14:30 | ID & recording | DEs help participants with identification of specimens collected and with recording of results. Additional field observations if appropriate (birds?) DEs may retain specimens for their collections or other purposes |
| 16:00 | Finalise & thanks |
A few more details:
- Participants will be asked not to go out in groups of less than three for safety
- All data collected will be uploaded to iNaturalist and may be used in any manner by any of the participants and their organisations
- Flush toilet facilities (2 female, 1 male) on site
- Telstra mobile coverage is patchy on the property, though no coverage for other providers. There is a landline for emergency calls
- Drinking water will be provided (brought from Launceston – to top up your own water bottle). Boiling water for hot drinks available all day
Regards,
Andrew Smith, 0402 893 378
President, Launceston Field Naturalists