Winter 2008 Friends of Naracoorte Caves Newsletter

8/9/2019 Winter 2008 Friends of Naracoorte Caves Newsletter

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FFFFrrrriiiieeeennnnddddssssoooofffftttthhhheeeeNNNNaaaarrrraaaaccccoooooooorrrrtttteeeeCCCCaaaavvvveeeessssc/- NaracoorteCavesNationalPark,POBox134,Naracoorte,SA5271.Phonethesecretary:(08)87621586President:BarbLobban,Secretary:AlisonRowe,Publicity:BecLohmeyer

WINTER/2 2008, VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3In this edition: Editorial

For your diary

Dr Liz Reeds report on work in Blanche CaveThreatened Species Day updatePresidents reportRecent developments

Editorial:Threatened Species Day will be upon us shortly. This newsletter hopefully will provide more detail on what youcan expect for the day. A small committee comprising members from the Friends Group and DEH staff has beenmeeting approximately once a month since early May to ensure we can provide an entertaining and educational

day for all the family. Later on in the newsletter you will find details of the programme.

At our most recent meeting, Dr Liz Reed gave us a very fascinating talk aboutthe research work she has been undertaking in Blanche Cave. Unlike theresearch undertaken in Victoria Fossil Cave, Lizs work in Blanche focuses onlooking for evidence of the actual specifics of climate change by focussing onthe soil sediment samples in the cave and the pollens found in those profilesover the centuries. The dry caves in the Naracoorte System are proving to bethe best site found to date to give a remarkably accurate picture of the entireecosystem and environment. Liz is hoping to gain a further grant so thisgroundbreaking research can continue and more than just Blanche Cave beincluded in the project. The Friends have been invited to help with her studyand we will certainly hear more about this endeavour in the future.

Following on from the enjoyable and successful working bee at Tantanoola lastyear, we have organised an additional event on this years calendar. On the 31st

of August Friends will return to Tantanoola to re-visit the cave, do a little bitof maintenance cleaning and tour the wind farm. A BBQ will be provided for Liz reed during her presentation to thethe helpers. Friends

Since our last newsletter we received fantastic news. We have been fortunate to win Friends Group of theYear! A feat not possible without all the fantastic support we get both from volunteers and the friendly stafffrom DEH! Well done to all our supporters! The press release is included in this newsletter.

Bec Lohmeyer

For Your Diary:

31st

August: Working Bee at Tantanoola. Either meet at Tantanoola Cave at 11.00 am or if you would rathercar pool, meet at Wirreanda at 9.30 am. Bring shovels, gloves hand snips or hand sprayer if possible. We will bedoing maintenance work on the walking trails, burning and looking at the wind farm. Lunch will be provided.

7th September: Threatened Species Day see full details in this newsletter

12th October: 11am Meeting & BBQ followed by Caving Day for the Friends members

23rd November: Christmas Get-together


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Blanche Cave Update:On August 10th following our Friends meeting, wewere privileged to have Liz Reed update us on thework she has been undertaking in Blanche Cave aswell as finding out how we can be involved in thisground breaking research!

In previous work, Liz has researched and publisheda thesis on the fossil findings in Victoria Fossil

Cave. One clear discovery was that in a caveenvironment such as Vic. Fossil, biologicalmaterials including animal flesh is quickly eatenaway by various fungal growths and consequentlyleaves little evidence of environmental or climateinformation. However in Blanche Cave whereconditions are totally different (i.e. its much moreopen and is considered a dry cave) there is cleardata that can be examined to give specifics onenvironmental change.

The advantage of Blanche Cave is that in thesoil/sediment profile one can find pollen samples

(pollen preserves very well in dry caves likeBlanche). Pollens gives some insight into theclimate AND vegetation of the specific time.Combined with the excellent pollen reserves,Blanche has finely defined age lines in the sedimentdeposits. An age line is a band of soil in the profilethat identifies a particular period in time e.g. 5000years or 50 000 years. So far there have been 26 agelines identified in Blanche Cave. The shorter theperiod of time the more specific the data that can begathered. In Blanche Cave a 5cm band in the soilprofile covers between 500 and 4000 years andhence is considered very precise age lines in the

sediment deposits i.e. the best site in the country togive a remarkably accurate picture of the entireecosystem and environment.

Lizs recreated soil profile display of Blanche Cave

In drier climates more sediment is collected incaves. Consequently Liz has found very detailedevidence of the entire Ice Age in layers in theBlanche Cave dig which is not found anywhere elsein the country. In addition, eucalypts are moreabundant in some times and at other times grassesmore abundant with little evidence of eucalypts.

Current thinking indicates this could provideevidence of fire events. The next stage will be tolook for charcoal which could also indicate a largefire event.

Blanche Cave has been the first of the Caves in thepark to be the focus of this new research on pollenand vegetation studies. It is suspected that similar

cave environments will provide supporting data. Lizhas applied for a grant so these studies can continue.If successful it is intended to start studies in Bat,Wet, Cathedral, Fox and Robertson Caves.

Liz has built up a team of leading scientists inenvironmental research to help with the study. Thisincludes two scientists from Germany to undertakethe pollen sample analysis. Carbon Dating andsediment chemistry will be undertaken by ANU(Australian National University) to get temperatureand rainfall data on climate; phytolith research willbe done at Flinders University; On-site data

collection will be done by Liz teamed with theFlinders Uni Palaeo Society and the Friends ofNaracoorte Caves.

What can the Friends expect to do to help with Lizsstudy?If you are interested in being involved with thisstudy you can expect to be involved in any or all ofthe following:

Collecting samples

Scouting for sites to research

Cleaning site faces

Labelling and transporting samples

Sending of samples for analysis

Picking for charcoal

Picking for scats and larger vegetablematerial

A bonus for the project is that it is one that truly iscollecting data on biodiversity and climate change(as opposed to the projects where this aim is itsmain focus but fails to provide real results). Inaddition we can find out important information onthe Southern Bent Wing Bat which is one of fourcritically endangered mammals in Australia.

This project is just one of many that will helpcomplete the picture of the history of life, climateand vegetation in the Naracoorte Region.

Lizs contact details are:Dr Liz ReedLecturer in Vertebrate Palaeontology, School ofBiological Sciences, Flinders University.c/- Naracoorte Caves National ParkPO Box 134, Naracoorte SA 5271Email - [email protected]


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Threatened Species Day - 7th September at Naracoorte Caves

It's that time of year again! Threatened Species Day for 2008 is all about water! What lives in it, whatlives around it, what needs it to live?

'Year of the Frog' Great Family Day Programme

From 10:30 am: Registration at the entrance to Blanche Cave. Entry is $2.00 per person or $5.00 per family.

11:00 am Welcome to Threatened Species Day by the Friends of Naracoorte Caves & Karak, the Red-tailedBlack-Cockatoo @ Blanche Cave.

11:10 am Key note speaker for the day is Steve Walker from the Kesab Patawalonga and Torrens WaterWatch.Learn how to Growl like a grass frog and burrow like a Painted Frog down @ Blanche Cave!

From 12:00 pm Kids Craft Activities @ the large marquee Bring the kids along and let them explore theircreative side. Create your own frog mask or make your own clay critter. A Pond-life prize will be awarded as aprize at 1pm for best threatened species masterpiece, three categories: under 5s, under 10s and 10 & overs.

From 12:00 pm the Sausage Sizzle begins follow your nose... outside the Kids Shed.

1:00 pm onwards Pondlife with Natasha Dawson from WaterWatch South East. Our swamps in the LimestoneCoast are teeming with life discover under the viewing microscopes who lives where! @ the Kids Shed.

1:30 pm Childrens craft and prize presentation. Come and see the wonderful work our children have produced@ the Kids Shed

From 1:15 pm:

Threatened Fish of the Limestone Coast- Visit the display in the Kids Shed to view some of the manyanimals that live in our waterways. Most people have been fishing more than once in their lives, buthave you ever seen one of our threatened native fish?? Come and check out the scaly residents of theLimestone Coast.

Local wildlife display During the day take the opportunity to meet some of our amphibious & reptilianLimestone Coast residents. @ the Kids Shed

Threatened Flora Display Not all of our threatened species have scales or webbed feet or even fur!Discover some of the threatened plants in our region, where they live, what they are threatened by andwhat you can do to help. @ the small marquee.

Kate Roach Kate Roach is local wildlife carer and as such an important member of the NaracoorteCommunity. Kate regularly receives injured and young native animals that require plenty of time andcare to return them to good health. Kate will be here with one of her many patients, you may be luckyenough to meet them during the day.

BROUGHT TO YOU BYTHE FRIENDS OF

NARACOORTE CAVESSponsored by ThreatenedSpecies NetworkSupported by Departmentfor Environment andHeritage and Waterwatch


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Presidents Report: Barb LobbanWelcome everyone to this great newsletter Bec has put together. This year hasbeen busy and attendance numbers of members turning up for different activitieshas been fair. In addition there are always things happening behind the scenes,particularly with organising such events as Threatened Species Day. We as a groupcan be very proud of this event as we initiated it back five years ago. Now it getsbigger and bigger every year. This year we wanted to focus on WATER and with itbeing the Year of the Frog that became the theme for this year. You may have seenthe posters down the street on your travels[and theres one attached to this newsletter! ed.].

Please have a read of the program and come along. Its a great family fun day and with it being on Fathers Dayyou can treat Dad to an interesting time.

Congratulations to everyone in the Friends of Naracoorte Caves winning an award for Friends of the ParksGroup of the Year for 2008. Barrie and Jillian Thompson accepted the award for our group at a Friends forumin the Flinders Ranges on the weekend of the 16th August. Thanks Barrie and Jillian. Hope you also had a nicetime away.

Watch your Friends events diary for the rest of the year and dont miss out on the Caving Day in October and inNovember we will have our Christmas get together. A venue hasnt been decided yet but dont worry, Bec willlet you all know. Dont forget the working bee at Tantanoola Cave on the 31st of August. Im sure there are someof you out there that havent seen this wonderfulJewel of the South East.

Look forward to our next diary event. See you all at Threatened Species Day.

Yours truly

Barb Lobban

Recent Developments:

A big win for the Friends!

DEHcongratulatesFriendsofParksawardwinnersThe Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) would like to

congratulate the Friends of Naracoorte Caves who were namedFriends Group of the Year over the weekend.

The awards, which were presented by Environment andConservation Minister Jay Weatherill at the Annual Friends of ParksForum, recognise the valuable contribution volunteer groups make tothe States conservation projects.

Barrie Thompson accepts the award on the Friends behalf

In total, six awards were given out on the night, including Best Biodiversity Project, Friends Group of the Yearand the Best Friends Medallists. According to Trevor Naismith, from DEH, the Friends of Naracoorte Caveswere recognised for their involvement in assisting with managing the World Heritage area.

Given the Friends of Naracoorte Caves group was only established four years ago, this is a tremendousachievement, he said. The volunteers play a pivotal role in supporting DEH staff on various projects

such as the conservation of the critically endangered Southern Bentwing bat, supporting researchersretrieving fossil material and, most recently, restoring the grave of the previous caves caretaker, WilliamReddan. DEH would like to take this opportunity to not only congratulate the winners, but to also thankall of the volunteers who donate their time to ensure the long term survival of the States most preciousresources.

The forum, which was hosted by the Friends of Flinders Rangers National Park at Old Wilpena Station, wasattended by over 200 volunteers and 50 DEH staff. The other winners were: Threatened Plant Action Group(Best Biodiversity Project); National Parks Heritage Committee (Best Heritage Project); Volker Scholz, SeniorRanger, Deep Creek Conservation Park (Most Supportive Staff Member to the Friends Network); SportingShooters' Association of Australia (Friends Group of the Decade 2008); and Tom Hands and Sue Smith, Friendsof Scott Creek Conservation Park (the Best Friends Medallists).

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Winter 2008 Friends of Naracoorte Caves Newsletter