Friends of Lord Howe Island
Newsletter No.10
Summer 2003
Phasmid nymphs hatch! – see page 9
A great 2003 weeding season
2003 again saw six weed trips to Lord Howe
over winter. There were 123 participants, and
1986 hours were contributed by the volunteers.
The main focus was again Transit Hill,
removing Ground Asparagus and Climbing
Asparagus.
The Friends organization also collaborated
with the Lord Howe Island Board on a number
of conservation projects – replanting
significant areas such as the endangered
Lagunaria swamp community, sponsoring a
Cherry Guava eradication project and
production of a walking track weed guide.
And with a repeat rate of participants at
around 50 percent means a lot of satisfied
weeders!
Thanks to 2003 supervisors
Each 2003 trip had a different supervisor, all
volunteers who gave their time to ensure the
program carries on professionally and safely.
Many thanks to our six supervisors Colin
Lambert, Elizabeth Brown, Rymill Abell, Alan
Leishman, Danny Hirschfield and Samantha
Olson.
Samantha Olson giving a field demonstration
On the September 2 to 9 trip.
Photo Patrick Honan
Dates set for 2004 weed tours
The following dates have been set for 2003
weed tours:
June12 to 19
June 19 to 26
July 10 to 17
July 24 to 31
August 14 to 21
August 29 to Sept 5 (Brisbane trip)
The trips will be the same format as previous
years, with accommodation at Pinetrees, and
the morning weeding sessions followed by the
afternoons exploring the island.
Cost is $1593 ex Sydney.
Contact Ian Hutton
P.O. Box 157 Lord Howe Island NSW 2898
phone 02 6563 2447
or email lhitours@bigpond.com
There are still plenty of “big ones” to removetwo kiwis from the September2003 trip with a
prize ground asparagus crown.
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Presidents Report
Treasurers Report
It has been another great year for the Friends
of Lord Howe Island. Another six weed trips
were run, with the major portion of time being
spent on the Transit Hill site that has been
worked on since 1998. The initial work was
the follow up work over the entire areas
previously worked, then the later groups
moved up parallel to the track, between Edie’s
Glen on the west side and the small gully
about 50 metres from the track on the east
side. It is gratifying that the interest is still
here to continue the work of all the previous
years; we can’t give up now.
Hello to all our Friends. It is Christmas Eve as
I am writing this Treasurers Report and in the
distance I think I hear sleigh Bells! By the
time you read this Santa will have come and
gone. I am sure that all our weeders have been
very good and have been rewarded.
There have been some additional activities
carried out during the year that have benefited
the island:
 Replanting
of
Old
Settlement
Lagunaria forest with funds from
WWF
 Replanting near Cobby’s Corner
 Primary treatment of Climbing
Asparagus in Steven’s Reserve.
 Follow up with work at Ron Owens’s
lease on guava, asparagus and wild
passionfruit.
 An initial treatment of Chalice Vine
on Darrel Shick’s lease.
 Sponsoring of 5 volunteers to travel
and tackle the Cherry Guava and
Pittosporum weeds.
 The production of a walking track
weed brochure, again with funds from
WWF.
These activities all help the environment of
Lord Howe, help raise awareness of
conservation issues, and also provide the
volunteers with some variety in their work
effort here on the island.
A special thanks goes out to all the volunteers,
who come from all over Australia, and even a
group from New Zealand in 2003.
Let’s hope the volunteer program can go on
just as strong in 2004 and well beyond to rid
the island of weeds
Des Thompson President FLHI
We currently have funds available of
$26,563.00 after paying out some of the
grant monies for the fabulous walking track
weed guide and Sally Wood revegetation
projects. We are now gearing up for the next
onslaught and are in the midst of purchasing
gloves,
etc.
It is that time of year again for membership
renewals. So just a little reminder to those
whose membership is outstanding to forward a
cheque to the Friends of LHI, P.O Box 157,
Lord
Howe
Island,
2898.
See you soon in paradise.
Stephen Gale
Treasurer
New LHI Board Ranger appointed
Sean Thompson recently joined the
Environment Unit on a permanent basis as the
ranger for the Lord Howe Island Board. Sean
previously worked as a ranger for the
Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service
at Beecroft Peninsula-Jervis Bay and Uluru
Kata-Tuja National Park, and the NSW
National Parks and Wildlife Service at Sydney
Harbour, Barrington Tops, and Kosciuszko
National Parks.
The winter volunteers have always worked
closely with the LHIB rangers and we look
forward to Sean joining a morning or two with
the volunteers in 2004.
Sean enjoying a day off with a scuba dive
Ecotourism Association Conference.
A paper was submitted to the Ecotourism
Association of Australia on the Lord Howe
Bush Regeneration program. The paper was
accepted for presentation at the Annual
Conference held in Adelaide in November
2003. Due to the cost Ian Hutton was not able
to travel to attend the conference, but called on
an old Friend of Lord Howe Island to deliver a
computer presentation at the conference. Greg
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Leaman, former LHI Board Manager and now
Director of National Parks S.A., was pleased
to do the presentation. Greg, and his wife
Olwyn were staunch supporters of the weeding
trips even before the formation of Friends of
Lord Howe Island. Back in 1999 and 2000
Olwyn enjoyed participating in some weeding
mornings with the groups on Transit Hill.
Marine Park Draft Planning Scheme
In January the Marine Parks Authority of New
South Wales released the draft planning
scheme for the LHI Marine Park. The Scheme
has four components:
Draft Zoning Plan
Draft Regulation
Draft Operational Plan
Submission form for public comment
The Draft Zoning Plan is the most detailed and
of most interest to the local residents and
conservationists. The Draft Zoning Plan
proposes a number of areas within the LHI
Marine Park to have special zoning status to
ensure the ecological integrity of the marine
environment within the Park. The zones are:
Sanctuary Zone which provides the highest
level of protection for habitat, plants and
animals and areas of cultural significance and
allows only activities that will not damage
plants, animals and habitats.
Habitat Protection Zone provides a high level
of protection of habitat and areas of cultural
significance within a zone. A range of
“extractive” activities can occur within this
zone including fishing and hand collecting.
Part of zone plan
Years of research and community consultation
have gone into the drafts and they provide an
excellent balance between the long term
conservation of the marine communities and
the needs of residents and tourists.
Copies of the documents, including the
submission form which needs to be completed
before 31 March 2004are available from:
The Manager
LHI Marine Park
PO Box 161
Lord Howe Island
NSW 2898
A good season for butterflies on LHI
Special Use Zones, these\are flexible and
relate to the purpose for which the zone is
used. These can be used to accommodate
particular activities at specific sites, in cases
where the activity may be inappropriate at
larger scales, such as fish feeding.
A number of Lord Howe residents have
reported January 2004 as a bumper time for
butterflies. 14 species are recorded for LHI,
including the Blue Tiger Danaus hamatus.
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Report on 2003 groups
July 8 to 15 group
June 21 to 28 group from the Friends of
Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens.
This group had a mix of experienced and
newcomers to bush regeneration. About half
the time was spent removing ground asparagus
seedlings from the creek gully north of the
Transit Hill track, and about half the time
doing primary control of climbing asparagus
in Steven’s Reserve. Botanist Elizabeth Brown
from the Sydney Herbarium led the group.
Anderson, Barry O’Farrell and Ian Stromborg.
Carol Clarke, John Zyla and Soie Policarpio
signed up for the 2 July trips. Most weeding
was done on ground asparagus between Edie’s
Glen and the Transit Hill track. This group
also visited Ron and Bev Owens to continue
the work on ground asparagus and passionfruit
from their lease. Highlights of the exploration
was the walk out to Red Point, with billy tea
for lunch and of course the North Bay picnic.
Halfway through the week a violent wind
storm (that the Weather Bureau termed a
“weather bomb”) swept across the island,
bringing branches down all through the
settlement, and bruising leaves on large areas
of the forest, so much so that a few weeks later
many areas looked as if a bush fires had swept
through and burnt the leaves. The groups spent
the morning after helping cleanup Pinetrees
and the museum grounds of fallen debris.
Departing North Bay
July 15 to 22
This group had again a mix of new faces and
old hands – and quite a demographic mix with
people from NSW, Victoria, Brisbane and
Adelaide.
Cleanup at Pinetrees
July 8 to 15
Rymill Abell supervised this group, with a mix
new faces and old hands, including Warren
and Carole Bennetts, Mal and Danina
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Leader was Danny Hirschfield who is a
supervisor from Coogee. He enthusiastically
took control of the daily weeding and enjoyed
the afternoon walks, leading some when Ian
Hutton went down with the flu.
had memorable a Middle Beach seashore
walk, glass bottom boat trip and excursion to
the Herring Pools.
Trevor Mitchell with a big climbing asparagus
LHI Board staff Chris Hasselton and Terry
Wilson address the group.
Weeding mornings continued to move up
between the Transit Hill track and Edie’s
Glen, on ground and climbing asparagus.
Boat Harbour and North Bay were favourite
afternoon activities.
September 2 to 9
Our first International group (with two ring-in
Aussies). Ian Hutton had met kiwi Alison
Stanes in 2001, and Alison was taken with the
island and returned with this New Zealand
contingent to help fight the weeds at Lord
Howe. Samantha Olson supervised the group
and enjoyed a return to the island (Samantha
was LHI Board Head Ranger 2001-2003).
August 26 to Sept 2
A few old hands, but mostly new faces on this
trip, ably led by Alan Leishman. Alan works
as volunteer co-coordinator at Sydney Botanic
Gardens and handled his role with ease.
The Kiwi contingent
August 26 to Sept 2 group
The group were very conscientious and threw
themselves into the weeding – and everything
else- the walks, the snorkeling, the bbqs. Most
evenings were very quiet as the group was too
weary from the day to party on at night.
This group continued south between Edie’s
Glen and the Transit Hill track, and the
ground asparagus infestation started to become
patchy, so that rapid progress was made, with
occasional holdups from dense infestations,
but overall fast moving compared to previous
years. This marks the end of the worst
infestation in this part of Transit Hill and
future groups should make rapid progress. The
week generally had fine weather and the group
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Notes from the Weeders Digest
The Weeders’ Limerick
Weeders of Lord Howe are Winners,
Ground or Aerial Asparagus the Sinners,
As Weeders cut, poison and dig,
They don’t give a fig,
That Asparagus they will eat for their dinners.
Jane Dalley
A noble but weird vacation it seems.
To jump on a plane,
To pull weeds is insane
But to us Pina Coloda’s on the beach is
obscene.
Armed with weapons of destruction in hand,
The intrepid weed bandits scoured the land.
They sought far and beyond,
For that damned Asparagus frond;
With Ian and Alan leading the noisy band.
I’ve lost my secatures, exclaimed Trev,
As he stood vaguely scratching his head,
Who would have thought,
The implement sought;
Was lodged firmly in his back pocket instead.
We trudged each day up Transit Hill.
Like assassins stalking their prey to kill.
Once the massacre is over,
We dine on pavlova;
And high tea at Government House was a
thrill.
A snorkeling trip at North Beach
Out in a tinny on the briny blue
Excited Kiwis and an Aussie crew
Full of confidence or stirrings of fear
We all headed to North Beach with our bags
full of gear
into the water, a cool 18 degrees
we flippered to the wreck with the greatest of
ease
The locals came rushing their lunch we were
bringing.
All shapes, sizes and colours in a frenzy they
were flinging…
themselves into the fray
gobbling bread all the way.
swimming up to our face masks they would
peck at the glass,
The small ones thank goodness not the double
headed wrasse.
A speckled moray leered out from his cave,
a close encounter we dared not brave.
Back in the boat dripping wet and cold.
excited to get back for our story to be told.
Round a BBQ lunch we did not recount with
great zeal
our intrepid adventures not imagined but real
Authors – the wild sisters Therese and Lynne
A glass-bottom boat ride was the order for
today,
So the smiling assassins floated happily away,
Were amazed at the scene,
Coming from the colourful marine;
While Action Man kept watch for sharks off
the bay.
A Good Weed Had By All
On the boat again with our food and clobber,
To cruise to North Beach for a Barbie & a
potter.
Around the Gulch for a gaunt,
Then Mt Eliza was sought;
With our cosie climbing the peak was not a
bother.
They came from all over the place to pull out
weeds,
A stroll to Boat Harbour & nature talks on the
way,
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With a billy brewed on the fire, topping
another horrible day.
There were masked Boobies to be seen,
But some thought it a bit obscene;
So broad-minded Trev supposed perving on
chicks is OK.
Though Ian Hutton may be quiet and
unassuming,
he has a unique character that some find
amusing.
With a cheeky little smirk,
He will baffle you with a quirk;
Then turn around and make geology less
confusing!!
It’s almost time for us all to board that plane,
To go home to loved ones and kids that are a
pain.
But no matter what age you be
Lord Howe Island is the place to see;
And if you don’t come back to weed, you’re
bloody insane.
After a week of weeding together in paradise;
a round–the–Island-boat-trip, (she got green
around the gills); a climb in not too pleasant
conditions to the razorback over the far side of
Mount Gower (wow she’s a keen bushwalker)
and many shared carafes of house red
(between 4), she still wasn’t put off by my
quirky nature (eg. Snaffling extra bread rolls
from the basket in the dining room) enough,
that she asked me out as we left the airport on
arriving back in Sydney. (I didn’t think it was
right for me to make the 1st move- I supervise
the Coogee group-or was I shy?)……And they
lived happily ever after.
Danny.
P.S. It has since been explained to me that it is
standard behaviour of female Homo sapiens
not to complain on strenuous bush walks in the
presence of potential suitors-thanks Heleneven though it wouldn’t have changed things.
Danny tending the bbq August 2003 trip
Our first skinny dipper weed group at Boat
Harbour
Love Blossoms on Lord Howe
I’d known Ifeanna for 2 years before we went
(unattached) on the same LHI weeding trip in
2001-actually, there was 3 of us on that trip
from the Gordens Bay Coogee Bushcare
group.
Friends of LHI weed track brochure.
In 2003 the Friends of LHI, with a grant from
WWF, produced a walking track weed
brochure for LHI. This is to enable any
interested tourist to identify and remove some
of the more common weeds of the walking
tracks on the Island. FLHI member Marion
Westmacott provided superb drawings of the
weeds for the brochure, which is available at
the island museum and lodges.
Ifeanna and Danny on Mount Gower 2001
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Howe did they do it?
A team of five bush regenerators came
together to tackle Sweet Pittosporum, Cherry
Guava and Cotoneaster. This trip was my
second weeding visit to Lord Howe Island the
other members (Hank, Kel, Gustarvo and
John) their first. On this occasion I was the
only Victorian the other four-team members
were from Queensland and N.S.W. The team
dynamics worked really well, exchanging
information on our work locations and the
types of weeds we have worked on. Each
team member gave a presentation on a project
they were working on which was well received
by members of the board and the rest of the
team.
We were housed at the luxurious research
centre sharing the living quarters with David
Springate from Kew Gardens, London. David
became accustomed very quickly to our
Aussie slang and taught us how to identify
Howea flowers and the difference in the
species. The accommodation was five star
and a selection classy chefs prepared the food,
Naked Chef eat your heart out.
The area we worked on was Transit Hill just
west of the Clear Place. The day began with a
short bike ride to the Depot and a heart starter
walk to the work site. Our main task was to
remove woody weeds in order for reclaimed
farmland to regenerate. The team worked
diligently on a severe infestation of Sweet
Pittosporum and Cherry Guava, the largest
trunk being approximately 50 to 60 cm in
diameter. Once finished weeding the site, the
team did a sweep around the boundary and
throughout the area. While finishing the final
sweeps we came across small infestations of
Bridal Creeper, Crofton Weed and Climbing
Asparagus, these weeds were dealt with while
moving through. We were also tempted to
tackle the several infestations of Ground
Asparagus but left that for another day. The
team managed to clear all the weeds in the
allocated time and have time to plant Kentia
Palms in the Board’s revegetation site near the
airport.
Our efforts paid off with a barbecue and drinks
at the end of the fortnight. We then moved
onto the Bowling Club Disco with DJ Darryl.
On the Saturday we were invited over for
afternoon drinks at Darryl’s with superb views
and a selection of his classic hits.
The experience on the island was not all-hard
work. We managed to trek to the top of Mount
Gower and learn the art of climbing a palm.
The weekend weather was fine and the fish
were biting, four of the team helped Jack
Schick christen his freshly painted boat. We
caught just enough fish to fill the freezer. The
snorkeling at Ned’s was as good as ever
swimming with large King fish, Double
Headers, Wrasse, Garfish and many others.
The team, sorry to leave the island and the
many friends made, flew out on a beautiful
Sunday afternoon, all agreeing that it was a
great experience. We would like to thank the
Friends of Lord Howe Island for making this
weeding experience possible and members of
the Board for their cooperation. The project is
a great initiative; I hope that other Islands and
sites of biological significance may benefit
from similar projects.
Brad Curtis – Maroondah City
Council, Victoria
Sampling for Phytophthora on Lord Howe
Island.
Concern expressed by Dr Tony Auld NSW
NPWS about the possibility of the potentially
dangerous fungus Phytophthora cinnamoni
being on Lord Howe has prompted sampling
and testing for its presence. Murray Carter
and Terry Wilson took samples of soil from
likely locations, mainly around the settlement
area, for testing by Sydney Botanic Gardens.
One site, an avocado orchard, was identified as
having the fungus. Dr Auld has recommended
treatment of the site and implementation of
LHIB quarantine plan as several LHI plant
genera are known to be susceptible to this
pathogen – Dracophyllum and Gahnia.
Terry Wilson and Murray Carter taking soil
samples for Phytophthora testing.
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Phasmids nymphs hatch
In February 2003, NSW NPWS Senior
Research Officer David Pridell and LHI Board
staff visited Ball’s Pyramid and collected 2
pairs of phasmids for delivery to the mainland
for captive breeding programs. One pair was
taken to the insect department at Melbourne
Zoo, the other to private insect breeder David
Fellenberg in Sydney. Both pairs of phasmids
have been laying eggs, and some nymphs have
hatched.
September 2003, which coincidentally was
Threatened Species Day in Australia. We now
have 10 young stick insects, feeding on the
Lord Howe Island endemic Melaleuca
howeana as well as plant species local to
Melbourne.
We are busy making notes on their biology,
which has not been recorded before, and trying
to breed up their numbers so that they may one
day be released back onto Lord Howe Island
Patrick Honan Melbourne Zoo
Rat Eradication progress
The Cost Benefit Analysis for Rodent
Eradication commissioned by the LHI Board
has been completed, and is undergoing peer
review before release to the public. We will
report in the next newsletter on its content.
Palm Research
Phasmid nymph. photo Patrick Honan
Report from Melbourne Zoo
A pair of Lord Howe Island stick insect adults
were brought to Melbourne Zoo in February
2003. After laying her first batch of eggs, the
female appeared to become gravely ill and was
on death's door. She was thoroughly
investigated by Melbourne Zoo vets, who
could find nothing wrong despite x-rays from
every angle. After five days of continued
illness, she was fed a concoction of glucose,
calcium and ground-up food plants, and she
miraculously recovered. Both adults are still
healthy after almost a year in captivity.
As outlined in a previous newsletter,
researchers from Kew Gardens in England are
undertaking a lengthy study of the ecology and
phenology of the two Howea palm species on
Lord Howe Island.
Previously Bill Baker and Vincent Savolainen
visited to make some initial observations and
collections for DNA analysis. The lucky man
chosen for the stay of several months was
Dave Springate, who has been on the island
since last September. Dave has been very busy
with intense flowering studies, sampling of
palm leaves from across the island and
recording palm numbers in 20 X 20 metres
plots at 100 sites chosen randomly across the
island by a computer program – this method
provides some very interesting locations!
Phasmid eggs. PhotoPatrick Honan
The female stick insect has produced more
than 170 eggs, the first of which hatched on 7
Dave Springate on the job at Red Point
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Australian Museum study into the impact
of rodents on plants and insects on LHI
Rodents, particularly rats, have a played a
major role in the decline and extinction of
many bird and insect species on LHI, as well
as having an influence on the palm industry.
Attempts to control rodents on LHI have had
mixed outcomes, resulting in research into
rodent eradication. However, prior to any
eradication program it is essential that
adequate research be conducted into the
impacts of rodents and the effects their
removal may have on the plants and insects of
LHI. Eradication programs have been quite
successful on a number of islands, particularly
off New Zealand. Studies on these islands,
after rodent eradication, have found significant
positive benefits for plants, lizards, insects and
birds. Eradicating rodents from LHI could
improve the biodiversity, by restoring habitats
and ensuring food chains are maintained.
A study into the impact of introduced rodents
on the plants and insects of LHI is relevant in
many other ways;
 It will provide valuable information to the
Kentia Palm Industry, as changes in seed
predation and seedling recruitment are
going to be monitored in the study;
 It is important to understand the processes
involved for the conservation of a range of
animals on LHI and other islands, as well
as contributing to the management plan for
LHI:
 The study may provide information that
could aid in the re-introduction of species
which have declined due to rodents
rodents are removed. A total of 16 exclosure
cages, approximately 7m by 7m, have been
constructed at Soldiers Creek and behind the
Golf Course. The design of the rodent-proof
experimental exclosures should deter both
climbing and digging rats. Collars on the
trunks of the trees within and surrounding the
cages will act to deter the rodents from
climbing up or down the trunk and will reduce
the number of rats gaining entry through the
canopy. Information about seedlings and
insects, once the rodents have been removed,
could be evident within a year of the
experiment starting. The study is expected to
go for 2 to 3 years with 2 major sampling
periods a year as well as other minor ongoing
sampling. The study will look at the changes
in the number and type of insects and spiders
found in the exclosures. All seedlings in the
exclosures will be monitored for mortality and
recruitment and all existing plants measured.
Seed predation will also be a key element to
the study. Staff from the LHI board and the
Australian Museum have already conducted
preliminary rodent density surveys, as well as
insect surveys. In the coming months the first
of the major sampling periods will occur, Ian
Hutton will be providing his expertise in
identifying the plant species.
This study will provide important information
into island biodiversity and the impacts of
introduced species, such as rodents. Island
systems around the world have suffered
greatly from rodents but very little in the way
of research has been conducted and very little
is known about the impacts. This study could
potentially be used as a bench-mark for other
studies here in Australia, as well as globally in
other island systems of the world.
LHI Board staff constructing exclosures
Staff from the Australian Museum have set
this study up to look at the impacts the rodents
are having on the plants and insects of LHI.
Staff from the LHI board have constructed
rodent-proof experimental exclosures which
will be used to investigate what happens when
Louise Meades; Centre for Biodiversity and
Conservation Research. The Australian Museum, 6
College St, Sydney, NSW 2000
Friends of LHI PO Box 155 Lord Howe Island
N.S.W. 2898
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