samantha in the press - environment

Residents urged to weed out backyards
Yarra Ranges Weekly
27 Mar 2012

samantha in the press - weeds

State gets tough on weeds in the Dandenong Ranges
Leader Newspapers
by Emily Webb
1 Feb 2012

weed management underway in the dandenongs

After months of planning and coordination the Dandenong Ranges Urban Fringe Weed Management Initiative is underway.

The Urban Fringe Weed Management Initiative sees $1million of state government funding put towards weed management at three sites across the Dandenong Ranges. Council wil be matching that funding dollar for dollar for weed control and management on council land.

For the initiative to be successful over the long term weeds must be managed at a landscape scale. This requires the combined efforts of friends of and landcare groups, private landholders and public land managers. Weeds know no boundaries and don't mind who manages the land, that's why it's important to get all land managers on board.

The Shire of Yarra Ranges has the lead role in coordinating the project under the direction of the Project Working Group. The Group is made up of representatives of council, Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, DSE and Vic Roads. Yarra Ranges will also play a key role in coordinating works with Landcare, Friends of Groups and private landowners to ensure combined efforts have the greatest impact on reducing weeds and improving biodiversity.

Works in the Dandenongs will be targetted in three specific areas. These areas were selected after considering quality of vegetation, weed threat, community support and uptake of community grants and incentives.

In the next six months work will continue on council managed land (reserves and roadsides) and develop a community engagement plan. If you'd like to know more you can email the shire at enviroadmin@yarraranges.vic.gov.au.

samantha in the press - environment

Weed cash not enough for hills
Leader Newspapers
by Kimberley Seedy
27 Apr 2011

samantha in the press - weeds

Blackberries a blight for Mt Evelyn resident
Leader Newspapers
by Emily Webb
01 March 2011

samantha in the press - weeds

Plea to tidy up the 'Weedinongs'
Leader Newspapers
by Kimberley Seedy
9 Feb 2011

off with their heads

Yes it's that time of year again when agapanthus are readily seen across the Dandenongs. Agapanthus are a terrible weed in the region and they are spreading more and more each year.


Off with their heads! It's an easy way to control the spread of agapanthus and now's the time to do it.

Residents can take simple and effective action to help stop the spread of agapanthus by making sure you deadhead them now them to stop the spread of seeds. Agapanthus are ranked as the 5th worst weed in the Yarra Ranges.

If you'd like to know more about how to remove various weeds in the Shire of Yarra Ranges you can click on our Weed Control information sheets.

war on weeds - this time it's blackberries

report from the roundtable - 25 jan

Report from the roundtable is my regular roundup of items of interest from the Yarra Ranges council meeting. It's a reflection of my views, debates and outcomes of various issues that come up at Yarra Ranges.

I have been very concerned by the explosive nature of weeds this growing season, in particular blackberries. Residents have been contacting me, concerned that people are letting their land degrade and get swamped by these shocking weeds. My concern has led to frustration in the knowledge that once a letter has been sent by the DPI requesting the landowner to clean up their property there is no follow up action or enforcement to compel people to take action on their blackberries and locals know it.

I wanted to raise the issue with the new Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, The Hon Peter Walsh MP. The DPI desperately need funding put into this area and failing that there needs to be some enforcement options available to local government.

I moved a motion to write to the Minister requesting the amendment of legislation to allow local government to enforce weed management as well as requesting stronger action by government to tackle this problem.

In speaking to the motion I talked about education being part of the mix, but when education has failed sadly enforcement needs to be the fall back. The DPI are so very under resourced there is little they can do but write a letter, it has to change. Of course part of dealing with the blackberry problem means that council has to lead by example and clear our own land of this shocking weed and I hoped councillors would sign off on a proper budget allocation to deal with the problem.

Council is also inviting the Minister on a tour so he can see first hand the impact of weeds on our municipality.

I'm pleased to say Councillors supported the motion unanimously.

samantha in the press - weeds

State Government whacked over weed funding for the Dandenongs
Leader Newspaper
by Adrian Bernecich
29 Sep 2010

the funding yarra ranges never got

report from the roundtable – 11 may

I recently attended a Minister for Environment roundtable organised by James Merlino MP, where members of some local environment groups were able to speak to both parliamentarians about key issues of concern.

Pictured is the Shire's Environment One Trailer, used as an education aid to help community members understand the impact of weeds. Here it is parked at Birdsland as part of Weedbusters week.

At this forum, James Merlino (Member for Monbulk), talked about funding the shire had received from the state government to tackle the weed issue in the Dandenong Ranges. The funding, announced in July last year, never got to the Shire of Yarra Ranges and council never got to see any of the $1million announced over the next four years.

I thought it was important that Minister Merlino be informed that this money did not flow to Yarra Ranges as announced so I moved the following motion:

That Council write to the Hon James Merlino MP, Minister for Youth, Sport and Recreation and Member for Monbulk, to:

1. Clarify that $1million for weed control programs on Council land in the Dandenong Ranges did not flow to the Yarra Ranges Shire Council as stated in a recent public forum.

2. Restate the importance of this funding for weed control in the Dandenong Ranges.

3. Request that these monies which have been allocated to the DSE under the Urban Fringe Weed Management Program be reinstated and reallocated back to the Shire of Yarra Ranges for weed control programs on Council land on of the basis of the original commitment to fund the Shire of Yarra Ranges on a dollar for dollar basis of $1million over a 4 year period.

There is no doubt that weeds are a critical issue in the Dandenong Ranges. Their impact on our biodiversity and water ways is immense as well as increasing fire hazards in the region. When the original funding announcement was made, council developed extensive work plans to tackle weeds on council land. The money from state government was to be matched dollar for dollar by council so we could really start to make some headway.

It was very disappointing to learn that those plans had to be swept aside as it became known that the funding did not flow to Yarra Ranges. I am surprised that Minister Merlino wasn't aware that the money didn't flow to Yarra Ranges and I hope that those funds are reinstated to Yarra Ranges as they were originally intended.

mav working for weeds

report from the roundtable – 27^th Apr

This week I moved a motion about environmental weeds to try to garner support from the Municipal Association of Victoria (one of local government's peak bodies) to lobby state government. The MAV State Council meets twice a year to consider motions from councils across Victoria and it is another advocacy mechanism for local government.

The motion:

That the MAV seek a commitment from the State government for significant and ongoing funding for local government, effective from the State Government Budget of 2011/12, to allow a collaborative work effort in the management of environmental weeds.

Ivy is a big problem in the shire, found in 60% of the shire's high conservation reserves, it is not listed as noxious. It is in many private properties and I encourage landowners to remove it. Ivy has the ability to completely smother trees, destabilise them and cause them to fail.

In Yarra Ranges and other municipalities environmental weeds are a huge problem. One of the problems with environmental weeds is that they are not considered noxious. In the shire's top 20 list of weeds, only 3 of them are listed as noxious. Often when government announces funding to tackle weeds it is aimed at noxious weeds, which means councils who are tackling other weed nasties miss out on any funding.

Environmental weeds contribute to land degradation, impact on our biodiversity, create greater fire risks, effect water quality and quantity and impact heavily on the budgets of local councils. In Yarra Ranges most of the weeds are on private or crown land as the shire's landholdings amount to only 2% of the shire's 2,500 square kilometres.

We work very hard with Friends of and Landcare groups to assist with tackling environmental weeds. But the problem is explosive, the weeds are winning and the Dandenongs are fast becoming known as the Weedynongs. Local government needs the assistance of state government to continue to facilitate collaborate efforts to tackle the problem across all different land holdings.

Yarra Ranges councillors voted unanimously to support the motion, let's hope the majority of councils support the motion at the upcoming MAV State Council meeting. The State Government needs to put its hand in its pocket to help local councils with environmental weeds, alone we are losing the battle fast.

reporting back from the break

report from the roundtable – 27 Jan
thankyou to council
First meeting back for 2010 and I was pleased to report back to councillors special thanks passed on to Yarra Ranges councillors from Uncle Henry Atkinson and Aunty Dot Peters.

At Belgrave Survival Day (held 26th Jan), Uncle Henry, expressed his thanks to the Shire of Yarra Ranges council for all their support of our indigenous community, Uncle Henry wanted me to pass on those thanks. Yarra Ranges council is committed to our indigenous community and reconciliation. We employ a full time Indigenous Development Officer who works hard to deliver the shire’s Reconciliation and Action Plan and ensure ongoing dialogue and consultation with our indigenous community.

a weedy enterprise
As part of my report from delegates I reported to councillors I had received a flyer from an enterprising young person offering to behead my flowering agapanthus at a reasonable rate. The shire’s weed information was included on the flyer.

Agapanthus are one of the shire’s weed nasties and I congratulate this young person on their enterprise to make our environment a healthier one. I hope she gets a lot of takers, agapanthus are such a big problem in the shire and spread easily if flower heads are allowed to seed and proliferate.

I also reported back to councillors that my agapanthus have been beheaded, so no seed spread from me!

weedy waterways tackled

Earlier this week I was invited to tour weed control works at Monbulk Creek at the Belgrave Lake section of the waterway. This project has been a long time in the making and is well supported by the local Friends Of Groups, the Shire of Yarra Ranges and Parks Victoria.

Me and Mark Coffey, Project Manager with the Waterways Alliance. These works will assist greatly in improving the environment in and around Monbulk Creek and Belgrave Lake.

The works are being undertaken by the Waterways Alliance, an alliance between Ecodynamics, Fulton Hogan, SMEC and Melbourne Water. It’s a 3 year project which will see the Willows, Tree Tobacco and Sweet Pittosporum removed. Regular ongoing inspections will ensure that any new woody weeds will be removed to give the native vegetation a chance to regenerate. Over 4,700 local native plants will also be planted to restore sections of the creek.

The works compliment the wonderful efforts of the local Friends Of Groups who are tenacious in their weeding activities.

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We are very lucky that we share our environment with populations of nesting birds and platypus who live along the banks of Monbulk Creek. The works are being timed to ensure there are minimal impacts during breeding season and trees will be left as habitat for the birds.

The removal of these woody weeds will see improved water quality and flow as well as providing a much enhanced habitat for our wildlife and better food sources for our fish and platypus.

The project has provided an opportunity for Water Alliance personnel to chat to property owners along the creek about taking an active role in managing and improving their local waterway.

It’s terrific to see this work being undertaken, already the area is looking better and there will be plenty more to look forward to in the future.

off with their heads!

You might have noticed the agapanthus are in full bloom at the moment. This is the ideal time to give them a good beheading!

Agapanthus are another weed nasty in the Dandenongs. Agapanthus loves the growing conditions the Dandenongs provide. Eventually it will take over and displace native grasses and groundcovers, it also provides a haven for slugs and snails.

It is possible to remove agapanthus by digging them up, but this is only practical for small plants. The finger like, fleshy clumping roots of the agapanthus make it one of the more difficult weeds to hand remove. If you are not prepared to dig up your agapanthus the only alternative to rid your property of them is to spray with an appropriate herbicide.

My long term plan is to get rid of all the agapanthus on my property but at the very least to prevent infestations I cut off the heads of the agapanthus while they’re in flower to prevent the plants from seeding and spreading further.

Agapanthus is currently found at 40% of shire sites and is the number 5 weed on the top 20 list of most prolific weeds in the Shire.

Did you know the Shire has produced a Weed Action Calendar for 2009. The calendar contains all sorts of practical advice and includes information about what to plant and what to weed out. It is available at the Monbulk and Upwey Community Links for only $2 a copy. If you purchase the Sustainable Gardening Booklet as well (a great read and usually $4 a copy) you can get both for $5.

The calendar is a terrific source of useful information and very attractive too, with some beautiful images of native plants. I thoroughly recommend it.

montbretia out in force

You may have noticed a strappy leaf plant in your garden now sporting an attractive orange flower – beware – it could be Montbretia, a terrible weed in the Dandenongs.

It is very good at invading gardens, bushland and, roadside areas. Eventually it will take over and displace native grasses and groundcovers.

Now is a good time to remove Montbretia as it’s easy to identify when in flower. It grows and spreads by bulb underground to produce new plants, it also produces large amounts of seeds from the flower heads.

As my yard only has a small amount of Montbretia, I remove it by hand, but you have to make sure you remove ALL the bulbs or you’ll be in for more of the same next summer. I also make sure I remove it all whilst it is flowering (now) and don’t give it a chance to turn to seed.

You can also dig out patches of Montbretia as the bulbs often form in linked chains, but once again make sure you get all the bulbs. Don’t ever put soil from dug up Montbretia on other parts of your garden as you could inadvertently be spreading Montbretia by tiny bulbs hidden in the soil.

Even the most prudent gardener has weeds (and probably Montbretia) and I like a lot of hills residents have my fair share. Don’t get despondent when weed nasties reappear, their removal is a long term plan.






Did you know that you can put all weeds (including nasties like blackberry, ivy and agapanthus), grass clippings, small branches, garden prunings (including rose clippings), flowers and leaves into the Shire's Green Waste bin?

look at the fine print

This week the state government announced a program under Future Farming funding to assist councils tackle invasive species by providing grants to manage weeds on local roads.

I always welcome funding to tackle weeds, however as always the devil is in the detail and it is no different with this announcement. Weed nasties like blackberry and brooms are covered under this program however weeds such as ivy, pittosporum, cotoneaster, agapanthus, honeysuckle, wandering trad, creeping buttercup, sycamores and a myriad of other yarra ranges weed nasties are not included.

The funding is specific in that it is “to manage regionally prohibited and regionally controlled weeds”, most of our weeds do not fall under this definition.





















Doing my bit to tackle weeds on my property, the Shire's Green Waste Wheelie bin is a great way to dispose of environmental weeds. One of my achievements as the Lyster Ward Councillor has been the introduction of the Green Waste Bins in the Shire.

Weeds are one of the biggest threats to our environment in the Dandenong Ranges, however our weeds are environmental weeds, not agricultural weeds. This funding is specifically aimed at agricultural weeds, the program will be a great move forward for our rural municipalities but unfortunately for Yarra Ranges we really need a different criteria to access funding to help with our weed problem.

If I am re-elected in November I will fight for more funding to tackle the weed crisis in the Dandenong Ranges. The weed situation has become explosive and we need to act before the problem is too big for anyone to solve. We all have weeds and everyone can play a part in tackling the problem. It will take a whole of community and government response if we are really going to make headway tackling the weed problem.