A group of enthusiastic Clare Valley residents has been working to protect and restore the native vegetation at Neagles Rock Reserve for the past eight years.
The group of (now) eleven volunteers are part of Trees For Life’s Bush For Life Program and decided to take on the care of Neagles Rock Reserve in 2011.
At that stage the reserve, which is situated on the outskirts of Clare, was being over-run with Topped Lavender and other weeds such as broom, cape tulip and bridal creeper. Topped Lavender is a shrubby, woody weed that has become a major problem threatening native plant diversity in the Clare district.
Neagles Rock Reserve is also home to the largest known population of Euphrasia collina subsp. Osbornii (Osborn’s Eyebright). This nationally endangered species occurs at four other sites near Clare but the Neagles Rock Reserve population is the most significant with over 5,000 plants being observed in good years.
Since starting at the Clare & Gilbert Valley Council’s reserve in 2011, the volunteers have worked there almost every Tuesday. As of November 2018 the reserve is now free of the large infestations of Topped Lavender; meeting a council goal of controlling this weed in the area by June 2018. The group will continue to do weed control work at Neagles, removing any seedling lavender and other weeds. Fortunately the large ‘weed fronts’ they faced eight years ago, however, have been removed – by hand!
If you’re interested in helping out on this beautiful site, or any other Bush For Life sites in the district, your help would be more than welcomed. Bush For Life also holds a 'Bush Action Team ' event at the reserve each year for those interested.
For more information email [email protected] or phone 08 8406 0500.