About the Friends of the Lane Cove National Park

• The group has about 100 members
• Members pay $15 each per year or $25 for a family
• The group has numerous small groups which meet at different intervals: some weekly, some monthly
• Public liability insurance usually costs about $1500, but one company charges only $300
• The group has been successful in obtaining funding for projects
• It can be easier to obtain funding if a registered organisation
• The group has an educational trailer, which is taken out to various activities or schools. It serves another purpose in informing people about the group.

About the Regeneration Program:

Lane Cove National Park has a large ongoing program to remove weeds.
• Weeds are removed in small sections as removing large areas encourages re-invasion with weeds, and some weeds, eg lantana, provide shelter for small birds and animals. As re-establishment of natives takes some time, large-scale removal of the weeds can mean loss of habitat for his period.
• Seeds are taken from nearby areas to ensure replacement with similar genetic material
• Seeds are stored in a fridge, in waterproof plastic sealable bags, labelled with location of origin and seed type
• Each seed type can have different germination requirements.
• Smoke Water is commercially available and used to germinate some seeds which require fire exposure
• Seeds are germinated in seed trays and later moved to small pots into potting mix.
  Seed mix
  • 1 part coco peat
  • 3 parts sand
  • 15g Osmocote per 20 litres of mix.
  Mix for tube stock
  • potting mix Debco
  • 200g Osmocote per wheelbarrow
  
  Large seeds covered with Vermiculite. Sand to cover fine seed.Seed trays are placed in a plastic greenhouse.
  

• Lane Cove NP have had problems with possums eating the seedlings in the nursery area, and so guards were built over the seedlings.
• Watering of seedlings was via overhead mist sprays employing a timer running for 15 minutes at 4am each night.
  
  
  Photo provided by Irene
  

• Proceedure for planting out:
  • Ensure plant is well watered
  • Dig hole
  • Soak hole
  • Plant seedling
  • Protect with plastic guard
  • Some areas are fenced off
  • Usually no watering! In dry conditions plants are watered a week or so later.