IN PARTNERSHIP with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Byron Shire Council is hosting two guided walks through the unique Byron Bay Graminoid Clay Heath, an endangered ecological community.rst
Byron Shire Council’s Biodiversity Officer, Clare Manning said the Clay Heath is home to two threatened plants that occur nowhere else in the world and provides fantastic opportunities to explore the dynamics of vegetation change following fire exclusion.
Local fire ecologist, Andy Baker will be a guest speaker and talk about the extensive restoration works, including the use of fire.
NPWS Ranger Norm Graham will also be on hand and share his knowledge on the cultural significance of the Byron Bay Graminoid Clay Heath
Two guided Walk & Talks will be held Saturday 1 July 2017 at 10am to 12 midday and 1.30pm to 3.30pm. Meeting at the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Office – Tallow Beach Road, Byron Bay.
Ms Manning said before the restoration works, the Clay Heath was being rapidly displaced by encroaching forest and fernland due to fire exclusion and storm water pollution.
The ongoing work to restore the Clay Heath includes weed and native tree removal, reinstatement of historical fire regimes and extensive monitoring.
Clay Heath is also a significant cultural landscape for the Arakwal Aboriginal people of Byron Bay who used fire to maintain the Clay Heath as a vital source of bush foods.
Andy Baker has been involved in the management and monitoring of Clay Heath for 20 years. His research at Southern Cross University has identified the significant threats of fire exclusion for the region’s heathland and sclerophyll forests, as opposed to the widely assume threat of high fire frequency.
BOOKING ARE ESSENTIAL with a max of 18 people per session. Please contact Biodiversity Officer Clare Manning on 6626 7324 or email Clare.Manning@byron.nsw.gov.au