There has been a lot of discussion and correspondence regarding the issue of weed management in the Unallocated State Land and other State-controlled lands within the Happy Valley Town Reserve.

Whilst the existence of all weeds has been of concern to the Happy Valley community, two weeds have been of greatest focus namely Abrus (because of the associated significant health risk) and Easter Cassia (subject of Easter Cassia Blitz across the Island as a whole)

The Department of Resources (formerly DNRME) had given Deeds of Agreement to undertake weeding to two separate groups using a system of self-assessment to monitor the performance of the two groups. When the Happy Valley Community Association (HVCA or the Association) was established in June 2019, the committee were aware of the historical aspect of weed management and the divergence of methods.

HVCA was particularly concerned about Abrus which was increasing its presence, particularly in and around the central areas between the two valleys. The Association took the precaution to issue Health Alerts to residents to display on their properties to warn all visitors about the risk associated with Abrus.

The Association together with the Fraser Island Association felt that the appropriate course of action was to focus on the science and associated facts. Red Ash Consulting, an independent consultant with no knowledge, experience, or affiliations with any group in Happy Valley were engaged to undertake an independent weed assessment of key areas within the town reserve.

This was done for the first time in January 2020 to set a baseline and revisited and reassessed in March 2021, with the intention to assess and compare the performance of areas under the control of the two separate groups. These reports highlighted that one group was significantly outperforming the other.

In May 2021, the FINIA field trip included a walkthrough of the central area of Happy Valley, representations to the FINIA field trip group by Council representatives and a local, and an onsite inspection of two areas that had undergone past rehabilitation by FIDO. We were fortunate that members of the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation (BAC) team were able to assess and compare the health of the country in the central area together with an inspection of two areas worked on by FIDO.

As a result, FIDO was given responsibility for the central area. FIDO volunteers in conjunction with BAC’s Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers and Happy Valley representatives commenced an aggressive weeding programme in the central area of Happy Valley being identified from the Red Ash reports as the most at-risk area. The initial fieldwork was undertaken in August 2021.

In December 2022, Red Ash undertook their third assessment of the weed impact, which is now available in the report (11MB) released in late February 2023. Their most recent report shows significant reductions in both Abrus and Easter Cassia. Sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the report outlined the comparisons and importantly Red Ash noted the natural rejuvenation of native species throughout the treated area.  

Congratulations and appreciation must go to the FIDO leadership team, the FIDO volunteers, BAC’s Butchulla Land & Sea Rangers and Happy Valley representatives. All done on what is currently USL, community land. We look forward to the continuing collective effort, cooperation, and collaboration to deal with new germinations that unfortunately will still grow from the legacy of the seed bank that has built up in the ground during the past years.

Article contributed by Russell Postle, Happy Valley Community Association