The Friends of Maatsuyker Island (FOMI) on-island programs were another great success during our December 2023 and March 2024 working bees.

Here’s a summary of our achievements thanks to this season’s volunteers.

Weed Control: Celebrating 20 years

This year marks a milestone for the Maatsuyker Island Weed Control Program – two decades of dedicated effort. We have made great progress towards eradicating our four target weeds: Blackberry, Veronica (formerly Hebe) elliptica, Californian Thistle, and Montbretia.

FOMI visited the Tasmanian Herbarium to hone their weed identification skills. (Photo: Min Campbell)

With only a small number of these four species remaining on the island, our weed control volunteers made a pre-departure visit to the Tasmanian Herbarium to improve their plant identification skills. The weeds can be difficult to distinguish from natives, especially in their seedling stage. A special thank you to Matthew Baker (Senior Curator, Weed Taxonomy) for his guidance, and for treating us to an Herbarium tour afterwards.

During December and March, the weeders surveyed eight square hectares of the island, combing through dense vegetation. Our commitment is yielding great results, and in March we celebrated a landmark for weed control: our first season since 2008 with no V. elliptica detected!

The weeding team treats one of four blackberry seedlings found in March. (Photo: Stephen Anstee)

And the Blackberry? Only four seedlings from three sites were found amongst previously infested sites. As for the Californian Thistle, it has now been three seasons since plants were found; and Montbretia is in rapid decline.

FOMI has been fortunate to have the expertise of Phil Wyatt (Friends of GIS) providing never-ending support for our data and mapping.

The full 2023-24 weed report can be found on our Wildcare page here.

Shearwater Monitoring: A decade of insight

Nothing can stop the December Shearwater team of Nat and Sheryl. (Photo: Min Campbell)

This season marked the 11^thyear of FOMI’s Short-tailed Shearwater monitoring. We record burrow occupancy each December, during the nesting and egg incubation period, and then check the burrows again in March to record how many of those nests have produced a chick. This provides an indicator of breeding success.

In December 2023, Maatsuyker’s burrow occupancy was well-above the long-term average we have observed over the past decade. In March 2024, the breeding success was recorded at 64% (i.e., the number of chicks observed in March as a proportion of nests with an egg in December), which was just below the long-term average (69%).

Breeding adult weights in December, and chick weights in early March, were also both above average this season, following five years of data collection.

Building Maintenance Program: Refresh and restore

In March 2024, our building maintenance volunteers embarked on a mission to refresh Quarters Two with a new coat of paint.

Stephen and Heidi give Quarters Two a makeover. (Photo: David Milne)

The building team of four went ahead one week early to paint the interior walls before the weeders and shearwater volunteers arrived (making a full complement of 10). Their extra mile went a long way towards enhancing the comfort of Quarters Two for everyone, and the extra helicopter flight needed to take them over was made possible by a generous donation from Heli Resources.

After completing the painting in Quarters Two, the building team set about scoping the future works that will be needed for one of FOMI’s next major projects – restoration of the Whim Shed. The lighthouse also received its share of TLC.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Big Thank You to Our Volunteers FOMI extends thanks to this season’s dedicated volunteers: Fiona, Natalie, Ann, Marguerite, Mark, Nicky, Steve, Stephen, David, Alan, Don, Heidi, Sheryl, and Min. Their hard work contributed an impressive 1,636 volunteer hours!

The December 2023 team. (Photo: Min Campbell)

The March 2024 team. (Photo: Min Campbell)

Special Thanks to Our Partners We are grateful to the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) Volunteer Caretakers on Maatsuyker Island, Georgie and Ash Carr, for their invaluable assistance. From setting up houses and helping in the field, to hosting a special film night and providing treats, their support was invaluable. We also thank PWS, especially Jen Mudge and Brett Knowles, for their help with planning, logistics, and gear transport.

Support and Funding FOMI working bees wouldn’t be possible without the generous financial support from grants and donations.

We gratefully acknowledge the Tasmania Nature Conservation Fund and the Pennicott Foundation for their significant funding towards our Weed Control and Shearwater Monitoring Programs.

Additionally, we thank Heli Resources for their support and funding that assisted our Building Maintenance Program.

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