Council shortfall further tightens fight against noxious weeds
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A message from Division 8 councillor Bob Fredman:
AS WE get through spring it is lovely to see the colour from the flowers blooming in our gardens, and in our parks. But one flower is not so welcome – the yellow flower of the Cats Claw vine.
Cats Claw is a weed, and a bad one. Sure, it looks great when it’s flowering, especially when it’s on a Jacaranda tree which has mauve flowers at the same time. The problem is that it is smothering our native scrub in many parts of the region.
Eradication of Cats Claw is something that council does wish for in the longer term. The situation though is the same as for Giant Rats Tail Grass.
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There is no known cure that is truly effective. The only way to make progress with both of these curses on our environment is lots of hard work.
Council is limited by how many resources it can throw at these weeds. We have nowhere near enough resources, and this situation will remain while we concentrate on managing our budget in the first instance.
So it’s up to landowners to be responsible, to do the work where the weed is on their property, and be vigilant in their area.
We can also help each other. If you see any of these invasive weeds around let us know. Council has a fantastic lands protection team who can help manage Cat’s Claw, Giant Rats Tail and any other invasive weed species.
