James Dalby-Ball

We are lucky enough to supervise the Sugarloaf Point volunteer bushcare group on the Lane Cove river through our site supervisor James Dalby-Ball.

Bush Regeneration sessions are held every Monday with three regular champions. The site sits within Sydney Sandstone communities and adjacent to mangroves and saltmarsh and the volunteers are accompanied by Australian ravens and willy wagtails at each visit. Although the site is  highly disturbed and modified from past sand mining and sediment build-up, native plants are establishing well and the group is surely and steadily evicting the weeds from their bushcare site!

Recently, our talented Leading Hand, Jocelyne Morey, led a planting day with volunteers from the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation. They installed around 400 plants, complete with a blessing from all those involved.

We recently completed an epic job at St. Gregory’s College, Campbelltown for the TRN Group. As part of their Stormwater Harvesting Scheme designed by E2DESIGNLAB, we were engaged to supply, install and maintain a diverse array of almost 50,000 aquatic and riparian species within and surrounding the ponds.

We are specialists in the ecological restoration of wetlands, riparian zones and saltmarshes, so we were really excited at this opportunity. Our experienced Site Supervisor, James Dalby-Ball headed up this project and the results have been amazing, as you can see in the before and after photos below!

This was a tough project, with works scheduled during the peak of Summer just past, but our crew got this project done within the time frame and budget and the plants are looking pretty happy too. Rick Blake, one of our Natural Area Specialists captured a time lapse video of one of our days out there planting. Make sure you check it out here!

Our work at Viva Energy’s Clyde terminal aims to restore and rehabilitate habitats for the Green and Golden Bell Frogs.

Project Details 

Our aim is to develop and maintain a secure core habitat that is reasonably self-sustaining and meets the known ecological requirements of the entire life cycle of the Green and Golden Bell Frog (GGBF).

To meet this goal, our team planted 70,000 plants in three breeding ponds on site with associated frog corridor grasslands. We also conducted the maintenance works to ensure the habitat remained optimal for the GGBF.

The Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea) has gone from being one of the most commonly found frogs on the east coast, to one of the most threatened, with the risk of extinction. A large contributing factor for this decline in population is habitat isolation. 

Their Habitat Preference 

The species live in large, open-water swamps or ponds that have a variable water level, dense vegetation with grassy and rocky areas around them. The species preferred habitats that they use for breeding, foraging, shelter and hibernation include waterbodies that:

• Are unshaded and free of predatory fish
• Have grassy areas and shelters nearby.

Site Map

Services Provided

Our team have been carefully clearing and disposing of vegetation to avoid harming any GGBF that may be present. Our team also focused on rebuilding the habitats that include the removal of She-Oak Trees that are shading Green and Golden Bell Frog Habitat. Additionally, we controlled large areas of Spiny Rush and conducted the planting of appropriate macrophyte species to enhance the natural habitat qualities for GGBF.

More details on the services we provided on this site include: 

• Weed control works that started from the banks of waterbodies, working outward towards dry land, replacing the weeds removed with native plants.
• Control of Gambusia (Mosquito Fish).
• Removal of all Swamp Oak individuals that occur within or fringing ponds and pools, including along the raised bund that intersects the central pools.
• All Juncus acutus are to be progressively removed from the Wetlands. The native Typha orientalis is to be culled from the centre of pools and ponds, with some T. orientalis retained around the banks of all waterbodies.
• Targeted small populations of unwanted emergent and aquatic vegetation for removal which was then followed by removal of the larger infestations.
• Extensive primary treatment on weeds such as Lantana Camara, Casurina Sp and Acacia Salinga have been cleared around the ponds. Opening up the area to allow 40% of the perennial wetland area with direct sunlight. This warms up the temperature of the water, creating more productivity for the aquatic vegetation.

Rebuilding and bringing back the natural habitats for the Green and Golden Bell Frogs is always a profound project to work on. Our efforts into restoring the land and natural habitats will result in unhindered breeding and promote increased activity.

Method & Technic:

• Aquatic Weed Treatment
• Save our Species
• Broadscale Herbicide Spraying
• Revegetation

Project Outcomes:

The project successfully targeted the treatment of aquatic weeds, including Salvinia molesta, Ludwigia longifolia, and Erythrina spp., within the Sydney Freshwater Wetlands EEC. Our team implemented effective management strategies that resulted in significant progress in controlling these invasive species. Ongoing maintenance efforts continue to ensure the long-term health and stability of the wetland ecosystem, supporting the conservation of native flora and fauna.

Before	After

Before	After