1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,560
Speaker 1: I have been contacted by some listeners in the rural

2
00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,720
Speaker 1: area with concerns about a pest weed that is apparently

3
00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,000
Speaker 1: establishing itself in the area.

4
00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:08,360
Speaker 2: Now.

5
00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:10,720
Speaker 1: They say that a fly was recently put on their

6
00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,520
Speaker 1: gate alerting them to this plant. And it's got a

7
00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,480
Speaker 1: scientific name, but it's also known as the mickey mouse plant.

8
00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,239
Speaker 1: And joining us on the line to tell us a

9
00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,480
Speaker 1: little bit more about this is the Darwin District Weed

10
00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:23,680
Speaker 1: Officer Russell O'Regan.

11
00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:24,959
Speaker 3: Good morning to you, Russell.

12
00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:27,240
Speaker 2: Heh, good morning, how are you? Yeah?

13
00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:27,880
Speaker 3: Really good?

14
00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,680
Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time this morning, Russell, tell

15
00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,199
Speaker 1: us what exactly is this plant? Ah?

16
00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,520
Speaker 2: I guess a good way to describe okna in Tagaima

17
00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,920
Speaker 2: as a sort of small woody shrup that loves sort

18
00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,960
Speaker 2: of shaded understories and loves to dominate certain areas.

19
00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,640
Speaker 1: And so has it is it? It's been found in

20
00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:52,160
Speaker 1: the rural area, Is that right?

21
00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,000
Speaker 2: That is correct? Yes, particularly out Humpty Dow and Herbert Way.

22
00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,959
Speaker 1: And so what's the process now or is And it's

23
00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,440
Speaker 1: obviously a new thing out in that area, is it?

24
00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,319
Speaker 2: In regards to how long it's been out there, probably

25
00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:09,560
Speaker 2: a good you know, maybe decade or so. I would say,

26
00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:11,520
Speaker 2: I actually have it on my property. That's why I

27
00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,520
Speaker 2: know so much about it, you know. The one thing

28
00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,119
Speaker 2: we've got to remember, though, it is not a declared

29
00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,400
Speaker 2: weed in the Northern Territory yet in regards to our

30
00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,720
Speaker 2: weed strategies and weeds of concern, it is on our list,

31
00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,480
Speaker 2: but it isn't declared, as I said, so it is

32
00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,319
Speaker 2: very much a localized type plant. It doesn't spread far

33
00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:30,679
Speaker 2: and wide from parent plants.

34
00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:33,560
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, And so, like I said in the opener,

35
00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,440
Speaker 1: we've had a few listeners get in contact with us

36
00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,320
Speaker 1: with concerns about it, like is it a concern then

37
00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,280
Speaker 1: if it's not declared, I think.

38
00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:45,120
Speaker 2: It's definitely a weed to watch for the future. It

39
00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,240
Speaker 2: doesn't seed until it's about three years of age, so

40
00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,600
Speaker 2: it gives people a really good chance to get on

41
00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,760
Speaker 2: top of it before a seed bank is established. But

42
00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,080
Speaker 2: in saying that as well, its seed is only viable

43
00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,400
Speaker 2: for one year, so it doesn't establish a really heavy

44
00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,640
Speaker 2: seed bank to continually re infest. So it really gives

45
00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,840
Speaker 2: people a chance to control any infestation very quickly.

46
00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:07,800
Speaker 1: Okay, And so what steps can people take if they

47
00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:09,240
Speaker 1: do suspect that they've got it.

48
00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:09,919
Speaker 3: On their property?

49
00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:13,640
Speaker 2: Oh, look, give us a call here at the Weeds

50
00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:16,680
Speaker 2: Branch on eight Triple nine four five sixty seven and

51
00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:18,440
Speaker 2: we can address your concerns and mayor if you've got

52
00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:22,320
Speaker 2: any photos and things like that. And once again, you know,

53
00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,359
Speaker 2: if we get that positive identification on it, then we

54
00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,160
Speaker 2: can advise strategies on how to manage it.

55
00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,680
Speaker 1: And Russell, was it your crew or I mean, I

56
00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,680
Speaker 1: don't know, is it your crew that had been that

57
00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,680
Speaker 1: had been putting those flyers on people's fences out in

58
00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:35,320
Speaker 1: the rural area.

59
00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:36,919
Speaker 3: Is that something that locals have done?

60
00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,240
Speaker 2: No? Absolutely not us, you know, so it was done

61
00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:41,960
Speaker 2: by the N two Weeds Branch. It would have proper

62
00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,480
Speaker 2: branding on it, that's right, But that's not how we'd

63
00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,720
Speaker 2: approach that. It's somebody who obviously has a concern in

64
00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,520
Speaker 2: the rural area and is aware of a VOKNA and

65
00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,600
Speaker 2: as presence, and was maybe just trying to give some

66
00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,400
Speaker 2: people a friendly sort of warning that you have a

67
00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:58,600
Speaker 2: bad plant on your property or a potentially bad plant,

68
00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,000
Speaker 2: and yeah, you know, they'd like it, like to see

69
00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,360
Speaker 2: it controlled. So, like I said, I've been dealing with

70
00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:07,280
Speaker 2: this plant for three years on my property and I'm

71
00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,679
Speaker 2: almost almost there with it. It does require diligence.

72
00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:12,520
Speaker 1: So what have you had to do Russell to get

73
00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,080
Speaker 1: rid of it on your property? Has it been a

74
00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:15,000
Speaker 1: bit of a pain?

75
00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:18,120
Speaker 2: Yeah? Well, when I first bought the property out there

76
00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:20,119
Speaker 2: at Humpty Do, I didn't know what it was. And

77
00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,960
Speaker 2: I had dealt pretty extensively in a past career with

78
00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,120
Speaker 2: okna sarah Lada at the East Coast version, which is

79
00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,680
Speaker 2: once again a significant environment environmental wheat that it is

80
00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:32,880
Speaker 2: not classified. And once I saw the flowers on the

81
00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:34,840
Speaker 2: plant in my understory, I went, oh, we have a

82
00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,240
Speaker 2: problem here. I did a little bit more research and

83
00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:39,920
Speaker 2: found that there was an ocna species out there called

84
00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,120
Speaker 2: in Tigaima. And once again, as I said, I had

85
00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:45,400
Speaker 2: that extensive knowledge of dealing with it in natural areas

86
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,000
Speaker 2: in a previous career. So there if I was able

87
00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,840
Speaker 2: to implement those sorts of strategems onto my block, and

88
00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:52,320
Speaker 2: that's been very successful today.

89
00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,280
Speaker 1: And so what's your advice for locals this morning? If

90
00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:58,400
Speaker 1: they are concerned that they've got it on their property

91
00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,119
Speaker 1: and you know, I've worried that, or maybe like they've

92
00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,520
Speaker 1: seen that it's on in their neighbors property and they're

93
00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:05,800
Speaker 1: worried that it's going to spread.

94
00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:07,520
Speaker 3: What's your advice to people this morning?

95
00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,120
Speaker 2: The advice is once again to contact the Weeds Branch

96
00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,240
Speaker 2: and we can consume whether it in fact is or

97
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,200
Speaker 2: isn't okna. And then from their people with concerns regarding

98
00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:20,000
Speaker 2: if it is on their property, they can contact us

99
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:21,520
Speaker 2: here at the Weaze Branch and we can advise the

100
00:04:21,520 --> 00:04:24,320
Speaker 2: best way forward for living in regards to treatment.

101
00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:26,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, So they don't need to just go and

102
00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,760
Speaker 1: destroy it themselves or anything like that at this point

103
00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:30,120
Speaker 1: in time.

104
00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,039
Speaker 3: Best to contact you guys first.

105
00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:35,200
Speaker 2: Well, a positive identification or anything you're unsure of, just

106
00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,200
Speaker 2: to make sure you're not killing natives to start with

107
00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:39,359
Speaker 2: is always a good way to go. But you know,

108
00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:41,560
Speaker 2: if people have the skills and the knowledge in regards

109
00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,200
Speaker 2: to how to treat woody weeds effectively, and they can

110
00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,520
Speaker 2: positively identify the plant, then there's no reason why they

111
00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:49,240
Speaker 2: can't start controlling it them either.

112
00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:50,480
Speaker 3: And so, and it.

113
00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,120
Speaker 1: Doesn't sound as though it's it's real widespread at this

114
00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:56,239
Speaker 1: point either, No.

115
00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,320
Speaker 2: I don't believe. So it's just in niche areas of

116
00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,080
Speaker 2: Humpty Dew, and like I said, it doesn't spread too

117
00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,000
Speaker 2: far it's mainly spread by birds, has a pretty little

118
00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,960
Speaker 2: seed which is why the birds are attracted to it.

119
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:11,080
Speaker 2: But once again, it tends to stay very localized. So yeah,

120
00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:14,760
Speaker 2: and that's obviously advantageous in it in a being easily controlled.

121
00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,719
Speaker 1: Well Russell, o'reagan, we really appreciate your time this morning,

122
00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,640
Speaker 1: the Darwen District Weed Officer, thanks for having a chat

123
00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:23,239
Speaker 1: with us, more than welcome.

124
00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:23,920
Speaker 2: Thank you for your time.

125
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:24,680
Speaker 3: Thank you