The 2013 season of the War on Wheel Cactus was very successfully launched by Mount Alexander Shire Councillor Sharon Telford on Sunday 28th April. A record number of 53 Wheel Cactus Warriors turned out to join Sharon in what was a very productive and enjoyable day of cactus killing. We thank Sharon very much for her encouragement and for spending the morning learning how to kill this weed.
Ian Grenda, president of the Tarrangower Cactus Control Group, said that the field day was the best attended event in the TCCG’s eight-year history. With the support provided by the Mt Alexander Shire Council, Parks Victoria and the local community, 2013 is shaping up to be a highly successful season. He also commented that Wheel Cactus was recently classified as a Weed of National Significance, highlighting the very serious weed problem we have in the Maldon, Nuggetty and Baringhup areas.
On a positive note, Ian said that landowners, Parks Victoria and volunteers have removed many large infestations of mature fruiting plants in recent years. This is the first step towards breaking the cycle that spreads Wheel Cactus. A number of sites, however, still have hundreds of flowering plants and these will be a priority for this year’s campaign.
Noel Muller from Parks Victoria thanked everyone for attending and commented that the many hours of volunteering that the Cactus Warriors perform make up a sizeable portion of the total volunteer hours contributed to Parks Victoria.
