Peter Barrer was a highly respected environmental consultant whose contagious enthusiasm for conservation of the natural environment infected those he worked with. Peter owned a 16Ha bush block on Widgiewa Road, within the Stoney Creek (now Carwoola) area, which added to Peter’s understanding of the importance of remnant vegetation within a peri-urban area. The block had been burnt by a bushfire, which swept through the area in 1985. Peter kept detailed records of the natural recovery process he observed.

Following survey work in the ACT, including the Lower Molonglo River Corridor, Peter completed the thorough and practical Bushland and Grassland Survey of Queanbeyan in 1993. This work continues to provide the ecological basis for decision making in the Queanbeyan local government area, including the identification of key wildlife corridors.

He was engaged in 1994 by the Stoney Creek Greenways Committee to assist with the identification of potential connections, using crown land, between areas of remnant vegetation. Peter encouraged the extension of this project to become a far more ambitious project covering a large proportion of south-east Yarrowlumla Shire in the area between Googong Dam and the Queanbeyan River in the west and Tallaganda State Forest in the east, and bounded north by the Kings Highway and south around Captains Flat. The resulting report, Flora of Southeast Yarrowlumla – a Preliminary Assessment funded by a Save the Bush grant was published in 1997 following Peter’s death, identified significant remnant vegetation and contained a number of recommendations for further study, some of which have since been acted upon. With Peter’s encouragement, the Stoney Creek Greenways Committee reconstituted itself to become the Stoney Creek Landcare Group later becoming known as the Carwoola Landcare Group.

One of the recommendations was for a closer examination of the Mount Foxlow – Harrisons Peak area of leasehold land which lies between the Queanbeyan River and Captains Flat. Peter’s preliminary work had identified significant flora and fauna communities suggesting this land is a significant landscape-scale connection between the Tinderry Range to the southwest and Tallaganda State Forest on the Great Dividing Range to the east. The subsequent study The Bushlands of Mt Foxlow – Harrisons Peak confirmed the initial indications and recommended inclusion of the area in the reserve system.

Around the same time, Peter had also been undertaking studies along the Lower Molonglo Corridor downstream of Lake Burley Griffin, at Googong Foreshores and along the escarpment east of the Queanbeyan River northwards to the Kowen Plateau.

Peter died after a short illness in May 1997 leaving instructions for disbursing a bequest from his estate. These instructions indicate an acute awareness of the value of landscape-scale linkages and the value of even small blocks of remnant vegetation to assist the aim of establishing and conserving links. He stressed that the bequest be used locally and strategically to ensure conservation of important connections, recognising that outright purchase is not always the most cost effective way of achieving this, hinting at revolving funds (which at the time were relatively new) to acquire, covenant and resell strategic parcels of land.

One of the largest areas recommended for inclusion was the leasehold land in the Mt Foxlow – Harrisons Peak area. The Mt Foxlow – Harrisons Peak report was instrumental in having this very large area converted to Yanununbeyan National Park, State Conservation Area and Nature Reserve through the South East Regional Forestry Agreement process in 2000. The conversion of this leasehold land for conservation purposes so strongly recommended by Peter had been accomplished at no expense to Peter’s estate. Although we didn’t call it that at the time, the Kosciuszko to Coast project was underway.

Peter was an active member of several professional bodies, in particular the ACT Herpetological Society. His career included several years of research with the CSIRO. One of his colleagues has stated there is no doubt that if Peter had survived, more would be known about the ecology of our area than about most other comparable regions in New South Wales outside National Parks.

References:

www.molonglocatchment.com.au/members_pages/carwoola/SE%20Yarrow.pdf

www.molonglocatchment.com.au/members_pages/carwoola/Foxrport.pdf