The 27th Annual Ragwort Raid has wrapped up...

And the numbers are in.

Before we get to that, Alison and Jonty would like to give everyone who joined us our warmest thanks. The Ragwort Raids have been an enduring success, largely due to local people donating their time and effort, coordinating works to control the spread of Ragwort across the Tamar Valley.

West Tamar Landcare volunteer ragworters working from Winkleigh Hall.

After nearly 30 years of consistent management, we are winning. While we still find scattered infestations, Ragwort abundance has been considerably diminished. Special thanks go to the East, West, and Lilydale Landcare groups and numerous individuals for their ongoing drive and support.

Removing this infestation adjacent to the St. Patricks river at Nunamara will have stopped the spread of seed into the waterways, limiting widespread dispersal.

As for the numbers - Over the four days, 35 volunteers gave a combined 70 hours of weeding, removing two excavator buckets worth Ragwort (very scientific!) from 501 kilometres of Tasmanian road sides. This was a huge effort, and the results show how effective community can be when engaged in natural resource management initiatives.

We would also like to thank the City of Launceston for safely disposing of the collected Ragwort. Given a single plant produces between 70,000 and 250,000 seeds, it is safe to say that millions of seeds will no longer enter our pastures, bushland and riparian areas.

While it is difficult to quantify the exact amount of Ragwort pulled, this was one of two excavator buckets off to deep burial.

Thank you all for a great week of Ragwort removal across the Tamar Valley. We at Tamar NRM are always heartened to see how local people pitch in to improve the environment of our home, and it is a pleasure to sit around after some weeding for a well earned cuppa and chat.

-The Tamar NRM team.