After some years of being overlooked and neglected, even the toughest critics are realising the value of Canberra's native grasslands.
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As a firefighter during the devastating 2003 fires, Peter Beutel viewed the 23 hectares of dry native grasslands at Yarramundi Reach "as an area that was a problem for me".
"But I don't see it that way any more. I see it as a natural resource which is worth visiting, especially if you can come with an expert who can show you what you're looking for," he said.
As the asset manager for the National Capital Authority, Mr Beutel assists in controlled burning of the grassland to help the native flora thrive, as dozens of volunteers help fend off weeds, including blackberries, Chilean needle grass and more recently, African lovegrass.
The partnership between the NCA and Friends of Grasslands has been in place since 2009. In that time, FoG volunteers have put in 3500 volunteer hours in 41 work parties, clearing 2700 cubic metres of weed.
Dr Jamie Pittock is one such volunteer; a senior lecturer at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the ANU, he enjoys the opportunity to get his hands dirty and co-ordinate the work parties.
"I saw these sites were a little bit neglected, because they're federal government land and the National Capital Authority had just gone through some budget cuts … there was less active management, so this was a really good opportunity for some volunteer help to improve the place."
That means pulling and spraying the weeds which have thrived thanks to the disruption of the soil on the land, while attempting different ways of reseeding native plants.
"The NCA's resources are limited, so it's really about getting out on the ground here and trying different techniques," Dr Pittock said.
The NCA has dedicated more resources to the endeavour in recent years, and an assessment of the environmental value of the site, previously earmarked for the expansion of the National Museum, has seen it rezoned as parkland.
"The site is of national importance and that's because there's a diversity of flora on this site that doesn't exist across much of south-eastern Australia," Dr Pittock said.
As a researcher in climate change adaptation, he sees the grasslands as potentially playing an important role in a drier future too.
"We shouldn't be planting a lot of these water-thirsty European weeds when we've got some fabulous wildflowers here that are adapted to our conditions - tough, survive drought, don't need watering - so this is hopefully one of those reservoirs of future plant material to landscape Canberra."
