Key’s matchstick grasshopper has only been officially sighted once before – but observant scouts spotted the very rare insect in Namadgi National Park this week.
The Brindabella Venturer Unit, part of Scouts ACT, recorded the sighting while monitoring waterways at Hospital Creek, Namadgi, for Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch.
Venturer Leader Hannah Zurcher spotted the grasshopper, resting camouflaged on kangaroo grass. This was the second time on record the grasshopper had been seen.
Once widespread throughout southern NSW and Victoria, the Key’s matchstick grasshopper (Keyacris scurra) is now endangered. Environment NSW states that most of its habitat – which once spread from Victoria to Orange – has been modified or destroyed. According to the University of Melbourne, it was once found in an area of nearly 16,000 km; now it is only found in a 68 km range – a loss of 96 per cent of its former habitat. It is now believed extinct in Victoria, not having been seen there for decades.
In the ACT, the grasshopper is found in the Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve and, more recently, at Mt Clear, 20 km from this new observation.
“The grasshopper is endangered based on its limited distribution, so this sighting marks a significant contribution to its conservation,” Scouts ACT’s executive officer, Jo Legge-Wilkinson, said.
Michael Mulvaney, the ACT Government’s conservation planner, and Dr Roger Farrow, insect and plant ecologist volunteer, confirmed the sighting with National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW’s Saving our Species program. The sighting was recorded with Canberra Nature Map.
The grasshopper was spotted while the scouts sampled the Hospital Creek water as part of Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch, an ACT Government program supported by Scouts ACT, working at specific sites in Namadgi National Park. Volunteers collect and analyse water samples on aquatic invertebrates and riverbank vegetation. Data is available on the Atlas of Living Australia for use by land managers and researchers.
Vance Lawrence has led Scouts ACT’s involvement in Waterwatch for six years. It is one of several environmental volunteering activities by Scouts of all ages across Canberra, Ms Legge-Wilkinson said.
Brent Juratowitch, Chief Commissioner of Scouts ACT, noted: “Last year, the ACT Government released a report revealing ACT environmental volunteers would cost more than $21.5 million a year if they were paid for the work they do. We are proud to say that environmental volunteering is in our DNA at Scouts ACT. Caring for the environment is part of the Scout Law. We create opportunities to learn about, enjoy and care for the environment for our youth members from age five to 25.”
Brindabella Venturer Unit is a group of 15- to 18-year-old Scouts who meet in Page and participate in the Scout Program. This involves traditional scouting skills such as camping and bushcraft, and contemporary issues such as youth mental and physical health, diversity and inclusion, creating a better world, the environment, and recognition and respect of cultures.
