Site 39 Lake Yando

Description
Located to the north of Boort, Lake Yando is a shallow freshwater marsh with scattered areas of reed beds and Red Gum. It is fed by channel outfall and by the Kinypanial Creek Overflow. Lake Yando usually goes through a wetting and drying cycle each year, but due to the dry seasonal conditions, it has been dry for the past few years. The land uses adjacent to the reserve include grazing and cropping.

Vegetation Description and Composition
Lake Yando is surrounded by a Woodland dominated by Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Red Gum) and Eucalyptus largillorens (Black Box), with a herbaceous layer dominated by Eragrostis infecunda (Cane Grass). The site has an increasingly high proportion of introduced species in the herbaceous layer (now over 50% of species present) including many pasture weeds. Tree health appears to be declining. The general appearance of the trees is one of being under continued stress. Four salt indicator species are now present, Atriplex semibaccata (Berry Saltbush), Enchylaena tomentosa (Ruby Saltbush), Critesion murinum (Sea Barley Grass) and Lolium rigidum (Rye-grass). There has been major change in vegetation survey results, as compared to the early 2002 vegetation data. In particular, there has been a 50% reduction in species, with most of these being introduced species. This is likely to be a result of the continued dry seasonal conditions. The abundance of introduced members of the Asteraceae and Fabaceae families has declined due to continued dry seasonal conditions.

Lake Yando

Water Quality.
Lake Yando is a freshwater marsh which rarely rises above 6 000 EC when in the drying phase.

Groundwater & Salinity
Bores are read by Goulburn Murray Water (external link).

Threats to the site continue to be:

weed invasion in particular Phalaris Spp.
possible inappropriate water regime.
seepage from adjacent irrigation and channel.

Monitoring Survey Dates
December 1997, November 1998, December 1999, February 2001, January 2002, December 2002.

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