Introduction

Tona Station is earmarked for a complete biological audit for the purpose of establishing baseline data in relation to achieving future comparative natural habitat studies. By the Spring of 2004, Tona Station has been de-stocked for approximately three growing seasons. The following information is designed to assist students engaged to undertake environmental asset auditing on the station to complete tasks to a particular level of consistency. The following procedures will assist participants with obtaining information used to describe snapshot studies of ecosystem structure and more essentially; to provide measures of rehabilitation responses to altered management strategies. Long term information gained from this study will assist with future reporting frameworks and management decision making processes. As this survey will focus on remnant vegetation and pertaining habitats, all data obtained can be used to assist with formulating rehabilitation plans including revegetation of particular vegetation communities, soil profile stabilisation and structuring particular habitats for native fauna communities.

A reconnaissance survey was conducted throughout the first half of 2004 to establish target habitats for the purpose of obtaining ecosystem data. The resulting target habitats and their relevant geographic position can be found in the table below.

Ident	X_coord (east)	Y_coord (north)
1. Belah woodland transect (random points req. incl. 1 * trap quadrat)
NBWT04 (N. origin)	572,915	6,235,900
CBWT04 (Centre)	572,973	6,235,633
WBWT4F (W. origin)	572,849	6,235,598
2. Rosewood woodland transect (random points req. incl. 1 * trap quadrat)
NRWT04 (N. origin)	572,676	6,236,355
CRWT04 (Centre)	572,654	6,236,058
SERWT4 (S. origin)	572,812	6,235,934
3. Black pearl-bush transect (random points req.)
NBPT04 (N. origin)	575,630	6,237,414
SBPT04 (S. origin)	575,736	6,237,129
4. Erosion transect-Western polygon (origins only)
ENETW4 (N. origin)	574,443	6,236,634
ESWTW4 (S. origin)	574,054	6,236,317
5. Erosion transect-Eastern polygon (origins only)
ENETE4 (N. origin)	575,237	6,237,265
ESWTE4 (S. origin)	574,847	6,236,957
6. Floodplain transect-Northern sample (random points req. incl. 1 * trap quadrat)
FPWT4a (W. origin)	575,205	6,238,046
FPET4a (E. origin)	575,493	6,237,961
7. Floodplain transect-Southern sample (random points req. incl. 1 * trap quadrat)
FPNT4b (N. origin)	575,115	6,236,092
FPST4b (S. origin)	575,130	6,235,791
8. Blackbox woodland transect (origins only)
BBNWT4 (N. origin)	571,659	6,234,544
BBSET4 (S. origin)	571,886	6,234,347

NB: During biological survey field excursions to Tona Station, particular effort will be concentrated on target habitat as identified by the project team of the day or by Conservation & Land Management students as facilitated by Sunraysia Institute of Tafe. Further reference to transect waypoints can be made on the “Myer project field locality guide V.2”.