Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Ever been irritated by the rubbish dumping thing? Of course, most people are—and most people wonder: what kind of person would dump rubbish in beautiful places like our bushlands?

But there’s another dimension to this problem: it starts at the source.

Plastic dominated rubbish pile at the Railway dam a few years ago. FOBIF has an extensive collection of photos of similar rubbish all over our region. Of course, dumpers are to blame, but the real problem starts at the production point.

Here are some fun facts: in 1950, the world produced 2 million tonnes of plastic. In 2022, the figure was 475 million tonnes; at present rates of increase, it will top 1000 million tonnes by 2060.

As if these figures weren’t bad enough, consider this: of the above quantities, 9% is recycled, about 50% ends in landfill, 19% is incinerated…and 22% slops around the planet, most dangerously in the oceans: it’s been estimated that 15 tonnes of plastic is dumped in the sea every minute!

And, of course, it’s hard not to notice that a large part of the stuff dumped in our bush is plastic.

How can such insanity persist? Guess what: it’s because plastic is ‘cheaper’ than alternative substances! And convenient, of course. If you have the stomach for some terrifying stats about Australia’s plastic use, check here.

There’s a UN conference in Geneva right now to try to hammer out a treaty to limit plastic damage: for more details check here.

And if you want to sign a Greenpeace petition urging Australia to commit to such a treaty, check here.

Split rock Tarrengower-Gen Blades

17th August Mount Tarrengower, Maldon

This is a scenic 5 km walk at Mount Tarrengower with Indigenous sites, local flora and great views of the surrounding countryside. The walk is of moderate difficulty, with some short, steep sections, walking off track on the ascent to the top and returning down the road. Walk leaders are Lisa Hall, Frances Cincotta and Gen Blades. Meet at the Castlemaine Community House at 9.30am or Butts Reserve, Mount Tarrengower Road at 9.50am.
Contact: Gen Blades 0431 371 065

Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife Group and Connecting Country are presenting an intriguing event-Taking Root in Barkers Creek – an immersive soundwork/documentary exploring the environmental damage left by the 1850s goldrush – and how to fix it.
This is followed by supper and discussion.
Tickets

Wombat Forest Care have had success writing to politicians about Victorian Environmental Assesment Council (VEAC) matters. They have started a letter writing campaign to prompt the government to legislate the Central West Parks without delay.

Can you write to Maree Edwards, The Hon. Steve Dimipoilos and The Hon Jacinta Allan to legislate Mt Cole-Pyrenees and Wellsford Forests immediately, as recommended by VEAC?

These forests contain important plant and animal commumnities. According to VEAC, the variety of vegetation types in the Mount Cole–Pyrenees block provide habitat for a high diversity of flora and fauna, with 51 rare or threatened plants and 48 threatened animal species having been recorded here. Seventeen species that are part of the threatened Victorian temperate woodland bird community have been recorded in this block.

The Wellsford block provides habitat for a high diversity of flora and fauna including 32 rare or threatened species and a further seven members of the threatened woodland bird community.

Please email-

Maree Edwards MP
maree.edwards@parliament.vic.gov.au

The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos, Minister for the Environment
Reception.Dimopoulos@deeca.vic.gov.au

The Hon. Jacinta Allan, Premier of Victoria
jacinta.allan@parliament.vic.gov.au

The government has accepted the VEAC recommendation for a new Wombat-Lerderderg national park.

If you’re crossing the Forest Street footbridge over Campbells Creek this month, you might want to cast your eye down to the downstream edge of the bridge. Those nondescript streaks of shades of green are colonies of three different moss species. The remarkable thing about this apparently ordinary scene is that council staff regularly come along here and scrape the moss off…and regularly it comes back, colonising an apparently inhospitable concrete surface. In its way, it’s a kind of heroism.

Council versus moss, now in its umpteenth season: Silver Moss and Cushion Moss regrowing after repeated removals…

The grey green moss is Bryum argenteum (Silver Moss). It’s common in Castlemaine streets, and is found on every continent on earth, including Antarctica. In a few weeks it will produce some picturesque spore capsules—but you’ll have to get down on your knees to see them properly. The deeper green is Grimmia pulvinata (Cushion Moss). It’s found from Siberia to the southern regions of Chile. Its spore heads are visible already.

Grimmia pulvinata with new spore capsules, Campbells Creek footbridge: it doesn’t matter how often it’s scraped off, it comes back as good as ever.

FOBIF’s field guide, Mosses of dry forests in south eastern Australia, has just been reprinted in a revised edition, including for the first time common names to go with those ferocious scientific tags. This guide, produced as an experiment in 2014, has proved tenaciously popular, and has now gone through 6 reprints.

Walkers on the newly opened section of the Campbells Creek track can’t fail to have noticed the substantial patches of flowering Hakea by the trackside. Hakea is a highlight of the track, and of the hillside on the side track leading up to Campbells Creek suburbia. When it’s in full flower, the aroma of honey in the air is unmistakeable.

Hakea decurrens (Bushy Needlewood) beside the newly opened section of the track, July 7: the aroma of honey is in the air.

The new section of track is a welcome improvement to this outstanding example of creek regeneration. And another welcome change: it’s proposed to change the name of the track to ‘Watjarang Baring’, meaning ‘Platypus Track’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language.

FOBIF is about to do a new edition of its Twenty Bushwalks in the Mount Alexander Region, incorporating several changes in on ground conditions, including the new Campbells Creek route and new Parks Victoria ventures in the Diggings Park.

The Loddon River is central to much of Central Victoria and the Northern Plains. As it has wended its way from the highlands to the Murray for countless millennia, it has shaped the land, its fauna and flora, the people (both First Nations and those that came after colonisation) and the history of all of the above.

Newstead Landcare is excited to announce that renowned local geologist, Clive Willman will take us on a journey through the deep history of this important river and its catchment. This is a story of cataclysmic upheavals and volcanoes. Clive will take us through the formation of the Guildford Plateau and the story of the deep deposits of gold that eventually upended the landscape. Don’t miss this remarkable story.

The presentation, organised by Newstead Landcare is on Tuesday June 17th at Newstead Community Centre at 7.30 pm. 

All are welcome to attend. Gold coin donations would be appreciated.

Clive Willman