Anonymous mound of dirt tells a story

The photo below shows a barely noticeable mound of dirt, covered with grass, next to the Limestone Track near the Tarilta Creek crossing. Passers by might not give it a glance: a pity, because this mound of dirt should be a provocative reminder of DSE’s 2012 ‘ecological’ burn, and of the dangers of large scale burning operations

You could pass by and not notice it: but this mound of dirt is a relic of DSE’s disastrous 2011 ‘ecological’ burn.

The mound of dirt is part of the huge quantity of soil washed off the slopes of the Tarilta valley after the burn off. Tarilta Creek was choked with silt, and some of it ended up choking the Limestone Track bridge underpass:

Limestone Track crossing, Tarilta Creek, March 2012: the silt stacked against the bridge has been washed down the valley after a DSE ‘ecological burn’.

DSE was forced to come and clean it up, and move the dirt up onto the creek flat, as shown here:

May 2012: the silt in the creek has been piled up on the banks to clear the bridge crossing.

Now the silt in the creek is covered in vegetation, mostly weeds: but the damage in soil loss on the slopes of the valley is long lasting. One of the most serious responsibilities of land managers is to preserve the soil, and this particular exercise was a major failure: ‘fuel reduction’ isn’t a simple exercise, and we’re hoping responsible people in the Department have learned from disasters like this one.