Author Archives: fobif

Discussions have begun over the government’s Strategic Fuel Breaks program, set to come to this region in the next few months. The program is described here. There are two kinds of break: —Asset protection breaks, to be set up around … Continue reading →

FOBIF has made a submission to DELWP on the current fire management plan. The ‘fuel reduction’ burns currently planned can be seen on the Department’s excellent interactive map here. Our submission essentially related to the following: –We believe burns planned … Continue reading →

Forty participants logged in to last Monday’s FOBIF AGM by Zoom. They heard an inspirational talk by Ian Higgins on the disappearance of Australian native pea plants—the lost world of Mitchell’s Australia Felix—and their possible return to our landscapes. A … Continue reading →

We’ve seen them floating onto beaches in other parts of the world. We see them lying around in gutters…Maybe it was inevitable we’d see one flying through the air and landing in the trees: a small offshoot of virus conditions, … Continue reading →

Last week’s floods in Europe were horrific, and we must be moved by the sight of helpless people sorting through their destroyed homes. Victims must be helped, and lives rebuilt…and, of course, lessons should be learned. Already there’s a sense … Continue reading →

While Europeans count the cost of last week’s catastrophe, it might be worth while considering our own situation. Although we at FOBIF are a bit worried about our tendency to repeat ourselves, here we go again: this is from our … Continue reading →

FOBIF’s 2021 AGM will be held in the Senior Citizens Hall, Mechanics Lane Castlemaine  (that’s right next to the library), on Monday August 9 at 7.,30 pm. The guest speaker will be Ian Higgins, who will talk about native peas … Continue reading →

You wouldn’t know it from the thunderous silence in most of the media, but last Thursday the Victorian Government tabled its long delayed response to the recommendations of VEAC on the Central West forests. (see our reports on this saga … Continue reading →

FOBIF  has made a submission to the Independent review of the 1975 Wildlife Act. The essentials of the submission are to support –removal of the protected status of deer –removal of native birds from the definition of ‘game’ –creation of … Continue reading →

As we noted a couple of weeks ago, the 1975 Wildlife Act is under review, and public responses are invited. FOBIF will be making a submission this week, but if you need to be motivated to have a go, check … Continue reading →