Author Archives: fobif

Madness

Posted on 17 June, 2018 by fobif

There’s a saying that ‘you don’t have  to be mad, but it helps’—but at 9.30 on Sunday morning it seemed that you really did have to be mad to embark on FOBIF’s June walk into the Tarilta valley. Six degrees, … Continue reading →

Posted in News, Walks | 3 Comments

Curtain raiser

Posted on 9 June, 2018 by fobif

The always reliable Spreading Wattle has been flowering for months now, but the real wattle season is yet to come. A sign that it’s on the way: Woolly Wattle (Acacia lanigera) is well and truly in flower in the south end … Continue reading →

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Indigenous joint management 1: have your say

Posted on 9 June, 2018 by fobif

A drop in session in Castlemaine on Sunday 20 May was a chance for interested residents to check out plans for indigenous co management of parks in north central Victoria. None of the parks in question are in the Mount … Continue reading →

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Indigenous joint management 2: here are some interesting ideas

Posted on 9 June, 2018 by fobif

The draft plan is a challenging, even exhilarating document. Its objectives are ambitious: ‘Healing Land (Country) goes beyond ridding the environment of pest plant and animals, managing fire and visitor impacts. The Draft Plan is as much about Dja Dja … Continue reading →

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Indigenous joint management 3: cultural fire

Posted on 9 June, 2018 by fobif

The return of cultural fire in this region is a potentially dramatic event.  As yet the implications of this practice are not widely known, but it clearly plays a major role in the co management strategy: – ‘Delivery of Wi … Continue reading →

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Indigenous joint management 4: a sobering context

Posted on 9 June, 2018 by fobif

In view of all of the very positive ideas fielded in the draft document, there’s one observation in it which gives pause for thought. It’s on page 46: ‘High quality planning is critical in a time when visitor numbers and … Continue reading →

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Grey skies, perfect walking conditions

Posted on 21 May, 2018 by fobif

A cloudy day provided perfect conditions for FOBIF’s May walk on Sunday. A group of 17 negotiated obscure tracks in the back country of the Poverty Gully race under the leadership of Richard Piesse and Elaine Bayes. The nooks and … Continue reading →

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Kalimna Park burning postponed: what now?

Posted on 14 May, 2018 by fobif

Readers of the local press will be aware that the 171 hectare management burn planned for the town side of Kalimna tourist road has been postponed. The postponement came after a group of local naturalists raised the inconvenient fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Management, News | 3 Comments

Indigenous joint management? Come and find out

Posted on 14 May, 2018 by fobif

An interesting additional factor in DELWP’s challenge in Kalimna is that the recent state budget allocated $2.05 million for biodiversity work in the Greater Bendigo NP and Kalimna Park. At the time of writing it’s not clear what this money … Continue reading →

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Launched!

Posted on 30 April, 2018 by fobif

Close to 100 people turned up on Saturday morning to see Castlemaine Field Naturalists’ president George Broadway launch FOBIF’s Wattles of the Mount Alexander Region. The guide was produced as a tribute to Ern Perkins, for many decades the leading … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations, News | 1 Comment