Author Archives: fobif

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 →

Posted in News | Comments Off on Indigenous joint management? Come and find out

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

Creeks: jump in and have your say

Posted on 9 April, 2018 by fobif

Do you have an opinion on our local creeks? Mount Alexander Shire is looking for responses to its Castlemaine Creekways management plan. The plan is open for consultation till May 8. It can be found online here. The ‘creekways’ in … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on Creeks: jump in and have your say

Deadly trees?

Posted on 9 April, 2018 by fobif

A curious feature of the Creekways Plan is its bland listing of ‘trees’ as one of the three main risks to humans from the creeks. We all know trees can do a lot of damage when they fall or drop … Continue reading →

Posted in News | 3 Comments

Management burns to start soon?

Posted on 25 March, 2018 by fobif

Residents around the region have been letterboxed by DELWP informing them of the imminent start of the Department’s fuel reduction burn program. It’s so far been too dry to safely undertake these burns up till now, but it remains to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Management, News | 1 Comment

OK: it’s pretty bleak. On the other hand…

Posted on 25 March, 2018 by fobif

As Hanrahan might have said: ‘It’s dry all right’. A quick check of the map below will confirm what common observation has already registered: February was dry, and March so far hasn’t been much better. The 27 mls of welcome … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on OK: it’s pretty bleak. On the other hand…

Against the wind

Posted on 25 March, 2018 by fobif

Fifteen brave takers drove out of Castlemaine through a driving storm on Sunday the 18th for the first FOBIF walk of the year in the Fryers Forest. The storm lasted ten minutes, but the wind came and went all day, … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Comments Off on Against the wind

Walks program 2018 kicks off

Posted on 12 March, 2018 by fobif

FOBIF’s 2018 walks program kicks off next Sunday with a stroll around  the Coliban Main Channel, with a return through sections of the Fryers Nature Conservation Reserve and the state forest. Check the walks program for more details.

Posted in News | 1 Comment

Needlegrass war

Posted on 2 February, 2018 by fobif

FOBIF has completed a preliminary report on its project to control Needlegrasses in Castlemaine. These weeds—related to Serrated Tussock— threaten to cause serious damage to pastures and native environments. They were probably introduced into Victoria from the 1930s, and have … Continue reading →

Posted in News | 1 Comment

A sobering look across the Pacific

Posted on 2 February, 2018 by fobif

So far Victoria has passed through summer without disastrous fire events. In case you missed it, however, it’s worth casting a sympathetic eye across the Pacific to California, a US state with perhaps better environmental credentials than some. Maybe there … Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Management | Comments Off on A sobering look across the Pacific