Author Archives: fobif

Does fire protect us from fire?

Posted on 20 January, 2012 by fobif

Calls for more ‘fuel reduction burns’ have been insistent for years, particularly since the Black Saturday fires which burned over 2,100 homes and killed 173 people. The pressure for more management burns culminated in the Royal Commission’s recommendation that at … Continue reading →

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Snapshots in time

Posted on 16 January, 2012 by fobif

About 70 people crowded into the small Chewton Town Hall on January 16 for the launch of Ken McKimmie’s Chewton Then and Now, a collection of articles written over a number of years for the Chewton Chat. These articles are … Continue reading →

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Scottish, but not Scotch

Posted on 20 December, 2011 by fobif

The plant below is Spear Thistle, Cirsium vulgare, the most widespread plant in Victoria and, according to naturalist Ern Perkins, by far the most common thistle in this region. It’s commonly but wrongly called Scotch thistle. That ‘honour’ belongs to … Continue reading →

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The uses of fire

Posted on 17 December, 2011 by fobif

FOBIF has written to Parks Victoria to clarify some questions arising from the Quartz Hill, Chewton, Asset Protection management burn of a few weeks ago. What interested us was that the burn was pretty severe on native undergrowth [as was … Continue reading →

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Remnant Vegetation: the State Government responds to VEAC

Posted on 14 December, 2011 by fobif

The State Government has released its response to the Victorian Environment Assessment Council’s  Remnant Native Vegetation report [see our May 24 Post on this]. VEAC made 13 recommendations, all designed to improve ecological connectivity between small parcels of land, encourage … Continue reading →

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VCAT decides on Diamond Gully subdivision

Posted on 11 December, 2011 by fobif

Local residents supported by FOBIF went to VCAT to review a Council decision to grant a permit for a 7 lot subdivision in high conservation bush at Diamond Gully (on the western edge of Castlemaine). The development will involve the … Continue reading →

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Sharing the same nesting area

Posted on 9 December, 2011 by fobif

Eroded creek banks, although a blot on the landscape in some ways, also have their upside. At this time of year two quite different species utilise the eroded walls to build their nests at the end of tunnels in the … Continue reading →

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How good is the new Code of Practice?

Posted on 6 December, 2011 by fobif

DSE’s new Code of Practice for Fire Management on Public Land has been out for consultation for some time now. The document can be found here. As we signalled in a previous post, we have had preliminary misgivings about the … Continue reading →

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Put it on the wall

Posted on 5 December, 2011 by fobif

FOBIF and Connecting Country have produced a good quality colourful A2 poster containing 63 photos highlighting the beauty of our local bushlands. Members of FOBIF and/or Connecting Country can buy it for $15 from Connecting Country at The Hub 14/233b … Continue reading →

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Out of the ash

Posted on 4 December, 2011 by fobif

The asset protection burn conducted at Quartz Hill Chewton in late November has, as planned, produced a pretty bare landscape over about 140 hectares, plus what looks like some spotting outside the planned zone. One reason to visit these burns … Continue reading →

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