Category Archives: News

Ian Higgins: A world lost…A world to regain?

Posted on 23 August, 2021 by fobif

The nature and function of peas The lush grasslands Major Mitchell called Australia Felix in 1836 were the starting point of Ian Higgins’s inspirational talk to the FOBIF AGM on August 9. The park-like scenes which so excited Mitchell were … Continue reading →

Posted in Nature Observations, News | 4 Comments

Slime mould knows the way out of Ikea!

Posted on 23 August, 2021 by fobif

Here’s a curious note on slime mould research, from the London Review of books : ‘The mycologist Lynne Boddy once made a scale model of Britain out of soil, placing blocks of fungus-colonised wood at the points of the major … Continue reading →

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A walk on the high side

Posted on 16 August, 2021 by fobif

A small group took on FOBIF’s August walk in brisk sunny weather yesterday. The route started below the Expedition Pass spillway and negotiated the western end of the Reservoir and up to the highest point of Specimen Gully Road, then … Continue reading →

Posted in News, Walks | 3 Comments

Fuel management: the detail counts

Posted on 16 August, 2021 by fobif

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 →

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FOBIF AGM

Posted on 16 August, 2021 by fobif

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 →

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Oh well: maybe it had to come to this…

Posted on 16 August, 2021 by fobif

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 →

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August 15 FOBIF walk

Posted on 10 August, 2021 by fobif

Next Sunday’s walk, Beyond the Res (11), will go ahead but people will have to register with FOBIF beforehand (info@fobif.or.au) New regulations in regional Victoria allow 10 people in a group outside. We will have 2 groups of 10, one … Continue reading →

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Pea, legume, or bean?  What does it mean?

Posted on 1 August, 2021 by fobif

Come along (via Zoom®) to FOBIF’s AGM (7:30 p.m. on Monday the 9th of August) and hear Ian Higgins speak on: “Everything you wanted to know about the plant world’s third most diverse family but were too afraid to ask”. … Continue reading →

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FOBIF’s 15 August walk

Posted on 31 July, 2021 by fobif

We are not sure what the arrangements will be for the scheduled walk on August 15 Beyond the Res (11) due to restrictions on the numbers allowed at outside gatherings. We may have to cancel the walk or have limited … Continue reading →

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More on proposed new National Parks

Posted on 26 July, 2021 by fobif

In a recent post we reported on the Victorian Government decision to create three new national parks in central-west Victoria. Alison Pouliot comments below on proposed long delays in stopping logging in these parks. She has also produced a terrific … Continue reading →

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