Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Thirty members and guests turned up to the FOBIF Annual General Meeting on Monday night to hear an entertaining and informative talk by George Milford on the chequered history of Mount Alexander, with an emphasis on its little known industrial side.
The meeting passed motions reaffirming the annual subscription fee of $10 for an individual and $15 for a family, and approving a committee size of four office bearers and three ordinary members.
The new committee is as follows: President: Marie Jones; Vice President: Neville Cooper; Secretary: Naomi Raftery; Treasurer: Lynette Amaterstein; Ordinary members: Frank Panter, Bronwyn Silver, and Bernard Slattery

With a State election due in November, candidates are starting to do a bit of spruiking about the place. We’ve drafted a number of questions it might be worth putting to them, should they appear on the horizon:

1. In 2012-13 the State Government embarked on a program of cutting 10% of Parks Victoria’s staff. This is on top of cuts in previous years by governments of both persuasions. We believe DEPI in Bendigo has lost a quarter of its staff in recent years. What’s your plan for the staffing of public land management, and what priorities do you see in this area?
2. Since coming to office the Coalition Government has cut more than a quarter of Government animal health and biosecurity jobs. Do you think a cut of 25% in the number of Parliamentarians would be good for Victoria? Would it improve MP’s efficiency?
3. The Royal Commission Implementation Monitor has criticised the Government’s policy of burning 5% of public land every year. He says the policy diverts DEPI resources to burning remote country when these should be deployed in dangerous areas close to settlements. A similar criticism of ‘targets’ has been levelled by Tasmania’s Chief Fire officer. Could you explain how burning 400 ha of bush in the remote Tarilta Valley is better at protecting human life than controlling dense gorse on the edge of Chewton, Castlemaine and Maldon townships?
4. The number of Phd and postgraduate students employed by DEPI has fallen by 22% since 2012-13, and the number of scientific and technical reports by DEPI officers supporting agriculture has fallen by 33% over the same period. In your opinion does this decline in research capacity affect DEPI’s ability to be an effective manager of our natural systems?
5. More than 500 jobs related to agriculture have been cut from DEPI since 2011. Is the Department as capable of managing agriculture now as it was 3 years ago? Or is the Farmers Federation right in expressing a lack of confidence in the Department’s ability to manage crises like disease outbreaks?
6. Past experience overseas shows that commercial development in National Parks benefits the private developer, but not the park or the public. Do you support commercial developments in National Parks? What effect do you think these might have on eco tourism businesses adjacent to Parks?
7. Whenever there are staff cutbacks in the Department of Environment and Primary Industry we are assured that no ‘front line’ staff are affected. Could you explain why research staff, who are usually the ones to be cut, are not important in enabling the Department to understand what it’s supposed to be doing? If you were running the Grand Prix, would you be in favour of cutting back on mechanics, as long as drivers were retained?
8.Victoria’s recent Waterways Strategy did not mention ‘climate change’, referring instead to ‘natural climate variation’. Environment commissioner Kate Auty claimed this year that Government employees have been instructed to avoid using the phrase ‘climate change’, and instead to refer to ‘natural climate variation.’ Scientists prefer the former term. Which one do you prefer? Do you think experts should be dictated to by politicians on this matter?

It was an important place to the Jaara people; grazed by sheep for nearly 100 years; listed as having been entirely denuded of useful trees by 1876; burned out by bushfire in 1901, and then washed out by a heavy thunderstorm which stripped the bare slopes of soil and dumped it into the Bendigo water channel: now it’s a State Park much loved by walkers, picnickers and cyclists who regularly grind their way over Joseph Young Drive.

FOBIF walkers passing a giant stringybark on Mount Alexander, August 2013: by 1876 the Mount had been ‘denuded’ of useful trees. The chequered history of the Mount will be the subject of George Milford’s talk at the FOBIF AGM.

Through all this it remains the biggest landmark in our district, and its history is the subject of a talk to be given by George Milford at the FOBIF AGM at 7.30 on Monday August 11 at the Castlemaine Continuing Education Building. Put it in your diary.

Members interested in nominating for the FOBIF committee should send their nominations in before that date. Contact Bernard Slattery (5472 2892) if you would like a nomination form.

What’s a historic place?

The Victorian Environment Assessment Council is conducting an ‘Historic Places Investigation’, submissions for which are due to VEAC by September 12.

FOBIF is making a submission to this process, arguing that a historic place is not simply something old you can look at and have thoughts about the past. It’s a place in which you can see change happening, as the practices of the past are changed to suit new community needs.

Sebastopol Creek, in the Castlemaine Diggings NHP: ruined waterways on the slow path to recovery are a dramatic historic reality.

Specifically, we are arguing that the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park should be valued not simply for its evidence of gold workings, but more especially for the way it shows the spectacular environmental damage wrought in the past, and the way this damage is gradually being repaired over time.

FOBIF’s submission runs as follows:

“We wish to make a submission to this enquiry, focusing on the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park as a Historic Landscape.

“The Diggings Park was given National Heritage status in 2005. The declaration statement  goes into great detail about evidence of mining practices in this landscape. This is fully justified. What is less understandable is that the statement completely overlooked what is perhaps the most striking single feature of this landscape: that is, the ruined waterways. The environmental devastation wrought by gold fever is mentioned blandly in one sentence: ‘The degree of alteration of, and intervention in, the natural landscape makes a strong impression on visitors.’

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Twenty two walkers enjoyed a fine winter’s day for the July FOBIF walk into Muckleford Gorge on Sunday the 20th. The walk was led by Deirdre and Bernard Slattery, and the group heard an informative talk from farmer Ian Garsed before descending into the spectacular valley. Ian and his family manage the Gorge largely for conservation, and he gave an engaging account of the difficulties and rewards of having responsiblity for such an important part of the landscape.

Walkers look across the gorge to the edge of the lava flow, before making the descent. Mount Franklin is in the distance.

Although the Muckleford Creek is not flowing at this point, there are enough substantial pools to preserve the picturesqueness of the situation; and the dry sections allowed the group to criss cross the creek for easier walking–though it has to be said that some of the crossings were easier than others. Once again our thanks go to Ian for his unfailing generosity to our walking groups. Thanks also to Barb Guerin for her lucid explanations of the geological formations along the Creek. The August walk will be in the Fryers Ranges. Check the program for details.

FOBIF walkers checking out the cliffs at the bottom of the Muckleford Gorge.

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It’s a special place to the Jaara people, has been exploited for its timber and heavily grazed; and now its role is primarily for conservation and recreation. It’s the biggest place in our region: Mount Alexander.

Mount Alexander faces winter, July 17 2014: the Mount has many moods, and an interesting history, which will be the subject of George Milford’s talk at the FOBIF AGM on July 11. Photo: John Ellis

At the FOBIF AGM on August 11 George Milford will talk about the history of  Mount Alexander–more details later.

Members are reminded that nominations to the FOBIF committee are open now. Nominations should be signed by the nominee and two other FOBIF members.

For more pictures of Mount Alexander during that winter blast on the 17th, have a look at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chewtonnet/288889464550308