Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Workshop presenter, Greg Guy

Connecting Country is presenting half day Eucalypt Identification Workshops in four locations across the Mount Alexander region.

Each workshop aims to provide participants with the skills needed to identify some of the common eucalypt species to be found in the region. They will include a classroom-based discussion on the biology of our local eucalypts, with a special emphasis on our rare and endangered species and a ‘walk and talk’ session to identify some local eucalypts in their natural habitat.

Participants will be provided with an identification workbook and also a copy of Leon Costermans’ ‘Trees of Victoria and Adjoining Areas 6^th Edition Field Guide’. Continue reading →

Victoria’s beautiful native grasslands were the ecosystems that attracted European settlement in the 1800s. As a result, they are one of our most diminished natural splendours and resources. But they still live in our area and can be seen and helped. Join Newstead Landcare for their October field day as Nathan Wong, PhD researcher into native grasslands and Grassy Ecosystem Co-ordinator for the Trust for Nature, introduces us to some rare treasures. Nathan will take us to native grassland remnants in 3 very different states of being, and will help us to understand the processes at work and what the grasslands provide. A rare opportunity indeed!

The field day will be this Sunday October 23rd, car pooling from Newstead Community Centre at 9.30 am and returning at about 12.15pm. All are welcome to attend (gold coin donations appreciated). Bring a mug for morning tea. A very brief AGM will be held during morning tea, before we return to Newstead.

The following article was contributed by Frances Cincotta.

I nearly skittled a Stump-tailed Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa, also known as Shingleback) that was basking on Demo Track this sunny afternoon. Luckily my car pulled up in time and the ancient-looking creature inched away into the wildflowers. I hope it and its family and friends are able to move quickly enough to avoid being killed or injured in the 576 hectare (that’s approx. 3km x 2km) ”fuel reduction burn” due to happen tomorrow, weather permitting.

I wonder what this particular reptile, and others who live in the neighbourhood, will live on for the next year or so while the bushland recovers? I imagine that with lots of flowers burnt there will be fewer insects around that usually feed on the flowers. With less leaf litter on the ground there will be fewer invertebrates that require leaf litter for habitat. I also expect we’ll see fewer birds over the next year or ten in this area as there will be fewer insects, flowers and seeds for birds to feed on, fewer places for birds to build nests, and so on.

Demo Track in its full Springtime glory. Photo by Frances Cincotta

I also wonder what this bit of bushland, this precious, living ecosystem, did to us to deserve the punishment of having humans deliberately set fire to it? What did the Sun-orchids do wrong? What did these Pink Bells do to offend us? What grudge have we got against the Downy Grevillea? These species mentioned and their many plant associates that are less than 2m tall and “in the firing line” may not be killed outright tomorrow, but if burnt they will not get to set seed this Summer, and they certainly do not need fire to regenerate. Why should the Twining Fringe-lilies and other amazing flora of Demo Track cop the blame for Black Saturday bushfires in other parts of the state? What did the rare Hooded Robin do to harm us?

Will we humans of Newstead, Green Gully and Castlemaine all feel safer from bushfires after pre-emptively burning this beloved piece of bushland? Will it be worth it?

13 October 2011

The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) along with the Newstead Landcare Group invites you to join us at a Platypus information night.

The Australian Platypus Conservancy will present an illustrated talk about the amazing platypus and how you can help monitor them in the Loddon River system

Date: Tuesday 15th November 2011
Time: 6.30pm–8.00pm (including a light supper)
Venue: Newstead Community Centre

Admission is free and everyone is welcome. Don’t miss this great opportunity to come along and learn more about the habitat and biology of this unique animal.

RSVP by 5.00pm Friday 4th November 2011 to info@nccma.vic.gov.au or telephone (03) 5448 7124, indicating that you wish to attend the Newstead Platypus information session and outline any dietary requirements.

This information night is presented as part of the North Central CMA’s Upper Loddon and Campaspe project, Victorian Landcare Program and North Central Waterwatch.

Moss and Liverwort enthusiasts enjoyed a second field day led by Cassia Read at Clinkers Hill Bushland Reserve on the morning of 8 October. They identified, photographed and recorded another 10 mosses and a liverwort for the planned brochure. The field work is now complete and the next session will involve examining moss using microscopes. If you would like to join the group, contact Beth Mellick on 5472 1316. The photos included in the slideshow below cover five of the mosses studied and the youngest member of the group.

Can you farm in a different way? Is farmland degraded land? These are two of the questions Ann-Marie Monda and Carla Meurs from Sutton Grange Organic Farm addressed in their inspiring and informative presentation to Connecting Country’s AGM on 26 September 2011.

Their farm is organically certified and consists of 205 acres of granitic sandy loam. Rainfall is between 400 ml and 1000 ml rainfall a year. They run 75 goats and produce the award winning Holy Goat organic cheese which they sell at Farmers’ Markets and through a distributor who supplies outlets in regional Victoria, Melbourne and  Sydney.

Twenty-nine percent of the farm is bushland and two percent is infrastructure. The benefits of protecting this extensive bushland include the maintenance of seed banks, the protection of pasture provided by birds, insects and windbreaks and the beauty of this land which they believe benefits the goats and people.

The farmland zone is sixty-nine percent of the total land and supports substantial stands of native grasses which are deep-rooted, perennial and drought tolerant. Kangaroo and Wallaby grass are particularly beneficial in providing vital minerals and fibre. They described their successful efforts in increasing levels of phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, iron and PH levels in the soil. They have also recently trialled an innovative method for controlling Cape weed.

Anne-Marie and Carla concluded their talk by explaining their vision for the farm. They distance themselves from the conventional idea that growth means more goats and producing more cheese which could eventually be exported. Instead they view the growth of their farm in terms of sustainability, quality and generosity for their goats, the land, people and the soil.

The slide show below is made up of recent photos from the the Sutton Grange Organic Farm.

More information about Connecting Country’s AGM can be found here.

In August FOBIF wrote to Mount Alexander Shire suggesting that the issuing of free garden rubbish vouchers to residents might lead to a reduction in the amount of illegal dumping of green waste in our forests.

We have received the following reply from the Council:

“Mulching green waste taken to the Castlemaine landfill and then reused costs Council in excess of $100,000 per year. This processing cost is offset by the gate charge to the community when they bring green waste to the site. Hence, Council does not intend to discount or waive the fees to dispose of garden and other green waste at the Castlemaine landfill.”

In the meantime we have noted that Macedon Ranges Shire Council has introduced a new green garden recycling service whereby residents are supplied with a green garden bin. They have also introduced a free ‘Green Drop’ service at the Council Transfer Stations for larger, woody garden prunings. These initiatives would involve a high startup financial outlay but in the long term would be a great way to reduce illegal dumping and waste generation as well as increasing recycling.

Unfortunately given the constraints on the MAS budget, cost would make the adoption of the Macedon Ranges scheme unlikely in the short term. However FOBIF intends to keep raising this green waste issue with Council and looking at alternatives to the current unsatisfactory situation. Click here to view our earlier post on this subject.