Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Now’s the time to put it to the pollies

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by fobif

Recent polls have found that 81% of Victorian voters support more funding for the protection of nature, 57% oppose private developments in National Parks, and the environment is a bigger issue of concern than law-and-order and roads.

There are polls and polls, of course, but these findings look pretty reasonable from here. In any case, FOBIF believes that candidates in the upcoming election should be put on the spot about what they think about issues to do with the management of nature. We’ve circulated to members a list of questions it might be worth putting to candidates nominated so far. We hope lots of people will take the opportunity to ask the questions–and that they make it clear they don’t want pre packaged party responses. Let’s find out whether the candidates really have thought about the issues [and have serious convictions about them], or whether they’re just regurgitating the Party line.

Here are some questions we think are worth a run:

1. In 2012-13 the State Government embarked on a program of cutting 10% of Parks Victoria’s staff, continuing a process of cuts begun under the previous government. Do you support these cuts? Can you tell me how many Park Rangers are looking after parks in the Bendigo region? Do you think MPs would be more efficient if their funding was cut by 10%?

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Snakes alive–and dead

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by fobif

The photo below shows an Eastern Brown snake [Pseudonaja textilis—‘brown’ is a pretty broad description: the snake can be any shade of brown from almost orange to nearly black] crossing the Irishtown Track in the Fryerstown forest last week. The warmer weather is bringing snakes out, and the Brown is one of the more common ones in our region, particularly around towns and settlements: it has enthusiastically incorporated mice and rats into its diet, which has enabled it to adapt more easily to human environments.

Brown snake crossing the Irishtown Track, October 2014: its taste for rats and mice make it a great pest controller. The best defence against snake bite is common sense: about two Australians per year die from bites, and the majority are people trying to attack or handle the reptile.

‘Deadly reptile slithers towards the urban sprawl’. Populist hysteria doesn’t mesh with the facts: about two Australians per year die from bites, and the majority are people trying to attack or handle the reptile.

The Brown is highly venomous—but it’s not keen on attacking anyone as big as a human, and like the pictured specimen, will always try to get away if it can. If cornered however, it is extremely nervous and aggressive. The moral therefore is, don’t approach any snake, and dress appropriately if going into areas where one might be met. The great majority of snake bite deaths have arisen when people unwisely take on the reptile [if you want to get it away from the house, call a snake catcher]. It is, of course, illegal to kill snakes, which are protected animals. For pets, the best advice is, don’t let them roam around the bush ferreting into holes; in any case, dogs should be on a leash in the Diggings Park.

Common sense is the best defence against snake bite, but unfortunately hysteria is more common than common sense, as witness a 2013 Sydney Telegraph headline: ‘Snakes are raiding the suburbs…Fatal snake bites will become a tragedy repeated this summer as the deadly reptiles—thriving in hot conditions—slither towards the urban sprawl.’ This horror movie scenario doesn’t fit well with the fact that on average less than 3 people per year over the whole of Australia die from snake bite: far more people are killed by bee stings…

…And the odds are stacked against the snake: more than five million reptiles are killed by cars in Australia every year. According to the Australian Museum, ‘countless’ Brown snakes perish in this way, ‘both accidentally and on purpose’.

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Campbells Creek: celebrating a revival

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by fobif

In 1846 Joseph Parker described Campbells creek as

‘A scene of beautiful, crystal like waterholes, which sparkled in the glittering rays of the sun; every waterhole was teeming with fish,and flocks of ducks.On the slopes and hills on either side of the creek, stood evergreen trees, with such even regularity, as to lead one to believe that they had been planted by the hand of science, consisting of golden, silver and black wattle, many of them in full bloom, also blackwood, sheoak and honeysuckle…’

Campbells Creek from the footbridge: many years of work by the Friends group have brought a remarkable revival.

Parker called it ‘nature’s paradise’, but the creek got a bit of a battering over the following century: you can see a photo of a section of it in 1946 here. Its current revival is the result of the commitment and hard work of the Friends of Campbells Creek and about 100 people rocked up to the Friends community day last Sunday to celebrate the creek and its future as a community resource. Have a look at the group’s Facebook page for more details.

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Burning boronias

Posted on 26 October, 2014 by fobif

Last week DEPI conducted a management burn in the area designated Fryerstown Block 5, a 44 hectare roughly triangular block between the Campbells Creek Irishtown Road and the Chewton-Vaughan road [see map below].

The fire was designated Asset Protection: the most severe of DEPI’s burn categories, designed to reduce fuel, without regard to ecological values. It’s one of only two areas in this shire where you can find Sticky Boronia [Boronia anemonifolia], a beautiful pink flowering shrub, which flowers in October.

Struggling boronia, Irishtown: few if any of the plants are likely to survive.

The plants–there are less than a dozen of them–did not do well. On our estimation it’s likely only one will survive, though we’ll monitor the area to see what happens in the next twelve months and beyond. We’ll also be interested to see how the Department rehabilitates the earth breaks bulldozed around the fire.

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Posted in Fire Management, Nature Observations | 1 Comment

Last FOBIF walk for the year

Posted on 23 October, 2014 by fobif

Alex Panelli led the last 2014 walk on 19 October in the Fryers Ranges around the Sugarbag Track area. Noel Young wrote the following piece on the walk and included an extensive flowering plant list:

On a day of glorious weather, the walk for most of us quickly turned into a Wildflower Walk as Alex had selected an area which was flowering profusely and appeared to be at the peak of the season. Unlike last month’s walk there was no sign of cup moth damage, and the trees looked very healthy. Another healthy sign was the almost constant calling of birds all along the track. Although I have not mastered all the bird calls, I could list as definites: Horsefield’s Bronze Cuckoo, Golden Bronze Cuckoo, Fan-tail Cuckoo, Grey Thrush, White throated Tree-creeper, Rufous Whistler, Fuscous Honey-eater, Olive backed Oriole, Grey Fantail, Blue Wren, Kookaburra, and Spotted Pardalote.

I counted about 30 species of flowering plants: Yam Daisy, Slender Rice flower, Pink Bells, Milkmaids, Creamy Candles, Primrose Goodenia, Fairy Wax-flower, Common Beard-heath, Grey Everlasting, Sticky Everlasting, Downy Grevillea, Billy Buttons, Fireweed (Senecio sp), Showy Parrot-pea, Matted Bush-pea, Prostrate Flat-pea, Bulbine lily. Chocolate lily, Black Anther Flax-lily, Erect Guinea-flower, Daphne Heath, Native Violet and Twining Fringe-lily.