Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Tim Low

Tim Low, biologist and best-selling author of author of seven books about nature, will be giving 2 talks in central Vic, discussing The New Nature. This intriguing work looks at how modern human activity is changing the lives of many native species –some for better and some for worse. Tim will talk about how animals don’t have any concept of ‘natural’ or ‘unnatural’ so they don’t automatically recoil from cities and farms. Sometimes they can do better in cities than in forests. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane now have Peregrine Falcons nesting on skyscrapers!

Tim’s presentation will go for 45 minutes then 15 minutes for questions from the audience. This is a rare treat, so make sure you come along to one or other of the talks, and tell your friends. All are welcome. Entry by donation. Tim’s two most recent books will be for sale at both events: Where Song Began and The New Nature.

Friday 6th September at 7.30 pm at Newstead Community Centre, Lyons Street/Pyrenees Hwy, Newstead. Hosted by Newstead Landcare Group and Connecting Country with extra support from FOBIF.

Saturday 7th September at 1.30pm at Glenlyon Shire Hall, Daylesford-Malmsbury Rd Glenlyon. Hosted by Wombat Forestcare.

We’ve almost stopped being surprised by the rubbish people dump in the bush: a complete lounge suite in Kalimna Park! A washing machine in the Columbine Creek catchment! What will the dumpers think of next? And what does that tell us about, er, modern civilisation?

But here’s something new: thirteen white traffic guide posts, most of them in mint condition, in a quiet gully 200 metres from the road in the Fryers Forest. A quick internet search reveals they’re worth $12.32 each!

Roadside traffic posts in mint condition, dumped in the Fryers Forest: a new method of storing equipment?

We’ve asked DELWP whether they’re just being stored there, but haven’t received a response. It seems too far from the road…and it is, after all, a form of visual pollution in an otherwise reasonably untouched place…

We’ll report on any response.

More evidence of systematic looting of our bushlands: trees cut down and removed from the circuit walk in Kalimna Park.

To put this practice in context, it’s worth considering some of the social media reactions to it. For example, a report on Parks Victoria’s Facebook page about the arrest of a man caught stealing 2 cubic metres of wood from Chiltern provoked 521 comments. Most supported the idea of resisting wood theft, but plenty didn’t. A sample of their comments is below:

Kalimna circuit track, August 20: A tree here, a tree there: systematic pillaging of the bush continues

‘You do absolutely nothing in our area Parks, no weed reduction, no landcare whatsoever. You just cost taxpayers a fortune changing your name all the time.’

‘He was probably going to give the wood to some elderly residents..
Thats ok, they can freeze to death while the fox will find another habitat to breed and take our lambs and lifestyle..’

‘it should be cleaned up if not parks lett the puplic in its only a fire hazed’

‘Probably the same bloke that has cleared many a tree from a rd or track weeks after it has fallen across because parks delwp or whoever they blame, can’t do their job even when reported to clear it. But gets gutted when he collects some fire wood for his family’

‘Bad enough, not allowed to take fire wood for a basic human need, WARMTH . But when did our once great nation become a nation of give ups & dobbers.’

A significant proportion of our community is not convinced by the idea of conservation: Parks faces a very significant challenge in community education to solve this particular problem.

What a great photo! No nonsense about ‘keeping to formed tracks,’ which is the law on Victoria’s public land. This is the latest piece of cowboy propaganda from The Age [24/8], which shares with numerous 4WD ads on TV an obsession with bashing waterways. The article inside, interestingly enough, doesn’t make any reference to driving in rivers. It does refer to ‘slaying deserts’, however, just to keep alive its message: nature is there to be tamed. Well, slain, actually.

Hey ho! Let’s show the environment who’s boss! The Age Drive continues its promotion of bad behaviour in the bush.

Is there a better way of being adventurous? If there is, you won’t find out about it in Drive. And as long as journals like The Age pour out cowboy propaganda, the few people who do drive like cowboys will feel encouraged and authorised to do it.

Jase Haysom, well known local map maker, will be our speaker at the upcoming FOBIF AGM on 9 September. Jase describes himself as ‘an incidental cartographer’:

I did not consciously decide that I would become a cartographer. It seems that, as a result of obliquely related actions, incremental step by incremental step I nudged myself in that direction. In the talk I’ll briefly look at how these incidental incremental steps occurred. I’ll then briefly discuss the mechanism I use to build a map and the limitations of the process.  If time permits the talk will finish with some personal observations.

You can find out more about Jase’s map making including examples of maps at Cartography Community Mapping (CCM). He offers free mapping services to non-profit organisations such as Landcare groups.  The maps have proved useful for resource management and as support material for reports and grant applications. Other non-profit organisations have used for maps in “how to get here brochures” or for training purposes.

The meeting will start at 7.30 in the Ray Bradfield Room, Castlemaine (next to Mostyn Street IGA supermarket). Information on how to nominate for the FOBIF Committee can be found here. All welcome and supper will be served.

A dump of snow on Saturday night changed the face of Mount Alexander, and attracted numerous sightseers on Sunday. The snow had essentially retreated by Sunday afternoon.

At the Mount Alexander Summit, Sunday morning: the snow was spectacular, but short lived

Below the summit: granite rocks were dusted with snow, and tree branches weighted down…

On a less poetic note: FOBIF has asked Parks Victoria for the rationale of the extensive vegetation removal along Joseph Young drive on Mount Alexander. Of course, safety is an obvious explanation, but we’re still a bit befuddled as to the logic of the particular removals. The simple fact is that the only way to make this road (or any similar road) safe in violent winds is to remove every tree within thirty metres, which would completely destroy the environment of the area and remove most of the reason for going there. Is the road safer now than it was before the removals? We’re not sure. We’ll let you know when–or if–we find out the criteria for removals.

Trees have been removed along the length of Joseph Young Drive, on Mount Alexander. It’s hard to see why some have been taken and not others…or in fact to understand the rationale at all.