16 August 2012 – Restoring the Moolort Wetlands
Posted on 14 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Nick Layne from North Central CMA will be giving a presentation on Restoring the Moolort Wetlands at a Newstead Landcare Group meeting this Thursday. These wetlands are west of Newstead and adorned with numerous stunning Red Gum swamps which, when full, become home to countless waterbirds, including Brolgas. This is a chance to learn about these magnificent swamps and their wildlife as well as the exciting new project to restore them to their full glory.
The meeting will be held at the Newstead Community Centre at 8 pm on Thursday 16 August. A gold coin donation will be appreciated. For further information contact Patrick 5476 2755.
Connecting Country Woodland Bird Monitoring – Winter 2012
Posted on 10 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Connecting Country’s woodland bird monitoring is on again. Since 2010, bird surveys have been performed in winter and spring in over 50 locations across the Mount Alexander Shire region. As a result there have been confirmed records of rare and threatened birds. The good news is that with the new Woodland Birds Project, Connecting Country will be able to continue developing these bird data sets using expert knowledge, community engagement and participation.
Garry and Brenda Cheers, will be managing the Winter 2012 bird survey and landholders that have been involved in the past can expect a phone call from Garry soon to arrange access to previously sampled sites. A report on the progress and results of the bird monitoring will be available soon.
10 August 2012 – Long-term Flora and Fauna Monitoring
Posted on 7 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Ern Perkins with Chris Timewell at last month's launch of Ern's Central Victoria Grasses Identification Guide CD.
Local naturalist Ern Perkins will be the guest speaker at the Castlemaine Field Naturalist Club meeting this Friday 10 August. His subject will be Long-term Flora and Fauna Monitoring.
The talk will address a topic of special interest to Connecting Country. Long-term monitoring of flora and fauna has been an important component of the Yellow Box Woodlands project and will continue to be important in the organisation’s two new projects, Connecting Landscapes and Woodland Birds.
The meeting will be held at the Uniting Church Hall in Lyttleton St, Castlemaine (the building behind the church), and will commence from 7.30pm. All are welcome and encouraged to attend– both members and non-members. There is no cost for attendance.
29 July 2012 – Next Cactus Control Field Day
Posted on 25 July, 2012 by Connecting Country
The next Cactus Control field day with Parks Victoria is this Sunday 29th July. It will be held on a property near the corner of the Bridgewater-Maldon Road and Sandhills Lane. This is about one kilometre north of the intersection of the Bridgewater and Baringhup Roads. As usual it will be well signposted.
The starting time is 10.30 am and the day will wind up with the usual cuppa and sausage sizzle at lunchtime.
Green Thumbs Wanted for National Tree Day
Posted on 19 July, 2012 by Connecting Country
Sunday 29 July is National Tree Day and a number of planting events and barbeques have been organised by Landcare groups and other organisations across the Mount Alexander shire and immediate surrounds.
With so much of our local forests cleared or degraded, putting something back is a great thing to do – and every little plant helps. All sorts of plants will get put in the ground on National Tree Day – not just trees.
If you would like to participate in National Tree Day this year, click here to find out where a planting is taking place near you. Or contact Max Schlachter (Mount Alexander area Landcare Facilitator) for more information on 5472 1594.
Future Management of Barkers Creek
Posted on 10 July, 2012 by Connecting Country
Over 40 members of the Barkers Creek, Harcourt and North Harcourt communities met in the Harcourt ANA Hall on June 28. The purpose of the meeting was to find out what is important to the local community about Barkers Creek and discuss the future management of the creek.
The evening started with delicious soup, bread and muffins provided by CAKE (Castlemaine Abundance Kitchen Enterprise). A short presentation about Barkers Creek outlined some of the assets and the threats impacting on the creek, and then attendees were split into three groups to identify what they thought was important along their stretch of the creek
Barkers Creek Project Officer Michael Luke says “We were thrilled at the big turnout for the community workshop. It was a fantastic evening and we ended up with around 25 ideas which will be used in the development of the Barkers Creek Local Action Plan”.
The Local Action Plan will help to plan the three local Landcare groups’ activities into the future, and also to assist in applying for grants and future funding opportunities.
For more information about the project, email michael@connectingcountry.org.au or call 5472 1594. If you are a landholder along the creek and have not contacted us – please get in touch.
13 July 2012: Special Event
Posted on 3 July, 2012 by Connecting Country
On the evening of the 13 July, there will be a launch of Ern Perkin’s new Central Victoria Grasses Identification Guide CD followed by a presentation by Geoff Park on the Moolort Wetlands.
Local naturalist Ern Perkins was the 2008 recipient of the Australian Natural History Medallion which is a nation-wide award awarded to one person per year judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History. His new CD covers all native and non-native grasses known to occur in Mt Alexander Shire. Ern will give a short talk and presentation on the CD and all attendees will receive a free copy (one per household).
The CD has been published with the joint support of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club and Connecting Country.
After the CD launch, Geoff Park will talk on the beautiful wetlands of the Moolort Plains. Geoff is Knowledge Broker at the North Central CMA, on the committee of Connecting Country and also convenor and chief contributor to the Natural Newstead blog. The following text is an excerpt from his blog about the Moorlort Plains:
The Moolort Plains are a very different environment to the goldfields landscapes closer to Newstead. The plains country is part of the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion, once dominated by native grasslands and largely untimbered. Silver Banksia, Tree-Violet and Bursaria were some of the predominant shrubs in this verdant landscape, prior to European settlement. A feature of the Moolort Plains are its wetlands and swamps, many of which have been actively managed for conservation values by local farmers.
Long Swamp, Moolort Plains. Photo by Geoff Park, 7 September 2010
The launch and the talk will be held on evening of Friday 13 July at the Uniting Church Hall in Lyttleton St, Castlemaine (building behind the church), and will commence from 7.30pm. The event is part of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club July meeting, but all are welcome and encouraged to attend– both members and non-members. There is no cost for attendance, although a gold coin donation towards the supper afterwards would be appreciated.
Employment – Positions Vacant
Posted on 2 July, 2012 by Connecting Country
Threatened Woodland Birds Project Coordinator Position: Connecting Country.
Do you know your Jacky Winter from your Diamond Firetail?
Are you passionate about making sure they continue to exist in the Mount Alexander Shire and surrounding region of central Victoria?
If yes, then this could be the job for you.
Connecting Country is seeking a suitable candidate to implement its new Threatened Woodland Birds Project as well as assisting with other activities currently being run by the organization. This part or full time fixed term position (0.8-1 FTE) is funded through to 30 June 2013, with the possibility of extension based on future funding success and other considerations. For more information on the project, and also for copy of the full position description, including key selection criteria, click here.
Applications with a curriculum vitae and addressing the Key Selection Criteria should be marked “Confidential – Threatened Woodland Birds Project Officer” and be submitted to “Connecting Country, PO Box 437, Castlemaine, VIC, 3450” by Sunday 15th July 2012 or by email to chris@connectingcountry.org.au. For more information regarding the project and the position, contact Chris Timewell or Krista Patterson-Majoor on (03) 5472-1594 or email chris@connectingcountry.org.au.
Sustainability Officer Postion: Mount Alexander Shire
Mount Alexander Shire is currently advertising for a Sustainability Officer to join their team. For information about the role and a position description click here.
New Connecting Country Project – Woodland Birds
Posted on 2 July, 2012 by Connecting Country
Connecting Country is pleased to announce that it has been successful in obtaining funding from the Victorian Government’s Communities for Nature program to implement the first year of its four-year project “Enabling Woodland Birds to Thrive in the Mount Alexander Region”. Scientific research has shown that this bird community is in decline and under threat from habitat reduction. The project will increase the extent and condition of bird habitat through through the Mount Alexander Shire and immediate surrounds using an approach combining on-ground works on private land with community engagement, education, monitoring and other related activities (click here for more information on this new project).
This project will commence soon, and we are currently advertising for a Project Coordinator to manage its implementation (click here). There will also be many oppportunities for the community to be involved in various aspects of the project. More details to follow over coming weeks and months.
CC submission to draft Regional Catchment Strategy
Posted on 29 June, 2012 by Connecting Country
Connecting Country has made a submission to the North Central CMA draft 2012-2018 Regional Catchment Strategy. Click here to view the submission.
Assistance with Grant Writing
Posted on 21 June, 2012 by Connecting Country
The Mount Alexander Volunteer Network is holding free grant-writing sessions for community groups. The sessions which will take place in Maldon, Castlemaine and Newtead and are to assist groups with applications for $5000 Federal Government volunteer grants. Click here to view a brochure with the details.
Weed Watch – Gazania
Posted on 8 June, 2012 by Connecting Country
The following information was originally published by Geraldine Harris in the Castlemaine Naturalist newsletter, and has been kindly re-written by her for the Connecting Country website.
Some plants become environmental weeds when they escape from our gardens into the surrounding countryside and start competing with local native indigenous species. I want to look at how some of these infestations can be controlled and which native plants can be used in their place.
Our native plants cannot be expected to perform as vigorously as pest plants that have been selectively bred for survival over hundreds of years. However, getting rid of pest plants and replacing them with native species will help preserve the integrity of our local habitats, attracting and providing resources for more native birds and other animals.
Gazania linearis
Gazanias are the large daisy-type yellow flowers that are escaping from private gardens and appearing more and more abundantly along our local roadsides and in bushland throughout Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales.
These very showy plants originated in South Africa and are being promoted in many plant nurseries as a tough drought resistant species. Many hybrids have been developed in cultivation between Gazania linearis and a closely related environmental weed species Gazania rigens. These plants produce abundant wind-blown seeds that can be dispersed many kilometres from the source, producing ever-increasing patches of gazania that compete with locally indigenous species. Gazanias also have the ability to re-grow from their bare roots, which enables them to spread into our bushland by the dumping of garden waste containing the tuberous root systems of these plants. Native animals tend not to eat them as they are low in nutritional value. Continue Reading »