Mon 10 July 2017 – FOBIF AGM and guest speaker

Posted on 30 June, 2017 by Connecting Country

Brian Bainbridge will be the guest speaker at the 2017 FOBIF AGM.

The Friends of the Box Ironbark Forests (FOBIF) Annual General Meeting will be held from 7.30pm on July 10 in the Ray Bradfield Rooms, next to the IGA carpark and Victory Park in central Castlemaine. More details on the night, including how to nominate for the FOBIF Committee can be found here. Supper will be served and everyone is welcome. The guest speaker on the night will be Brian Bainbridge, an Ecological Restoration Planner whose background is working with the Merri Creek Management Committee.

His topic will be Single species – many outcomes.

Single species conservation projects can have wide-ranging benefits when pursued in a holistic manner. Projects to secure local populations of Matted Flax Lily and Plains Yam Daisy have led Merri Creek Management Committee to build a deeper understanding of the Merri Creek’s changing ecology and the potential for landscape-scale conservation.  The projects have stimulated fresh approaches to engaging with community. 

Dates for the 2017 Regent Honeyeater Planting Weekends

Posted on 30 June, 2017 by Connecting Country

Help build habitat for the endangered Regent Honeyeater by attending a planting weekend in the Lurg Hill near Benalla this year.

Connecting Country’s friends at the Regent Honeyeater Project in the Lurg Hills near Benalla have put out a call for volunteer planters over the coming months. This project has established itself as one of the most active volunteer conservation projects in the nation. It has engaged a whole farming community in restoring remnant Box-Ironbark habitat for the endangered Regent Honeyeater, and attracted ongoing support from a wide cross-section of the community to help farmers with the on-ground works.

Propagation and planting days are organised each year for a thousand students from more than 20 local schools and hundreds of volunteers from universities, walking clubs, church groups, bird observers, scouts, environment groups and the like. The massive scale of their tree-planting work has enormous benefits for landcare in their area as well as for wildlife. Almost 900 hectares of restored habitat is reducing salinity and erosion problems, and improving water quality, stock shelter and natural pest control.

Please find the weekend planting dates for the Regent Honeyeater Project in and around Lurg in 2017 year below:

August 12-13

August 26-27

September 9-10

September 23-24

October 7-8

They have plenty of great sites available that will improve ecosystems and give benefits into the future for the endangered wildlife. The project can supply accommodation in the Scout and Guides halls in Benalla in the form of mattresses and an evening meal on Saturday and an onsite lunch on Sunday.

Please contact field Officer with the Regent Honeyeater Project, Andie Guerin, with any queries and to RSVP via email: andie@regenthoneyeater.org.au

Little Habitat Heroes planting a huge success!

Posted on 19 June, 2017 by Connecting Country

A friendly and enthusiastic crowd of nearly 100 big and little habitat heroes came together on Saturday the 17th of June 2017. In perfect weather, we planted, guarded and watered-in 900 indigenous understorey plants at the former silkworm farm on Mount Alexander. Little Habitat Heroes exemplifies what Connecting Country is all about – bringing the community and nature conservation together.

Just over a year ago an group of new mums approached Connecting Country with their idea for a novel and meaningful way to mark their babies first birthday; they wanted to raise funds for a community planting to restore habitat. Connecting Country was thrilled to partner with these capable women as they successfully outstripped their fundraising target and worked hard with us over the following twelve months to see the planting day to fruition.

Three big cheers for the Little Habitat Heroes!

Fueled by a scrumptious morning tea and lots of goodwill, the crowd of volunteers put in a great effort which will create amazing habitat on Mt Alexander into the future. It was an honour for Connecting Country staff to be involved and a thrill to look over what we achieved together at the end of the day.

We congratulate and thank all involved – with a massive well done! Special thanks also to our partner organisations  including Harcourt Valley Landcare, Barkers Creek Landcare B-Team, VicRoads, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, Parks Victoria, and all of the generous donors and volunteers.

We look forward to seeing what projects our amazing community comes up with next and to continuing to work together to restore habitat across our shire.

Tarrengower Cactus Field Day – Sunday 25 June 2017

Posted on 19 June, 2017 by Connecting Country

Help the Tarrengower Cactus Control Group treat infestations like this one on Sunday 25th June in Nuggetty.

The next Tarrangower Cactus Control Group community field day is on Sunday 25th June 2017. Attendees will be working at a number of sites in the Nuggetty area. The group will meet in Nuggetty School Road at the site of the old Nuggetty School. The way to the venue will be sign posted along the Shelbourne Road from the Tarrengower Prison corner.

The Nuggetty Landcare group has done a lot of work at the old school site with its historic Peace Cairn. It is well worth a visit and will be a great place to meet and to hold our sausage sizzle.

For more information about the field day please contact Tony Kane from the Tarrangower Cactus Control Group on 0400 495 480.

Connecting Landscapes Celebration warms hearts on a cool June night

Posted on 15 June, 2017 by Connecting Country

Last Tuesday, 6th June 2017, the Connecting Landscapes Celebration Event saw an engaged community come together to socialise, learn and commit to a future vision of a healthy landscape in the Mount Alexander Region. The celebration acknowledged the achievements of the Connecting Landscapes project over the past five years and recognized Connecting Country’s milestone tenth year. Over sixty landholders who have been part of our on-ground work program were treated to a delicious meal from Growing Abundance and deserts from the Murnong Mummas, trivia competition and an informative talk from David Cameron from Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) .

Connecting Country President, Brendan Sydes, gives a short history and summary of plans for the future.

Brendan Sydes,  President of Connecting Country’s Committee of Management,  kicked off the evening with an Acknowledgement of Country and a brief overview of Connecting Country history to date. He also launched our new Biodiversity Hub project to be delivered in partnership with DELWP, Trust for Nature, Parks Victoria and Dja Dja Wurrung.

Connecting Landscapes project coordinator, Jarrod Coote, gave an overview of the achievements of our Connecting Landscapes project, the staff, and what is next for Connecting Country. Funded through the Australian Government, Connecting Landscapes has been Connecting Country’s major project for the last five years. It has seen huge gains for the environment through our on-ground works, monitoring and community engagement programs.

With our targets for the Connecting Landscapes project successfully it reached, we have:

• Protected 1200 ha (3,000 acres) of native bushland on private land
• Revegetated 400 ha (1,000 acres) of “greenfield” sites – i.e. paddocks
• Treated rabbits and weeds over 1600 ha
• Built 40km of fences
• Developed 25 Landholder Management Plans
• Delivered our successful education and monitoring programs

This table speaks volumes about our overachiever tendencies with actual results outstripping our targets in each of the five areas of on-ground works activity.

Tanya Loos,  Connecting Country Woodland Birds Project Coordinator, gave an overview of the monitoring component of the program. This included highlighting the various types of ecological monitoring undertaken by Connecting Country and acknowledging the many different groups of people involved including volunteers, landholders, experts and students. A highlight was the results for nest box monitoring with increases in occupation of the boxes for Sugar Gliders and Tuans.

An overall increase in numbers of Tuans and Sugar Gliders occupying nest boxes across the shire is encouraging.

Dinner was served and attendees collaborated on trivia questions which tested their natural resource management knowledge. Well done to the winners of the quiz; with only one question amiss, they secured a nest box each and some plants and guards. Free nest boxes were also given out to lucky door prize ticket holders.

All tables put in a great effort on the quiz.

The final part of the evening was a talk by David Cameron, Senior Botanist and curator of the state Flora Database with DELWP. His extensive knowledge about plants and, in particular, important weed species of the future was welcomed by the audience as useful advice for what to focus on their properties.

David Cameron talked about plant identification and weeds to look out for in the future given the likely effects of Climate Change.

Desert was served with many happy faces exchanging conversation in the cool of a June night. We would like to acknowledge the funding from the Australian Government which made this evening and the Connecting Landscapes project possible. We would also like to warmly thank all of our landholders and groups who have been involved in Connecting Country projects so far – every little bit of change we create helps biodiversity across our landscape. We look forward to more exciting projects like this in the future.

Nature News – 6th June 2017 Master spinners of silk; the Orbweavers

Posted on 8 June, 2017 by Connecting Country

For this month’s Nature News (also on page 28 of this week’s Midland Express), local writer Dr. Lynne Kelly shares her love of spiders and knowledge of two local species of Orbweavers commonly found in the Castlemaine region.

Left: Garden orbweaver in her web at night. Photo taken by: Dr Lynne Kelly

“I adore spiders. I used to be an arachnophobe but knowledge cures an irrational fear, slowly at first. Then one day I watched an orbweaver spin her web from start to finish. That was the day I became a spider-obsessive. In the Mount Alexander Shire two varieties of orbweavers dominate – the large golden orbweavers who stay on their webs all day and the slightly smaller garden orbweavers that spin in the evening and scamper to hide in the foliage at dawn.

We have a few species of garden orbweavers. They are all in the Eriophora genus, distinguished by two prominent projections near the front of the abdomen. Garden orbweavers usually remove most of their web before dawn, re-absorbing the protein in the silk to use again. A single reinforced strand is left across the gap between bushes or trees in the hope that it will still be there the following evening. If that strand is broken, the spider will point her abdomen skyward and release a fine filament of silk. In even the slightest breeze, this silk will catch on foliage and she will rush across, back and forward, to reinforce the mainstay of her web. She will then drop to the ground and attach an anchor. She’ll rush up again to spin the radials and a spiral outwards. From the edge of her nearly complete web, she will then circle back towards the centre laying down the sticky spiral. Having worked tirelessly for nearly an hour, she will rest, head down, waiting for her prey.

Right: Golden orbweaver in her web by day with a tiny male approaching from above. Photo taken by: Dr Lynne Kelly

Unlike the garden orbweavers, the huge golden orbweavers stay on the web all day, constantly repairing and reinforcing it. It is not the spider which is golden but the glow of the silk when it catches the sun. All the individuals I’ve seen locally are the Australian Golden Orbweaver (Nephila edulis). Discarded debris is left in the web above the spider to confuse the birds. Male garden orbweavers are only marginally smaller than their females but the males of the golden orbweavers are tiny by comparison [see above photo on right]. Although the males of most spider species will survive their sexual encounters, the Nephila males sacrifice themselves in their final act. Having produced a golden egg sac, the female will then die with the first frost.”

For further reading, Lynne’s book, “Spiders: learning to love them” (Allen & Unwin, 2009) is an excellent resource for those interested in finding out more about these amazing creatures.

27-30 October 2017- Victorian Botany workshop in Licola

Posted on 2 June, 2017 by Connecting Country

This interesting 4 day live-in workshop is being organised by a group of senior professional botanists on a not-for-profit basis and is aimed at students and early career botanists. The workshop will include two days of field surveys at 2–3 sites representing different vegetation types (subalpine and lowland). Participants will contribute to the collection of floristic data using a number of survey techniques while learning identification characters of different plant groups. There will be opportunity during evenings to use microscopes and reference material, to further skills in laboratory techniques.

Workshop leaders will give short presentation, run focus activities with smaller groups and demonstrate methods in field botany. The workshop will predominantly deal with plant classification and identification with some additional content on ecology and vegetation classification. Day trips will depart around 8 am each day and return mid-afternoon. A timetable will be provided by email prior to the workshop.

To register and to find out more: https://www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?E=25471

Help Little Heroes Plant New Habitat

Posted on 29 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

Little Habitat Hero, Sophie Haythorne, looks forward to planting on the 17th of June 2017.

A new story is being woven into the site of the Old Silkworm Farm on Leanganook, within the Mount Alexander Regional Park, this month, as a group of families and Landcare groups join together for the Little Habitat Heroes planting day on Saturday the 17^th of June 2017, 9am-1pm. Open to all to participate, this ongoing initiative envisions 10 hectares of habitat regenerated on this historic site over the next few years.

Initiated by a group of new mothers in Castlemaine in 2016, Little Habitat Heroes, was a successful fund-raising campaign aimed at restoring native bush in honour of the region’s newest residents. Over $3,000 was raised by families and individuals, who were keen to see a beloved child in their life have the opportunity for a personal connection with nature.

This was matched with equivalent support from VicRoads to allow over 900 seedlings to be propagated ready for a wet winter start. Committed volunteers from Barkers Creek and Harcourt Landcare Groups, Connecting Country, and Little Habitat Heroes families and friends are providing their time generously to see the project succeed, with support from Parks Victoria.

“It’s amazing what a small group of committed people can achieve”, says Connecting Country Director Krista Patterson-Majoor. “From the start, when we were approached by the mothers’ group, we could see how closely aligned the project idea was with our organisation’s core objectives. We have been delighted to support the initiative, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to the planting day, it will be a lot of fun.”

For many, especially the nearly-two year olds, the planting day will be their first-ever tree planting experience, and an opportunity to see a habitat emerge that will support charismatic fauna such as sugar gliders and woodland birds. The location is exciting to local ecologists too, as it is uniquely suited to trial the return of indigenous species such as the Silver Banksia which once occurred on Mt Alexander and large areas through central Victoria before the gold rush.

“Just by living their lives, our children will no doubt contribute to environmental loss, so this is a chance for us to give something back,” says Little Habitat Heroes mother Meg Barnes, “The planting day will also offer a way to meet like-minded people and spend time at a gorgeous site.”

Little Habitat Heroes Planting Day Details: 9am-1pm, Saturday 17 June, meet at Leanganook Picnic Ground in the Mount Alexander Regional Park. Everyone and all ages welcome. Morning tea provided, BYO picnic lunch which we’ll eat together. More information visit www.littlehabitatheroes.org. To join the planting day or learn more, RSVP to littlehabitatheroes@gmail.com.

Wednesday 31st May 2017 Fungi of Forests and Farms with Alison Pouliot

Posted on 29 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

International Fungi and photographic expert, Alison Pouliot, will be giving a presentation at the Ravenswood Valley Landcare Group’s next meeting on Wednesday 31st May 2017 at 7.30 pm at the North Harcourt Hall (corner of Chaplins Rd and McIvor Rd). Alison will talk on the role of Fungi supporting Eucalypts, including paddock and forest trees.  Every Eucalypt, and most other trees, form beneficial relationships with fungi.  Fungi also make farm soils more resistant to drought and disease.  Alison will also bring a display of local fungi.

Visitors are welcome – please email Secretary of the Ravenswood Valley Landcare Group, Tricia Balmer, on  triciabalmer@me.com if you would like to attend.  Supper will be served after the meeting.

Exploring the possibilities of gully restoration

Posted on 26 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

Cassia and Deirdre ask participants do think about what they would do in the gully.

On Friday the 19^th of May 2017, Barb Guerin, Cassia Read and Deirdre Slattery from the Victoria Gully Group led a fascinating workshop about seeing possibilities and setting priorities for the ecological restoration of the gully. This session was designed to help people to make decisions about land use and habitat creation in low-lying areas and had an emphasis on restoration in public land.

On a day which was forecast heavy rain, sixteen hardy attendees heard firsthand about how volunteers in environmental groups can make difference to habitat values on public land. Fortunately no-one got wet and lots was learnt  – for a full write up and additional resources please click here.

This workshop concludes our 2017 Water in our Landscape workshop series. We would like to offer our warm thanks to all of our participants, presenters and hosts. Thanks also to Naomi Raftery for the vision and coordinating three incredibly interesting sessions. This education program was made possible with funding received from the Australian Government.

20/21 May 2017 – Swift Parrot survey in Castlemaine area

Posted on 11 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

Have you seen this bird? A Swift Parrot feasting on blossom, a beautiful photo by Chris Tzaros.

Connecting Country would like to share news that teams of bird watchers across Victoria will be out on the weekend of 20/21 May to look for Swift Parrots, one of the threatened species being monitored in Autumn each year after they arrive from Tasmania.  Surveys in areas around Castlemaine are being arranged by Beth Mellick.

If you are interested in participating and have not volunteered in previous years, contact Beth  by phone (0431 219 980) or email (beth@nwf.org.au).

May 2017 North Central Chat plus grant information

Posted on 11 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

Please click here for the May 2017 edition of the North Central Chat. This Month features a large Waterwatch feature and the details for the North Central CMA’s 2017-18 Community Grant round, which open  Monday May 15th, for six weeks, until June 23. There is a lot happening in regard to grant opportunities for Landcare groups, networks and individuals which is also included in the Chat, as well as some more recent ones below that couldn’t fit in, please see below. 

The Threatened Species Recovery Fund was launched last Friday 5 May. For the next six weeks individuals and groups can apply for funding between $20k and $250 for projects supporting threatened species. More info at:    http://www.nrm.gov.au/national/threatened-species-recovery-fund

Birdlife Australia ABEF Community Grants (5K)

http://www.birdlife.org.au/who-we-are/our-organisation/awards-scholarships/australian-bird-environment-foundation

M Middleton fund for endangered native vertebrates (up to 15K)

https://www.science.org.au/opportunities/research-funding/margaret-middleton-fund

Exploring ecological thinning – the how’s and why’s

Posted on 8 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

Paul Foreman helps participants to hone their monitoring skills at the workshop.

Ecologist Paul Foreman and contractor David Griffiths explored the potential positives and challenges of undertaking ecological thinning in Box-Ironbark forest at our second Water in our Landscape workshop, Ecological Thinning on Bush Blocks, on Friday the 5 May 2017.  The thirty people who attended the event at Paul Hampton’s delightful property in Muckleford developed new skills and understanding of the bush around us. A huge thanks to our enthusiastic participants, knowledgeable presenters and generous host for the delightful morning.

For a full list of resources about ecological thinning, please check the documents below:

North Central CMA site assessment form
Box Ironbark Ecological Thinning Trial report
Ecological thinning field day notes
Empirically validating a dense woody regrowth ‘problem’ and thinning: Research journal article
Final Ecological Thinning Workbook- Atlas Ecology Lewis Rd Muckleford
Local and State Government contacts
Parks Victoria and Ballarat uni thinning trial method
VIF Vegetation Work Standards

This Water in our Landscape workshop was made possible with funding received from the Australian Government.

Friday 12th May – Explore New Guinea with the Castlemaine Field Naturalists

Posted on 8 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

At the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club meeting on the 12 May 2017, Jason Edwards, distinguished wildlife photographer, will recount the story of an expedition along the southern coast of New Guinea from the west to the far east. Jason explored the seas and peoples of this remarkable region –  from the remote and pristine reefs of West Papua and Raja Amat, to the headhunters of the Asmat; the friendly tribes of the Trobriand and the fire frenzy of the Baining people of Papua New Guinea.
Location: Fellowship room, Uniting Church (UCA) Hall.  Enter from Lyttleton St.
Time: Doors open from 7.15 for 7.30 start. All welcome.

Sunday 7th May 2017 – Launch of new interpretive signs along Forest Creek

Posted on 4 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

Connecting Country would like to share that new signs are being installed at the Monster Meeting site, Chinamans Point and Expedition Pass Reservoir to tell the rich story of Forest Creek through the years.

Golden Point Landcare invites you to the launch of this Forest Creek Track Interpretive Signage on Sunday 7 May 2017 at 10.30 am at the junction of Forest and Wattle Creeks at the Monster Meeting site (near the corner Golden Point Road and the Pyrenees Highway).

Please join Golden Point Landcare for morning tea after the launch.

Please RSVP for catering:  0423 900 590  or  0407 977 731

Registrations now open for the Wetland Plant Identification Course October 2017

Posted on 4 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

For anyone interested in wetland plant identification and ecology, the registrations are now open for the 2017 Wetland Plant Identification Course with Damien Cook and Elaine Bayes. Starting in October, the course will run over 3 days and participants can elect to do 1, 2 or all 3 days. Each day will focus on a different wetland habitat and be timed so as to follow the wetting and drying of the stunning Reedy Lagoon at Gunbower Island or nearby wetland.

For more information including the 2017 flyer, program and feedback from past participants please click here. To go straight to the registration page click here.

Places still available for this Friday’s Ecological Thinning on Bush Blocks workshop

Posted on 1 May, 2017 by Connecting Country

There are still a few places available for this Friday’s workshop titled “Ecological Thinning on Bush Blocks“.  This workshop is designed for those interested in the benefits, challenges, and approaches to ecological thinning in remnant vegetation. Participants will visit a four year old thinning trial in Muckleford and hear about this fascinating pilot project. A benefit of ecological is slowing water in our landscape down and can potentially enhance biodiversity on your bush block. Don’t miss out on this free event and finding out more!

Presenters: Landholder, Paul Hampton; Ecologist, Paul Foreman; and local contractor, David Griffiths

Sunday 30 April 2017 – Launch of the Cactus Control Season

Posted on 26 April, 2017 by Connecting Country

This year’s Cactus Killing season opens on Sunday 30th April 2017. Tarrangower Cactus Control Group and Parks Victoria are organizing this community field day which will kick off the day at 10.30 am in Watersons Road near the corner of Tarrengower School Road. Follow the signs from the Watersons Road turn off on the Bridgewater-Maldon Road.

There will be a special guest to open the season and the usual great sausage sizzle, cuppa and cake. For more information please contact Tony Kane, Treasurer of the Tarrangower Cactus Control Group Inc. on  5475 2973 or visit www.cactuswarriors.org.

7th May 2017: Woodland Bird Spotting at Walmer

Posted on 20 April, 2017 by Tanya Loos

Follow that bird! A bit of fun in the Sandon Forest…

On Sunday the 7th May 2017, join the Connecting Country bird nerds on a bird walk, lunch and planting! Local artist Eliza Tree has graciously invited us to her beautiful 30 acre property in Walmer for our next bird survey. The property is grassy woodland adjacent to Crown land and has been awarded a Trust for Nature covenant.

We will do the bird walk, led by Eliza,  and then have a BBQ lunch. We will also spend a bit of time having a discussion about the overall conservation of the Walmer area – and identifying some projects for future funding proposals. After lunch,  there will be an understory planting session – grasses and wildflowers.

This outing is one of the monthly bird outings in the Mount Alexander area – a few hours out in the bush with like-minded people, carrying out bird surveys on private and public land. This year we have visited a private bush block on Limestone Road, and explored the wonderful Saltwater Track, Elphinstone.

The bird walks are open to everyone with an interest in birds and habitat – even for the total beginner! We can supply you with a pair of Connecting Country binoculars for the outing, and our bird group is friendly and happy to help people 1) find the bird and 2) identify it! We are all learning together – even your walk leader had to send photos of a bird of prey to Geoff Park (Natural Newstead) to confirm that the bird was indeed a Square-tailed Kite!

By identifying and counting the birds on private land such as Eliza’s block in Walmer, we gain a greater understanding of the health of our woodland bird populations; especially of our target species such as the Hooded Robin and Diamond Firetail. By attending the monthly bird walks, we hope that participants will feel confident and inspired to survey birds on their own properties, or on the various bird survey sites on public land.

There are many ways to get involved in the Stewards for Woodland Birds program – to register or to find out more, contact Tanya at tanya@connectingcountry.org.au  or call 5472 1594. You can;

1. Join the Bird Survey Enews mailing list for a monthly enews with updates on our bird walks and various projects.
2. Come along to our next bird survey – the Walmer bird and planting event on May 7 with Eliza Tree ( RSVP required for catering purposes) Eliza extends a warm invitation to camp on her land at Walmer on the Saturday night! Please contact Eliza directly on m: 0409 209707 if you would like to camp.
3. Send in your bird sightings! See here to find out more about how.
4. Get involved with our KBA (Key Biodiversity area) program, featured recently here.

The Stewards for Woodland Birds Program is generously supported by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust

4pm Friday 21st April – Trace Balla is launching her new book

Posted on 20 April, 2017 by Connecting Country

Connecting Country would like to share news of the launch of Trace Balla’s new book on this Friday afternoon (21 April 2017) at 4pm at The Hub Plot garden (or in the Growing Abundance Cafe if it’s wet) at the corner of Templeton and Barker Street. Trace’s advice is to feel free to come along… its a picture book…for young and young at heart!