Restoring landscapes across the Mount Alexander Region

10 October 2012 – Hear Don Watson reflect on “The Bush”

Posted on 25 September, 2012 by Connecting Country

Don Watson at his home in Woodend

Don Watson is currently completing a book on the Australian bush. He will be revealing some of his insights into the Australian landscape as a prelude to the Muckleford Catchment Landcare Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 10 October. Don’s presentation will commence at 6pm and will be accompanied with soup and refreshments.

This landmark event is being held at the Castlemaine Golf Club, Pyrenees Highway, Castlemaine. Members of the public are very welcome for the talk and soup prior to the AGM which will commence at 8.15pm.

To find out more about Don Watson click here.

For catering purposes Muckleford Landcare would appreciate a RSVP: mucklefordlandcare@gmail.com

 

 

Public Sessions on Invasive Species

Posted on 4 September, 2012 by Connecting Country

The Department of Primary Industries is inviting interested organisations and individuals to come along to one of several free information sessions about Victoria’s proposed invasive species legislation. The new legislation aims to modernise Victoria’a approach to the management of invasive species and provide greater flexibility to respond more effectively to biosecurity threats.

The information session in Bendigo will be held at the DPI Centre (Epsom), Midland Highway, Epsom on Wednesday 12 September, 10.30am–1.30pm.

To see the full DPI media release click here.

 

9 September 2012 – Afternoon Tea with Dinosaurs

Posted on 4 September, 2012 by Connecting Country

Dinosaurs don’t tend to crop up much in Landcare talks – especially in our area, where the sedimentary rocks are too old to contain the remains of anything that walked on land. But there have been dinosaur fossils discovered in Victoria, and some of them will be making their way to Newstead Community Centre during Landcare Week.

Renowned Australian palaeontologists Dr Tom Rich and his wife Professor Pat Vickers-Rich will be giving a talk on ‘Victoria’s Polar Dinosaurs’ at the Newstead Community Centre on the 9th of September, and they’ve promised to bring some ‘real dinosaurs’ with them.

Victoria’s Polar Dinosaurs roamed the earth over 100 million years ago when Australia was still linked to Antarctica. Much of this southern continent lay inside the Antarctic Circle and the animals that lived there were highly adapted to the extreme climate. Pat and Tom will talk about the “mega- and microfauna” of the time, and discuss possible causes for their demise.

Much of what we know about the animals that lived in ‘Polar Australia’ comes from the work of this industrious couple, especially at Dinosaur Cove on the Otway coast, where they tunnelled for fossils using mining equipment and explosives. Their work over the past 40 years has been recognised internationally and they are also award-winning authors of numerous books about Australia’s dinosaurs. The talk is free and afternoon tea will be provided. Please RSVP to Max by the 5th September.

When: Sunday 9th September
Where: Newstead Community Centre
Time: 3:30pm

 

8 September 2012 – Landcare Bushdance

Posted on 3 September, 2012 by Connecting Country

As part of National Landcare Week, the Mount Alexander Landcare Bushdance will be held on Saturday the 8th September at the Castlemaine Town Hall.

The Bushdance will be a chance to celebrate Landcare in the Mount Alexander Shire and to thank all of the volunteers who contribute countless hours to enhance our natural environment. The Bushdance isn’t just for Landcare members – everybody is welcome to come along and have a fun night. With Jane Thompson, James Rigby & Friends providing the music, this should be an excellent night.

The Bushdance has been kindly supported by a North Central Catchment Management Authority ‘25th Anniversary of Landcare’ grant.

Supper will be provided, as will tea, coffee and cordial; BYO alcoholic beverages. The night will be free for Landcare members and $5 for non-members. Kids are welcome. For catering purposes, please RSVP to Max Schlachter by 5th September (max@connectingcountry.org.au or 5472 1594).

When: Saturday 8th September
Where: Castlemaine Town Hall
Time: 6pm – 10pm

 

 

7 September 2012 – Campaspe Grassy Woodlands Field Day

Posted on 22 August, 2012 by Connecting Country

The North Central CMA is hosting the Campaspe Grassy Woodlands Field Day, which will be held on 7 September near Toolleen. This is on National Threatened Species Day and the week also coincides with National Landcare week.

On the day, ecologist Garry Cheers will take people on a walk to discover woodland birds and identify calls and habitat and Ian Higgins, North Central CMA’s botanist, will explore the vegetation found in the threatened grassy woodlands and highlight the importance of native grasses.

A free breakfast and morning tea will be provided. More details about the field day are in this flyer.

 

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.

 

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.

 

13 August – FOBIF’s AGM

Posted on 2 August, 2012 by Connecting Country

Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forest’s AGM will take place at Castlemaine Continuing Education Centre at 7.30 pm on Monday August 13.

The formal part of the meeting will be followed by a short talk by Damian Kelly on the challenges and rewards of bird photography. Readers of the FOBIF website will be familiar with Damian’s brilliant photos of local bird life, and he will illustrate his talk with some recent examples.

Dusky Woodswallow. Loddon River at Newstead. Photo by Damian Kelly, April 2012

 

8 August 2012 – Celebrating 25 Years of Landcare

Posted on 2 August, 2012 by Connecting Country

Twenty-five years ago the Landcare movement was officially launched at Winjallok and next week the Winjallok Landcare group will be celebrating this event with a planting session. The day will begin at 9 am at the Paradise Hall, St Arnaud-Navarre Road, Paradise. Further details are in this flier.

 

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.

 

24 June 2012 – Warriors Needed for Cactus Field Day

Posted on 21 June, 2012 by Connecting Country

The Tarrangower Cactus Control Committee is holding its next field day next Sunday 24th June, starting at 10:30 am.

The location is Gough’s Range Road. The easiest way to get there is to go from Maldon along the Newstead Road and then turn right into Gough’s Range Road. See the attached notice for a map.

Everyone is welcome and the Committee suggests people bring as many new recruits as they can muster.

 

3 June 2012 – World Environment Day in Castlemaine

Posted on 30 May, 2012 by Connecting Country

To celebrate World Environment Day in our Shire, a community fair will take place in the Castlemaine Market Building on Mostyn St from 9am to 1pm on Sunday 3rd June. For people who are interested protecting our diverse plants and animals, or sustainability initiatives and green technology opportunities, the fair will be a great source of information on what is happening locally.

Among the attractions of the day is the opportunity to see a specimen of the rare and endangered Southern Shepherds Purse – a plant growing in the Mount Alexander Regional Park and nowhere else in the world! There will also be copies of some botanical publications produced specifically for our area, which will be available for a gold coin donation.

The ‘mini expo’ format will give visitors an opportunity to talk to representatives from local environmental organisations, community groups and government agencies including: Connecting Country, Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests, Landcare, Mount Alexander Sustainability Group, Trust for Nature, Parks Victoria, Mount Alexander Shire Council and Castlemaine Community House – Growing Abundance.

The Castlemaine Farmers Market (in the adjoining Victory Park) and Castlemaine Market Building Art Showcase 2012 will be on at the same time.

Kirsten from Trust for Nautre with Swifty the Parrot at last year's World Environment Day

 

Improving Weed Identification Skills

Posted on 24 May, 2012 by Connecting Country

The North Central CMA has free community Weed Identification Workshops planned for Avoca and Hepburn Springs during June 2012.  Topics covered include: understanding weeds, key weed characteristics, weed growth stages, integrated weed management and chemical and non-chemical control options.  These interactive workshops will include both presentations and hands on activities.

1.       Avoca – Weed Identification Workshop
When: Wednesday 13 June 2012, 9 am to 4 pm (Lunch provided)
Where: Avoca Information Centre, 122 High St, Avoca VIC 3467
RSVP: By Friday 8 June 2012 on (03) 5448 7124 or email info@nccma.vic.gov.au.

2.       Hepburn Springs – Weed Identification Workshop
When: Wednesday 27 June 2012, 9 am to 4 pm (Lunch provided)
Where: Peppers Mineral Springs Retreat, 124 Main Rd, Hepburn Springs
RSVP: By Friday 22 June 2012 (as above).

For further information and to view the flyers for each of these events please visit the Victorian Landcare Gateway Website

 

27 May – Cactus Killing Continues

Posted on 24 May, 2012 by Connecting Country

The first cactus control community field day for the year was held on Sunday 29 April. The day was launched by Maree Edwards, MP for Bendigo West. There was a big turnout and the event had a front page write up in the Tarrangower Times.

The next Field Day will be on 27 May starting at 10.30. It will be held at the same venue – off Waterson’s Road near Tarrengower School Road intersection and will be well signposted. Because of the Trial Bike World Championship competitions being held all weekend off Mount Back Road, the traffic along Waterson’s Road might be very busy. It may therefore be easier to access the site by going the long way around and entering Waterson’s Road from the Baringhup end.

See the attached notice for a map. Everyone is welcome.

 

17 May 2012 – Reminder about three events on this Thursday

Posted on 16 May, 2012 by Connecting Country

There are three local events on Thursday 17 May. The details of the first two have already been included on the Connecting Country site (follow the links below):

Consultation on the North Central CMA draft Regional Catchment Strategy to be held in the Campbells Creek Community Hall.

Elphinstone AGM where Ern Perkins, local flora expert, will speak on native and non-native grasses.

The third event is is through the Newstead Landcare Group.  It is a presentation by Hedley Thomson of Ballarat Environment Network and Goldfields Weed Management on the topic of ‘Sensitive Area Weed Management’. Hedley will talk about the best ways to manage weeds in sensitive areas and how the use of herbicides can be minimised. He will also help us to understand what natural systems can be enlisted in controlling weeds to get the safest results.  This promises to be not only a very interesting but also very useful evening. Hedley is well known as a passionate and engaging presenter. The talk starts at 8 pm at Newstead Community Centre. All are welcome to attend and gold coin donations would be appreciated.  A brief (and optional) business meeting will follow.  Contact Patrick Kavanagh of Newstead Landcare 5476 2755 for more details.

 

20 May 2012 – Cultural Awareness Day

Posted on 14 May, 2012 by Connecting Country

A Campaspe Cultural Awareness Day is being held on 20 May. This is a joint initiative of  the North Central CMA, the Campaspe Grassy Woodlands Project and the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DDWCAC). Participants will be able to meet member of the DDWAC and learn about Traditional Ecological Knowledge, cultural heritage management and links to Landcare.

Places are limited and people interested must reserve their place by Wednesday 16 May. Click here to download a flyer with all the details.

 

17 May 2012 – ELMA AGM

Posted on 9 May, 2012 by Connecting Country

The Elphinstone Land Management Association (ELMA) is holding it’s AGM on 17 May. Local flora expert, Ern Perkins, will give the keynote talk on native and non-native grasses and everyone attending will receive a free copy of his newly released CD on identifying grasses in the Mount Alexander Shire. This is the first talk Ern has given in the region on his new CD. Click here for more details.