Nalderun Cultural Awareness Evening

Posted on 20 March, 2017 by Asha

Uncle Rick Nelson, Aunty Julie McHale, and Kath Coff are inviting community members and Landcare groups to The Meeting Place on Monday the 3rd April 2017 to learn about local Aboriginal culture, history, and land management. Hosted by Connecting Country and Nalderun, this will be a unique evening for learning and understanding.

Nalderun is a local service that supports the Aboriginal Community, lead by Aboriginal people, through Castlemaine District Community Health. It is named after a Dja Dja Wurrung word meaning “Altogether”.

• When: Monday April 3^rd 2017 from 5:00pm – 7:00pm
• Where: The Meeting Place (old Yapeen School site), Yapeen School Lane, Yapeen
• Bring: a plate of supper to share, drinks will be provided

RSVP to asha@connectingcountry.org.au if you would like to attend, or call (03) 5472 1594 and ask for Asha if you have any questions.

Looking out from Dja Dja Wurrung property Yapenya at Connecting Country’s Cultural Awareness Landcare Link-up in Feb 2017

It’s State Festival Time – Plant a seed for us!

Posted on 15 March, 2017 by Connecting Country

Ever felt concerned that your contribution to the world might be too small to make a difference? Connecting Country has partnered with Carbon Arts this month at the Castlemaine State Festival for the Garden of Earthly Delights – a giant, interactive artwork that visualises and empowers community action on the environment.

Electronic artist and creative technologist, Pierre Proske, and illustrator, Catherine the Firth, have created this playful, virtual gardening exercise. Over the course of 10 days, festival goers in Castlemaine, Victoria will be invited to plant their ‘seeds of change’ and witness as a flowering vine takes over a local municipal building.

With generous support from the Hub Foundation and the Mount Alexander Sustainability Group, the project also showcases the achievements of local environmental organisations working towards a zero emissions shire. Check the Castlemaine State Festival’s program for interaction times.

Singing from Country at the State Festival

Posted on 15 March, 2017 by Asha

Eva Popov’s song, Seeds That Grow, was inspired by the Little Habitat Heroes project

The Singing from Country concert will be on as part of the Castlemaine State Festival next week. The concert will include songs by songwriters Kavisha Mazzella, Neil Murray, Carl Punnuzzo, and Eva Popov. The songs were written to honour old knowledge and celebrate the fragile and beautiful ecosystems that sustain our lives. They feature Leanganook and the Little Habitat Heroes project, the Loddon River, Dja Dja Wurrung culture, and more. Songwriters will perform with several of our local community choirs, including Peace Choir, Chatwarblers, and children from The Meeting Place.

Details: Wednesday 22nd March 2017, 6:00pm | Castlemaine Presbyterian Church | $30 – $33
Bookings: http://castlemainefestival.com.au/ 

As a sneak preview, here is the lyrics and a link to the beautiful song written by singer/songwriter Eva Popov inspired by Little Habitat Heroes. https://soundcloud.com/jodinew/seeds-that-grow

What did this land look like before
All the roads and all the gold
When the spirit of the dreaming
Held this country

Experience the Tarkine in Bendigo

Posted on 15 March, 2017 by Connecting Country

March 2017 edition North Central Chat

Posted on 8 March, 2017 by Connecting Country

CLICK HERE to view the March 2017 edition of the North Central Chat. This month’s edition features Waterwatch news and the details for the upcoming 2017 Future Farming Expo. It also has details about the Camp Out on the Mount event that Connecting Country are running on 1-2 April 2017, see if you can find it!

May 12th 2017 – linking landscapes symposium

Posted on 8 March, 2017 by Connecting Country

The Central Victorian Biolinks Alliance, of which Connecting Country is a part, is holding a symposium on the science and practice of re-establishing ecological connectivity in the landscape. The symposium “From islands to networks: Linking landscapes for conservation at a time of climate change” will be held on Friday May 12th at the Capital Theatre in Bendigo. It will be a chance for leading experts, including Professor Andrew Bennett (La Trobe University & Arthur Rylah Institute), Dr Gary Howling (Great Eastern Ranges), Ary Hoffman (Melbourne University) and conservation practitioners to share the latest knowledge and practical experiences around this important topic.

Nature News March 2017 – Summertime Boom in Forest Creek

Posted on 7 March, 2017 by Connecting Country

For this month’s Nature News, on page 36 of the Midland Express (7th March 2017), Forest Creek resident and Connecting Country’s Works Crew team leader, Fritz Hammersley describes nature’s response to a wet spring through the dry of summer in the Forest Creek catchment.

 Last spring, we had to abandon the car late one evening on one side of a rapidly rising Forest Creek. We threw some things to the opposite side, tied others to our shoulders and crossed the knee-deep torrent.

This stunning Yellow Box Eucalyptus melliodora blossom is built for attracting pollinators including bees. Photo: Bronwyn Silver

Our valley is pocked with dredge, sluice and gravel pits from the gold rush. They quickly filled when the creek burst its banks. As the flood receded, the pits became isolated blackwater lagoons saturated with decaying litter, hostile to gilled creatures but no barrier to air-breathing larvae like mosquito. Lizards arrived for the bounty.  Five Sacred Kingfishers, Todirampus sanctus, flitted around one low-hanging branch for a couple of months, feasted and moved on.

An unusual patch of Bracken Fern, Pteridium esculentum, commonly seen in wetter climates, sprang to life. Like Coffee Bush, Cassinia arcuata, it will recruit after good rainfall or become denser after fire. Both will eventually out-punch pasture grasses until  acacias and eucalypts overshadow and calm them. In the forest these plants know their place, but on cleared land the sky’s the limit.

A Mud-dauber Wasp, Sphecidae sp., built a house in my bookshelf with a dried mud paste. She placed a paralysed Orb Spider, Araneus sp., in each cell and laid an egg on it. The hatchling feeds on the body juices of the spider, leaving only its exoskeleton amongst the shards of its dusty tomb.

Suddenly in the bush this summer we get a faceful of spider’s orbs every time we walk in the bush! Some are preposterous with ridiculous anchoring spans of five metres plus, others opportunistic, like the spider that positioned its orb outside our beehive and couldn’t keep up with the harvest.

Now in this dry summer Yellow Box, Eucalyptus melliodora, found slightly upslope from the creek flats, creates a park-like atmosphere above the dry grass with verdant new growth. Within it the profusely flowering Box Mistletoe, Amyema miquelii, is abuzz with bees. Lilies and orchids may  respond to the spring floods of 2016 with a greater floral display next season, there will be fewer mosquitoes around, and eventually this marvellous boom will peter out.

The Big Twitch on a smaller scale

Posted on 2 March, 2017 by Connecting Country

A Weebill – one of the smaller woodland birds on David’s “to get” list on his web page. Photographed by Geoff Park.

Those who attended Connecting Country’s 2015 AGM will recall Sean Dooley’s amusing recollections on his attempts to break the record for the most bird species seen in Australia within a calendar year.  He also wrote a self-deprecating book recounting this crazy adventure that he undertook in 2002 – The Big Twitch – which was popular among both birders and non-birders.  Tongue-in-cheek, the back cover of the book described Dooley’s efforts as possibly ‘the most pathetic great achievement in Australian history’!

Dooley’s book has inspired many other ‘twitchers’ to either attempt to break his Australian record, or to set new records for the most birds seen within state boundaries. (For example, Tim Dolby saw a then-record 345 species in Victoria during 2009 – click here to read of Tim’s journey).

However, as far as we are aware, no one has yet claimed the record for the most bird species seen within the boundaries of the Mount Alexander Shire in a calendar year.  However, that is all set to change, with local birdwatcher David Wilson deciding to undertake a big year in a small area.  After recently moving with his family to the Castlemaine area, David has taken on the challenge in 2017 as a fun way to get to know the forests, wetlands, waterways and other habitats of the shire.  As at the 22 February 2017, he had seen 104 different bird species.  Over the past four decades, the Castlemaine Field Naturalist Club members have recorded more than 230 species from the shire and surrounds – although many of these were very rare visitor or accidental vagrants, and not all within the shire boundaries.  At least one species has gone extinct from the local area in this time – the last known Grey-crowned Babblers from the shire sadly disappeared in the early 2000s. David is not sure how many species he will get within the year – but an impressive 200 species seems within the realms of possibility.

If you would like to see how David is tracking, the rules he has set himself, which species he has seen so far and where, and what he has left to go – you can visit his website (click here – scroll down on each webpage to see the details).  David has also asked us to pass on the following message – “‘As the end of the year gets closer, I’ll be looking for any hints on where to find those missing species. So keep your eyes open – you may know where a key species is that I still need to see”.

Good luck David!

10 March 2017 -Talk on indigenous fish traps – ‘Combining ecology and archaeology’

Posted on 2 March, 2017 by Connecting Country

The guest speaker for the March 2017 general meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalist Club (CFNC) is Damian Kelly.   His talk is titled – Combining Ecology and Archaeology – researching Indigenous fish traps to learn more about river changes over time.   Damian is a well-known local wildlife observer and photographer, and is an active member of both Connecting Country and CFNC (as well as many others).

Fish traps at Brewarrina, NSW

Of his upcoming presentation, Damian says “I will outline my research on fish traps along the Murray-Darling Basin to build a clearer picture of change over time and the implications for the health of our rivers looking not only at fish and eels, but also the birds of the rivers.”

The presentation is being held on Friday 10th March from 7.30pm in the Fellowship Room, located behind the Uniting Church on Lyttleton St, Castlemaine (next door to the Art Gallery and Museum).  Members and visitors of all ages are welcome, and there is no cost for entry.  The CFNC invites you also to stick around afterwards for a cuppa, a snack and a chat.

Great Egret cruising the river at Nyngan, NSW

2017 Camp Out on the Mount – Celebrate nature!

Posted on 27 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

Connecting Country is thrilled to be coordinating the fourth Camp Out on the Mount on the weekend of  1^{st –}2^nd  April 2017 at the Leanganook Camping Ground on Mount Alexander. In the past, this event has attracted a large crowd of volunteers to share in the joys of eradicating weed pine trees. This year the free event will have an exciting array of activities for the whole family.

On the morning of Saturday 1^st April 2017 you are invited to set up your camp site ahead of a Welcome to Country by a local Dja Dja Wurrung elder. There will be children’s environmental and Aboriginal cultural educational activities and a live animal display for the kids, while a small group of ‘pine assassins’ do further weed pine tree control on the Mount.

In the afternoon, campers can listen to a talk about indigenous culture from local Aboriginal people and enjoy some time exploring the Mount. Ahead of dinner, George Milford from Harcourt Landcare will talk about the history of the Mount. Dinner is BYO or by gold coin donation for the Harcourt Lion’s Club BBQ.  Parks Victoria will lead a night walk ahead of zipping up tents and watching the stars twinkle as campers settle in for the night. On Sunday morning, Connecting Country’s Tanya Loos will take us on a family bird and nature walk.

“I’m really looking forward to kicking off the school holidays with loads of happy campers and having a fun and informative time together on beautiful Mount Alexander.” our local Landcare facilitator Asha Bannon said recently.

You are welcome to join in for part or all of the Camp Out. Participants need to bring their own camping gear and food (including snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner). Click here for more information including the program, a list of things to bring, and map.

Numbers are limited so booking is essential. Please click here to book!

For more information see our website or to be involved in the pine assasins mission contact Asha on 5472 1594 or by email: asha@connectingcountry.org.au

Lots of happy campers at the 2014 Camp Out on the Mount. Photo Bronwyn Silver

Camp Out on the Mount is proudly supported by Connecting Country, Parks Victoria, Harcourt Valley Landcare Group and Friends of the Box Ironbark Forests. This project has been supported by Connecting Country through funding from the Australian Government.

Saturday 4 March 2017 – Monster meeting land purchase celebration

Posted on 27 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

Connecting Country would like to share an invitation from DEWLP to join Maree Edwards MP, Member for Bendigo West, to celebrate the purchase of land on which the first Monster Meeting occurred in 1851. The site is on traditional Dja Dja Wurrung land and return of this land to the public land estate is culturally significant.

The Monster Meeting of miners, held on 15 December 1851 in Chewton, is believed to be the first mass protest against a government in Australia, predating the Red Ribbon Rebellion and Eureka Stockade. The Monster Meeting was called to protest against an increase in licence fees and following the meeting the proposal was abandoned. The site is nationally significant for its links to the development of Victoria through the discovery of gold and its association with the beginnings of democracy in Victoria.

When: Saturday 4 March 2017 at 11am-1pm
Where: Golden Point Road, Chewton

Please RSVP by the 1st March 2017
seamus.haugh@delwp.vic.gov.au or 5430 4685

Feedback requested by DELWP on biodiversity laws

Posted on 27 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has two major reviews open for public comment at the moment.  Both are highly relevant to the future of Victoria’s natural values.

Review of the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee (FFG) Act 1988

When it was released, the FFG Act was considered an impressive step forward in biodiversity conservation.  However, it is generally accepted that the Act has not lived up to its early promise, and even the government recognizes that it has not achieved what it was intended to do – “The Act has been in place for nearly thirty years, but this has coincided with a decline in Victoria’s biodiversity“.  A consultation paper has been prepared by DELWP to seek the community views on the Act and how it could be improved by incorporating improvements in our knowledge of native flora and fauna.  The consultation paper and information on making a submission is available at their website (click here).  Consultation closes on 13 March 2017.

Proposed changes to the Victorian Native Vegetation Clearing Regulations

DELWP are seeking community feedback about any potential implementation issues before the changes to the relevant clauses of the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPP) and all Victorian planning schemes are adopted. They are especially seeking comment from ‘people who may be affected by, or who are responsible for, implementing the proposed system changes to the native vegetation clearance regulations’.  “Due to a high level of stakeholder interest, the period that the proposed changes to the native vegetation clearing regulations are available for comment has been extended, and will now close on 8 March 2017.”  However, anybody with an interest in the conservation, management and protection of Victoria’s native vegetation is encouraged to consider the proposed changes.

Details of the proposed changes, and DELWP’s preferred process for public submissions, are on their website (https://engage.vic.gov.au/native-vegetation-review).   You can also get further information by contacting the DELWP Native Vegetation review team by email: nativevegetation.review@delwp.vic.gov.au.

Victorian Landcare and Catchment Management magazine – Summer edition

Posted on 27 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

Connecting Country would like to share Issue 68 of the Victorian Landcare and Catchment Management Magazine, which features way of connecting nature and community. There are useful articles on crowdfunding, blogging for nature, and holding farm and nature walks.

To read this issue of the magazine go to the Victorian Landcare Gateway:

https://www.landcarevic.org.au/landcare-magazine/

CC behind the scenes and grant success!

Posted on 23 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

Connecting Country has recently been successful with three grants enabling us to continue our education program into 2018, review our Woodland Bird Action plan, and provide increased support and botany training to local Landcare groups. These opportunities are thanks to wonderful support from the Norman Wettenhall Foundation and the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA).  In addition, we have been working closely with the state government, NCCMA, Dja Dja Wurrung, and Parks Victoria to develop a woodland bird conservation project for the Box Ironbark East biodiversity hub. If successful, Connecting Country will be the lead organisation for this exciting project which will include activities to reduce threats on both public and private land. Our fingers are crossed!

Attendees at the 2014 Community Education Program learning about soils. With funding from the Norman Wettenhall Foundation we can continue to educate and engage our local community.

Funding from the  Norman Wettenhall Foundation’s Small Environmental Grants Scheme will allow Connecting Country to continue to provide our popular community engagement program that includes:

• educational events about biodiversity conservation in an agricultural landscape,
• monthly Nature News articles in the Midland Express,
• provision of on-line educational resources and blog posts, and
• partnerships with other organisations and agencies to implement additional educational events.

A huge thank-you to the Norman Wettenhall Foundation for their on-going support. We are so pleased to continue delivering useful information and events to our local community.

Last week, Connecting Country staff and some of our treasured volunteers attended a session facilitated by Geoff Park and Anna Roberts from Natural Decisions. This workshop gave us the opportunity to incorporate local information and knowledge into an update of our Woodland Bird INFFER assessment and Action Plan.  This project enables us to utilise expert advice, our monitoring data and experience from completed on-ground projects in this planning process.  Funding for the update was provided through the North Central Catchment Management Authority Contingency Fund and means Connecting Country and project partners will be ‘project ready’ for potential future funding.

Asha will be helping groups to increase their knowledge and capabilities with funding from the NCCMA.

Finally, Asha Bannon, our Landcare Facilitator, is getting ready to roll out the “Landcare Adapting to Change” project which is funded through the NCCMA’s Landcare Network Grant. Asha and Bonnie Humphreys, Connecting Country’s botanist, will be working closely together to build the capacity, knowledge and skills of our local groups.  The project has two main objectives:

1. To assist groups with plant identification skills, establishing local weed priorities, future project development, mapping, and determining appropriate species lists for planting.
2. To increase the knowledge and capability of groups to address landscape management issues associated with cultural heritage, climate change, land use changes, and the increasing threats of weeds and pest animal species.

Thanks to the North Central Catchment Management Authority for their ongoing support for Connecting Country for these two projects. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the local community to improve the natural environment in the Mount Alexander Region.

Monitor rabbits ahead of new measures for control

Posted on 23 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

How many rabbits are currently out there? That is the question.

Ahead of the release of a new calicivirus strain by the government in March 2017, we would like to share a link to the PestSmart website’s Healthier landscapes: RHDV1 K5 national release page which has a lot of useful information and ways to be involved in monitoring rabbit populations.

For more information about pest species in our local area you could also visit our Take Action resources page on our website.

Skink Shenanigans – news from our reptile and frog monitoring program

Posted on 16 February, 2017 by Asha

In 2016, Connecting Country set up a new reptile and frog monitoring program across the Mount Alexander region. With the help of 42 landholders and over 20 volunteers, we have recently finished checking the 480 monitoring tiles. These tiles make up 48 sites across the region, distributed between sites of intact woodland, revegetated woodland, and grasslands/paddocks.

We had some interesting finds under the tiles, and we’ll be sharing these results soon. Frogs, juvenile snakes, several species of skinks and many invertebrates all seemed to love living under the tiles. It was often quite a challenge to tell the species apart, especially when they move at lightning speed!  Here is a video of two skinks that we’ve seen underneath the tiles.  Can you guess what they are?

CLICK HERE to find out more about Connecting Country’s Reptile and Frog Monitoring program including links to some useful resources to help you identify some of your own discoveries. Contact Asha for more information at asha@connectingcountry.org.au or (03) 5472 1594.

Connecting Country’s Reptile and Frog Monitoring Program is being undertaken with the support of the Ian Potter Foundation.

Friday 24 February 2017 – Bring Back the Banksias workshop

Posted on 16 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

Flowering three year old Banksia

The ‘Bring Back the Banksia’ program is a relatively recent collaboration between many organisations, universities and agencies to conserve and restore the Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata) across Victoria and south-western NSW.  It is a topic of much interest to local ecologists and Landcarers, as there is much evidence to suggest that this was an abundant species in the region prior to European colonisation, but now there is only a few naturally-established plants remaining.  However, many local Landcare groups are now including Silver Banksia in their plantings.  At Connecting Country’s Landcare Forum in 2015, Clare Claydon spoke about the efforts that have been made to restore this species in the Baynton Sidonia area (CLICK HERE to see a video of her talk).

The ‘Bringing Back the Banksias’ team have asked us to spread the word that their next workshop is being held on Friday 24th February in Lake Bolac. The workshop will showcase what has been happening with regards to Silver Banksia research, mapping, genetics and seed orchards over the past few months.

Download their Agenda here

Download their flyer here.

Location: Bush Nursing Centre, 115 Montgomery St, LAKE BOLAC, Victoria
Time: 9am – 3pm
To Book: Martin Driver on 0400 170 957 or Projects@anpc.asn.au

More information on the Bring Back the Banksias program is available here http://anpc.asn.au/banksias

Local Landcare on the Radio

Posted on 16 February, 2017 by Asha

Over the next couple of months some of our valiant local Friends and Landcarers will be guests on 94.9 MainFM’s Hear Say radio program (see schedule below). Tune in between 9:30am and 11:00am on Tuesday mornings to hear their stories. You can also CLICK HERE to visit the MainFM website where you can listen live.

Nature News February 2017 – Revitalising country mindfully with fire

Posted on 8 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

For this month’s Nature News, on page 28 of this week’s Midland Express (7 February 2017), local resident and member of the Muckleford Forest Friends group, Chris Johnston shares her understandings gained at the Talking Fire event last year.

Talking Fire presenters – Trent Nelson (DDWCAC), Paul Bates and Peter Skilbeck (DELWP) and Mick Bourke (DDWCAC), at the Mt Tarrengower fire tower. Photo taken by: Julie Millowick

In the dryness of summer, the risk of fire can feel imminent. But ecologically, our remarkable Box-Ironbark landscape isn’t driven by fire. At Talking Fire, a community event held in Newstead in November last year, local ecologist Dr David Cheal revealed that our Box-Ironbark forests don’t actually need fire to regenerate. In fact, fires more often than every 30 years will reduce the range of plant species, impacting on the insects, birds and animals that live in these forests, and ultimately the chance to enjoy the diversity that Box-Ironbark country has to offer.

The species we can see today across Box-Ironbark country reflects their evolutionary past, and thus the influence of fire events. And so they reflect a low prevalence of natural fires, and probably the small-scale, highly targeted use of fire by Aboriginal people. The prevalence of fires increased dramatically when colonial settlers arrived; fire was a useful way to clear the land. Planned burns on public land, careless actions in the rural landscape, and the occasional arson and lightning strike have continued that pattern of more frequent burning.

So how do we sustainably manage, or in fact restore the ecological complexity of these forest remnants, and what might the role of fire be in this process?

In the past, Jaara people would have used fire as part of revitalising Country and encouraging certain species, so using fire as a carefully applied management tool has its attractions. At Talking Fire, Dja Dja Wurrung traditional owners Trent Nelson and Mick Bourke spoke about their desire to explore this possibility, working with the state government, the Shire and the wider community to share knowledge and explore ways that fire can be used to undo past damage and helping regenerate Box-Ironbark country.

A NSW project – Firesticks – is leading by example. It is designed to bring together scientists, Aboriginal people, government, and the Rural Fire Service to apply contemporary and Aboriginal fire practices to enhance biodiversity, connectivity and landscape resilience, and ultimately find new ways to care for the environment and keep the people and the places we love safe.

To read about Talking Fire and Dr Cheal’s comprehensive report on the fire sensitivity of Victoria’s native vegetation communities, visit www.talkingfire.org. Dr Cheal will also be the guest speaker on the role of fire in local landscapes at the monthly general meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club on 10th February, please see our earlier post for details.  To find out more about the Firesticks Project visit www.firesticks.org.au.

Stinkwort: Act now or be forever stinky!

Posted on 2 February, 2017 by Connecting Country

Treat Stinkweed now and reap the rewards in the future!

Bonnie came in from the field this week with something for us all to get our noses around. After a quick wiff, we thought we’d share what we learnt. Stinkwort or Dittrichia graveolens is an annual herb which grows to around 50cm high and is listed as a restricted weed in the North Central Catchment. It is easy to distinguish from other plants due to its stinky odour when touched. Most importantly, now is the perfect time to act if you have Stinkwort on your property.

This plant is a coloniser or pioneer which means that it grows quickly in areas with little competition such as around dams or along roadsides. It can sometimes be seen after a road has been graded or in areas where disturbance has occurred. Apart from the distinctive smell it also has a sticky almost greasy feel which makes it a last resort for browsing animals. This species is from the daisy family and produces large amounts of wind dispersed seed.

Stinkweed is often found in roadsides and recently disturbed areas

If you have found this plant now is the perfect time for controlling it as the plants are healthy and actively growing but most haven’t started producing flowers yet. The best ways to control Stinkwort include manual removal where individual plants occur, or with an appropriate registered herbicide. It is also possible to chip out plants in larger infestations and, as there are no flowers, leave them in situ rather than having to remove the whole plant.

While it is not known exactly how long the seeds of this species last it is guessed that they are short lived (up to 3 years) so it is possible to eradicate it and lessen the stink in your part of the world!