Wildflower Show and Photographic Exhibitions In the Loddon Shire
Posted on 23 July, 2013 by Connecting Country
The 7th annual Kooyoora Wildflower Show will be held on 14 and 15 September 2013. The weekend program will include day activities, an evening program and a photographic competition, display and sale. Click here to download a flyer with further details.
As part of the Naturally Loddon Festival (30 August to 27 October), Mulwarrie Studios is conducting two Photographic Exhibitions at their Studio at 3 Serpentine Road, Bridgewater-On-Loddon. Regional photographers are currently invited to submit photographs. Click here to download a flyer with further details.
What’s Happening with Natural Regeneration
Posted on 17 July, 2013 by Connecting Country
Ian Lunt is a vegetation ecologist who works at Charles Sturt University. He recently gave a talk about the value of natural regeneration occurring across central Victoria at the Biodiversity Across The Borders conference in Ballarat. This type of regeneration, he explained, is slow and often unnoticed. Assisted by economic factors and the demand for amenity land use, he argues that it is having far more effect on our environment than intentional planting or direct seeding. To view the complete talk, visit this YouTube clip. His blog also has some interesting information on this and other topics.
Conservation and Land Management Pathway Program
Posted on 15 July, 2013 by Connecting Country
The Bendigo TAFE Conservation and Land Management Pathway Program is starting on Tuesday 10th September 2013. Continue Reading »
Two Apps about Australian Pests
Posted on 15 July, 2013 by Connecting Country
1. New Pests iPhone App
Users of iPhone and iPad can now access the latest information about Australia’s pest animals via the new ‘Field Guide to Pest Animals’ App. This App contains species profiles for 31 of Australia’s worst pest animals, including
- species descriptions
- photo galleries
- footprints
- audio calls
- maps
- control techniques
- quick links to plenty of pest control resources.
To learn more, visit PESTSMART. According to the website, the same App will hopefully be available for Android phones and pads in the future.
2. New FeralScan App
Feral Scan is a national program where members of the public can map their observations of certain pest animals. Previously, this was only accessible through the FeralScan website. However, contributors to FeralScan can now access and enter data through an App on their mobile phones and mobile devices.
A dedicated FeralScan App suitable for rural and remote areas is currently in development, as is a new secure community group facility that will enable groups to login and share data about community-led projects or Council pest control programs.
For further information contact Peter West at Invasive Animals CRC – peter.west@invasiveanimals.com.
Rabbit Ute Guide
Connecting Country has copies of its recently released Ute Guide to Rabbit Control available (see earlier post on this item – click here). This can be picked up for free from the Connecting Country office.
Applications Now Open for Three Grants
Posted on 27 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
1. Innovation Grants
Applications are open for Innovation Grants ranging between $250 000 to $1.5 million. The grants are for the development and adoption of innovative practices and technologies across agriculture, fishing, aquaculture and farm forestry industries. They are part of the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country initiative, delivered under the Sustainable Agriculture stream.
Applications close at 2pm on 4 July 2013. For further information, click visit the grants page of the Caring for Country website or call 1800 552 008.
2. Community Food Grants
Community Food Grants are a new initiative and are part of the Nation Food Plan. Grants are of up to $10 000 for community gardens, city farms or similar activities and up to $25 000 for farmers’ markets, food rescue and similar activities are available.
Community gardens, food cooperatives, farmers’ markets, food rescue services or groups with an idea for community food initiatives may be interested in applying for funding under the program.
Applications close 5pm on 4 July 2013. For further information, visit the grants page of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) website or phone 1800 702 330.
3. Victorian Landcare Grants
The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is calling for applications for the next round of the State Government’s Victorian Landcare Grants program for community groups to undertake natural resource management (NRM) projects in 2013-14.
The Victorian Landcare Grants Program continues to have an emphasis on building community capacity. The program is designed to fund projects that enable NRM community groups, networks and their volunteers to undertake effective on-ground works to protect and restore the Victorian landscape.
There are two grant types available:
- Project grants (up to $20,000)
- Maintenance and start-up grants (up to $1,000)
Applications close 5pm on Monday 22 July 2013. For further information, visit the Landcare page on the North Central CMA website.
30 June 2013 – Cactus Control Field Day
Posted on 26 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
Next Sunday, 30 June, is not only the end of the financial year, it is also the next Cactus Control Group’s Field Day. This month the location will be at a property near the corner of Watersons Road and Tarrengower School Road. The route will be signposted.
As usual, it will start at 10.30 am and finish with a cuppa and a sausage sizzle.
Download this flyer to see more details.
Have Your Say about the Impact of Development
Posted on 26 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
A project is being currently undertaken by a Melbourne University-based research group into resource management in peri-urban areas of Victoria. The researchers describe the study as follows:
Local communities, academic experts and local planners have expressed concern about the pace of development and the effects that this might carry for the landscape and the natural resources. Sound urban and regional planning is required to prevent the negative impacts associated with unplanned development and the mismanagement of natural resources.
The views and preferences of local communities residing in these areas are important and need to be taken into account to achieve better longer-term planning. The aim of this project is to better understand local residents’ interactions, preferences and expectations regarding their landscape in their local area.
The study area includes Mount Alexander as well as Ballarat, Central Goldfields, Greater Bendigo, Hepburn, Macedon Ranges and Moorabool. Residents in these municipalities can participate in the research by filling out an online survey. Click here for information on the project and a link to the survey.
20 June 2013 – Equine Property Planning Workshop
Posted on 14 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
The North Central CMA has organised for an Equine Property Planning Workshop to be held in Eddington on Thursday 20 June. This full day workshop will focus on ecosystem management, soil development and regenerative property design as well as horse management topics. Full details and North Central CMA contacts for the event can be found in this flyer (click here).
Regional Achievement and Community Awards
Posted on 14 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
Nominations for the annual Victorian Regional Achievement and Community Awards are now open with nominations closing in 13 July. Awards categories include Community Group of the Year Award, Environment and Sustainability Award and Indigenous Achievement Award. Full details can be found here.
22 June – Geology Walk in the McHarg Ranges
Posted on 14 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
Have you ever wondered what a “metamorphic aureole” might be? Or where ancient lava flows started and stopped? Or where rivers have cut through some rocks, but have met with more resistance with others? And why this is relevant to today’s inhabitants of the landscape?
On Saturday 22nd June, Dr Neville Rosengren, formerly Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at La Trobe University, is going to explain the local landscape in terms of geology and landform, first in a talk at the Baynton Hall and then on a walk on the McHarg Range nearby. This event is being organized by Baynton Sidonia Landcare group.
A view of the McHarg Ranges, which lie on the Eastern egde of the Mt Alexander Shire, between Glenhope and Baynton.
The Fair is Over But Visitors are Always Welcome
Posted on 12 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
The World Environment Day Fair in the Castlemaine Market building on Sunday 2 June was a great success with many local residents (and visitors) stopping by for a chat and taking advantage of the resources on offer. The Connecting Country stall had a strong Landcare theme. It was one of many displays put on by environment ansd sustainability groups working in our region.
If you didn’t make it to the Fair but would still like to access the land management resources available through Connecting Country, visitors are always welcome to our offices in the Hub building – corner of Templeton St and Barker St (above The Good Table restaurant), Castlemaine. We have resources on weed and pest control, native vegetation management, Landcare, native wildlife and much more. We also have Bonnie – a very knowledgable botanist who can help you to identify that mystery plant which ‘sort of looks like a weed, but you’re not really sure’!
Thanks to Jay Smith from the Mount Alexander Shire Council for organising this year’s World Environment Day Fair.
Chris, Max & Jan examine one of the 50 free indigenous plants that were given away to visitors at the Connecting Country stall. Thanks to Frances Cincotta from Newstead Natives for supplying the plants!
Chris Timewell from Connecting Country and Kylie Stafford from the Mount Alexander Shire share the limelight.
Volunteer Network Workshops
Posted on 6 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
The Mount Alexander Volunteer Network is running a number of workshops this year between June and August. The first one is about Making Meetings Marvellous and will focus on how to make meetings ‘engaging, rewarding, effective and even fun’. This will be held on Wednesday 19 June between 6 and 8pm. The next one is about Community Groups and the Law and will be held on 26 June between 10am and 1pm. Both workshops will take place at the Continuing Education building in Templeton Street.
To find out more about these events and other planned workshops, click here.
Latest edition of chat (May 2013)
Posted on 6 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
The latest edition of the North Central CMA publication chat is now available and can be downloaded here.
Learning About Earthworms in Chewton
Posted on 5 June, 2013 by Connecting Country
On the 27th May, Chewton Primary School’s students from years 2 to 6 were visited by Connecting Country Landcare Facilitator Max Schlachter to do a special class on the importance of Earthworms.
The visit was prompted by World Environment Day which happened on the 5th June and had a theme about food waste called ‘Eat.Think.Save’. One way to reduce food waste is to turn unused food and garden waste into compost. Enter the Earthworm – king of compost and soil improver without peer.
Max and students looking for Earthworms in the revolving compost bin at Chewton primary School.
14 June 2013 – Love Thy Spider
Posted on 31 May, 2013 by Connecting Country
The Castlemaine Field Naturalist Club’s guest speaker on 14 June 2013 will be local resident, Lynne Kelly, who will give a talk entitled ‘Love thy Spider‘. Lynne comments that ‘We all live up close to lots of neighbouring spiders. They live amazingly interesting, often traumatic, lives, all played out on multiple stages around your house. Spiders are the only animal you can get to know as individuals and watch over the long term in their natural habitat of web or burrow. ‘
This talk will include sequences of photos of individuals in a Castlemaine backyard and house and is suitable for kids as well as adults. Lynne says that ‘observing spiders is easy to do, safe and genuinely adds to our scientific knowledge. Long term behavioural studies of our spiders in their natural habitats have not been done – not even black house spiders! But – be warned – there will be some very revealing photos of a pair of huntsmen. We’ll then talk about “The Spiderblogger” and the way we can share Castlemaine spider notes.’
Lynne Kelly
Lynne is the author of 14 books, her most recent being “Spiders: learning to love them“. When her arachnophobia was getting out of control, she decided to cure the irrational fear by learning about the horrible hairy beasts. She overdid the cure and is now ‘obsessed by the gorgeous little critters’.
Lynne is an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at LaTrobe University, working on the way indigenous peoples memorise masses of information about animals, plants and other natural sciences. She then applies this research to the archaeological record.
The talk will be held at the Uniting Church Hall in Lyttleton St, Castlemaine (building behind the church), and will commence from 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome.
2 June – Say G’day at the World Environment Day Fair
Posted on 28 May, 2013 by Connecting Country
Community members are invited to attend a World Environment Day Community Fair on Sunday 2 June, ahead of World Environment Day on Wednesday 5 June.
Established in 1972, World Environment Day has grown to be the United Nations key annual event to promote worldwide awareness of environmental issues and encourage positive environmental actions.
The Community Fair will be held at the Market Building in Mostyn Street, Castlemaine from 10.00am – 12.30pm on Sunday 2 June, coinciding with the Castlemaine Farmers’ Market.
The event will be a mini expo where residents can talk with representatives from local environmental organisations, community groups and local and state government, all of whom will be showcasing the exciting environmental projects underway throughout the Mount Alexander Shire. There will be plenty to see and do, including giveaways and activities for all ages.
Connecting Country will have a stall at the Fair, which will include a section on local Landcare groups, so please come and say hello.
The Fair is being organised by the Mount Alexander Shire Council which is working towards a sustainable future through many activities including the Community Grants Scheme’s Sustainable and Natural Environment category, improvements to waste management practices and the implementation of the 2011-2014 Environment Strategy and 2011-2015 Greenhouse Action Plan.
26 May 2013 – Cactus War Continues
Posted on 22 May, 2013 by Connecting Country
The Tarrangower Cactus Control Group will be holding its next field day on a property on the eastern side of Cairn Curran.
The Control Group would like to make this a record year in the War on Wheel Cactus. Over 50 volunteers attended the first field day for the year and everyone is welcome to participate this month (26 May from 10.30am). Click here to download the flyer which has a map and directions.
What Does Successful Landscape Restoration Look Like?
Posted on 20 May, 2013 by Connecting Country
“What does successful landscape restoration look like?” was the question posed on a recent Landscape Restoration Bus Tour run by Connecting Country.
Participants in the tour were given a rare opportunity to ‘jump the fence’ into well-established landscape restoration projects on private land to hear the property owners talk about what they had done, why they did it, and how successful they considered the project to be. The tour was led by Geoff Park from the North Central Catchment Management Authority who did a great job of helping participants to interpret what we were seeing and hearing.
Peter Skilbeck adressing the group.
The first site visited was a revegetated ridgeline on a grazing property at Joyces Creek (south-west of Newstead) owned by Peter Skilbeck and his family.
Peter told the group that he began his restoration work because he wanted to grow some trees and shrubs on his property and the site he chose (on a stony ridge) was the “hungriest bit of country” he had. The area, which included some large old Yellow Gum and Grey Box trees, was fenced off and sown with indigenous trees and shrubs using direct seeding about 12 years ago. Peter considered that the project had been quite successful because the plants were growing well and there has been some natural regeneration of native herbs, shrubs and trees in between the planted rows. He considered the most successful area of direct seeding to be where germination had been least successful -leaving more room between plants for natural regeneration. Continue Reading »
18-19 May 2013 – Swift Parrot Survey Weekend
Posted on 17 May, 2013 by Connecting Country
On the weekend of the May 18-19, BirdLife Australia are coordinating the first of this year’s bi-annual mainland surveys for Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters. These occur across south-eastern mainland Australia. This year marks the 19th consecutive year for these range-wide volunteer surveys and they continue to provide insights into the movements and habitat requirements of these two charismatic and highly threatened bird species. Regent Honeyeaters are extremely rare visitors to the Mount Alexander Shire and surrounds, whereas at least some Swift Parrots migrate to (and through) the local area each year in the cooler months. One of the few inland areas to be visited by Swift Parrots so far in 2013 is the Muckleford-Maryborough area where birds have been seen foraging in Yellow Gum and Grey Box vegetation.
Anyone can undertake one or more surveys for these threatened birds – whether this be in your backyard, your favourite local patch of bushland or along a well-vegetated roadside.
For further information, click here to the BirdLife Australia website – the link to the powerpoint display at the bottom of the page is particularly useful. Attached is also a copy of the datasheet (click here). If you undertake a survey at a particular area and find none of the two target species, it is still important to complete the datasheet and return it to BirdLife Australia. Knowing where the bird isn’t occurring is almost as important as knowing where it is occurring. (If you see either of these species at others times, Birdlife would still be very interested to hear about these sightings).
A hungry Swift Parrot. Photo by Geoff Park.
Reconciliation Week Activities in Mount Alexander Shire
Posted on 15 May, 2013 by Connecting Country
National Reconciliation Week will take place this year between 27 May – 3 June 2013. A range of activities will be held in the Mount Alexander Shire that the community can become involved with, including an indigenous food planting event with Castlemaine Landcare. Also on National Sorry Day (26 May) there will be a gathering in Castlemaine next to the Market Building between 9.50am to 11.45am where people can add their thoughts to the Sorry Tree. This flyer has the full details, as well as the website address for the recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution. While Connecting Country is not directly involved in this year’s program, we are very supportive of this initiative and of efforts towards reconciliation.