Native Grasses: Short Courses Now Open
Posted on 1 October, 2012 by Connecting Country
Would you like to improve your native grass identification skills? Are you interested in learning more about managing native grasses?
Expressions of interest are now being accepted by the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) for two native grass identification short courses. The two-day courses are expected to be held in Bendigo during November 2012 and will cover identifying features, importance and ecology of Australian grasses.
One course will cater for professionals working in agriculture and natural resource management, with the other course tailored to farmers, Landcare members and Trust for Nature covenanters.
The interactive courses will be presented by local botanist and ecologist Paul Foreman and will involve lectures and hands-on experience in the laboratory, followed by a field trip.
Expressions of interest are required no later than Monday 15 October, 2012. Please note that expressions of interest will only be accepted from people living in the North Central CMA region. Places are strictly limited.
The courses are funded by the Australian Government’s Regional Landcare Facilitator project hosted by the North Central CMA, the Victorian Government’s Landcare Program and Trust for Nature.
For more information contact Communications Officer, North Central CMA on (03) 5448 7124 or email: info@nccma.vic.gov.au
New Edition of Chat
Posted on 26 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
The September edition of the North Central CMA newsletter ‘North Central chat’ (formerly known as Groundcover) is now available. The edition includes articles on the new Victorian weeds and pest animal legislation, the new Landcare is For Everyone (L.I.F.E.) campaign and a Native Grass ID Short Course.
Consultation Paper Released on Native Vegetation Clearing
Posted on 21 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
DSE has recently released a consultation paper entitled Future directions for native vegetation in Victoria: Review of Victoria’s native vegetation permitted clearing regulations. From an environmental, social and agricultural perspective, this report is important. Its overall context is a review of the current Victorian native vegetation policy. Specific attention is given to the efficiency and effectiveness of vegetation clearing regulations.
Stakeholders and the community are invited to provide feedback about:
- issues identified with the current permitted clearing regulations
- the four priority reforms and five supporting reforms proposed to address these issues
- Issues related to implementing the proposed reforms.
Details for submitting feedback are published here. The closing date for submissions is 19 October 2012.
Dinosaurs Discovered in Newstead
Posted on 20 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
A good crowd gathered at Newstead Community Centre on Sunday 9 September to hear palaeontologist Pat Rich from Monash University give a fascinating presentation on Victoria’s ‘polar dinosaurs’.
Pat’s talk described the work that she and her husband Tom have been involved in for many years and the types of dinosaurs that lived in Gondwana, when Victoria’s latitude was 70 degrees south. This was followed by a ‘show-and-tell’ session with some bones. Pat and Tom have been responsible for the discovery of virtually all of the dinosaur fossils in Victoria and they brought along some great examples of their discoveries. Apparently Australia is not a particularly fertile landscape for fossil hunters because of its geological stability and deeply eroded surface, but there are a few locations – Cape Otway and Western Queensland – where dinosaur bones are found. So far, there have been no complete skeletons found in Victoria – only tantalising bits and pieces. These are often matched up to complete skeletons from other parts of the world for identification.
It was interesting to learn that, like Landcare, none of their work would have been possible without the help of volunteers. Tom estimated that at least 50 years worth of volunteer hours have gone into their work. They have also received in-kind support from many organisations, including the use of helicopters, mining equipment and, most creatively, bamboo poles from the Royal Botanic Gardens! No doubt the potential for a company to have a dinosaur named after them (Qantasaurus) helps.
Connecting Country received a Foundation Project Grant for this project, which is part of the Victorian Government’s $12 million Victorian Local Landcare Facilitator Initiative to provide local Landcare support.
Landcare Bushdance a Blast
Posted on 18 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
The Mount Alexander Landcare Bushdance held on Saturday 8 September was a great night despite the inclement weather. The 90 or so attendees made the most of the music being played by James Rigby and Jane Thompson, with a band that included the diversely talented Ian Higgins on fiddle.
The dance was put on for the Landcarer community and everybody else as well. As it turned out, a large number of attendees fell into the ‘everybody else’ category. It was great to see so many fresh faces at a Landcare event, and hopefully it has made Landcare a bit more familiar to a new generation.
The Bushdance was kindly supported by North Central CMA, Madderns IGA, Sprout Bakery, Stoneman’s Bookroom and the Newstead Natives Nursery.
A big thank you to all those who helped out on the night and to Nikki Valentini from Castlemaine Abundance Kitchen Enterprise for the delicious soups.
40 Seconds of Nest Box Action
Posted on 16 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
Connecting Country has installed two trail cameras to film activity at a nest box on a covenanted property on the outskirts of Castlemaine. (Thanks to the folks from the North Central region of Trust for Nature for use of the equpiment). The box contains a nesting female Brush-tailed Phascogale (Tuan) which is a great result for Connecting Country’s nest box project and for the Tuan population itself.
All landholders with Connecting Country nest boxes installed on their properties will soon receive a nest box survey field guide that will assist them with performing surveys of their own boxes. The results of these surveys will help Connecting Country determine the extent and health of the Tuan population across the region. A summary of the data from the first two years of nest box surveys will also be provided soon.
In the meantime, please enjoy the attached video clips that show the comings and goings at a nest box located in a Box-Ironbark Forest ecosystem. There is also a clip of a Sugar Glider, kindly supplied by the Chewton Bushlands Association, that shows the animal lining its nest with eucalyptus leaves. The most interesting feature of this clip is that the Sugar Glider is using its tail to carry the leaves.
Click here for footage showing a Brush-tailed Phascogale carrying nest material to its nest
Click here for footage showing a Sugar Glider continuing to watch the Brush-tailed Phascogale occupied nest box.
Click here for footage showing a Sugar Glider carrying eucalyptus leaves by it’s tail.
The Sugar Glider pictured here is the same one featured in the second video clip. As you will note from the image below, the Brush-tailed Phascogale is hot on the Sugar Glider’s heals, turning up about 20 minutes later to see what might be amiss.
Mother phascogale turns up to check on the brood.
Barkers Creek Local Action Plan – your feedback sought
Posted on 14 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
Local Action Plan Workshop participants discussing potential projects along each section of Barkers Creek.
The draft Barkers Creek Local Action Plan is a synthesis of the aspirations of three Landcare groups and the ideas of forty community members. The plan is now available for public comment and feedback.
Barkers Creek Clean-up Project Officer, Michael Luke commented that the ‘Local Action Plan is a big part of the Barkers Creek Clean-up Project. It has been developed in conjunction with the Barkers Creek Landcare Network and the local landholders who live along the length of the creek. We had over 40 people attend the community workshop in June. We wanted to find out what is important to the local community about Barkers Creek and what suggestions they have for the future management of the creek. We were very excited when twenty-five project concepts came out of the workshop. This draft Local Action Plan has been developed directly from those proposals.’
The Barkers Creek Landcare Network consists of the Barkers Creek Landcare and Wildlife, Harcourt Valley and the North Harcourt/Sedgwick Landcare groups, and receives support from Conencting Country. Once finalised, the Local Action Plan will help the three local Landcare groups to plan their activities into the future, and also to assist them in applying for grants and future funding opportunities. It will also be a useful resource for landholders and other community members living along and near the creek.
The draft plan is available for public comment and feedback. The plan can be downloaded here. For more information about the project or to provide comments and feedback about the plan, email michael@connectingcountry.org.au or call 5472 1594. Comments close on the 28th of September. If you are a landholder along the creek and have not contacted us before – please get in touch!
14 September 2012 – CFNC meeting on Cryptograms
Posted on 6 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
Cassia Read will be the guest speaker at next Castlemaine Field Naturalist meeting on Friday 14 September. Her presentation is entitled Miniature wonderlands of the dry country: What you miss when you don’t walk on your knees.
Cassia has been studying and working in the field of ecology for the last 15 years, starting out with a botany degree at Melbourne Uni and followed by a range of jobs including Fungimap coordinator, researching the evolution of plant architecture, and reporting on the impact of climate change on biodiversity in national parks. She is currently doing a PhD at Melbourne Uni on biological soil crusts of the Mallee and Wimmera.
Cassia is a member of a local group of moss enthusiasts who regularly go on short field trips. The group is working towards producing a guide to mosses in the area. More information on this can be found on the Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests website.
The following is an abstract of her upcoming CFNC talk.
Arid lands across the world share a common ecology with low rainfall, few trees and shrubs, and intriguing carpets of cryptogams protecting the soil (mosses, lichens, fungi and more). Otherwise known as biological soil crusts, these communities of cryptogams are full of interest; they exist at the soil surface in harsh environments and act as ecosystem engineers. Follow me on an exploration of these intriguing microcosms, around the globe and in our own arid lands of north west of Victoria to see their beauty, discover more about their importance and to understand how we can use this knowledge to manage our dry country.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend. The meeting commences at 7.30pm, and is being held in the hall behind the Uniting Church in Lyttleton St, Castlemaine.
For those interested there will be a short excursion the next morning. The group will meet at the Octopus building on Duke St (opposite the Castle Motel) at 9.30am.
Applications Now Open for Strengthening Our Community Grants
Posted on 6 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
Applications for the Strengthening Our Community Grants Scheme for 2012–2013 were opened by the Mount Alexander Shire on the 29 August 2012. Applications close 12 October 2012.
Application forms and Guidelines are available from:
- Mount Alexander Shire website
- 25 Lyttleton Street or 9 Halford St Castlemaine
- Community Development Administration Assistant on 5471 1744
Information Sessions will be held at the following locations and times:
- Maldon Neighbourhood Centre, at the corner Edward and Church Streets, 11 September 2012, 12noon – 1pm
- Ray Bradfield Room, Victory Park Castlemaine, 13 September 2012, 1pm – 2pm
- Ray Bradfield Room, Victory Park Castlemaine, 13 September 2012, 6.30pm – 7.30p
The following information relates to the Sustainability and Natural Environment Category of the Grants scheme.
Aim
To support the implementation of Council’s Environment Strategy 2010-2014 thereby improving the sustainability and resilience of the natural and built environments of the Mount Alexander Shire.
Objectives
Council’s Environment Strategy contains 44 objectives under the themes of:
- Climate change, greenhouse and energy
- Land and biodiversity
- Urban development, planning and sustainable transport
- Waste and resource efficiency
- Water
Proposals for funding under this category should identify which theme the project will address. Applications demonstrating relevance to a particular objective or particular objectives, particularly how the project will assist Council implement an objective or objectives, will be highly favoured. The Environment Strategy is available from www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au/environment.
Funding
Grant requests made under the Sustainability and Natural Environment category may range from $500 to $3000 (total amount $40,500). Only in exceptional circumstances will grant requests exceeding these amounts be approved.
Castlemaine Children’s Literature Festival
Posted on 4 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
Castlemaine Children’s Literature Festival will be held during the next school holidays (1–7 October). The week is packed with activities for all age-groups and Connecting Country will be presenting a session on Thursday 4 October between 10.30am and 12.30pm. The session is aimed at 7–10 year olds and will begin at Buda with a reading of Rachel Tonkin’s book, Leaf Litter. The group will then go to Kalimna Park for a treasure hunt. The cost is $12 and bookings are necessary. For further details about this session and the rest of the week’s activities click here for a Festival program.
Latest Edition of ‘chat’
Posted on 4 September, 2012 by Connecting Country
The North Central newsletter formerly known as Groundcover has been renamed North Central chat. The August edition includes information on the Winjallok celebration of 25 years of Landcare, the results of a recent national Landcare survey, and a summary of Australian Framework for Landcare which focusses on the future of the Landcare movement and achievements to date. There are also two articles on Connecting Country. The newsletter can be downloaded here.
The Yellow Box Fragmentation Project
Posted on 26 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Earlier this year we published a post about a CSIRO research project which is designed to determine the genetic variability of Yellow Box across its range, and to analyse how fragmentation is affecting population and species resilience. We noted that the outcomes of this study could have many benefits for Connecting Country’s Yellow Box Woodland project.
An important element in the project is the involvement of members of the public, schools, NGOs and industry in collecting leaf and seed samples as well as some preliminary information about the sampled trees and their local environment.
A website has now been set up to record information about the sample collections. The site is not finished and there is more data to add but interested individuals can now register as users so that they can add their own information to the site. Connecting Country will keep people posted about the progress of this valuable project.
Draft Fire Operation Plan – Open for comments until 31 August
Posted on 24 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
DSE has released the draft Fire Operations Plan for consultation. The draft DSE Fire Operations Plan proposes several burns in our region in the next three years. Relevant maps, the draft plan and other associated details can be viewed at the DSE website (click here).
DSE are accepting submissions from the public until August 31 2012. Submissions can be emailed (dsemg.district@dse.vic.gov.au) or posted to:
Fire Management Officer
Murray Goldfields District, DSE
PO BOX 3100, Bendigo Delivery Centre 3554
Some other local organisations have already stated their positions regarding the proposed burns (e.g. see FOBIF website), while other organizations are considering their response (e.g. Elaine Bayes of the Fired Up Group can be contacted on elaine@australianecosystems.com.au).
The Connecting Country committee of management are meeting early next week, where our organization’s response to the fire plan will be considered.
26 August 2012 – Cactus Field Day
Posted on 24 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
The next Cactus Field Day is this Sunday 26th August. The Tarrengower Cactus Control Committee will be hosting it at a property on the Baringhup Road opposite its intersection with Hayes Road. As usual it will be clearly signposted and the day starts at 10.30 am. So rug up well and come along for a great morning in the fresh air as well as for a hot cuppa and sausage sizzle.
Connecting Country and Landcare in the Spotlight
Posted on 20 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Landcare Australia Limited – the corporate arm of Landcare in Australia – use the slogan: ‘Everyone, everywhere, Landcare’. That has indeed proved the case in our Shire recently, with three important presentations made by Connecting Country to different audiences in the last two weeks.
The first was to the Victorian Minister for Environment & Climate Change, Ryan Smith, on a visit to a Yandoit grazing property undertaking a Connecting Country Yellow Box Woodland project. The visit was part of a wider tour of the North Central Catchment with our focus being on Landcare.
The state government supports Landcare through the Victorian State Landcare Team. It includes the ten Catchment Management Authority-based Landcare coordinators and the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s (DSE) Landcare team. It also funds the 68 new Local Landcare Facilitators (of which Connecting Country’s Landcare Facilitator is one) and administers the Victorian Landcare Gateway website.
Our presentation to the minister provided an overview of the Connecting Country project and the landscape restoration works that were set to occur on the property. We also highlighted the importance of government support to Landcare groups who want to be able to focus on their on-ground projects – rather than the ever-increasing paperwork.
The second presentation was to members of the Board and Natural Resource Management Committee (NRMC) of the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA).
The CMA’s Regional Catchment Strategy is the umbrella plan under which Connecting Country’s Biodiversity Blueprint and individual group’s local action plans and projects sit. This tour was an opportunity to show the Board and NRMC a current Landcare project – Muckleford Landcare’s Chinaman Creek Valley Community Plan – and demonstrate how Connecting Country is working with Landcare groups to produce local action plans which will be used to guide future projects and attract funding to the area. The tour also visited another landholder in Welshman’s Reef who is being funded through the Yellow Box Woodland program. He was very enthusiastic about the inspiration and support Connecting Country has given him to enhance the biodiversity on his land.
Jarrod, Chris Max and Marie from Connecting Country with Brian Rebecchi on his property at Welshman's Reef
23 August 2012 – Community Engagement Policy and Framework
Posted on 20 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Mount Alexander Shire Council has organised two meetings to discuss its recently developed Community Engagement Policy and Framework. Both sessions will be held on Thursday 23 August, with an afternoon session in Maldon and an evening session in Castlemaine. All interested members of the community are invited to attend. For further information please see attached invitation or contact Karen Evennett on 5471 1721.
20 August – Reference Group meeting
Posted on 20 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Connecting Country has a Reference Group meeting from 7pm on 20 August 2012 at the Garden Room at the Buda Historic Homestead (42 Hunter St, Castlemaine). Registered members of the Reference Group and representatives of local Landcare groups are particularly encouraged, but other members and interested community members are also very welcome to attend. The theme of the evening is primarily around our two new projects, with a presentation by the respective project coordinators. There will also be an opportunity for landholders, groups and other community members to become involved and to provide their feedback and suggestions for the projects. Supper and drinks to be provided. See the agenda by clicking here.
New Program: Connecting Landscapes
Posted on 19 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Calling all Landholders
Connecting Country is pleased to announce that it has been successful in obtaining funding from the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Future Biodiversity Fund to implement our new program, Connecting Landscapes across the Mount Alexander region.
This five year program will work with private landholders to create and enhance wildlife habitat connections between the large blocks of crown land forest that occur through the Mount Alexander Shire and immediate surrounds.
Connecting Country will establish its own on-ground works crew to help landholders undertake management activities on their properties, such as pest animal and plant control, protective fencing and supplementary plantings. Other aspects of the program to be implemented by Connecting Country will include community talks and field day events, flora and fauna monitoring and other related activities.
We are seeking expressions of interest for potential site projects with Landcare groups and private landholders that fit the funding guidelines. An Expression of Interest Form can be found here and full details about the project can be found here.
For further information or to get involved, contact the Project Manager, Jarrod Coote, on 5472 1594 or email jarrod@connectingcountry.org.au
Also information will be available at Connecting Country’s Reference Group meeting to be held on the evening of August 20th 2012.
Connecting Country Woodland Bird Monitoring – Winter 2012
Posted on 10 August, 2012 by Connecting Country
Connecting Country’s woodland bird monitoring is on again. Since 2010, bird surveys have been performed in winter and spring in over 50 locations across the Mount Alexander Shire region. As a result there have been confirmed records of rare and threatened birds. The good news is that with the new Woodland Birds Project, Connecting Country will be able to continue developing these bird data sets using expert knowledge, community engagement and participation.
Garry and Brenda Cheers, will be managing the Winter 2012 bird survey and landholders that have been involved in the past can expect a phone call from Garry soon to arrange access to previously sampled sites. A report on the progress and results of the bird monitoring will be available soon.
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