Back from the Brink
Posted on 14 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
Which weed is your main bane?
Participants at our sixth workshop session on October 5th 2014 reeled off a lengthy list. The most despaired over were spiny rush, gorse, blackberry, bridal veil creeper, bent grass, crack and basket willows, quaking grass, wheel cactus, capeweed, and all manner of thistles. The list may have lengthened as the day progressed, but at the end of the session we certainly had a greater understanding of their ecology, control and management, if not an overall view of the place of weeds in the restoration story.
Whilst the noisy hot rods and ‘chopped’ vehicles did laps of the nearby Newstead racecourse, our group visited three local sites to look at “before” and “after” weed control sites and heard some of the challenges of working with riparian zones and creek-lines. These sites are usually the most compromised sites, but also the most potential value for biodiversity. Farmer Adrian Sartori and Landcare stalwart Maurie Dynon (Guildford-Upper Loddon Landcare), Pat Radi-Mansbridge (Bushco Land Management), Patrick Kavanagh (Newstead Landcare) and Botanist David Cameron (Arthur Rylah Institute, DEPI) shared their experiences and practical knowledge of weed ecology and management with us.
Thanks to all our presenters, the Sartori family for hosting us at the Strangways site and to Newstead Landcare Group’s Patrick Kavanagh for introducing us to two significant Newstead sites. Also thanks to the Newstead Mens’ Shed who manned the Rotunda park BBQ for us.
To find out more about the session, including a view of the day from participant Deb Wardle, go to the corresponding page in the Education Program, where you will also find resources and images from the day. For more information, contact janet@connectingcountry.org.au or 5472 1594.
This was the last session of the 2014 series. Thanks to all who contributed, either in planning, participating, presenting, assisting and hosting. We will be running the program, in a similar format, again next year.
Our Annual Report – 2013-2014
Posted on 13 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
What a year it has been for Connecting Country!
In preparation for our AGM tomorrow night (Tues 14 Oct 2014 – click here for details), a Connecting Country Annual Report has been prepared – which covers the 2013-14 financial year. Everyone involved with Connecting Country should be very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve for landscape restoration across the Mount Alexander Shire and surrounds. It is full of interesting and inspiring stories. New additions to this year’s Annual Report are terrific contributions from three of our regular volunteer helpers.
A PDF copy of the Annual Report can be downloaded (click here). Be aware that it is a rather large download at 10.1MB. A small number of hard copies will be available tomorrow night at the AGM. (We’re aiming to have a low-resolution version available soon for downloading).
Thank you to everyone that has contributed to Connecting Country over the past 12 months and earlier.
We hope you enjoy the read, and let us know if you’d like to see or hear more about any of the items raised.
Local events aplenty for Bird Week
Posted on 10 October, 2014 by Tanya Loos
Bird enthusiasts, from beginners to experienced, are encouraged to get involved in National Bird Week 2014.
This year, BirdLife Australia is holding its first ever Aussie Backyard Bird Count, and there are events locally to attend if you are keen to count some birds! You can also go online to www.aussiebirdcount.org.au to find out more. The Backyard Bird Count involves a twenty minute count from any local patch you like, whether it be your backyard bushland or favourite park. You can count once, or many times. In the spirit of the week, Connecting Country staff will post their observations as the week progresses on our website .
You can enter your observations on the Aussie Bird Count website but if you are a smartphone user you can download the Aussie Backyard Bird Count app.
Kick off bird week with the Bird Man Sean Dooley, editor of BirdLife Magazine, and author of The Big Twitch. Baynton-Sidonia Landcare are hosting Sean’s walk and talk on Sunday 19th October, Interested people are welcome to register for both the Bird Walk and the talk at the Baynton Hall, or for either session, by contacting Barbara on 0458590642 or emailing archiemcleod1@gmail.com by 17th October.
Local ecologist Geoff Park is also giving a talk in Bendigo as part of National Bird Week. It’s on Saturday 18th October (11am- 12.30pm) in the Bendigo Library Reading Room. Click here for details.
The Macedon Ranges Shire also has a bird week event, with a bird forum on the afternoon of Saturday 18th October. See the attached flyer for details (click here).
And Bird Week finishes locally with a bird monitoring outing, led by Connecting Country’s Habitat for Bush Birds coordinator Tanya Loos. The outing will be on Sunday 26th October, the final day of bird week, and we will be visiting properties in the Clydesdale area, specifically looking for the feathered five. All welcome, from beginners to experienced but numbers are limited. To book a place, contact Tanya Loos at tanya@connectingcountry.org.au, or call 5472 1594.
Some background info on the Habitat for Bush Birds project: helping the feathered five
This project is working to restore habitat for five local bush bird species; the Hooded Robin, Painted Button-quail, Jacky Winter, Brown Treecreeper and Diamond Firetail. Over two years, Connecting Country and participating landowners will carry out 300 ha of habitat restoration actions within 11 priority habitat zones. With the community’s help, we will also be scanning the Mount Alexander shire and immediate surrounds for the feathered five; as the more sightings we have, the better able we are to measure our success in helping these plucky yet threatened little birds. More information is available on our website (click here) and some new bird-watching activities will be announced soon. (The Habitat for Bush Birds project is supported by the Victorian Government through Communities for Nature funding.)
Our AGM and other new events
Posted on 9 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
A reminder that Connecting Country’s AGM is being held on Tuesday 14 October 2014 at the Campbell’s Creek Community Centre from 7 pm. A copy of the agenda is available (click here). After the AGM, we will be showing a documentary about Landscape Restoration, and then having a Q&A session with the film-makers and local landholders involved in the film. Followed then by some dessert and drinks, and a chance to catch up with friends and make new ones. Contact Chris if you need further information (chris@connectingcountry.org.au) – or also see our earlier post about this event (click here).
There are also three other new items recently posted on the Connecting Country website that may be of interest:
– ‘Chicks in the Sticks’ event on 30 October – click here
– ‘Picnic in the Sunday Hills’ event on 12 October – click here
– The latest edition of the North Central CMA publication called ‘chat’ – click here
12 Oct 2014 Sunday picnic in the Sunday Morning Hills
Posted on 9 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
Wedderburn Conservation Management Network (CMN) and the Kooyoora Connections Project have have organised a free picnic to celebrate the permanent protection of a beautiful 300 ha property in the Sunday Morning Hills. The property is in Glenalbyn which is 60 km north west of Bendigo.
The days activities will include music celebrating cultural heritage, a talk by Jeroen van Veen, Bush Heritage Australia ranger, and a woodland birds’ walk led by Garry Cheers. Click here to see the flyer which includes a map. Bookings are essential and need to be made ASAP.
New edition of ‘chat’
Posted on 9 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
The September 2014 edition of the North Central CMA publication chat is now available. It can be downloaded here. This edition includes a profile of the new NCCMA Regional Landcare Coordinator, Amelia Morris, as well as other regional environmental news, events and funding opportunities.
30 Oct 2014 – ‘Chicks in the Sticks’
Posted on 9 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
The North Central CMA has organised the second ‘Chicks in the Sticks’ event for 30 October. It will take place in the Boort Sailing Clubrooms, Ring Road, Boort on Thursday 30 October between 5.30 pm to 9.30 pm. Boort is just over 100 km from Bendigo. The event is to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of women in agriculture and the environment.
The evening is free and will include a tour of the foreshore of Little Lake Boort, a 2 course dinner and a presentation from life performance coach, lecturer and author, Carol Fox. Further information can be found here.
10 and 16 Oct 2014 – Six seasons each year, not four!
Posted on 7 October, 2014 by Connecting Country
Not too long before joining Connecting Country as coordinator of its Habitat for Bush Birds program, Tanya Loos published a book (Daylesford Nature Diary; Six seasons in the foothill forests) which challenged the traditional notion of the four seasons. Some of parts of the book are adapted from her regular nature columns in the Hepburn Advocate. Tanya writes:
Who says the first day of Winter is on June 1? Indigenous people around the world and here in Australia mark the seasons through the weather patterns, and the behaviour of flora and fauna. Inspired by this, I created a six season calendar for the Wombat Forest region.
I will share how I used ten years of nature journal observations to adapt the Yarra Timelines calendar to the Wombat Forest area. If you like the idea of marking the seasons by such things as the arrival of spring migrants, or fabulous fruiting fungi – do come along.
There are two local opportunities in the coming fortnight to hear Tanya speak about her observations and findings, which undoubtedly have broader relevance and interest across central Victoria.
1. The meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club. Friday 10 October 2014 from 7.30pm. In the hall behind the Uniting Church, Lyttleton St, Castlemaine.
2. The meeting of the Newstead Landcare Group. Thursday 16 October 2014 from 8pm. Newstead Community Centre.
Both members are visitors are welcome and encouraged. The field nats event is free, and the Newstead Landcare group requests a gold coin donation to cover costs. Copies of her book will be available for sale.
14 Oct 2014 – Connecting Country Annual General Meeting
Posted on 23 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
Both members and visitors are warmly invited to attend Connecting Country’s Annual General Meeting for 2014. It is to be held from 7pm on Tuesday 14th October 2014 at the Campbells Creek Community Centre (see attached map).
The AGM will be followed by the launch of the 2014-2024 Strategic Plan for Connecting Country (the draft plan is open for comment until Sunday 28th Sept – click here for more info). We will then be screening a recently launched documentary film called Rediscovering the Country – A Journey Into Landscape Restoration (~30 min), which will be followed by the Q & A session with some of the film-makers and interviewees from the film. To finish the evening, there will then be refreshments (drinks and desserts), and an opportunity to mingle and chat with the Connecting Country staff, committee, members and supporters. We hope that you can make it.
For the AGM itself:
* A draft AGM agenda can be viewed by clicking here.
* A committee of management nomination form can be downloaded by clicking here. Nominations must be received by the Secretary at least 7 days before the AGM. If you would like to know more about being a committee member, contact the current Connecting Country president (president@connectingcountry.org.au).
* Contact Naomi if you are unsure if you are currently a member of CC (naomi@connectingcountry.org.au or call 03 5472 1594).
* A proxy voting form is available (click here) for those members who are unable to make it to the AGM – but still wish to contribute their vote if there are any elections
From the makers of Rediscovering the Country – A Journey Into Landscape Restoration (Ballarat Tree Growers and Sheoak Films) – The film is aimed at people interested in landscape rehabilitation through revegetation, and who want to learn more about how such projects can be made successful and deliver desired environmental and social benefits. It presents several community-led revegetation projects in Australia (including Connecting Country) to see how they are working to improve the land, wildlife habitat and human communities. These projects have locally developed objectives, such as returning rare animal species, helping local farmers, linking remnant vegetation, repairing degraded land, and they all were generated out of action by concerned and committed community groups or individuals. The film also shows how community activism in Sri Lanka uses the analogue forestry/regenerative agriculture technique to mimic the original forest structure and return a forest cover that produces food, natural resources and an economic income for small farmers.
28 Sept 2014 – Cactus Control Field Day
Posted on 23 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
The next Cactus Control Field Day will take place on 28 September on a property on the eastern side of Cairn Curran. Entry to the site will be via Cairn Curran Road. Click here for directions and a map.
The Tarrangower Cactus Control Group have had a great year so far so come along and help make this a record year in the War on Cactus.
24 Sept 2014 – Local history talk by Eliza Tree
Posted on 22 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
If you missed Eliza Tree’s recent Harcourt talk, here’s another chance. Her topic is
Australia Felix, or Indigenous Cultural Landscape, Jaara country, before the Goldrush
and
William von Blandowski Insights from an Outsider – Visions of Aboriginal Australia.
The presentation will take place at 3 pm & 7.30 pm on Wednesday 24th September in the Ray Bradfield Rooms (beside Market Building) Mostyn Street, Castlemaine. Click here to view our earlier post about Eliza’s presentation and here to view a flyer for this one.
To plant, or not to plant?
Posted on 17 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
This was the question posed at our fifth Connecting Country Workshop for 2014, on Sunday September 7th. And the answer? It depends!
Jarrod and Saide talk tubestock techniques
Saide Gray and Gary Gibson hosted the session on their Sandon property, where they have used a mix of tubestock planting, direct seeding and natural regeneration in their revegetation program. Guided by our presenters Damien Cook (Rakali Consulting) and Jarrod Coote (Connecting Country) we were able to examine and discuss each of the approaches.
The session gave participants the opportunity to explore revegetation options at both a property and landscape scale, interpret the findings for their own situations, and pick up some practical tools, tips and techniques for each of the methods.
As Damien highlighted, restoration science is a new area – we’ve only been studying it in depth over recent decades (after spending so much effort removing native vegetation in Australia for the past 200 years or so) and we are constantly learning as we go. But the key to any revegetation program is to observe the natural processes happening on your property and in the surrounding landscape and try to employ them, such as using pioneer or succession species in your plantings.
Thanks to Saide and Gary, Damien and Jarrod for sharing their expertise with the 26 participants from across the Mount Alexander Region, and also Frances Cincotta (Newstead Natives) who provided additional resources.
For more information on the session, including photos, a summary from participant Louis Crabb and follow up resources, go to the Workshop Session Page. For more info on this year’s program, contact janet@connecting country.org.au or 5472 1594.
14 & 15 Oct 2014 – NCCMA Workshop on Pasture Cropping & Grazing Management
Posted on 14 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
The North Central CMA is hosting a two day intensive workshop on Pasture Cropping and Grazing Management, which will take place in Newstead (at the football clubrooms) on 14 & 15 October 2014. An on-farm visit will be included in the workshop.
The workshop will feature industry specialists Colin Seis and Graeme Hand. Graeme Hand was a presenter at a Connecting Country workshop held in Yandoit in 2012. The aim of this workshop is to provide commercial farmers with a ‘how-to of Pasture Cropping and Grazing Management’. Continue Reading »
3 Oct 2014 – Living with Bushfire Conference
Posted on 12 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
‘Living with Bushfire: A Community Conference’ will be held on Friday 3 October at Federation University, Gippsland Campus, Churchill. Speakers include Craig Lapsley (Emergency Management Commissioner), Kevin Tolhurst (Melbourne University) and Steve Leonard (Latrobe University).
The conference is a joint initiative of the following organisations:
- Federation University Australia
- Department of Environment and Primary Industries
- Country Fire Authority
- Latrobe City Council
- Parks Victoria
More information can be found at this here.
FTLA Newsletter – Aug-Sept 2014
Posted on 12 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
The latest Farm Tree & Landcare Association newsletter is now available and can be downloaded by clicking on the banner above. The issue contains the latest news on funding opportunties and Victorian Landcare events including Connecting Country’s local Campout on the Mount which will take place on the 4th and 5th of October 2014.
23 Sept 2014 – School Holiday Landcare Activity
Posted on 12 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
The Barkers Creek Landcare Network has organised a fun family day with games and activities on Barkers Creek during the upcoming school holidays. You can contact Mandy (p:0409866279 or e:mandchilcott@gmail.com) to find out more. Click on the flyer at left to enlarge.
15 Sept 2014 – Update on children’s play about Forest Creek
Posted on 11 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
‘Still Waters‘, is a play about the story of Forest Creek developed by local landcarer Thais Sansom in conjunction with local primary school children. It will be performed NEXT MONDAY, 15th September at 6.30pm at The Capital Theatre, 50 View Street. Bendigo. Some details of this venture were covered in an earlier post.
Tickets ($10 adults, $5 primary age kids) can be purchased at the Capital Theatre, over the phone on 5434 6100 or online .
Connecting Country’s Draft Strategic Plan – now open for comment
Posted on 10 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
In our earliest years (2007-08), Connecting Country developed its Biodiversity Blueprint to document the health of the local landscape and to guide our activities during our formative years. Since then, Connecting Country has grown rapidly as an organisation. There is more knowledge about the environmental threats and opportunities in the local area. New issues have also arisen that were not considered in the original Blueprint. As such, we identified the need to reconsider the role of Connecting Country. Over the past six months, staff, committee members and advisory groups have been working together to develop a draft 10-year Strategic Plan to capture and refine this information and, ultimately, set the direction for the organisation over the next 10 years.
The draft Strategic Plan outlines our vision and mission and the objectives and strategies for our four focus areas (see diagram). It will be used by the committee and staff in a variety of ways, including in the development of projects and application for grants. It will also be a public document that describes and promotes what Connecting Country does, and how we plan to continue into the future. A copy of the draft plan is available for downloading (click here for 1MB PDF version or contact us if you’d prefer a Word version).
We would love to receive your thoughts, feedback and suggestions on this draft plan. Are we on the right track? Are we missing something important? Are there bits that are unclear? If possible, we would like your feedback by 28 September 2014. For enquiries and feedback contact Krista Patterson-Majoor by email: krista@connectingcountry.org.au or telephone: 5472 1594 (available Mondays).
Connecting Country would like to thank all those who have already contributed to the draft plan. It is intended that the completed plan shall be launched at our AGM on the 14th of October.
An Afternoon Spent in an Aboriginal Landscape
Posted on 9 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
This article is about the Baynton Sidonia Landcare group’s Aboriginal Landscapes seminar that took place on Sunday 24th August 2014.
Rodney Monk talks to Baynton Sidonia Landcare president John Baulch.
Sixty-five lucky people (as half that number again had to be turned away) spent six hours immersed in Aboriginal life as it was practiced in the Baynton Sidonia area up until just 180 years ago.
The seminar began with Trish Terry of the Taungurung Clans Association welcoming participants to Country and explaining why she is qualified to welcome us to Country and what the welcome means.
Participants then experienced two outdoors workshops. In one, Tandy Annusheit told Dreamtime stories in the Taungurung language to a rapt audience, with Waa (the Raven) joining in occasionally in real time. It was extraordinarily moving to hear the mellifluous sounds of the language being spoken, probably for the first time in almost two centuries, at that spot.
The other workshop was led by Rodney Monk who is passionate about the preservation of local artifacts including clay heat balls and ovens to scar trees and rock quarry sites. He entertained and educated his audience so they gained a much wider appreciation of the kind of artifacts that still await “discovery” and preservation. He both thrilled and challenged his audience by saying to them that his culture is now the wider Australian community’s culture and as such requires effort, commitment and resources for conservation.
Trish Terry led a session titled “Cultural Landscapes” and in a very short time gave participants several new perspectives. One of these was that the landscape is culture: landscape does not just happen to be the way it is now. It was shaped by Aboriginal people, and that shaping, almost two centuries on, is still clearly visible and used by us today.
12 Sept 2014 – Egg and Bacon plants of Castlemaine
Posted on 8 September, 2014 by Connecting Country
If you do a Google search on ‘Castlemaine’ and ‘bacon’, at least the first 10 pages of results are all references to the KR Castlemaine business (AKA – the ‘Baco’). Yet the local area has many native pea shrubs – with the distinctive ‘egg and bacon’ flowers. A walk through the local bushland at this time of year is a sea of oranges, yellows, reds and browns.
Copyright: Alison Pouliot Photography
The guest speaker at the September Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club (CFNC) general meeting is local ecologist Ern Perkins. Ern’s talk will be on the pea-flowered plants, with particular reference to some of the local peas, and especially the ‘egg and bacon’ plants. The peas are beautiful, important to the bushland ecology, and make great garden plants. The talk will be held at the Fellowship room in the building behind the Uniting Church in Castlemaine (Lyttleton St, next to the Art Gallery) from 7.30pm on Friday 12 Sept. Members and visitors are all welcome – and entry is free.
There is also an excursion to ‘Humboldt’ on the Saturday following the talk (13 Sept), which will also be led by Ern. Humboldt is a hot spot for some significant pea plants. The walk will be for about a kilometre. Meet at the Octopus building on Duke St (opposite the Castle Motel). Exact departure time to be confirmed at the Friday evening meeting – but probably 1.30pm.