Author Archives: fobif

Fire: what’s the Code of Practice?

Posted on 24 April, 2012 by fobif

In preparation for the Bendigo Meeting of April 18 [see our post below], Environment Groups were supplied with a briefing by the Environment Defenders Office on the various legal obligations governing DSE’s fire management. The document is printed below, slightly … Continue reading →

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A lot of fires are being lit, but what’s being achieved–and how would we know?

Posted on 24 April, 2012 by fobif

Bendigo region conservationists, including FOBIF, met with DSE officials last Wednesday April 18th,  to discuss current and future fire operations. The meeting did not discuss State Government fire policy. It was solely concerned with the implementation of this policy, in … Continue reading →

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April FOBIF walk

Posted on 17 April, 2012 by fobif

Forty-one walkers set out from the Garfield Water Wheel in Chewton on Sunday on the second FOBIF walk for the year. Local geologist, Julian Hollis led the walk and everyone appreciated his explanations of the significant geological features in the … Continue reading →

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Tarilta: ecological burning in question

Posted on 2 April, 2012 by fobif

We have received a second reply from DSE’s Paul Bates on the subject of the Tarilta management burn [see below]. In addition Ewan Waller, DSE’s Chief Fire Officer, fielded questions on the subject on ABC radio on Friday March 30. … Continue reading →

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Fire: who knows how to use it?

Posted on 2 April, 2012 by fobif

DSE Chief Fire Officer Ewan Waller claimed on ABC Radio on March 30 that one of the aims of his department is to create a ‘pre European’ forest structure by using fire. This seems to suggest that he is familiar … Continue reading →

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DSE answers on Tarilta fire

Posted on 29 March, 2012 by fobif

Last week FOBIF secretary Bernard Slattery wrote to DSE Bendigo to express our concerns about Tarilta Gorge, in particular the massive soil loss resulting from the Department’s management burn [see our post].We’ve received the following answers to our questions from … Continue reading →

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What happens under the tractor?

Posted on 26 March, 2012 by fobif

The first public evening session in Connecting Country’s 2012 Education Program was attended by 75 people at Campbell’s Creek last week. The talk was given by Dr Denis Saunders, who posed a set of question about the long term viability … Continue reading →

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Tarilta questions

Posted on 24 March, 2012 by fobif

Following our visits to the DSE burn site in the Tarilta Gorge [see our post] we have written to DSE management in Bendigo seeking a response to the following questions: 1. Last year in our submission on fire zones we … Continue reading →

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Floods: taking a wider view

Posted on 23 March, 2012 by fobif

Every time there’s a flood, there seems to be an outbreak of simple suggestions about how the disaster might have been averted.  Some of these are more sensible than others, and even some of the more sensible ones–like, stay out … Continue reading →

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Floods: running to the past

Posted on 23 March, 2012 by fobif

Recent heavy rains in Victoria have brought about a return of calls to strip vegetation from waterways as a way of reducing flood levels. The claim that vegetation along waterways raises water levels was raised last year when some locals … Continue reading →

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