Author Archives: fobif

Weeds are for burning

Posted on 21 February, 2012 by fobif

In December we criticised DSE’s management of the Quartz Hill management burn [see ‘The uses of fire‘] on the grounds that the exercise failed to do anything about the prolific weeds in the area. FOBIF has now written to local … Continue reading →

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2012 Autumn Fungi Workshops

Posted on 19 February, 2012 by fobif

The Central Victorian Fungi Ecology Workshop Series is running again this coming autumn. If you would like to know more about this curious kingdom, workshops include interactive displays, illustrated seminars and exciting forest forays deep into our local forests. Full … Continue reading →

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Maniac?

Posted on 17 February, 2012 by fobif

The endearing creature below is a Peron’s Tree Frog, sometimes uncharitably called the Maniacal Cackle Frog, owing to its distinctive ‘machine gun’ cackle. It’s not uncommon for frogs to be seen in household gardens in our district, and for that … Continue reading →

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Right plant, wrong place

Posted on 3 February, 2012 by fobif

The flower below is St John’s Wort [Hypericum perforatum], a pretty plant which has been used for over a thousand years as a herbal remedy. Flowers are sparse, but seeds many at this time of the year on Mount Alexander. … Continue reading →

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Government under fire over fire

Posted on 25 January, 2012 by fobif

Following the release of ANU research showing that current fuel reduction practices are not improving public safety [see our post below], the press has reported that DSE has been burning widely in remote bushland, but has neglected to effectively reduce … Continue reading →

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Does fire protect us from fire?

Posted on 20 January, 2012 by fobif

Calls for more ‘fuel reduction burns’ have been insistent for years, particularly since the Black Saturday fires which burned over 2,100 homes and killed 173 people. The pressure for more management burns culminated in the Royal Commission’s recommendation that at … Continue reading →

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Snapshots in time

Posted on 16 January, 2012 by fobif

About 70 people crowded into the small Chewton Town Hall on January 16 for the launch of Ken McKimmie’s Chewton Then and Now, a collection of articles written over a number of years for the Chewton Chat. These articles are … Continue reading →

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Scottish, but not Scotch

Posted on 20 December, 2011 by fobif

The plant below is Spear Thistle, Cirsium vulgare, the most widespread plant in Victoria and, according to naturalist Ern Perkins, by far the most common thistle in this region. It’s commonly but wrongly called Scotch thistle. That ‘honour’ belongs to … Continue reading →

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The uses of fire

Posted on 17 December, 2011 by fobif

FOBIF has written to Parks Victoria to clarify some questions arising from the Quartz Hill, Chewton, Asset Protection management burn of a few weeks ago. What interested us was that the burn was pretty severe on native undergrowth [as was … Continue reading →

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Remnant Vegetation: the State Government responds to VEAC

Posted on 14 December, 2011 by fobif

The State Government has released its response to the Victorian Environment Assessment Council’s  Remnant Native Vegetation report [see our May 24 Post on this]. VEAC made 13 recommendations, all designed to improve ecological connectivity between small parcels of land, encourage … Continue reading →

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