Author Archives: fobif

The Selwyn map: a glimpse of the past

One intriguing feature of Arn Tolsma’s Connecting Country talk on August 27 [see our post], was his reference to the 1853 Selwyn map. It’s quite an aborbing exercise to pore over this map and line it up against the landscape … Continue reading

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Bendigo meeting on fire zones

FOBIF representatives attended a DSE briefing in Bendigo on the new fire management zones on Wednesday August 24. The briefing was a sobering experience, since it was made plain to us that the entire fire management  system was governed by … Continue reading

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How effective are DSE’s fire zones?

FOBIF has always supported a zoning system for fire management. It’s quite clear that bush close to homes should be treated differently from bush more remote from settlement. That’s one reason why housing in sensitive and fire prone bushland should … Continue reading

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What price gold in a recovering landscape? And what price the Prospector’s and Miners’ Code of Conduct?

When walking along Forest Creek recently we came across a series of freshly dug holes that varied in shape and size.  Ones made by the hungry echidna (see below) were a delight to see as it meant that the rehabilitation … Continue reading

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Moss: Examining the detail

Fifteen people took part in a fascinating moss field day at Clinkers Hill Bushland Reserve on 27 August. This was part of the Moss and Liverwort project that is working on producing a brochure about local mosses and liverworts. The group … Continue reading

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FOBIF walkers enjoy a sunny August day

Sunny weather made for a great FOBIF walk on 21 August. There were thirty walkers on this excursion to the Muckleford bushlands. Paul Hampton from Muckleford Landcare was the leader with Doug Ralph providing a commentary on the mining history … Continue reading

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Looking at the fire record

A solid crowd of about 80 rocked up to the second talk in the Connecting Country 2011 education program at Campbell’s Creek on August 25. Dr Arn Tolsma gave a deeply engaging account of fire history in Australia, and in … Continue reading

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Small birds, part 3

The more noisy and active of the birds are the Honeyeaters, often flying rapidly between trees, calling loudly and chasing one another. The Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculatais is the largest and most aggressive, chasing all comers away. Please upgrade your … Continue reading

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Kalimna tourist road: in spite of the best intentions…

We have received a reply from the Mount Alexander Shire to our concerns about the incremental widening of the Kalimna Tourist road. We have been assured by the Infrastructure manager and Superintendent of works that road crews are aware of … Continue reading

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Moss and liverwort field guide

A meeting took place recently to plan a new field guide about mosses and liverworts. You can find out more about this project by clicking here. Recording sheets for moss observations can be downloaded here and here.

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