Fire: DSE responds to FOBIF submission

Posted on 7 October, 2012 by fobif

We have received a response from DSE to our submission on the draft Fire Operations Plan.  We will be making a comment on this response and the state of consultations on fire management after the upcoming meeting between DSE and local groups in Bendigo on Tuesday next, October 9. The DSE response is printed in full below:

‘Thank you for your submission regarding our planned burning in the Murray Goldfields District. Your input has been considered during our planning process.

‘The DSE planned burning program aims to minimise the impact of major bushfire on human life, property and the environment. The 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission recommended changes to the Code of Practice for Fire Management on Public Land (2006). This Code supports delivery of an expanded planned burning program to reduce fuel levels and the likelihood of bush fires becoming uncontrollable.

‘Our Fire Operations Planning Process starts in February and is finalised in October. During this period DSE consults with a broad range of stakeholders regarding our planned burning on public land.

‘DSE has considered your submission and makes the following response:

  • This year a new “Code of Practice for bushfire management on public land 2012” was released which outlines Zone 3 or Landscape Management Zone (LMZ) burns with an aim to provide bushfire protection outcomes by reducing the overall fuel and bushfire hazard in the landscape as well as provide for ecological outcomes. The burns zoned as LMZ’s that you have identified have an aim for at least 20% burn coverage and up to perhaps 40% coverage of target areas within the burn unit.
  • Please note that CAS 012 – A Frame track has been withdrawn from the Fire Operations to allow for longer growth stages.
  • CAS 005 – Nuggetty Hill has been reduced in size.
  • CAS009 Rusconis Road has been halved in size to exclude some rich flora and fauna values in line with your comments.

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Local water birds

Posted on 2 October, 2012 by fobif

The diversity of water bodies in and around Castlemaine provides the opportunity to view a variety of birds. One of the largest is the Great Egret. This bird can be seen along the edges of swamps and larger dams such as Cairn Curran. Watching one in flight is a sight to behold!

Great Egret. Photo by Damian Kelly, 2012

Although somewhat cryptic and hard to see, the Black-fronted Dotterel is actually quite common in this area. Next time you are near the water’s edge have a scan along the edge and you might be surprised to find a few of these beautiful birds.

Black-fronted Dotterel. Photo by Damian Kelly, 2012

The Chestnut Teal has quite a difference between the sexes, with the male standing out. Although not a common species in this area, these birds can be seen in pairs, sometimes mixed in with other species. But on a sunny day this bird is quite a sight.

Chestnut Teal. Photo by Damian Kelly, 2012

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Garden birds around Castlemaine

Posted on 20 September, 2012 by fobif

Damian Kelly was the guest speaker at the FOBIF AGM in August. His presentation was about observing local birds in our gardens and he included many excellent photos, including the three below, of birds from his Lyttleton Street garden. Damian has written the text that accompanies these photos.

Rufous Whistler and White-naped Honeyeater. Photo by Damian Kelly

Many gardens in Castlemaine have a variety of wildlife, with birds often being the most visible. One very useful thing you do in your garden to encourage birds is add a shallow bowl of water and keep it fresh. In the warmer weather you will be rewarded with views of a variety of birds. The above two species are quite common in our area and can be seen sharing a bowl in our garden. The Rufous Whistler has a melodious call and will polish off a lot of insects around the garden. The White-naped Honeyeater is more of a nectar feeder and will be attracted to a variety of flowering plants as well as snacking on insects when available.

Bronzewing Pigeon. Photo by Damian Kelly

Above is a Bronzewing Pigeon also enjoying a pool in the garden. Although generally a seed eater, Bronzewings can be seen around Castlemaine. They tend to be a bit more secretive, spending more time in sheltered locations. But again, the provision of water will always attract them to your garden.

Eastern Spinebill. Photo by Damian Kelly

The Eastern Spinebill is a remarkable flier, able to hover to take nectar from flowers. They are not fussy about the type of flower, happily feeding on natives or introduced plants – in this case a salvia.

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Hear Don Watson reflect on ‘The Bush’

Posted on 20 September, 2012 by fobif

Don Watson will be the guest speaker at this years Muckeford Landcare Annual General Meeting. ‘Xartec’ from the Lancare Group writes that

Don Watson is one of Australia’s wittiest, original thinkers and raconteurs, and is currently completing a book on the Australian bush. He will be revealing some of his insights into the Australian landscape as a prelude to the Muckleford Catchment Landcare Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 10 October. Don’s presentation will commence at 6pm, will be accompanied with soup and refreshments, and will be followed by the AGM at 8.15 pm

This landmark event is being held at the Castlemaine Golf Club, Pyrenees Highway, Castlemaine. Continue reading →

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Get informed about National Parks

Posted on 20 September, 2012 by fobif

Parkwatch, the magazine of the Victorian National Parks Association, has gone online in an easy to read ‘flipbook’ format. The magazine is quarterly: it’s professionally produced, very informative…and it’s free. To subscribe, click here.

The current issue contains, among others, articles on the State Government’s recent decision to open National Parks to private development and, of more local interest, proposals to mine the Wombat Forest.

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Heavy response to Fire Operations Plan

Posted on 19 September, 2012 by fobif

A DSE forum on the draft North West Region Fire Operations Plan has been postponed from mid September to early October to allow DSE to process the exceptionally heavy response to the plan: more than 200 submissions have been received, more than three times that received last year.

This degree of public interest in the Plan is on the face of it good news. Not so good news is that participants at the meeting will not be supplied with information requested by environment groups regarding fire history, monitoring, and effects of management burns. We will report on the meeting in due course.

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A walk in the Park

Posted on 18 September, 2012 by fobif

Thirteen hardy walkers braved dire weather forecasts of rain and cold to do a circuit at the very south end of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park on Sunday. The weather turned out, in fact, to be mild. The walk made a circuit along Amanda’s Track to Middleton Creek, with a return via the Goldfields Track along Brown’s Gully. All the area covered is part of a large proposed management burn in the draft Fire Operations Plan.

Walkers were rewarded with excellent displays of Baeckia ramossissima, not common in our district, and plenty of other wildflowers–plus lots of views of Cup Moth caterpillars, the most likely culprit in the devastation of eucalypts from Irishtown to Daylesford. The caterpillars even congregated in numbers on track signposts. Walkers produced a couple of common names for them: ‘Stinging joeys’ and ‘Chinese junks.’

The nice and the not so nice: Baeckia ramossissima along Amanda's Track...

 

The walk highlighted the variety of environments in this section of the Park south of the Wewak Track: grassy woodlands, dense low grade eucalypts, creek valleys with fine large trees, and some excellent wildflower sites.

...and Cup moth caterpillars on a Great Dividing Trail signpost in Brown's Gully.

 

 

The October walk will in the Fryers Ranges, held by some to be the premier wildflower part of the region. Check our Walks section for details.

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‘The only effective way of measuring change’

Posted on 11 September, 2012 by fobif

The August meeting of the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club featured a talk by Ern Perkins on systematic environmental monitoring over time: ‘the only effective way of measuring change.’ The following report is based on a more detailed account in the CFNC newsletter, Castlemaine Naturalist.

CFNC have been doing systematic monitoring of birds and vegetation for many years using photo points, GPS locations and counts. For birds, they have been following the method proposed by the Australia Bird Atlas: using a fixed area of 2 ha, and recording a session for 20 minutes per month. Ern and Lesley Perkins have established 14 locations and over the years have totted up 1285 visits. In that time, some bird populations have stayed fairly constant [Magpies, Little Ravens Galahs, Cockatoos, Red Wattlebirds and Crimson Rosellas]. For others there is a persistent downward trend, both in species and in numbers: for example, the Southern Whiteface was common at the start of the process, and is now very rare. Decline of bushy understorey is a key in this decline, and the long drought is obviously part of the explanation for this. The decline in numbers is not so evident in urban areas, where trees may be in better condition, though the prevalence of cats makes this a high risk area.

Daltons Track burn zone, September 2012, after a DSE burn in 2011: 'Asset Protection' zones like this one will not get enough time to recover from frequent severe burns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On vegetation, Ern and Lesley and other CFNC members regularly survey 115 quadrats. A number of these were set up in and outside DSE control burn areas for comparison over time. Although caution is necessary in interpreting the results, Ern was categoric that successful post fire regeneration in a drought year is close to zero. Further, there is evidence of considerable increase in weeds after burns. Sometimes burns are followed by apparently flourishing regrowth  which quickly dies off. Further long term research is necessary to establish more reliable data. In particular, Ern pointed out that the effect of repeated fire on invertebrates, the basis of the food chain, is a complete unknown.

The Castlemaine Naturalist can be got by contacting CFNC at Box 324 or through the club website. At the next CFNC meeting Cassia Read will talk on biological soil crusts: ‘miniature wonderlands of the dry country: what you miss when you don’t walk on your knees.’ [Friday September 14 at 7.30, Uniting Church Hall, Lyttleton St].

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Kalimna Park burning: a response

Posted on 11 September, 2012 by fobif

The following is the response submitted to the DSE draft Fire Operations Plan by the Friends of Kalimna Park. The Department proposes to burn two sections of the Park: one, bounded by the tourist road, the town boundary and Hunter’s Track [CAS 003]; and the second, much larger parcel, mainly on the east and north of the tourist road [CAS 007]. FOBIF supports the ideas put forward in this submission:

1 General

We understand that there is a perceived risk in this area from wildfire and that some fuel reduction burning for strategic asset protection may be required. However, we do have concerns that a statewide assessment of risk and burn area targets may be applied in Kalimna Park and implemented without due regard to the values of the Park. The area is a rich woodland with its characteristic understorey

Kalimna Park, September 2012: a rich woodland much used by Castlemaine residents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and ground cover plants and associated fauna, having slowly regenerated since clearing during the gold rush and successive impacts. There are some rare or threatened species in the Park, but the richness of the whole area’s biodiversity is impressive. The Park’s proximity to Castlemaine may be seen to pose a risk, but it also contributes greatly to the character of the town and this is appreciated by many people.

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Fire Operations Plan: a detailed response

Posted on 31 August, 2012 by fobif

FOBIF’s detailed response to the draft Fire Operations Plan for our district is published below. We will know the effect of this and other responses to the draft plan when we attend a meeting with DSE in Bendigo in mid September.

As we have previously made clear, our major worry is the signals we have been receiving from DSE workers that there is little intention of following the directions of the Code of Practice in Zone 3 burn operations.

Hunters Creek, in the Tarilta catchment: if current proposals go ahead, we estimate that 70-80% of this catchment will have been severely burned within a five year period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other serious concerns include the allocation of a huge area of Mount Tarrengower to be 90% burned, and a section of the Diggings Park south of Guildford to be 80% burned. The full submission follows:

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