Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

A group with representatives from six families heard Ern Perkins give an introduction to one of his favourite places to visit and study in Castlemaine at Kaweka Reserve on Sunday 28th September.

The group of parents and small children, aged 2-6, were then on task with the Local Flora Guide to see which species they could spot and were given instruction on how to use a hand lens by local co-author of Mosses of Dry Forests in South Eastern Australia, Cassia Read.

Cassia demonstrating how moss wakes up.

Cassia also introduced the children to the pleasure of using their stomachs as agents for biological control by eating their way through the Briza maxima and illustrated response to changes in weather conditions as she ‘woke up’ some moss with a pour from her drink bottle.

A well earned cuppa and snack break half way through energised the group for the second half of the walk with parents able to socialise and make acquaintance with other likeminded families while the kids played in the pretty spring bush.

Thanks to Ern and Cassia for their help in introducing the group to this patch of bush in an increasingly urban Castlemaine.

Volunteers injecting wheel cactus on a property near Cairn Curran. Photo courtesy of Tarrangower Cactus Control Group.

The Mount Alexander Shire Council offers subsidised rates to landholders who have undertaken environmental protection works on their property. It is a yearly rate reduction on properties when the owners can demonstrate that they have completed eligible environmental work activities.

As well, our Council has recently introduced a rate rebate for landholders who have a conservation covenant on their land under either Trust for Nature or Section 69 Conservation Forests and Land Act 1987. The Shire currently has approximately 45 ratepayers who have already chosen to enter into a permanent legal agreement under these schemes. They are managing and protecting 558 hectares of high quality native vegetation across the municipality.

The Council’s Healthy Environment Team are the people to ring for further information on these initiatives (5471 1700). You can also find out more on the Counci’s website.

It was a glorious, warm, sunny day when FOBIF walkers took off from the poppet head mine in the Muckleford State Forest and Muckleford Conservation Reserve for the September walk. The mine has now been opened up so that you can stand on top of the grate and look down into the drop below. DEPI is in the middle of completing an information sign board.

The group meandered through the ironbarks, up to the ‘mini monk of Muckleford’ to have a break. Floral displays included plenty of gorse bitter pea, pink bells, pink fingers, wax lip orchids, common beard heath, and erect guinea flower. The lunch break featured the company of a well-put-upon shingleback, who was trying to get some rest in the sun.
We’re sorry we missed the climate change rally, but we were busy engaging with the Muckleford forest.

The following photos were taken by Noel Young. Click to enlarge.

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About 20 people gathered for the second Youth Walk of the year, funded with a Youth Grant from the Mount Alexander Shire Council. Young FOBIF member, Nioka, led the walk through the Eureka Reef interpretive trail, taking in some historic sites and stopping to look at the Billy Buttons and Greenhood orchids. Then the walkers went up to the Monk to take in the views and have a quick break. They then walked down the Monk and on to the Poverty Gully Water Race, taking in a couple of patches of Crimson Spider Orchids on the way.

Mmmm…Stackhousia or orchid? Walkers take a look at what’s on offer at the Monk.

The walked finished after two hours, ending back at the Eureka Reef carpark for a feed of Bubble and Squeak Burgers hot off the BBQ. It was a cracking day, and the group went off happy and full. One young walker, Holly, was met at the end of the walk by her parents and off they went to Fryerstown for a second bush walk for the day!

Um…where did they come from?

On September 28 the spring walk for children up to the age of 12 with their families will take place at Kaweka Reserve between 10am and 12pm.  Walkers are meeting in Hargreaves Street between Turner St and Halford Street at 10 am. For more information on this walk contact Naomi Raftery on 0422 585 585.

Among the delights on offer to Sunday’s walkers: Spider orchid and Billy Buttons.

The Victorian National Parks Association has made its submission to the current draft Fire Operations Plan. Since the VNPA covers statewide fire protection problems much better than we could do, we print its ‘general overview’ of its submission below:

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The VNPA has long held concerns about the level of planned burning in Victoria, and the justifications given for the Fire Operations Plans.

In short, the level of burning is dictated by the 5% annual burn target recommended by the Victoria Bushfires Royal Commission (VBRC). However we note that in the last three reports from the VBRC’s Implementation Monitor, Neil Comrie has strongly advised that the target be reconsidered, because it is unachievable and counterproductive. He says in his last (and final) report that it “will not necessarily reduce the bushfire risk to life and property, and may have adverse environmental outcomes”.

Further, Mr Comrie also pointed out that the VBRC’s recommendations were not to be taken in isolation from each other. That means that Recommendation 56, to burn 5% of public land annually, should be considered in the context of other recommendations that are also designed to save lives, such as:

• Recommendation 57, which asks for an annual report on “prescribed burning outcomes in a manner that meets public accountability objectives”. Although not specifically mentioned in Rec 57, “public accountability” would clearly include the effectiveness of the burn program, especially the cost-effectiveness of the program in reaching the prime objective of the program: saving lives. There has never been a public assessment of the actual effectiveness of the program, despite outcries from the scientific community.

We believe it is high time for an independent assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the burn program as a tool to save lives, and an independent assessment of its impacts on biodiversity.

• Recommendation 4, which asks for the “encouragement of personal shelters around homes”. This recommendation emerged after the urgent call by the VBRC, in its earlier interim report, for the development of an Australian Standard for home bushfire shelters/bunkers. As far as we can see, there is no material widely distributed by DEPI that advises householders to install bunkers, even though well-designed bunkers clearly save lives and avoid the high risk of trying to flee a fire.

• Recommendation 20, which stresses the importance of rapid despatch of aircraft. While aspects of this recommendation have been adopted, and in many instances DEPI’s capability for rapid attack has been demonstrated very successfully, there have been other instances when aircraft have not been available, rendering the call for staff to be ‘on standby’ somewhat purposeless. FOPs should include the need for a rapid attack capability appropriate to the area concerned.

• Recommendation 1, which asks that “local solutions are tailored to and known to local communities through local bushfire planning”.

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