Author: Woodend Landcare

Show your support for the protection of Wombat Forest

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The Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) has recently released their Central West Investigation Draft Proposal Report. The draft recommendations for the Wombat Forest and other areas are to be commended.
Draft recommendations in our area include a new Wombat-Lerderderg National Park, a new Wombat Regional Park (including Trentham to Blackwood and the east section of the Wombat around Woodend), a new Cobaw Conservation Park, and a new Black Forest Nature Reserve along the Calder Freeway.
A useful summary of these recommendations is available here: http://www.veac.vic.gov.au/documents/CWI-DPP-factsheet-8-Wombat-Mac-block.pdf
The good news is that this means the Wombat Forest would be permanently protected from potential logging and mining and other impacts. If the Wombat Forest is not protected by a combination of parks, logging will resume.
There are a few things you can do to show your support: 
1- Attend the VEAC drop in session today (Monday 10th September) to ask questions or let them know how you feel about it. It is on from 3-7pm at the Woodend Community Centre (cnr High and Forest St). Another session will be held in Daylesford on Thursday 13 September: 3pm-7pm, Daylesford Football Ground, Victoria Park, Ballan Rd Daylesford.
2 – Have a look at the proposal and write a submission (response) by the 31st of October. This could be as simple as saying “We love the Wombat State Forest and would love to see it have a higher level of protection.”
3 – Email Mary-Anne Thomas to show your support for the VEAC draft recommendations.
This will potentially be a very significant issue for our area (and an election issue) so your input would most definitely be of value.
VEAc recommendations

26 August Working Bee and More!

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North Bank Working Bee

Sunday 26 August | 9 am – 12 pm | East St easement

Our next Sunday morning working bee is this Sunday. The location is on the North bank of Five Mile Creek at the East St easement under the power lines. Look for the blue trailer.

Jobs include removal of oak seedlings under the large oak and woody weed removal in an adjoining planting. A nearby thicket of privet also needs removal. Wear warm clothing, sturdy boots and bring gloves, pruning saws, loppers etc.

The site is accessible on foot from Thomas Court or from Campaspe Drive. Vehicles will not be able to reach the actual site due to wet grass conditions.  Morning tea is provided. Newcomers welcome.

For further details contact Peter Yates on 54273221 or 0407339856.

Landcare in the Library

1-10 September | Woodend Library

To celebrate Landcare Week, Woodend Landcare will set up our annual display in the library with the theme “simple actions make a big difference for our native plants and animals“. Please drop by for ideas and inspiration.

Free Movie: The Lorax

8 September | 2pm | Woodend Community Centre

Celebrate National Threatened Species Day with this exciting movie screening organised by the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group and Macedon Ranges Shire Council.

The 7th of September is National Threatened Species Day, and in acknowledgement of the need to protect our flora and fauna, MRSG’s “Movies That Matter” Action Group has partnered with the Macedon Ranges Shire Council to host a matinee screening of the timeless tale of “The Lorax.”

Come along to the Woodend Community Centre on Saturday 8 September at 2pm to see the animated version of the classic Dr Suess book.

This is a family-friendly event for kids to become engaged with our environment in a fun way. BYO beanbags / cushions / rugs (chairs provided). Free Entry – and free popcorn! Light refreshments also provided.

Contact Anita for more info – anitafoerster75@gmail.com

the lorax

More Landcare news…

Newham Landcare Winter Newsletter

North Central CMA July Landcare Chat

Woodend Landcare News – August 2018

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Updated 2018 Calendar

Our 2018 calendar has been updated to bring us through to the end of the year.

Landcare calendar – August-December 2018

Our next working bee is on Sunday the 26th of August.  It will focus on the removal of oak seedlings and a general tidy up on the north side of Five Mile Creek near the East St easement. More details coming soon.

Grant Success: Flint Hill willow removal

We are pleased to share that we have been successful in obtaining a Victorian Landcare Grant to remove of woody weeds – particularly Willow, Hawthorn and Blackberry – from a very significant stand of remnant Black Gums on Five Mile Creek where it passes through Flint Hill, a private property in Woodend. These weeds are currently threatening the creek environment downstream and restricting regeneration of the Black Gums. We are looking forward to working with the landholders on this project.

Our AGM: Threatened Species, Annual report and New Committee

Our brief AGM held on the 21st of July saw our 2018-2019 Committee elected with two new members. Welcome Liana and welcome back Peter!

  • Kate Daniel (President)
  • David Gossip (Vice President)
  • Neil Thomson (Treasurer)
  • Linda Vale (Secretary)
  • David Bower (Thursday Crew)
  • Krista Patterson-Majoor
  • Doug Dalgleish
  • Nicole Middleton
  • Peter Yates
  • Liana Quach

Kate gave a quick summary of the our actions over the past year, which you can read about in our 2018 Annual Report.

Click here to view our Annual Report 2018

Anna Murphy from the Threatened Species Conservancy then gave a fantastic talk on the process of threatened species recovery using the Black Gum as an example. For those who missed the talk, here are Anna’s key steps to recover threatened species:

  1. Collect population data including historic and herbarium information. Undertake field surveys looking at area, extent, size and change.
  2. Identify current and potential habitat and identify threats. It is much easier to protect something before it is damaged.
  3. Manage threats to populations. Threatening processes include:
    • Land clearance – broadscale (grazing, cropping, urbanisation) or small scale (road maintenance, fire wood)
    • Modification of native vegetation
    • Altered fire regimes
    • Changes in land management
    • Timber harvesting
    • Changes to hydrology
    • Grazing by native and exotic herbivores
    • Pest plants and animals
    • Plant diseases (eg. cinnamon fungus)
    • Climate change – hard to predict but we know there will be more droughts, higher temperatures and less rainfall
    • Loss of genetic diversity – leading to inbreeding depression and poor plant health
    • Reduction of offspring
    • Genetic problems
  4. Legally protect populations (eg. specially protection zones, planning overlays, conservation covenants)
  5. Build community support for conservation
  6. Collect biological and ecological data
  7. Determine growth rates and viability of populations (through monitoring)

Spotlight on Species Dates

Speaking of threatened species, if you are interested in attending one of the Spotlighting Events that are part of the UCLN’s Spotlight on Species Project to look for Powerful Owls and Greater Gliders, please see dates below and book your place via the links provided. Data collected as a result of the surveys will be added to the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas to help protect these species and their habitat. More information, can be found at: http://www.uppercampaspelandcare.org.au/about-us/spotlight-on-species/

AGM Reminder and Other News

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Invitation to our 2018 Annual General Meeting

2018 agm flyer

Our AGM will be held this Saturday (21 July) at 1.30 pm at the Woodend Neighborhood House. There will be a brief formal meeting, to present the Annual Report and hold elections, followed by guest speaker Anna Murphy who will be discussing threatened species recovery. Afternoon tea to follow.

Also a reminder to all members that membership fees were due on 30 June, unchanged at $20 and payable on the day. For electronic banking: BSB 033-674, Acct 982435, Woodend Landcare Inc. Please include your full name.

Sugar Gliders found along Five Mile Creek

Woodend Landcare members Peter and Ann Yates recently invited William Terry from the Macedon Ranges Shire Council to install motion sensing cameras on their property that backs onto Five Mile Creek right in the heart of Woodend. Over many years, Peter and Ann have worked hard to restore the creekline of their property with locally native plants and have permanently protected the area with a Trust for Nature covenant.

The good news is that the revegetation  work and installation of nest boxes has paid off, with the discovery of a Sugar Glider on the property. This is solid evidence of the important habitat value of the indigenous vegetation along Five Mile Creek and a timely reminder to keep cats inside in the evening. You too can help Sugar Gliders to thrive in Woodend by planting a locally native garden. CLICK HERE to open Woodend Landcare’s recommended native plant list.

yates glider

Sugar Glider found at the Yates property along Five Mile Creek in Woodend

If you would like to find out what might be active on your property or take part in a local evening spotlight tour, check out the Spotlight in Species project being run by council and the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network. CLICK HERE to find out more.

More News:

Reminder: the film screening of the Desperate Plight of the Orange-Bellied Parrot is coming up on Friday the 27 July. 7pm at the Norma Richardson Hall, Woodend.

Upper Campaspe Landcare July Newsletter: CLICK HERE to read more local Landcare news and check out the great photos by our local Landcare facilitator, Sandy Schletma.

Woodend Landcare News: AGM, Black Gums, and Orange-Bellied Parrots!

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AGM: Black Gums back in the spotlight

1:30pm | Saturday 21 July 2018 | Woodend Neighbourhood House

Most of us in Woodend are well aware that we have a very special threatened species in our midst. Black Gum (Eucalyptus aggregata) is listed as threatened under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. Some stunning specimens can been seen if you take a walk along Five Mile Creek in town. In Victoria, the species only occurs in a 4 km radius of Woodend in cool and moist riparian areas. Not surprisingly, its limited geographic range makes it highly vulnerable to further loss. Hence the protection of Black Gums has been a major goal for Woodend Landcare for many years.

More recently Black Gums have also caught the attention of new environmental organisation, the Threatened Species Conservancy. Lucky for us, Black Gum conservation will be one of the organisation’s first projects. On Saturday 21 July, founder and ecologist Anna Murphy will be the guest speaker at Woodend Landcare’s AGM. Anna will talk about what ‘threatened species’ actually means and how their organisation hopes to make a difference. She will also tell us more about their new Black Gum project and how to get involved.

More information about Black Gums is available HERE. The brief AGM will be held at the Woodend Neighbourhood House at 1.30 pm, Anna will speak at 2 pm and a tasty afternoon tea will follow. All welcome.

blackgum

AGM: Renew your membership

Woodend Landcare always welcomes new volunteers and members. Most importantly,  membership ensures you are covered by insurance at our Working Bees and Thursday Crew mornings. It also helps to show support for our group in funding submissions and the like.

Our annual membership fee is $20 and you can renew your membership by either:

  • paying by cash at the AGM,
  • sending cash or cheque to Woodend Landcare, PO Box 297, Woodend 3442, or
  • paying $20 electronically (be sure to include your name in the transaction).
    Account details: Woodend Landcare, Westpac Bank, BSB 033-674, Acct 982435.

Are you a new member? Please CLICK HERE to download and fill in a membership form.

If you would like more information or if you are interested in joining the committee, please contact Kate Daniel on woodendlandcare@gmail.com.

FILM: The Desperate Plight of the Orange-Bellied Parrot

Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group – Movies that Matter film screening
7.30pm (doors open from 7pm) | Friday 27 July | Norma Richardson Hall Woodend

This is a film for local naturalists and land-carers… It tells the story of the Orange-bellied Parrot, the most endangered parrot in the world. These parrots breed over the summer in South West Tasmania and then cross Bass Strait to spend the winter on the mainland coast. With less than 30 living in the wild, this timely documentary explores efforts to save this species from extinction. Aspects of the parrots’ behaviour are shown on film for the first time and scientists working on the recovery efforts are interviewed. What is the future for this beautiful bird? Film makers – David Neilson and Karen Alexander – will join us in Woodend for the screening and a Q & A.

Movies that Matter is the quarterly film program of the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group. Films are selected to provide a mix of enlightening, thought-provoking, educating, motivating and inspiring stories about our planet, the threats it faces and the people working to implement sustainable solutions. For more information, contact Anita via email: anitafoerster75@gmail.com.

IMG_20180524_163611524_HDR

A Walk in the Forest

Woodend local, Mark Amble, keeps an informative nature blog of his local observations and experiences. He recently took part in a Upper Campaspe Landcare Networks “Spotlight on Species” evening. CLICK HERE to read Mark’s delightful reflection of his multiple Greater Glider sightings.

For more information about Spotlight on Species, or to find out when the next spotlighting tour in on, CLICK HERE.

Links to more Landcare News

Wombat Forestcare Newsletter (44) June 2018

North Central Chat – July 2018