Earnshaw plans unveiled, koala sightings and our new committee.

July 27, 2016 / Woodend Landcare / 1 Comment

Two inspiring presentations, an extraordinary afternoon tea, and a delightful community feel left us motivated for the year ahead at Woodend Landcare’s recent AGM.

Annual Report – Krista Patterson-Majoor

It’s been another busy year for Woodend Landcare with the culmination of the large grants we received in 2015. We organised two community planting days and four education events, developed a black gum brochure, held our monthly working bees and supported the Thursday’s Crew weekly efforts around town. None of this would be possible without the great team effort that is Woodend Landcare. Thanks to everyone who has given so much during the year. After a big year of works along Five Mile Creek, we now intend to focus on the maintenance of these efforts as well as furthering our plans for the Lake Earnshaw area.

There are also a few people I’d like to acknowledge and thank in particular:

Kate Daniel – for her outstanding presidency for two and a half years and overseeing a couple of large projects.
Jo Clancy – for being such a passionate advocate for our local environment and a very dedicated member of the team. Jo is standing down from the committee after 13 years of executive roles.
Bob Sullivan, John Newell, and Barry Clarke – for giving such a huge amount of energy to the Thursday Crew over the years. John, Bob and Barry are standing down from the committee.
Peter Yates and Adam Barber – for their on-going and invaluable support for Woodend Landcare behind scenes.
Pene Rice and Doug Dalgliesh – for joining our 2016-2017 committee.

Click here to view our 2015-2016 Annual Report

Click here to view the minutes from the 2016 Woodend Landcare Annual General Meeting

Lake Earnshaw Plan – Pene Rice

Pene Rice and the Thursday Crew have developed a fabulous plan for the Lake Earnshaw area. Of particular note are the revegetation sites, picnic shelter, and the proposed pathways: with asphalt paths linking to the Gilbert Gordon Oval to the town, and the granitic or mown paths encircling four distinct recreational and natural areas. The draft plan will be displayed in the Coles window and on our website. We will also consult with the Macedon Ranges Shire Council over the coming months on our proposals. We invite any comments about the plan. Please email your feedback to woodendlandcare@gmail.com.

Click here to read more about our Lake Earnshaw proposal

Macedon Ranges Koala Project – Linda Healy

Linda is a local koala carer and has set up a web site to get statistics on koalas living in the Macedon Ranges. Koalas have been recently recorded right in the heart of Woodend along Black Forest Drive and in the rail reserve along Quarry Road.

Although there are other koala registers, she hopes the community sends sightings to her first to build our local knowledge on the species, and she will pass on details to the national registers. The statistics that she hopes to gather will allow her to present her case to the authorities for action in regard to protecting the local koalas.

The local density of koalas is low. Landcare has been asked to support the project by looking for scats at the base of eucalypts at our project sites and by spreading the word about the project. We will put up a notice about the website in the Coles window and provide a link from our blog.

Click here to visit the Macedon Ranges Koala Project Website

Save the date: Slatey Creek Working Bee on Sunday 28th August

Our next working bee will be at the Slatey Creek Black Gum Reserve. More details coming soon.

Reminder: memberships now due

A huge thanks to all those who have renewed their Landcare membership. If you are not a member or have not yet renewed, please show us your support and do so as soon as possible. Click here for details on how to pay the $20 membership fee and to download a membership form.

AGM invite and July News

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016 / Woodend Landcare / Leave a comment

Our 2016 AGM: Saturday the 23rd July

Woodend Landcare’s restoration plan for Lake Earnshaw and the Macedon Ranges Koala Project will be the focus for our 2016 Annual General Meeting. The informative afternoon will kick off at 1.30 pm on Saturday the 23rd of July at the Woodend Neighbourhood House.

Woodend Landcare’s Thursday Crew are very passionate about the restoration of Lake Earnshaw and they have recently developed an inspiring draft plan for the area – including future revegetation sites, paths and possibly a sheltered picnic table. We will launch the draft plan at the AGM and invite your feedback and input.

Linda Healy, a local wildlife rescuer, will discuss sightings, patterns, threats and protection of our special local native – the Koala. Photo: Sam Ford

The Macedon Ranges Koala Project is an initiative of local wildlife rescuers that has been operating since 2009. The project aims to give a local picture of koala populations and better insight into their threats and guidance for management. You can submit sightings online at http://www.mrkp.org.au. What have been the findings and what can we do to help? Come along on the 23rd to find out!

RSVPs to the AGM are appreciated for catering purposes to woodendlandcare@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you there.

Woodend Landcare Memberships are Due

With our AGM coming up, this also means that our annual memberships are due for renewal. Click here for a membership form and for more information about our group.

Please show your support for our group and make sure your covered by insurance at our working bees by being a current member. Photo: Sandy Scheltema.

It’s also a good time to call out for new committee members; nominations are open for all positions, but we are especially looking for a new general committee members. We’d love to see some new faces on the committee, which works to promote and coordinate Landcare activities and keeps us all going operationally. Meetings are a friendly bi-monthly catch-up. Please contact Kate (5427 2312) or Krista (5427 2140) if you are interested.

Upper Campaspe Landcare Network Winter News

Click here to view – includes useful information on up and coming events including rabbit buster and weeds field days in Malmsbury. It also contains a link to the North Central Catchment Management Authority Monthly Landcare News; “the Chat”.

Two interesting local events

Woodend Landcare June 2016 News: celebrating our local landscape.

June 6, 2016June 6, 2016 / Woodend Landcare / Leave a comment

Cobaw Biolink Field Day

Fifty five people recently attended a field day organized by the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network with Woodend, Carlsruhe, Ashbourne and Newham Landcare Groups. They toured the Campaspe River, Five Mile Creek, important remnant grassland sites, and ended the day overlooking the landscape at the top of the Jim Jims, near Hanging Rock.

Ecologists and Landcare members discuss workshops being planned to give participants an insight into the landscape and vegetation communities of the local region.They will provide a forum for the discussion of ecological restoration techniques and priorities. Pic by Sandy Scheltema

Workshop participants gained an insight into the landscape and vegetation communities of the local region. Pic by Sandy Scheltema

The field day, presented by Uncle Larry and ecologists Damien Cook and Paul Foreman, gave participants an insight into the landscape and vegetation communities of the local region. It provided a fascinating forum for the discussion of ecological restoration techniques and priorities.

Of particular interest to Woodend Landcare was how thrilled Paul Foreman was to discover the Woodend Grassland Reserve – which he said was one of best examples of remnant grasslands in the region, if not the state. Who knew we had something so special right in our own town!

Participants were also delighted to hear Taungurung Elder and knowledge holder, Uncle Larry Walsh, tell stories about local indigenous plants and animals and how they related to the lifestyle of Central Victoria oldest inhabitants.

Taungurung Elder and story teller Uncle Larry Walsh speaks of the importance of looking after the land from an indigenous perspective at a recent Field Day organized by the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network.Pic by Sandy Scheltema

Uncle Larry spoke of the importance of looking after the land from an indigenous perspective. Pic by Sandy Scheltema

Ecologist Damien Cook, said “Indigenous knowledge is a critical part of understanding how to restore our damaged landscapes.”

Landcare members were also present to tell their stories of successful revegetation and biolink projects and spoke of a vision for future conservation works in the area.

President of Upper Campaspe Landcare Network Barry Elliott felt “the day was successful because it was a lovely combination of being able to see sites that were in good and bad condition. The presenters were excellent.”

The field day was part of a series of workshops designed to feed into planning for regional landscape scale revegetation projects. The projects will tackle issues relating to biodiversity loss and climate change. Woodend Landcare looks forward to being involved in the development of this exciting biolink project.

Save the Date: Woodend Landcare AGM – Saturday 23rd July.

We will send out more information about our AGM and membership renewals very soon, but in the meantime, please mark the afternoon of Saturday the 23rd of July in your diaries as Woodend Landcare’s not-to-be-missed AGM (including a special guest speaker).

June 2016 edition of North Central CMA chat

The June 2016 North Central Chat is available for viewing (click here – 5MB). Regional Landcare Coordinator, Tess Grieves, notes that the highlights this month include an invitation to the North Central Waterwatch 4th Annual Water Science Forum on June 4, an array of fishy news stories and an introduction to Gorse Project officer Jenny Johnson.

May News and Field Day Invite

May 9, 2016May 9, 2016 / Woodend Landcare / Leave a comment

Cobaw to Campaspe Connections Field Day

Woodend Landcare is thrilled to be involved in a exciting new project, in conjunction with the Upper Campaspe Landcare Network.

‘Cobaw to Campaspe Connections’ is about working together, in a strategic way, to restore the landscape to provide more habitat for native plants and animals – and allow them to move freely again – to feed, escape fire, to take refuge in drought times and breed successfully.

Small patches of isolated bush are not good for our native plants and animals. Especially important is access to the Campaspe River and its tributaries, as it is a lifeline for many species. This project is about increasing quality habitat and creating connections to the Campaspe.

It is a big goal we have set – but it can be done. We want to start by learning more about the area and how to most effectively restore it. And we especially want this project to be inclusive – provide ways for everyone in the area to tell us what they value in the landscape and find ways for us all to play a part.

We are holding a field day to explore the region’s ecology and to discuss what needs to be done to fix it. We would be very pleased if you were able to come along. Details are in the poster below – RSVPs are essential. Note: this event is being held in lieu of our normal May working bee.

UCLN A4 Field Day poster_lo-res JPG

Trees for Mum 2016 success!

A brilliant team effort saw 900 native trees, shrubs and grasses planted to rehabilitate what was once a dense blackberry thicket on a bend on the Five Mile Creek. We were thrilled to have 140 passionate participants brave the drizzle and plant with great spirit for our 2016 Trees For Mum event.

Thank-you to everyone who came along and planted with their mum or for their mum. We hope you will enjoy watching your living legacy grow over the years. Thank-you to our wonderful Landcare stalwarts – David, Kate, Chris, Doug, Peter, Krista and Dave – for doing so much behind the scenes and on the day. Thank-you to our exceptional catering team – Jo, Susan and Sam – for keeping us going through the morning. A huge thank-you to Angela and family for being such passionate advocates for, and organises of, Trees For Mum in Woodend. And finally, thank-you to the North Central Catchment Management Authority for the Landcare Grant that made the day possible.

Click here to see more of the gorgeous photos from the day.

Alice, Angela and Jason planting a tree for granny.

More landcare news

Please click on the links below to read more regional and national landcare news.

North Central Chat May 2016. This link will take you to the North Cental page where you can download the latest landcare newsletter. Of special interest to Woodend Landcare is a report on page 8 about our waterwatch volunteer – Emma McKenzie – who is monitoring water quality along the Five Mile Creek . Thanks Emma!

Landcare Australia’s Landlink

A tree for your mum on Mother’s Day

April 22, 2016 / Woodend Landcare / Leave a comment

Come along and plant with your mum or for your mum on Mother’s Day.

Woodend Landcare is hosting Trees of Mum on Sunday, 8 May from 9am to midday at Campapse Park off Campaspe Drive, just the other side of the creek to the Children’s Park near the free tennis court.

Trees for Mum is a series of Australia-wide free tree planting events run by Landcare on Mother’s Day. First started in Sydney in 2002 by friends and colleagues, Deena Raphael and Lauren Adlam, as a way of paying tribute to their Mums, who they had both lost to cancer; Trees for Mum in Woodend is now in its fifth year.

The trees and shrubs will be a range of natives that are perfect for the Woodend climate. The Woodend Landcare team will be on hand with plenty of tools to help you plant them into weed mat along the bank of the creek. Everyone will be given a tree or a shrub and some grasses to plant to create an interesting habitat.

Bring along some gloves and we recommend gumboots; it might be wet and muddy. There’s no need to book this year, but if you do have a question call Angela on 0409 373 010
treesformum2016