Next Working Bee: Slatey Creek Reserve, Sunday 28th August

The annual working bee at Slatey Creek Blackgum Reserve will be from 9 am till 12 pm on Sunday 28th of August. Maintenance tasks include: plant guard maintenance, cutting and follow up poisoning of mainly small gorse and hawthorn seedlings, a check for any litter and a burnoff of a fireheap if conditions are suitable. Bring gloves, a kneeling pad, secateurs, sturdy waterproof footwear etc. Morning tea will be provided and the Landcare tool trailer will be onsite. This is our first Sunday working bee for the Spring / Summer season so we hope to see you there. Newcomers welcome. Contact David for more information: dandkgossip@bigpond.com.

Lake Earnshaw Plan: feedback sought

Lake Earnshaw is a hidden away piece of undisturbed nature. It has a history of
being the the townships former swimming natural pool and an anglers paradise.
Over the last 40 years the precinct has been invaded by weed species
(blackberry, gorse, willow and hawthorn). The Woodend Thursday crew have been working solidly in this area for over 2 years. They are endeavoring not only to unearth, restore and preserve the former qualities of the site but to also take itLa in a new direction.

Lake Earnshaw in snow: Winter 2016. Check out the crews plantings on the right – this area used to covered in a sea of gorse and blackberry. Photo: Pene Rice

The inherent qualities of a ‘wild zone’ so close to the towns center wants to be preserved for the enjoyment of the community, while encouraging visitors into the site via defined
pathways. New plantings enhance the area while creating a wildlife corridor along
Five Mile Creek. Pathways linking existing areas define movement zones and keep
traffic out of sensitive ecosystems. Structures within the natural environment aid
education and encourage engagement with the natural environment.

Click here to read more about the Lake Earnshaw concept plan

Pene Rice, who developed the plan alongside the Thursday Crew, is asking for community comment. Please email her with your thoughts, suggestions or dreams for this special part of Woodend: pene@poppyhill.com.au. Comments close on the 10th of September. Alternatively you view the plan and have a chat with Pene at the next Woodend Farmers Market on Saturday the 3rd September 2016.

Landcare Week: Woodend Library display and Farmers Market Stall

What has now become an annual tradition for Woodend Landcare, we will celebrate Landcare Week (5th to the 11th of September) with a display in the Woodend Library. This year the focus will be on celebrating all of the delightful local places that are great to explore with kids. This will link in with the kids nature activities that the library is planning over the September school holidays.

We will also have a stall at the Woodend Farmers Market on Saturday the 3rd September from 9am till 1pm.  You can pick up information about our local environment as well as have a chat with a representative from Woodend Landcare. The Lake Earnshaw plans will be on display and we’d love to receive your feedback on our vision for this area.

A walking track into town

Many of you may know Woodend cycling and walking advocate, Hubert Weisrock. He has asked us to help gather some support for a track that runs from South Rd into town. Please contact Hubert if you are interested in being involved: hubert.weisrock@bigpond.com.

Hello to all who are interested in the Walk / Bike -Track from South Rd. to the centre of Woodend.

Best Regards
Hubert Weisrock

Two interesting up-coming local events:

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.

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