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

24 April Working Bee and Other News

April 8, 2016 / Woodend Landcare / 1 Comment

Next Working Bee: 24th April 2016

Help us get our 2016 Trees for Mum site prepared on Sunday the 24th of April.

Help us get our 2016 Trees for Mum site prepared by laying jute mat on Sunday the 24th of April.

What: Site preparation on the creek flats near the Woodend Children’s Park for Tree for Mum 2016. Tasks include laying jute mat and removing ivy and other weeds from the site.
When: 9am – noon, 24th April 2016
Where: Campaspe Park, north side of Five Mile Creek, near the single tennis court.
Bring: Gumboots and gloves
Eat/drink: Hot drinks and morning tea provided
RSVP: Krista on 5427 2140 or woodendlandcare@gmail.com

Swamp Wallabies return to Five Mile Creek

Peter Yates has written the following piece about our latest discovery along Five Mile Creek.

Swamp Wallabies are like a smaller, darker version of a Kangaroo. They are beautiful little animals and unlike kangaroos, they are more or less defenceless against dogs. In the past, they probably lived in the bushier areas along Five Mile Creek in Woodend , but in recent years they seem to have disappeared. This may be partly due to the increased prevalence of uncontrolled dogs.

Legally dogs are permitted to be off-leash as long as they don’t harass wildlife. Many people are quite sure that their off-leash dogs are harmless and don’t represent a threat to people or animals, but this is often not the reality. Voice control is never as effective as a leash. Dogs are companion animals and they certainly enjoy their walks just as much if they are with you all the time on a leash, so it should not be regarded as an imposition on their freedom.

At our recent Landcare working bee, a swamp wallaby was seen browsing between the walking track and the creek. At the same time numbers of off leash dogs were seen passing with their owners. This is an appeal to all dog owners to please consider making a small change if they are in the habit of letting their dogs roam near them during walks. Many of us live in Woodend because of the fabulous natural environment it offers. Wallabies are beautiful, inoffensive, defenceless animals and it would be great if we could allow them to co-exist with us in their natural habitat without threats like off-leash dogs. In the not too distant past, Landcare members have witnessed a loving pet Labrador harassing an injured wallaby which subsequently had to be put down. Please give this some thought.

Guard Removal Working Bee Success

Meet our latest Woodend Landcare working bee recruits… hardworking Annie and Ned helped us to remove several garbage bags full of old tree guards from our past revegetation sites along the Five Mile Creek at our last working bee on the 3rd of April. Thanks to everyone who came along and to Chris and Susan for the tasty morning tea.

North Central Chat – Landcare News

The April 2016 edition of the North Central CMA publication ‘chat’ is now available (click here), covering Landcare and Waterwatch activities in the local area. In addition, an interesting fungi workshop is coming up in Baynton on the 30th April 2016, see flyer below for more details.