Season’s greetings from Woodend Landcare

/ Woodend Landcare

Hello Woodend Landcare members and blog followers,

For our last post of the year, we’d like to send out our warm greetings for the festive season and and huge thanks for your support throughout 2011.

Below is an abridged version of Peter’s last present report for 2011… it provides a great summary of the year.

We look forward to seeing you at a working bee or other event (like the sustainable living festival) soon. If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us at woodendlandcare@gmail.com

All the best, Krista (blog editor)

PRESIDENT’S REPORT NOVEMBER 2011

This year is fast disappearing and it might seem that we haven’t achieved very much in the last 12 months. In terms of putting in thousands of indigenous plants, that may be true, although we did some minor plantings with the Scouts at the ‘Billabong’.

But we did accomplish some very worthwhile things, including an expanded work area for “The Thursday Crew”. They have been operating in areas all around Woodend such as Urquhart St., near the Aged Care facility, Sullivan’s Road, Quarry Road and along the creek west of High Street, removing lots of woody weeds and generally enhancing the environment. They also did a working bee at Jo’s place which she greatly appreciated. The Crew does most of our woody weed removal and we appreciate their regular efforts greatly. Thanks to Stewart and the guys.

We also completed the “Exotic Tree Project” in the paddocks between Pyke Street and Bowen Street. All 21 trees seem to have taken to their new homes happily and we can look forward to some beautiful shade trees and autumn colour into the future.

Our monthly working bee program was curtailed during the winter, but a significant amount of work was done in maintaining our existing plantings. A lot of work was also done “behind the scenes” including on-going negotiations with the Macedon Ranges Shire Council.

We conducted a project aimed at involving the wider community with environmental issues and specifically “The Creek”. This involved a lot of work and it did provide some benefits in terms of raising the profile of the creek and of our group. It also gave us some insights as to the extent of community support and the likelihood of greater community involvement. Whilst some good ideas came out of the various forums, it became clear that apart from MRSC, most people regarded Landcare as the de-facto managers of all things to do with the creek.

We did not seek or receive any large grants during the year, but our budget has been ably managed by Kate and we are in good financial shape. There were numerous small budget items delivered including the David Currie plaque, working bee safety signs, gate signs and the exotic trees.

Short term future plans include having two more members ACUP trained and some chainsaw safety training.  We also hope to run some more plantings at the Scout Billabong. Maine Environmental will shortly be finalizing their willow removal program which will hopefully leave relatively few intact willows along the creek except for the thicket near Tennyson Street. Those trees will only be eradicated if we can manage to fund a dedicated removal project [which is being planned] .

Anna Murphy from the Department of Sustainability and Environment is updating the Black Gum Action Plan and she visited Woodend recently to swap information on the best ways to ensure the survival of our endangered tree. Exactly what will come of this is unclear, but there may be opportunities for funding to undertake projects without needing a major labour input from our volunteers – possibly the Tennyson Street willows.

Finally, I need to thank our great committee. All have contributed a great amount of their time and ideas over the year. We are all busy these days, regardless of our stage in life, so fitting in volunteer activities is always a challenge, especially when it involves the more mundane activities such as weeding and cleaning up sites. So thank you all.

Peter Yates, President

The Future of Five Mile Creek: A community involvement plan

/ Woodend Landcare

The Five Mile Creek runs through the centre of Woodend township and is a major public open-space asset for the community. The creek catchment supports a range of threatened flora, fauna and vegetation communities and, in particular, the Black Gum of which the only known occurrence in Victoria is at Woodend.

 Woodend Landcare and its predecessor ‘Friends of Five Mile Creek’ have been working along Five Mile Creek for more than 20 years, primarily on woody and other weed control, and revegetation. In the past eight years, at least 20 working bees have involved the larger community and schools in bringing the creek back to a healthier waterway, and about 12,000 indigenous plants have been put in the ground.

Woodend Landcare needs help to maintain the work done to date and to further improve the creek. It would like to see the wider community and stakeholders engaged in helping to enhance and restore five Mile Creek. It hence initiated the development of a ‘Community Involvement Plan’ for the Five Mile Creek from Romsey Road to Gregory Street, Woodend. The plan compliments and updates the ‘Waterway Action Plan’ developed by North Central Catchment Management Authority in 2004.

The community involvement plan outlines a vision, as identified by stakeholders and community, to improve the Five Mile Creek. It also addresses the important issue of ongoing management and maintenance responsibilities for on-ground works that are undertaken along the creek. In doing so it identifies the level of involvement that people and groups are prepared to commit.

Click here to view the report: “The Future of Five Mile Creek: A community involvement plan”

Chainsaw Training – Sunday 12th February

/ Woodend Landcare

Our first chainsaw training session with Luke Dam was very useful to the participants. Luke is an excellent trainer and he has agreed to do a more “in-depth” session on Sunday morning 12th February next year. The first session was mainly about safety. This one will be a full 3 hours from 9.30AM to 12.30PM and will include the safety aspects again, but also many handy tips around the purchase, ownership and basic maintenance of a saw.

It will not be an accredited course, so there will be no diploma, but you will come away with some very handy information and maybe a few new skills. Even if you have used a saw for decades, as I have, you will still find the course informative.

If you have a saw, please bring it, together with ear protectors, goggles, boots and gloves if you have them. Landcare does have some protective gear if you don’t have any. There will be a small charge for non-Landcare members which will be no more than $20. More information nearer the day but we do need an indication of who will be coming, so please let me know.

Cheers, Peter

VENUE – NORTHERN END OF PYKE STREET NEAR THE CHILDREN’S PARK

DATE – SUNDAY 12TH FEBRUARY 2012

TIME – 0930 – 1230

COST – UP TO $20

RSVP – Peter Yates, pandaY@bipond.com

Working bee and chainsaw training – this Sunday (the 27th November)

/ Woodend Landcare

A reminder that the monthly Sunday working bee will be held this weekend on the 27th of November from 09.30am at the Envirofund area via the northern end of Wood St.

The general plan is to do the usual cleaning up around our plantings which will be mainly whipper snipper work. Others can weed in plant guards and generally tidy them up, and also cut and paint the gorse and broom plants.

Morning tea will be provided and whipper snippers would be useful!

ALSO … we have decided to proceed with the chainsaw safety session after the working bee.

Weather permitting, it will commence at noon in the paddocks near Badgers Removals at the northern end of Wood St. The charge will be minimal for non-members and free for Landcare members.

This session will only cover some basic safety aspects and will only last for about one hour, so those who need to can escape for lunch. Luke has agreed to stay around for anyone who wants to discuss things, but the likelihood is that we will run a slightly expanded course covering some maintenance aspects as well as the safety issues early next year. This may be a dedicated Sunday morning session rather than being at the end of working bee.

If the brief session on Sunday is OK for you, please come along with your saw if you have one. Otherwise let us know if you would like to be contacted for a longer sessions next year.