Chinnup – season of cockatoos – and is it ever! I saw an enormous flock of long billed corellas in a paddock at Pomonal this week. Strange to think that not so long ago they were listed as rare and maybe threatened. But we also have the sulphur crested cockatoos around the towns, while the black and the gang gangs are more in the hills at this time of year. It is also the season of common heath and the display in the burnt areas is so colourful this year.
I am writing this on a beautifully damp morning. After a scarily dry few months we had a good rainfall in Halls Gap about a month ago, although the Northern end once again had less. And now this week we have a good soaking. But after so many dry years we need much more. Lake Bellfield is still at only 8% compared to 12% this time last year and over the whole Grampians Wimmera Mallee system storages are at 3.4 % (4.6% this time last year).
It is salutary to look at the trends over the last 15 years for the whole catchment area (more or less the Grampians ranges). How much is drought, how much climate change?
Storage Comparison at This Time Each Year Source: GWM website June 10.
1993 87.3% 2001 11.9%
1994 81.2% 2002 17.5%
1995 50.6% 2003 6.5%
1996 60.2% 2004 9.3%
1997 72.7% 2005 10.6%
1998 46.1% 2006 6.5%
1999 30.9% 2007 4.6%
2000 15.2% 2008 3.4%
Member Feedback
Member Val Hughes has sent in a copy of an interesting article on thistles on farm land. The author argues that rather than try to eradicate thistles, we should be making use of them to improve the soil fertility. This chapter is about farmlands in particular, not weeds in a National Park but raises some good questions. Peter Andrews “Back from the Brink – How Australia’s landscape can be saved” 2006. Thanks Val.
Another member wrote to us with his concerns over proposed road closures in the area where the brushtail rock wallabies are due to be released. He was assured that FOGG had discussed this with Park management and supported their policy here.