Category: 2020

From The Editor

Welcome to a summer edition of our newsletter, the first December one since 2012! I hope it finds you surviving all the Covid stuff and send my best wishes for Christmas and the new year. It’s quite short but there are a few fairly urgent items, and then another one will follow in January.

What an extraordinary year it has been, and it has not been an easy time for our committee, particularly our president Catherine and secretary Bill. As well as trying to organise activities with constantly changing restrictions on volunteer activities, we have also been following the progress of the Grampians Peaks Trail. Committee meetings have had to be via Zoom. It has also been a very difficult year for our Park staff, mainly working from home. We thank them for their dedication and perseverence. Particular thanks to our contact ranger Hannah, and as you will read later, … Read the rest

From Our Chief Ranger

The Draft Gariwerd Landscape Management Plan has been launched and we encourage everyone to go to engage.vic website to find all the information. This includes an executive summary, frequently asked questions , a summary on rock climbing, a short video and the plan, so plenty to start reading and join the conversation.

All our project firefighters have returned and are busy working across the park and we are currently recruiting for 2 seasonal rangers. Lots of recruitment is currently occurring with new staff coming on board for the Grampians Peaks Trail.

A successful aerial shooting operation occurred last week as part of the biodiversity response programs,  with the total numbers of the 2.5 years being 378 deer 364 goats been dispatched. The team will know be working hard to promote the value of this level of investment in landscape scale programs so we can continue these programs.

We expect to … Read the rest

Han Auld – Community Engagement Ranger

(Editor’s note: Han has been our main contact all year, but the Covid rules have meant that she has met very few of us. I decided it was time we started to get to know her, so asked her to introduce herself to us.)

My name is Hannah (or Han as most people call me) and I am the Community Engagement Ranger for the Grampians. I started as a volunteer here almost 5 years ago with Caity O’Reilly, I applied to be a Seasonal Ranger which fortunately turned into a full time position. My role is quite diverse as I manage volunteers and community groups ‘Get Into Nature’ and assist with activities throughout the park. I also assist with the Environmental Education activities including Bush Kinder and Junior Ranger. I feel quite privileged to meet so many people who visit or call the Grampians home because I have the opportunity … Read the rest

Annual General Meeting Minutes

FOGG AGM 14th November 2020 held at Heatherlie Quarry.

Members met at lunch time after our wildflower walk nearby.

Minutes from 2019 AGM were read and accepted

Presidents Report: Catherine gave a summary of the year’s activity. Passed a motion of thanks to Catherine for her two years’ presidency, and for helping us through both the Covid scenario and the changes in Parks rules.

Treasurers Report: Balance on 1st.July 2019 was $9,828.45, income for the financial year was $1,808.00, expenditure $818.60, leaving a balance $10,817.85 at 30th.June 2020. (Not audited)

Membership Fees: -To remain $20 for individual and $25 for Family

Election of Office Bearers:  President: Leigh Douglas,

Vice president: Rodney Thompson.

Secretary: Alison Bainbridge Thanks to Bill & Judy Gardner’s efforts in their term as Secretary.

Treasurer: Judith Thompson. Note that this is last year Judith will hold the position of Treasurer.

Committee … Read the rest

Installation Of Seat At Fish Falls

After a long break with no activities, because of Covid 19, we were able to have a working bee. On a very pleasant Saturday 10th October

Committee had finally been able to organise with Parks, the purchase and installation of the seat to be installed on the Fish Falls walk. Back in 2017 we had picked out and proposed to Parks a couple of spots along the track which we thought would be suitable sites for the seat. However with changes to Parks staff and changing of FOGGs committee members it has taken a while to all fall into place.

We met at Zumsteins picnic ground and Hanna our Parks contact joined us. After an OH&S briefing and a reminder of the Covid rules we got started. Hanna had brought along a motorized track barrow to carry the seat and quick set cement into the site. As there were … Read the rest

Advisory Group Report

The AG has met just once since the last newsletter. 29/10/20

The meeting had most members in the mural room plus some with Microsoft teams.

It opened with a video of how the Dunkeld Kinder group does their respect to country.

Mike Stevens was next, announced that he was leaving PV and moving interstate. He gave us an update on his team’s work. First, the Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies. There are at least 4 new joeys, likely to be more as scats show there are 3 females in a different site which could also have pouch young. The introduction of a new male at the end of last year is the cause. Next, the cat poisoning programme has finally started. (It was slow because of misgivings by parliament). Baiting is being done well inside the Park, close to where there are threatened species eg the BTRWs and potoroos. It’s a very … Read the rest

Online Information Sessions

People are encouraged to attend a community information session to learn more about what is in the plan and discuss the proposals in depth. Due to current health restrictions, these are mostly online.

The dates and times for the information sessions are:

Online discussion sessions (max 30 people each):

  • Tuesday 24 November, 5.30 – 7.30pm
  • Thursday 26 November, 5.30 – 7.30pm
  • Tuesday 1 December, 5.30 – 7.30pm
  • Wednesday 2 December, 5.30 – 7.30pm

You can register for a community information session online. – Eventbrite registration link.  You can also register by calling 13 1963. If you cannot participate online you can call 03 8427 3606, to ask about an in-person option in the local Grampians area. If required, more information sessions can be held in January 2021.

This plan is a draft, Parks Victoria, Barengi Gadjin Land Council, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, and the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal … Read the rest

Miscellaneous Reports

There is a new update on the Victorian Deer Management Strategy project. Submissions on a draft Victorian Deer Management Strategy were sought in October 2018. 666 public submissions were received. The final Strategy and a Consultation Report is now available at: https://engage.vic.gov.au/draft-victorian-deer-man…

The Grampians Fire Online Conference is also available on line. https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/a6ee473b-5574-4d54-ad8b-c8833279af70. Two highlights of the presentation were:

  1. The case study into the Mt Lang bushfire in December 2019, with some great photography and a good summary of the activity of the fire.
  2. The Wartook Community Bushfire Strategy Development.
… Read the rest

Farewell Mike Stevens

As we learned at the AG meeting, Mike is leaving Parks Vic. We at Foggs have been most appreciative of the work he has done here over the years with his creative thinking on ways in which to advance conservation and ecological health in the Grampians, and the hard work he always cheerfully and enthusiastically undertook.(already said.) He will be greatly missed and we will be giving him a small gift of an artwork and a copy of the Ian McCann book.… Read the rest