Category: Newsletters

Weather report

 

It is still so dry here. Parts of the Park are looking quite stressed, and hot windy days are still scary.

Halls Gap received 23.0mm for March bringing the progressive total to 65.0mm,this compares to the same period last year with a progressive total of 88.0mm, and we thought that was dry!

Pomonal FOGG member Phil Williams has been recording the rainfall at his place since 1980 and says that should be long enough to discern some trends. The most obvious feature of the graph is the large variability from year to year.

From the lowest, 346mm in 1982, to the highest, 1080mm in 1992. This variability means that the ‘average’ annual rainfall is no use in predicting how much rain is likely in any one year. Also it makes it difficult to discern any trends. We can even out this variability by looking at a decade at … Read the rest

Grampians National Park – An Update – David Roberts April 2014

 

The Grampians National Park has had more than its fair share natural disasters. The recent history is compelling with 3 major landscape scale bushfires in 8 years (2006, 2013, 2014, totalling 87% of the park) as well as record floods and landslides in 2011. In dollar terms, the cost of reinstating destroyed assets over the past 8years is fast approaching $10million, the cost however to our environmental and cultural values is more difficult to measure, and requires specific expertise, short, medium and longer term monitoring to understand the impacts negative and/or positive.

 Any impact in the Grampians from landscape scale events is felt hard by the local tourism industry. Annually, the Grampians National Park directly and indirectly contributes an estimated $400million into the Regional economy of Western Victoria(GT 2014). The Park is one of the most popular tourism destinations outside of Melbourne and the 12 Apostle and … Read the rest

President’s Report

 

This time last year we had an excellent article from Wendy on how we as a committee have to work out which issues we should lobby on, and which we do as private citizens. It is still so relevant today. (You can find it on our website). Our priority is always the issues which affect our Grampians National Park. These may be issues also affecting other Parks or may be ones unique to the Grampians.

 

Our committee is particularly worried about the attitude of both our federal and State governments towards the environment . Both seem intent on watering down most of the legislation which currently protects our environment. There are so many examples from all over the country- it is really depressing. Too many national parks already, “abolishing red tape” on vegetation protection etc, re-introducing cattle into the Alpine National Park …. the list goes on and … Read the rest

Editorial April 2014 Newsletter

 

Greetings from the still so very dry Grampians. And fire ravaged yet once again. The January fires have burnt much of the northern section of the Park. Our Park staff have had a torrid time, and now face months of hard work. We offer them our sympathy and our thanks. In Dave Robert’s piece you will see just what a huge task they have ahead of them.

 

It has also severely impacted several of our FOGG members. Judith Thompson, Bill and Hennie Neve, Ewen Johnson, Rob Lucas and Bonnie Carter and others all had the fire roar through their properties and lost sheds and equipment. One member (Rodney Thompson) lost the old cottage he was living in next to Judith and his car. Proo Pyke’s property was burnt; they lost fences but no buildings, Other members lost holiday houses. I am sure all of you will sympathise with … Read the rest

FOGG AGM

SEPTEMBER 28:

Ten of us met together at the home of Alison White and John Fisher at Wartook. Plus we had quite a few apologies.

EXTRACT FROM MINUTES

  • Minutes from last AGM were circulated and passed.

  • Proo gave her presidents report, reporting on our activities of the Clean up Australia Day in March, a visit to Brim Springs with Ben to visit some aboriginal rock art, an evening where Ryan presented some of the findings of the Bioscan, and a working bee at Red Gum walk. The flood recovery work has been completed but there is now the recovery work from the Victoria Ranges fire from February to be done. Zumsteins picnic area has been opened and Dave did a good job consulting with the community. The Park is still facing the environmental threats from government changing policies which have relaxed the rules on firewood collection, increased burning regimes as

… Read the rest

2014 ACTIVITY CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 8 Two short walks in Halls Gap, looking at the flood recovery work.

10.30 start (after the jazz festival parade).Meet at the tennis court car park on School Rd to walk up to Venus baths. Return and drive round to Silverband Rd to walk there. Return for picnic lunch near Lake Bellfield. Contact: Margo 0429 201139

MARCH 2 Clean up Australia day. Site yet to be confirmed. Contact Wendy 0429932065 and watch newspaper ads.

APRIL 4? (to be confirmed) Meeting with Dave and Ryan at park office 4.30 pm.

 In MAY or JUNE, PARKS are organising a celebration of 30 years of our Park. Details next newsletter.

 SOME IDEAS FOR LATER ACTIVITIES

 Maybe a presentation by DEPI staff about the decision making behind the ecological planned burns.

Talk by a ranger during July school holidays.

September: AGM

October,November: Threatened Species surveys

December: Social lunch somewhere

 

 … Read the rest

HISTORY CORNER

Episode 3 of NATURE IN THE SERRA RANGE.

By J. W. AUDAS, F.L.S., F.R.M.S., Assistant, National Herbarium, Melbourne.

(Read before the Field Naturalist’s Club of Victoria, 15th Jan., 1919.)

As noted previously the spelling of some plant names is erratic, due to the difficulty the OCR programme had with Latin words. And some names of course have changed in the last 90 years.We left our group camped beside Rosea Ck, some distance below Calectesia Falls.

Making an early start in the morning, and following the stream downward, rough country was encountered for four or five miles. The water in the creek became much iron-stained, and presented quite a brown appearance. Hereabouts Humea elegans (now Calomeria sp or Incense bush. ed) grew abundantly, but no flowering specimens of it were available, as it blooms later in the season. When in full bloom it is a very fine sight, its … Read the rest

HAVE YOU SPOTTED A PLATYPUS?

 

PLATYPUS SIGHTINGS

 PlatypusSPOT is an online group wanting to involve more people in reporting platypus sightings. They invite community environmental groups including Friends groups to contribute to their new website. The website will use citizen science to improve our understanding of platypus distribution and occurrence, while at the same time raising awareness of some of the conservation issues facing platypuses. If we want to improve management and conservation outcomes for the platypus we need to know more about their distribution. If you’ve been lucky enough to see a platypus, jump onto the new website (www.platypusSPOT.org) and let them know.

 

This website allows you to submit your sightings, upload a photo, viewsightings in your local area, learn about platypuses, and interact with other ‘platypusSPOTters’.

 

Human activities pose the biggest threat to the long-term health and survival of platypus populations, but with goodmanagement, conservation efforts and community engagement it’s … Read the rest

ROUND TABLE REPORT

December meeting

Wendy is our representative on the Round Table, and has prepared this interesting report on the December meeting. The theme was ‘Community Preparedness for Bushfires’. Jenny McGennisken from the CFA gave a presentation on understanding warnings and advice.

 

  • 80% of people still do not have a Bushfire Plan.

  • Warning messaging is broken into 3 categories; Total Fire Ban Days, Fire Danger ratings (indicates fire behaviour ie. Extreme and Severe), and Warnings & Advice, with 3 levels of warnings, being Advice, Watch & Act, and Emergency Warnings.

  • SEWS-Standard Emergency Warning Signal, usually given on radio.

  • Radio effective media. Social media for younger audiences.

  • OSOM (One Source-One Message) predefined templates-Warnings-Leave now means it is still safe to do so; it is not an order to evacuate. Stay means it is too late to leave safely; shelter indoors!

  • Location-based alerting via telephone now provided by all phone carriers. (The

… Read the rest

ADVISORY GROUP REPORTS (2)

The Advisory Group has met twice. I’ll try to condense our discussions.

OCTOBER 14

  • We agreed that the Zumsteins heritage day was a great success, 400 attended and was a healing day for many of the locals.

   Environmental issues;

  • There are clear photos of a Quoll in the Rock Wallaby site, which is most exciting but raises some questions.

    • Halls Gap Zoo lost a quoll a few years ago and there are captive quolls near Dunkeld.

    • Quoll males can travel long distances. It could conceivably come from Mt Eccles.

    • Baiting program won’t change after Quoll sighting as they have demonstrated a dislike to Foxoff in previous studies. Also, we bury baits below 10cm which is best practice and space 1km apart which is greater than recommended in quoll country. Foxes compete for the same food resources and in East Gippsland healthy quoll populations coincide with low fox numbers.

  • Rock Wallaby

… Read the rest
Friends of Grampians Gariwerd