Volunteer weekends at Mount Kerang

This winter Bush Heritage Australia (BHA) is organising another series of working bees at their property at Mt Kerang to the NorthWest of Wedderburn. Teams of up to 5 volunteers per weekend will be tackling weeds, fence out rare plants and assist in the rabbit control program. All materials are provided, but volunteers need to bring sturdy footwear, comfortable but warm clothing and their own food for the weekend. The first working bee will be on the weekend of the 26th of May, with further weekends in the following months all the way through till October. The reserve at Mount Kerang is called "Nardoo Hills" and is BHA's largest property in Victoria. It was purchased in 2004 and the continuing weed and rabbit control works there have already resulted in the discovery of a range of threatened plant species. The volunteer weekends are the best opportunity tovisit the reserve and see its special attractions. For more information contact the BHA volunteer coordinator Heidi Fisher on 03 86109100 or visit the website at www.bushheritage.org

Alison Pouliot Fungi Workshops

The Wedderburn CMN will again be hosting the extremely popular fungi workshops run by internationally renowned fungi conservationist Alison Pouliot. There will be two workshops held at the Parks Vic Depot Inglewood as indicated below.

Saturday 02 June 2012  Fungi workshop: 
Fungi – An Introduction to a Curious KingdomFungi - An introduction to a curious kingdom workshop will introduce participants to the diversity and curiosities of the fungi kingdom. This workshop includes an interactive and illustrated seminar addressing the major fungal groups, the basics of fungus identification, fungal ecology, natural and cultural history of fungi, followed by an exciting foray in local forests to search for species of interest.  Many fungal specimens from the local area will be displayed, discussed and examined during the workshop. Participants will be provided with supplementary notes.

Sunday 03 June 2012  Fungi workshop:
The Bizarre & the beautiful – A Deeper Exploration of a Curious Kingdom This workshop will take participants deeper into the fungi kingdom with a closer look at the major characteristics used to identify fungi in the field. We’ll also explore some of the evolutionary peculiarities that have resulted in fungi being such a strange and intriguing group. This workshop includes an illustrated seminar, a display of local specimens, an interactive specimen identification session and a foray into local forests.  Participants are encouraged to bring along specimens for the identification session and will also be provided with supplementary notes.

It is not necessary to have done The Fungi – An Introduction to a Curious Kingdom to do The Bizarre & the beautiful – A Deeper Exploration of a Curious Kingdom, but ideally you'd be familiar with the main features of a mushroom that are used to identify fungi in the field.

Further information can be obtained from Alison’s website. Details of individual workshops will be sent to participants closer to the event.
http://www.alisonpouliot.com/projects_fungi_ecology.php
Cost of a workshop:  WCMN members - $10, non-members - $20
Contact Michael Moore
Ph: (03) 54943542
Email: emandem@iinet.net.au

Paper Wasps

My wife and I have been entertained off and on for the last few days watching paper wasps making a nest under the eaves of the house. There seems to be a common flight path to and from the nest which involves a trip along the power cable – I wonder if someone can inform me as to why they do this. Their efforts however came to naught when we found the nest lying on the ground empty, the local ants had had a feast– see photograph of nest.
Facts courtesy of CSIRO
Paper wasps belong to the insect order Hymenoptera. They can be found across mainland south-eastern Australia and in southern Western Australia. Paper wasps are social insects and make their nests of grey papery material by mixing saliva and wood fibres. Paper wasps are a social wasp consisting of small colonies of 12-20 individuals. Adult wasps feed on nectar and make ‘paper’ nests by mixing saliva and wood fibres.
Nests are a nursery where larvae are kept one to each cell. The larvae are fed on chewed-up caterpillars caught by the adults. The cells are then capped and the larvae pupate. Most paper wasps die in autumn or winter, while some hibernate to start new nests next season.
 Paper wasps have some beneficial value as predators of pest caterpillars, however they have a painful sting and will attack any person approaching or disturbing their nest.
Michael Moore

Nardoo Creek gets some attention

Friday 23 March saw the utilisation of NCCMA 25th Anniversary of Landcare grant to work on Nardoo Creek in Wedderburn.
A considerable variety of local indigenous plant species were provided to plant in the areas that had space available.
The support of the Wedderburn Lions Club was appreciated. Their task was to provide a BBQ lunch, as well as tea and coffee during the morning.  Once they were set up, some members pitched in and helped with the planting until their food was required.  Loddon Shire had a truck available to take green waste, and the Parks Vic recycling trailer was also available.  It was pleasing to find so little rubbish to put into the trailer.  Wedderburn CFA assisted by providing water pumped to the newly planted seedlings.
The workers made steady progress on the planting throughout the morning and the threatening weather changed frequently, with only a few brief showers which did not stop the activity.
During the morning a few locals and their dogs walking along the creek saw the activity and took some interest in the project.  It will be worthwhile to periodically have a look at the site to check on how the plants are growing.
Annette Robertson

New Landcare Facilitator for the Loddon Plains Landcare Network

The Loddon Plains Landcare Network (LPLN) recently received funding from the Victorian Government’s Local Landcare Facilitator Initiative to contribute to the salary of a facilitator for the Network.
After the process of receiving applications and conducting interviews the LPLN selected their new Landcare Facilitator at the end of February 2012.
The Loddon Plains Landcare Network is happy to announce that Anthony Gallacher has commenced in his role as the new Landcare Facilitator. Anthony brings to his role a scientific background in conservation and environmental science. He also brings substantial volunteer experience from his time with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.
Anthony will be assisting the 14 member groups of the LPLN in developing and implementing projects that enhance the natural resources within the network area. This will include helping with strategic planning, funding applications, sourcing relevant information and promoting the work of the network and member groups.
Anthony is currently working on completing the biodiversity “Blueprint for Action” and helping to organise a series of community workshops for the network in early May. If you’d like find out more about the network or Landcare contact Anthony.
 Email:  anthony.gallacher@gmail.com
 Phone: (03) 5446 9249

Community Workshops to Identify Local Environmental Assets
The Loddon Plains Landcare Network (LPLN) will be, as mentioned above, organising community workshops to encourage members of the general community to come forward and share their knowledge of local environmental assets that they consider to be of value and  would want to see conserved or managed in such a way as to ensure their existence and well being into the future. At these workshops people will be encouraged to add such information, in the form of notes, map references, word of mouth etc to information already gathered by the LPLN. The information gathered will then be used by the LPLN for future planning in the above mentioned “Blueprint for Action” As part of these workshops a representative of the North Central Catchment Management Authority will also be talking about future environmental plans and funding that will help to bring these plans to fruition. See also article below.   .

Loddon Plains Landcare Network - Community Workshops

Loddon Plains Landcare Network
invites all interested community members to attend one of three
Landcare Workshops

Workshop 1 Wednesday 2 May Wedderburn Community Centre
Workshop 2 Wednesday 9 May Serpentine Bowling Club
Workshop 3 Wednesday 16 May Dingee East Loddon P-12 College

7.00 pm
Supper provided

7.30 pm
Welcome
Laurie Maxted, President, Loddon Plains Landcare Network

7.35 pm
GOANNA Project
Local groups and the blueprint for
landscape restoration across the Loddon Plains
Anthony Gallacher, Landcare Facilitator, Loddon Plains Landcare Network

8.10 pm
Victorian 2012 Landcare Grants 
A funding opportunity
Jodie Odgers, Regional Landcare Coordinator, North Central CMA

8.35 pm
2012-18 Regional Catchment Strategy
Regional priorities and your local patch
North Central CMA representative

9.00 pm
Close
For catering purposes please RSVP to Anthony Gallacher by the Friday before each event, by
phone 5446 9249 or email anthony.gallacher@gmail.com

2012 National Soils Forum – Farming for Sustainable Soils Rural Finance field trip to the Loddon Plains.

The field trip provided a variety of examples of farming applications for Sustainable soils practice. All properties visited had faced the added challenge of flooding in the mix of changing their practices.

At Andrew Bissett’s property, we viewed stubble management to improve soil health with stubble retention. Soil Moisture monitoring was also demonstrated and discussed, and we were able to inspect the air seeder that Andrew has utilised to the best advantage for his soils. As an agronomist Andrew demonstrated heaps of technical knowhow and how he had modified his practices based on current research.

The historic East Loddon Woolshed was the lunch venue, and the tour of the shed took us back to years gone by. It is certainly an interesting piece of working architecture and of particular historical significance to the district.

Karl Hooke’s property highlighted methods for increasing groundcover and reducing wind erosion, by tree planting to provide shelter for paddocks and reduce wind erosion. We viewed a paddock on the Loddon River which had been significantly damaged by flooding. Water remained on paddock for 3 weeks and killed all the groundcover, leaving what was described as a moonscape. This property also has a site of Box gum grassy woodland that will soon be fenced.

Garry and Kaye Addlems property (also significantly affected by persisting flood waters) demonstrated inter row cropping as a management tool to improve soil health by Lucerne sown into barley stubble.

This field trip provided a diverse snapshot of the challenges facing farmers in the district to maintain and improve soil health, and the considerable number of different tools and methods which can be utilised through involvement in the Farming for Sustainable Soils program.

Annette Robertson

The things you can see from the car!

Why should you carry a camera with you while travelling?

Travelling the Calder highway on a regular basis has provided opportunities to observe the changes in nature along the route.

Right now the Grey box trees are flowering in profusion. It makes it quite easy to distinguish a grey box tree from any others. You may also notice the dense creeper known as Snoddy gobble is very green and in several places south of Wedderburn it is stretching from the top of the host tree right down to the ground.

Ever watchful while travelling at a modest speed on an unsealed road, a Bearded Dragon was sighted basking on the road. We were safely able to stop and admire the reptile, and of course take photos out of the car window.

Returning home at 10pm one night a Barn Owl was observed perched on a fence post right beside the track. This beautiful and striking bird was well illuminated by the car headlights and stayed on the post for several minutes to be observed. Attempts to photograph the owl did not prove successful in this case.

Road travel also provides opportunities to observe pest animals such as common Mynahs, and allow these sightings to be reported to agencies that are collecting data on the spread of these birds.

On a recent trip to Swan hill when the weather was hot and dry the challenge of the journey was to count the number of raptors (birds of prey) sighted. There were many perched on power poles which made them easy to spot, but from the moving car, not easy to identify.

Even when you are restricted to observing as a passenger in a moving car, there is always something interesting in the passing environment to take note of, and always have a camera handy just in case!

Wedderburn Conservation Management Network “Observers”

Accompanying Photograph is of the Bearded Dragon, basking on the road.

Progress of the Wedderburn CMN Malleefowl Program

The Wedderburn Conservation Management Network has now been involved with the conservation of this endangered species since 2003. The malleefowl was selected as the iconic species for the Wedderburn CMN at the inception of the network and a great deal of time and effort has been put into the conservation of this isolated population of birds in the Wychitella Nature Conservation Reserve.

The Camera Monitoring Project

This form of monitoring carried out in collaboration with Parks Vic, using non -invasive cameras mounted at an active mound is now in its second year and has proved to be successful in many ways. Peter Watts a member of the Wedderburn CMN and keen malleefowl conservationist has spent many hours over both seasons carrying out this work. At the beginning of the current breeding season new improved cameras, obtained through funding from Birds Australia, were located at the mound. After some time spent experimenting to optimise their performance these cameras have been used to observe such aspects as; the number of eggs laid, the hatching of chicks, visitors to the mound including predators and behavioural changes during the breeding season. Peter has found it possible to establish a predictive calendar of events which in turn makes for greater efficiency in observation. A short film of the breeding behaviour of the birds from last season has been made and used to increase community awareness of the endangered status of the birds. It is intended that a better quality film, using footage from the new cameras, be made for this purpose. A vast amount of film that may possibly be used for a more detailed study of mound behaviour has been archived.

Line Searches

The camera form of monitoring however does not give evidence as to the general wellbeing of the malleefowl population and other monitoring techniques have been employed to try to get an overall idea of trends in the population of the birds. One such important technique employed by the Wedderburn CMN in conjunction with the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group is that of line searches for malleefowl mounds. Such searches have located previously unknown mounds. Ideally, if all mounds were known and monitored on a regular basis then we would be in a much better position to understand the population dynamics of the birds. The Wedderburn CMN and partner organisations await the outcome of an application for funding made to Communities for Nature to assist in line searching. The establishment of an ongoing association with TAFE students has also helped greatly in these efforts and in the monitoring of browsers mentioned below.

Use of a helicopter

The latest technique under consideration is that of searching for mounds using a helicopter. Towards the end of last year a helicopter from the Department of Sustainability and the Environment was booked to make trial flights over selected parts of the Wychitella NCR. It had been arranged that two observers from the Wedderburn CMN would attempt mound sightings visually from onboard while the helicopter would also use its infrared equipment to attempt to locate mounds. Unfortunately this event has had to be postponed until later this year.

Vegetation transects

Vegetation transects including those over active and inactive mounds have been carried out to assess differential vegetation cover around malleefowl mounds. These have been completed and the collected data awaits the conclusion of analysis in an effort to understand better the habitat requirements of the birds.

Decommissioned eucy plantations

The latest exciting development has been that four eucalyptus oil harvesting coupes within the Wychitella NCR have been recently decommissioned. These blocks which occur in close proximity to areas known to be inhabited by malleefowl offer a great opportunity for possible expansion of malleefowl habitat providing such monocultures of mallee trees can be returned to a more naturally diverse species composition. The Wedderburn CMN have been monitoring a mature mallee thinning trial on a member’s property to determine whether opening up the canopy allows a more diverse understorey to develop. Results to date suggest that the understorey grows more vigorously, but the diversity of species isn’t obvious at this stage. It remains to be determined whether it will be sufficient to thin out the regrowth to allow natural regeneration of the understorey, or whether planting of more species is also needed. A visit to some of these sites has been arranged for the end of March to determine the best approach and whether the trials are a viable option for the group to pursue. Parks Victoria and DSE staff will accompany Wedderburn CMN members on this visit.

Concurrent ongoing efforts

Ongoing programs aimed at conservation of the birds have been proceeding alongside the efforts mentioned above. We have programs such as; an extensive fox baiting program, cat and rabbit control in areas within and surrounding the known habitat of the birds, monitoring of browsing competitors such as kangaroos and wallabies and successful efforts with respect to habitat expansion, linkage and enhancement.

Finally we will be seeking to obtain tax deductible gift status as an organization in an attempt to source further funding for our conservation work. Such status would be a financial encouragement for Corporate and Philanthropic organizations to contribute to the support of our work.

Article by Peter Watts, Wendy Murphy and Michael Moore

Alison Pouliot Photopoint Monitoring Workshop

Seventeen people participated in the free photopoint monitoring workshop organised by the Wedderburn CMN on Friday February 24th. Many environmental groups were represented at the workshop including members from WCMN, Kara Kara CMN, Friends of Kooyoora, Bendigo Field Nats as well as DSE staff.

Photography experience ranged from those who had just purchased a camera to those who were well adept in camera use, and Alison managed to cover the whole suite of questions asked as well as calling on participants to provide their experiences and knowledge.

The morning session was designed to gauge what kinds of projects people were working on and to introduce participants to the different features of their cameras and in which situations they are best used. The group were quick to pick up on the concept of exposure, depth of field, contrast and the best positioning to take photos, especially when incorporating people or animals in to the picture.Lunch was a mouth-watering choice between roast lamb and red emperor fish after which participants discussed data management and storage before embarking on a field trip out to the Wedderburn Town Lake. This enabled people to put in to practice what they had just learnt and to actually get one on one Alison help from in using their cameras and finding functions.

Thanks must go to Alison for providing her expertise and willingness to hold the workshop in Wedderburn as well as to the venue managers Gary, Bob, Myra and staff at the Wedderburn Goldseekers Motel for their wonderful hospitality. It all made for a fantastic event. For further details on Alison’s work visit her website at www.alisonpouliot.com

Article – Wendy Murphy

Off on leave

As motherhood approaches for the third time, I would like to let the wider Wedderburn CMN community know that I will be going on maternity leave beginning March 30th. I will be having a year off trying to keep up with three children under the age of five. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people I have had the pleasure of meeting through my work as the Wedderburn CMN Ranger over the years, and to say I have enjoyed every moment of working with such a wonderful and diverse group. I wish the person who will be taking on the role all the best, knowing he or she will have the full support of the group and I will be back on deck in a year. I hope to attend some WCMN events in the meantime, so will see people around during my time away.

Article – Wendy Murphy

New Rare Plant find at Wedderburn

Intrepid bush-ranger Jeroon van Veen has made an exciting discovery recently on a new Greenhouse Balanced property. He has found a native plant called waterbush (Myoporum montanum). It is the first official record of the plant in the Wedderburn area.
The Waterbush is a long-lived shrub to about 4m tall living up to 50 years. Most records in Victoria are from further north either the Shepparton-Rutherglen area or Mildura area. Myoporum montanum is listed by DSE as rare or threatened in Victoria. David Cameron of the Department of Sustainability and the Environment has undertaken an IUCN assessment for its status in Victoria and has assessed it as Critically Endangered.The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) assessment is a methodology used to systematically assess threatened species in a consistent manner. Information about the assessment process and methodology can be found at: http://intranet.iucn.org/webfiles/doc/SSC/RedList/RedListGuidelines.pdf.
The introduction provides a good outline of the tool.
More information can also be found about the IUCN at: http://www.iucn.org/

Article – Peter Morison

Insects are most entertaining

Still not able to get out in the bush much, but around home, there is heaps of interesting activity. Mud Daubing wasps continue to toil away adding to the nest every day over quite a few weeks. There must be a lot of insects for them to encase in the nests this year, as the mud constructions are particularly big. One nest seems to have a new chamber added every couple of days. Although the large bright yellow and black Mud Dauber is the most visible, and makes a very loud noise in flight, there are several other varieties of wasp also building mud nests at present.

The Praying Mantis is a most fascinating insect. They also have a commonly seen and very interesting looking frothy green egg case. It was exciting indeed to discover and spend quite some time observing a Praying Mantis still making its egg case – underneath the armrest of a chair on the verandah (where most observations are currently taking place)

Dragonflies once again appeared for two days prior to the recent rains. They seem to be one of nature’s signs, heralding rain or wet weather.

At this time of year Yellow Gums are shedding their bark in long ribbons. When it rains the new bark turns a vivid green and orange and the colours are just amazing. Local trees seem to be having a hard time with large areas being defoliated by Sawfly larvae.

The nest boxes that housed large number of Striated Pardalotes this year are now silent. The Pardalotes seem to have vanished, however the family group of Blue Wrens have returned. They spend quite some time around the shady area where the Goanna lives. Bit of a worry.There is certainly lots of nature to observe and marvel at, even if still only around home territory. Keep looking!

Wedderburn Conservation Management network “Observers”