Native Grass and Plant ID Walk

paul-foremanJoin Muckleford Landcare on Sunday 4th December, 10am – 12 midday, for a native grass and plant identification walk with expert local ecologist, Paul Foreman. Paul will take us on a ramble through the bush, stopping to show people how to identify native and exotic grasses, as well as other flora species.

Meet on the corner of Dalton Road and the Muckleford-Castlemaine Road, which is just up past the bacon factory.

Please book your spot with Beth on 0431 219 980 or bethmellick@gmail.com

This is the last of our workshops that were run as partrailing hop busht of our community education program, as funded by the North Central CMA.

Talking Fire

Maldon area; fire, ecology, people - can they all co-exist?
Maldon area; fire, ecology, people – can they all co-exist?

Muckleford Forest Friends Group is hosting a conference called Understanding Fire in our Landscape: A Community Conversation on 12-13 November 2016, in Newstead.

The Community Conversation is about fire in the Newstead-Maldon landscape: the history of fire, local ecology, fire risk and community-based approaches to better landscape planning and management to protect what we value.

During the weekend there will be talks, displays, biodiversity walks, visits to the sites of past fires, and a chance to record your memories of local fires. Supported by community and external experts, the weekend will be a chance to learn about more and share ideas across our local communities.

Click here to book
Click here for the draft Program

 

Mucklefest success

img_1851Terrific day down at the Muckleford train station for Mucklefest this year. We talked to 5 or 6 potential new Landcare members, as well as handed out a lot of information and guides. We still have a few Native Newstead plants left over, so let me know if any members would like some: sticky everylastings, grey everlastings, clustered everlastings, rock corea, austral storks bill, poa, spear grass, lemon beauty heads, matted bush pea. Text Beth on 0431 219 980 and you can pick them up from me either in town or at home.

Thanks to the NCCMA and Connecting Country for funding for the plants.

Woodland Bird Workshop this Saturday

bhhe2Connecting Country is holding a woodland bird workshop in Muckleford this Saturday. Tanya Loos is working with Geoff Park (Natural Newstead) to help people in this area:
 -Learn more about local birds, and how to help them thrive
- Meet with other conservation groups and landholders in the area
- Brainstorm session: project ideas for future funding
After lunch there will be a bird and habitat walk with Tanya and Geoff in the Muckleford Important Bird Area – some binoculars provided.

Saturday October 8, 2016
9:30am-12:30pm followed by local bird and habitat walk 12:45 – 2:30pm
Muckleford Hall, Walmer-Muckleford Road 

RSVP ( with any dietary requirements) by 3rd October to Tanya Loos on 03 5472 1594 or by email tanya@connectingcountry.org.au

Spring rain and our creeks

img_1767Bassett Creek is flooding over Golf Links Road and through the golf course. But to my astonishment this morning, it is also being blocked by a large cut log. This is presumably coming from up the creek where a landholder has piled up scrap wood to a height of at least 10 metres. If it’s all going to start floating down the creek, we will have to action this. I have put in a call to the NCCMA about debris removal from a waterway.

Orchids and Nest box checking

img_1754Sunday 18th September, 10am at the Muckleford Community Centre. Join us on a short bus trip to have a peek at the public reserves tucked away in Muckleford. Then we will be nest box checking with Miles Geldard at the Walmer South Conservation Reserve. Orchids and other wildflowers are in bloom so this will be a lovely half day to enjoy our native flora in its prime. Lunch is provided. Please RSVP to bethmellick@gmail.com or text me on 0431 219 980.

Upcoming Events

Here are two dates for your diaries:

Muckleford Catchment Landcare “Public Reserves and Nest Box Checking Field trip” on 18th September, 10am at the community centre. We will do a short bus trip around the ‘secret’ public reserves in Muckleford, and end up at Walmer Conservation Reserve to check the nest boxes with expert, Miles Geldard. It will finish at midday with a BBQ lunch. Short and sharp and hopefully a bit of fun.

Connecting Country is holding a woodland birds workshop for the Muckleford area on 8th October, 9.30am at the community centre. We have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas for future projects around habitat protection for woodland birds in our area, followed by a bird walk with Tanya Loos and Geoff Park in the state forest.

 

Muckleford Landcare AGM

Please join us for our AGM on Thursday 18th August, at 6pm at the Muckleford Community Centre, Walmer Muckleford Road, Muckleford.

Guest speaker will be Ken Willard from Neangar Nursery in Eaglehawk. Ken will talk about the revegetation industry from a nursery owner’s perspective.

Please come and renew your membership, or take out a new membership – you just need to fill out a form.

Supper will be provided.

Muckleford Community History Project

Would you like to know more about the story of your place? Do you see yourself as a local history buff? Do you already have family/property stories or photographs you would like to share?
Landcare would like to set up a Muckleford Community History Project

The purpose of the project will be to provide resources and support for people wishing to undertake local history research and to discuss the establishment of a website where participants can post material.

To this end we will host a meeting to discuss the possibilities on Sunday, July 24 at the Muckleford Community Centre.

There will be two guest speakers:

IMGP9948Paul Haw grew up on a family farm fronting the Loddon River at Yando, near Boort. Paul served as a National Servicemen in Vietnam where he almost lost his life. This experience and other factors led him to look more closely at the place where he lived, its history and its environment.
The result is a substantial local history, Footprints Across the Loddon Plains: a shared history, co-written with Margaret Munro. Paul will talk about what inspired him to embark on his project, how he went about it and what he learned.

Robyn Ballinger is an historian who lives in Maldon. Robyn has published an environmental history of the Victorian northern plains entitled An Inch of Rain: A water history of northern Victoria. Robyn undertakes writing, historical research, teaching, facilitation of community consultation, and preparation of heritage studies and significance assessments. Robyn will introduce the meeting to the range of ways in which local history can be pursued and the resources available.

Following a break for afternoon tea there will be a round table chat to gauge the interests of everyone and to plan the next step.

Join us if you have an interest in helping us tell the stories that will deepen our appreciation and understanding of the place where we live.

When: Sunday, July 24, 2 pm

Where: Muckleford Community Centre (the former Methodist Church, Muckleford-Walmer Road, south of Castlemaine-Walmer Road)

Afternoon tea will be provided. Please ring Paul Hampton to RSVP or make enquiries on 0408566909 or paul.hampton46@gmail.com