Category: Projects

There are still a few places left on the bus next Saturday for our geology excursion.

This should be a fascinating and revealing experience. Our first stop will be the summit of Mount Gaspard at the north of the valley. Mount Gaspard is on private land and the view is immense. Thanks to the generosity of the Huzzey family we will have access to a spectacular panorama of the whole valley and its larger geological setting.
We will travel down the Chinaman’s Creek valley until it connects with the main Muckleford valley and then follow the famous and significant Muckleford Fault south until we conclude our journey at the Muckleford Gorge. Once again we will have access to private land to view this beautiful and surprising place and for that privilege we thank the Garsed family.

The excursion will be led by local geologist Brian Cuffley and maps will be made available to take home.

This is a great opportunity to know our place in a deeper way and to appreciate and see its unique and often hidden qualities.

The excursion will be preceded by our 2015 AGM but there is no requirement to attend the meeting and anyone is welcome to join us for the commencement of the excursion at 1.30pm.

When: Saturday, November 14, 1.30 – 4 pm.
Where: Muckleford Community Centre, Muckleford-Walmer Road (south of the Castlemaine-Maldon Road).

A couple of short walks are involved so it is advisable to wear solid shoes/boots, maybe sock protectors and of course bring a hat and water.

Bookings:
Paul Hampton 0408 566 909
or
mucklefordlandcare@gmail.com

The Annual General Meeting of Muckleford Catchment Landcare will take place at the Muckleford Community Centre at 11.30 on the same day. All are welcome to join us for the meeting and for a light lunch prior to the start of the excursion.

Why do these people look so happy? Look in the background. A beautiful sight.  A total of 1,800 plants on a promontory overlooking Chinaman’s Creek. A new habitat corridor linking the creek with remnant bush on the higher slopes. This is the team who helped complete the planting last Sunday. The picture is evidence of the pleasure and sense of achievement of community landcare work.

We want to thank Mark Perry who made the land available and can see many future benefits to the quality and value of his property.

We also want thank David Griffiths who prepared the site with great skill and we should say, some artistry.

And to all those who were able to turn up for longer or shorter periods over the two days we are especially grateful. These projects would not be possible without community participation and labor.

Now we must hope for enough winter/spring rain to help establish the plants before next summer.

New landcare events are in the offing. Become an email-only subscriber to this site so that you don’t miss out.

And thanks to Bronwyn Silver for the superb photos.

It was a perfect day to be planting. The soil was moist and beautifully prepared, after a frosty start the sun was bright and warm, and we had a friendly and committed crew of volunteers ready to go at 11 am.
By 3.30 pm we had approximately 740 of the allotted 1,500 plants in the ground and we had run out of guards so we called it a day.
Thanks to all who participated, especially an indefatigable group of kids who ran armfuls of guards up and down the hill all day.
The site is covered with plants at about 2m apart and it is a spectacular sight.
Now we need to fill in the gaps with the remaining seedlings and we need to accomplish that as soon as possible.
So next Sunday afternoon at 1 pm we hope a few people can turn up and put in 1-3 hours work. David and Paul will prepare the guards and put the plants in during the morning. All we need are a few people to follow up and put the guards in place.
A short, efficient session with a sufficient number of volunteers should complete the work.
So if you would like to spend a couple of hours outdoors at a spectacular promontory above Chinaman’s Creek and see the impressive work please consider joining us next Sunday, June 28 at 1 pm.
Where: 69 Creasys Road
When: 1-3 pm
Follow the drive into the property, park near the bus, walk across the creek, through two gates to the top of the hill. The site is not visible till you reach the top.
If you need further information or guidance ring Paul Hampton 0408566909.

An urgent reminder to all friends and members: we have an important planting day next Sunday, June 21 on Mark Perry’s property at 69 Creasys Road.

We will be planting 1,500 seedlings in an area fenced by Mark. It will create a valuable habitat corridor connecting Chinaman’s Creek with woodlands on the upper slopes and is the last phase of our Chinaman’s Creek Project which must be acquitted by the end of June. Soil conditions are currently ideal and with a couple of showers forecast in the next week the timing should be perfect.
The planting process is well-organised and not onerous. We just need the numbers to ensure that we get these plants in the ground while conditions are favourable.

We plan to commence work at 11am and hope that the work will be complete by 4pm at the latest, depending on numbers. We will provide tea/coffee and a tasty vegetarian lunch at around 1pm.

We don’t expect everyone to commit for the whole day. If you can turn up for an hour or so that would be very valuable.
We do need to know if you can attend, especially if you plan to be there for lunch. Please let us know by return email or a reply to the blog by Wednesday, June 17.

The entrance to the property is close to the corner of Turners Lane/Creasys Road. Our banner will be displayed at the gate. Drive in the entrance and park in the area near the bus/sheds. From there you can walk across the creek to the planting site.
Bring solid boots, work gloves, suitable clothing for a cool day and raincoat just in case.
If you have any further queries ring me (Paul Hampton) at 0408 566 909.
We do hope you can make it.

It’s a good time to plant. Conditions appear just right to plant our vegetation corridor on Chinaman’s Creek and we hope you can join us.

On Sunday, June 21 we will set out to plant 1,500 seedlings at a site on Creasey’s Road.

This will complete the current Chinaman’s Creek Project, allow us to acquit our grant and begin planning new projects in the Muckleford catchment.

We will start work at 11am and finish by 4pm. We will provide tea/coffee and a nourishing (vegetarian) lunch at around 1pm. Contributions towards an afternoon tea would be appreciated.

Our planting system is both efficient and relatively easy. The site has been pre-prepared and the seedlings will be put in place with a pottiputki (if you don’t know what this is, we suggest you look it up on Wikipedia). Our volunteer force will then secure the plants and place guards around them. Very straight forward, a little repetitive but no-one actually has to dig holes. It is a system we have had great success with over the last few years.

This is a good opportunity to make a personal contribution to a valuable local project, meet other locals and also gain rare access to a lovely, dramatic site poised above the creek on private land.

If you can make it, even for part of the day, we would appreciate you letting us know so that we can plan for numbers at lunch. Let us know by return email.

We will send out further details a few days before hand with a map and further directions to the site.

We hope you can join us and look forward to hearing from you.

Sunday, June 21.
11am – 4pm.

Muckleford Catchment Landcare has one application lodged for a project in the Chinaman Creek valley. We should hear if it is successful in August.

In the meantime, we are keen to apply for new project funding, either through the Communities for Nature or Victorian Landcare Grants, which we expect to open sometime later this month.

Your committee is keen to hear from members with ideas.

In the past, projects in this category have been required to address:
·         Native vegetation protection, enhancement or establishment (can include threatened species habitat)
·         Pest plant and animal management
·         Salinity management
·         Erosion management
·         Community education

Do you have an idea that fits?

We suggest that you consider revegetation and pest control works that help create new links between remnant stands of vegetation either on private land or along roadsides. We have many significant roadsides in the catchment. Can you enhance a roadside adjoining your property? Many of our remaining paddock trees will disappear in the next twenty years. We should be developing projects aimed at ensuring their replacement.  Links that connect into waterways are considered highly valuable. Projects that involve a number of properties and neighbours are also highly regarded.

You may have other ideas not covered above. We are happy to help to both advise and build on any thoughts you have. The valleys that make up the Muckleford Catchment are replete with productive and recreational potential. Let’s keep working together to ensure that our legacy to the next generation is sustainable and rich.

Please let us know by May 30 if you have an idea that you would like discuss with us.

Email us at mucklefordlandcare@gmail.com

The first stage of the Muckleford Landcare Roadside Awareness Project has concluded.

With the help of several members we managed to hand deliver over 200 brochures to land holders throughout the catchment. Now we hope that everyone is both more informed about the valuable road reserves in our area, and also more committed to looking after them.

We would particularly like to thank Beth Mellick (and kids), Kerry and Mark Perry, Bronwyn Silver, Simon Patten and Pam Connell for driving, cycling and walking around their areas and helping the committee get this important information out there.

On April 20 we held an open house at the Muckleford Community Centre and in three hours a good number of residents turned up with information or questions about roadside vegetation. All those who visited us during that time became eligible to win one of three prizes and the winners were drawn today by Max Schlachter our shire Landcare Facilitator at his office in Castlemaine.

The winners are:
Hills Knapsack Sprayer – Ian McQueen
Photograph of Walmer Nature Reserve by Bronwyn Silver – Jane Staley
Wildlife of the Box-Ironbark by Chris Tzaros – Murray Wright

The winners should ring Paul Hampton on 0408566909 to arrange delivery of their prize.

We will be organising follow up events in Spring aiming at giving residents more hands-on knowledge about roadside plant identification and control.

Paul Hampton
President

This Tuesday 23 April we will host a community meeting at the Muckleford Community Centre to consider whether a sustainable soils program can be established in the catchment. The soils of the Muckleford Valley have been subject to a history of widely varied use and rapid change since European settlement in the 1850s. Now in a period of increasingly variable climate, the sustainability of soil health is becoming an urgent issue.

The Mid-Loddon Landcare Network has created a highly successful Sustainable Soil project involving 60 farmers and covering 60,000 hectares of arable land. The project has implemented a wide range of measures to analyse and improve soil health across the region. Could it provide a model for the Muckleford Valley?

Judy Crocker is the Facilitator of the Mid-Loddon Landcare Network.

Judy will speak to the meeting about the changing face of our landcare groups, from being mainly agricultural based in the past to the current mixture of small and large enterprises who all have an interest in the sustainable use of their soils and buffering against climate variability.

The first speaker will be Phil Dyson, from the NCCMA. Phil is manager of the ‘Farming for Sustainable Soils Program’. He will begin the evening with an introduction to the geological history of the Muckleford Valley. The geological story can provide an understanding of the soils and landforms of the area, and allow residents to think about the makeup of their own patch.

Both speakers will encourage questions and further discussion.

This evening will be of great interest to both large and small landowners who use their land for productive purposes. Everyone who lives in the valley will find the information and discussion relevant to their interests.

This project is one of the most important and potentially long-term to have been considered by Muckleford Catchment Landcare. We are hoping for a good turn-out of residents from all backgrounds. The future of this valley as a liveable place is largely dependent on our ability to restore and maintain soil health.

Supper will be provided at the conclusion of the meeting.

When: Tuesday 23 April from 7 – 9.30 pm.

Where: Muckleford Community Centre, Muckleford-Walmer Road (between Pyrenees Highway and Castlemaine-Maldon Roads).

We would appreciate a RSVP. Text Paul Hampton at 0408566909 or email us at mucklefordlandcare@gmail.com