SPIFFA NEWSLETTERwrote that “Red imported fire ants have been found in Sydney. Never before have...
Transcript of SPIFFA NEWSLETTERwrote that “Red imported fire ants have been found in Sydney. Never before have...
Dear Friends,
Sincere apologies to those without
access to the internet for the lack
of a newsletter during 2014.
Those with internet did receive
“eletters” from the secretary, Phil-
lip Jensen. These updated mem-
bers and friends on the vital issues
of the time, which included pro-
gress on the efforts to save Toot-
garook Swamp. See more page 2.
So you will see that SPIFFA and
associated groups have been just
as active and effective as in the
past, with Gidja Walker and Phil-
lip seeming to never tire. Likewise
all the indefatigable volunteers in
the reserves.
Despite recent tragic happenings
both in Australia and many other
places in the world, we hope for a
personally fulfilling and healthy
2015 for each and every reader of
this newsletter and their loved
ones.
J Dwyer, Editor.
SPIFFA NEWSLETTER
SOUTHERN PENINSULA IDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC. PO BOX 480 ROSEBUD VICTORIA AUSTRALIA 3939
REGISTERED NUMBER A0024178
WEBSITE: WWW.spiffa.org
SUMMERTIME IN VICTORIA
Despite the recent rains at time of writing (mid January) it’s a fair assumption that we
will still have to face hot weather until the end of February. This quickly dries out the
vegetation, bringing the threat of bushfire. How to protect your property? Apart from
measures to fireproof your house as advised by the Fire Authorities, your garden can be a
mitigating zone. Although nothing could withstand the kind of heat intensity of a Black
Saturday, there are plants which are fire resistant because of a high salt and moisture con-
tent and other properties. Some of these include
the following:
Bower Spinach, (Tetragonia implexicoma), as
shown right, is found mainly in coastal areas of
southern Australia, so is suited to sandy soils. It is
a scrambling plant which makes excellent ground
cover as well as climber. Belonging to the Pigface
(Aizoaceae) family, it has long trailing stems and
is very hardy, not needing to be watered. The yel-
low flowers which appear between August and
November are strongly scented, giving way to
orange-red fruits which ripen to near black and
provide food for birds. They have also been used
for dye. The fleshy leaves contain salt and water
and are high in vitamin C. They were used as a
leafy green vegetable by indigenous Australians
and also by early European settlers and sailors to
ward off scurvy. (DPI, Wikipedia).
Boobialla (Myoporum insulare), Left:
Also known as Native Juniper, this is also a
coastal plant which grows on dunes and cliffs
from southern New South Wales to South Austra-
lia and Tasmania. The thick, smooth green leaves
are 3-9cm long. White flowers with purple spots
appear from October to December. The small,
rounded fruits are purple to black and 4.5—9 mm
in diameter. Again, a hardy plant which can with-
stand drought and can be used as a fast-growing
hedge. (Wikipedia)
There is also a creeping variety (Myoporum parvi-
folium), which is suitable for groundcover in
acidic, sandy, alkaline and “quite clay” soils.
(Sustainable Gardening Australia).
Seaberry Saltbush (Rhagodia condolleana)
below R: Found in coastal areas and salt
marshes, this is again fire-resistant because of salt
and water content. It is a sprawling shrub which
can tolerate a wide range of conditions. Requires
no watering, and the small, shiny dark red berries
provide food for birds in the autumn. It is possible
that the leaves and berries were also eaten by In-
digenous Australians. (Victorian Flora).
Photo: “Melburnian”, Wikipedia.
Photo: Victorian Flora
Indigenous Grasses such as Poas and
Stipas carry a much lesser fuel load
than introduced pasture grasses,
need no watering or mowing and are
ornamental, especially as garden
borders. Eskdale Nursery Photo.
THE BURNING QUESTION: By Bob McDonald
Sent via Email by Maryland Wilson, 11.04.2014 Australian Wildlife Protection Council Inc.
Maryland quotes Bob McDonald, who wrote:
Frequent planned fires often escape in Victoria with regular hot dry summers. These fires come to-
gether to form out of control bush and grass fires. Countless millions of animals are killed not only
by fires but by starvation, loss of habitat and being exposed to predators.
In the 1980’s ‘ecological burning’ began in National Parks and reserves to ‘increase the diversity of
plants’. These fires kill reptiles, frogs, nestling birds, small mammals and (have) at times escaped to
burn large areas. From the late 1960’s various academics claimed that this burning replicated what
Aboriginal people ‘did’ - with poor evidence. The use of burning as a form of forest management ‘took
off’ in Western Australia and spread across to the eastern states to accompany ‘clear falling’ (sic) to
grow young trees for the paper industry and export woodchips. The market collapsed in early 2000s
and suddenly fires were being extended by backburns and foresters were using ‘Aboriginal Burning’ as
the ‘reason’ for increasing this fire frequency. Without any evidence the 2009 bushfires were blamed
on a lack of ‘fuel reduction burning’ and the amount of all bush, including Parks and Reserves, that was
burned was radically increased.
There are now few areas left unburned and around 500 hectares of Cape Liptrap Coastal Park on Waratah Bay in South Gipp-
sland is one. Here there are a series of catchments that are intact. They run from the ridgeline to the sea and support a massive
range of birds, plants and animals, including Lyrebirds, Bandicoots and Tiger Quolls. There are a series of burns planned for
this small park and locals have been working hard to stop them with research to establish the role of animals, insects and fungi of
this bushland in eating and breaking down leaf litter and dead timber. There have been no significant fires here for 88 years,
despite lightning strikes.
The local community is undertaking this research in as transparent fashion as possible, with a
website www.eclecticparrot.com.au that has links to an active Facebook page (you do not have
to be signed up to have a look) and a Youtube video. We are working with botanists, naturalists,
local Aboriginal people, Entomologists from the CSIRO and undertaking continuous survery
work and engaging with governments departments.
We need funding and we can take people into the bush and provide value in exchange for dona-
tions by teaching people. Donors get to set and see the results of wildlife cameras, to look for
birds, plants and animals and participate in regular moth surveys with naturalists. Contact will
be by email, letter or phone.
You can also help by ‘liking’ the Facebook page, if you are signed up and getting others to as
well and getting people to watch the Youtube video. The best (aspect is) coming down to this beautiful place and learning more
about it and we can help find affordable accommodation and camping...Donations can be made to Natural History Network C/-
ANZ Bank BSB (013 259) Acc.(2952 34401) or sent payable to same c/- PO BOX 305 Foster Victoria 3960.
Just a few of the vulnerable:
Photos clockwise from top
left:
SPIFFA website;
DPI website; Museum Aus-
tralia; Internet: Picassa;
Internet; J Dwyer
“Countless millions of
animals are killed not
only by the fires but by
starvation, loss of habi-
tat and being exposed
to predators”
Bob McDonald
Although this letter
was sent last year and
the situation re Cape
Liptrap burns no
longer applies, the
question of the dam-
age done by burning is
still topical and worth
considering, if not
vital, as is the research
being done by this
group. Joining the
effort could also make
for an enjoyable holi-
day. Ed
Further in-depth discussion by Bob McDonald concerning frequent burning can be
found on the SPIFFA website: www.spiffa.org, where he discusses the validity of cur-
rent thinking and practice and the history of burning from Aboriginal times to today,
with references to many credible publications. Unfortunately, space does not allow
the full document here, but it is an eye-opener and well worth reading. This is a dis-
cussion we surely need to have. Ed.
Fire is not the only significant threat to wildlife. Humans not only destroy habitat for
their own homes and roads, our politicians’ actions can so often be lethal. EPBC approval
has been withdrawn for the Southern Brown Bandicoot Habitat Corridors, thus signifi-
cantly jeopardising the species’ survival, making them likely to join the Eastern Barred Ban-
dicoot, which is extinct in the wild. To prevent this, the Green Wedges Coalition has lodged
an appeal in the federal Court, using most of the GWC savings. Taking it to Court will cost
a further $15—$20,000 .
If you can help, contact Rosemary West: [email protected]
Source: Rosemary West eletter 22.12.2014 Photo: Bertram Lobert. Wikipedia
Congratulations to Liz
Barraclough for being
awarded an AOM, Gen-
eral Division, Australia
Day Awards. A truly
deserving recipient.
BERG also deserves to
bathe in reflected glory
for the excellent conser-
vation work it has
achieved as part of the
team.
STILL ON A FIERY NOTE: Last December Andrew Cox of the Invasive Species Council
wrote that “Red imported fire ants have been found in Sydney. Never before have these
highly aggressive and destructive ants been found outside of Queensland. The new infesta-
tion could seriously undermine efforts to rid them from Australia”. He continues “This is an
ant you don’t ever want to live with. In southern US, where there is a large infestation, you
can’t stand still, you can’t wear thongs, you can’t sit on the grass in your own backyard”. He
lists the damage they are capable of as:
Aggressive swarming behaviour and intense painful stings
Killed over 80 people in the USA including children and the elderly
Makes grassy areas unusable
Destroys ground-dwelling wildlife, young livestock and infrastructure
Fortunately, the Council succeeded in having a federal Senate inquiry launched. This focuses
on preventing new invasive species from entering Australia and has “revealed systemic bio-
security failures” which have resulted in growing numbers of invasive species entering the
country. Andrew fears that because $300million has already been spent, State governments
may be reluctant to fund further efforts. He
points out, however, that failure in southeast
Queensland alone could total $43 billion
over 30 years.
As the only group nation-wide which is
working to prevent invasive species entering
and the eradication of those that have done
so, funds are urgently needed.
If you can help, or need more information
contact Andrew Cox on 0438 588 040
Photo: Wikipedia
On a happier—and greener–
note:
GetUp announced last June
that the World Heritage Com-
mittee took only seven min-
utes to reject Prime Minister
Abbott’s submission to have
Tasmania’s ancient forests
stripped of their protection
status and opened to logging.
Let’s hope that’s the end of
that battle forever.
The Environmental Defenders
Office which has for 20 years
given legal advice and help to
those endeavouring to save the
natural environment, has now
become ENVIRON-
MENTAL JUSTICE AUS-
TRALIA.
It is pledged to “create an
Australia where our laws
work as they should to pro-
tect our environment and
empower our people”.
Back in March, 2014, Green Action News published the following:
“Most houses in Victoria are pretty leaky when it comes to energy and water. In fact,
houses built before 2005 average just two stars out of 5 for water and energy efficiency.
This means they’re hotter in summer, colder in winter and a whole lot more expensive
to run than they need to be”. Anne Martinelli, One Million Homes Campaigner, calls
for “direct government assistance to retrofit the homes of low-income Victorians...and a
mix of policy measures and financial incentives to encourage home owners and land-
lords to invest in improvements”. She claims this could save government $2.5 billion
over 20 years.
Given the predictions of hotter summers, Green Action is also asking governments to
commit to a Clean Energy Plan which incorporates a much higher emissions reduction
target, a clean energy supply and a range of energy efficient programs. (Dr Nicholas
Aberle, Safe Climate Campaign Manager). Sounds like sense to me. Ed.
YOUR COMMITTEE:
PRESIDENT: Gidja Walker (5988 6529)
SECRETARY: Phillip Jensen (5988 6529)
TREASURER: Lucy Firth
MEMBERSHIP: Jon Greening :
FUND-RAISING: Tamara Hicks (5981 2502)
SPEAKERS: Gidja Walker
NEWSLETTER: Imelda Douglas (5986 5291)
& Jan Dwyer (5986 6566)
SUPPER: Jacquie Salter & Cathy Sansom
A BIG THANK TO ALL & WELCOME TO A
NEW YEAR OF DEDICATION.
MEMBERSHIP: This stands at $15 per person. It
will considerably help towards SPIFFA’s continued
effort to fight for the natural environment by tack-
ling issues, educating the public and environmental
workers. You can pay via the website:
www.spiffa.org, or complete the following:
NAME/S.....................................................................
....................................................................................
POSTAL ADDRESS/EMAIL:..................................
...................................................................................
P.CODE...............................PH.................................
I enclose cheque/money order for.$...........................
Being subs/donation to SPIFFA Inc.
SAVE TOOTGAROOK SWAMP-
AGAIN! Yes, apparently developers cannot bear to see any
‘vacant’ land—a greatly misused word, as in fact most
‘vacant’ land has many inhabitants, sometimes pre-
cious, as in the case of the Tootgarook wetlands. As
members will be aware, threatened indigenous and mi-
gratory birds alone are of sufficient importance to
make the wetland worth fighting for. Then there’s the
myriad small creatures, such as frogs - it is, after all,
the “land of the croaking frog” - snakes, insects and
small birds.
After achieving Shire support in the past after much
hard work by a few valiant souls such as Jess Durant
and Cameron Brown, there is now an application for a
99 LOT SUBDIVISION covering a large section of the
Swamp.
TO LEARN MORE visit:
http://www.savetootgarookswamp.org
YOU CAN HELP BY submitting an objection to the
Shire as follows:
HEADING: Planning Application for Lot 92
Elizabeth Avenue Rosebud # P14/1202 & P14/1901
INCLUDE: Your name, address, phone (mandatory)
SEND TO:
Email: [email protected]
Post: Mornington Peninsula Shire.
Statutory Planning Department
Private Bag 1000.
Rosebud Victoria 3939
OR YOU CAN DONATE:
Name: Save Tootgarook Swamp;
BSB: 06 3540; A/C: 1058 2313
MEETINGS
Include plant identification and are held on the first Monday
of the month at 7.30 pm at Seawinds Community Centre
Allambie St West Rosebud
If undeliverable return to SPIFFA Inc.
PO Box 480 ROSEBUD VIC 3939
Surface
Courtesy Mornington Peninsula Birdlife
Newsletter 03.09.2013