Have your say, share your experience or topic of interest in the next Bingi Babbler - Submit Here
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Co Chair: Kevin Heggen 5185 1322 Email: bingi@harboursat.com.au Co Chair: John McClumpha 5185 1455 d@incitegraphics.com.au Secretary: Jenny Wolswinkel 5186 1340 stellaria.nvs@gmail.com Newsletter: Kaye Proudley 5185 1398 atbingi@harboursat.com.au
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Co Chair: Kevin Heggen 5185 1322 Email: bingi@harboursat.com.au Co Chair: John McClumpha 5185 1455 d@incitegraphics.com.au Secretary: Jenny Wolswinkel 5186 1340 stellaria.nvs@gmail.com Newsletter: Kaye Proudley 5185 1398 atbingi@harboursat.com.au
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_HVP’s estate is only one piece in the jigsaw puzzle and we all need to be thinking how we fit in and what we can do. There are many areas of public reserves and private bush we really don’t know much about in terms of koalas. Everyone can help, even if just by reporting and recording what we see in their own back yards. Plotting anything seen or heard using the Spatial Vision Interactive Mapper will secure this information, and HVP is also interested in records outside HVP land because it is potentially very useful for future planning, monitoring and research activities and for securing future funding!
Some of these activities are already under way and we are hoping to expand them with the help of funds from government or elsewhere. Monash University, with support from HVP, has perfected a way to extract DNA from koala scats. This easy and non-invasive sampling method can potentially answer many of the questions we need to answer, but so far we haven’t been able to secure the necessary cash to do the research on a large scale (we’re not giving up yet!). Meanwhile, again in partnership with Monash but using HVP funds, we are attempting to carry out a full koala census to get an idea what shape the population is in overall and hopefully validate the Atlas information by assigning population densities to each habitat class. That would be exciting stuff, and give us some REAL information for the fist time on what shape our koalas are in. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. We’ve looked at methods developed by Parks Victoria and other researchers over many years of trial and error, and tried to adapt it to our much more complex landscape. It calls for a rigorous survey process, experienced crews and lots and lots of foot-slogging, which will probably take many years to complete unless financial support can be secured. On top of that, we have set up permanent monitoring sites in burnt and unburnt habitats to try to get a handle on what’s happening there. There is an obvious need to extend the research and census projects beyond HVP’s boundaries to get the whole picture. We don’t yet have mechanisms or means for doing this, but partnerships with Landcare and other organizations can lead to really useful synergies. Ultimately a properly funded region-wide linkage strategy that includes detailed planning, ground works, research and monitoring is called for, along with a dedicated project manager to draw people together and make it all happen. Meanwhile, have a look at HVP’s habitat map and the preferred species list (both attached) which may be useful for what you’re planning on your own properties, and don’t forget to report your sightings! Don’t forget to read the attachments that go along with this article. 25th Anniversary Grant
![]() The Binginwarri Landcare Group has been blessed with a grant of nearly $4,000 from the 25th Anniversary Landcare Grants Program. Thanks to our co-chairs, we now have this money available to purchase motion sensor camera’s to record what might be around our area, and also to purchase digital cameras to record flora in our new quest to more accurately know what plants make up what Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVC’s) in our area.
A few reminders, if I may grab your attention, to fill this awkward space:
Competition We are always looking for sightings of different and unusual plants, birds and animals around our area. Please either add your sightings to the interactive mapper on the JARR website www.jarrproject.com or let one of your committee members know. Even lists of whatever is common at your place, so that in time a good picture of what we have can be built up for our area. The closing date for the competition that was announced in the last Babbler, has been extended because of problems with the website but is now fixed. Record your sightings in the Spatial Vision Database and be in the running to win a Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera, 8 optical zoom and 28mm wide angle lens valued at $243 for yourself ~ or an Etrex Garmin Venture HC GPS unit valued at $192 for your Landcare Group. To encourage database use the Norman Wettenhall Foundation has offered these two very generous prizes for those who look, join and start recording. The individual prize will go to the lucky person who has used the database and whose name is drawn from ‘the hat of all names.’ The group prize will go the Landcare Group who has the most members registering and recording on the site. Competition NOW CLOSES at midnight on Friday 18th May 2012. Winners will be notified. _____________________________________________ Also, we are looking for contributions to future editions of The Bingi Babbler. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a scribe, or a talent in the natural photography field, send your work to the editor. She’ll be very pleased to have whatever you’ve got to give! _____________________________________________ *We have had some very productive time of late, helping one of our temporarily disabled members deal with this year’s flowers/seed heads of Ragwort. A team of us went along to help Marg pull or behead them and cleared several paddocks over three visits. *The walk, talk and gawk on Richard Appleton’s property was most interesting, not least of which was his garden – filled with over 1,100 unusual cedars, pines and other rare specimen trees. We saw two snakes on the day - two more than on our reptile ramble!! – a tiger and a copperhead, plus 18 different bird species as well as a few magnificently aged specimens of Mountain Ash showing old logging marks. *The Reptile Ramble was a very successful day despite not getting any snakes! Some of us did see some skinks. There were marvellous plants galore to take their place and gave those interested plenty to keep them happy. ____________________________________________ I am not sure if you are all receiving the Yarram Yarram Landcare News – this is the full colour newsletter put out by our network in Yarram and is a mine of information. All paid members, as a matter of course, should be receiving a copy, either by snail-mail or electronically. Please let Dan Garlick know if you are not and he will address the issue. Mobile 0400 175 085 or dang@wgcma.vic.gov.au In the next Babbler we hope to bring you an article on the new Grand Strzelecki Trail – our own Kevin Heggen has been heavily involved with his team in the building of this fabulous asset to our region and will be able to give many insights on the best parts of it - and other juicy goss! And now to bring up the rear, our new-ish regular contributor John McClumpha with another fascinating insight into the natural world, this time the Antechinus (a marsupial native mouse that is found over a wide area, including around our neck of the woods.) It’s always great to finish on a good note. Click here for article. Please make sure you read it! Don’t forget we need input from you, our members, to make this newsletter relevant. Don’t be afraid to give us brick-bats or bouquets, contributions or congratulations! We will accept them all. Kaye Proudley, Newsletter Editor, 5185 1398. 0409 803 341. katbingi@harboursat.com.au (Please ring or email me if you want to be unsubscribed from the newsletter.) |