Executive 2016/17
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Issue No. 113 Spring 2017 Executive 2016/17 President Pat McPherson (03)5152 2614 [email protected] Vice President Jen Wilkinson 040 854 5648 [email protected] Secretary (under the Act) Pat McPherson (03)5152 2614 Treasurer Margaret Regan (03)5156 2541 Ordinary members and Coordinators Clerical Duties/Club Enquiries Fran Bright (03)5152 2008 [email protected] Botanic Group James Turner (03)5155 1258 [email protected] Bushwalking Group Noel Williamson (03)5152 1737 [email protected] Junior Field Naturalists Group Vicki Fraser 0417 586 856 [email protected] Newsletter Editor Gippsland Ironbark (Eucalyptus tricarpa) Photo by Jen Wilkinson Pauline Stewart (03)5152 1606 [email protected] CONTENTS Website Administrator Program September to December 2017 3 Around Orbost 5-6 Jen Wilkinson 040 854 5648 Lonely Bay 7-11 Colquhuon and Kenny Forests 12-14 Bushwalk - Mt Elizabeth 15 Glenmaggie and Avon Channels 15-17 Bushwalk - Old Man Hill 18 Gallery 19 The Clematis Page 2 CORRESPONDENCE TO: The Secretary, P.O. Box 563, Bairnsdale 3875 www.bairnsdalefieldnaturalists.com.au The Clematis is printed and supported by the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning MEETINGS FIELD TRIPS It is your responsibility to contact the coordinator of each field trip General meetings take place at: to notify them of intention to participate. The Noweyung Centre, 84 Goold Street, Bairnsdale The coordinator will notify you if the trip has to be cancelled due to as per program at 7.30pm sharp adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances. Committee meetings take place at: members homes as per Please take note of safety procedures in your program at 4.00pm Bairnsdale & District Field Naturalists Club Inc. ‘RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY’ booklet. THE CLEMATIS This can be downloaded from our web site. Responsibility for the accuracy of information and opinions expressed in this newsletter RULES TO OBSERVE DURING FIELD TRIPS rests with the author of the article. 1. Excursions are cancelled on days of TOTAL FIRE BAN. All articles for summer Clematis must be 2. Participants to keep a visual on the car in front and behind. sent to the Newsletter Editor by 1st December 2017. 3. When making a turn, give signal, and stay at intersection until following car has also turned. SUBSCRIPTION FEES 2016/17 4. If separated from other cars, stop, and stay with your car. Single membership $30 Other members will return to find you. Family membership $45 5. The Car Pooling Cost Calculator is used to assist drivers and Mid-year fee (new members only) $15 car pool passengers to share fuel costs. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY FOR BUSH WALKS 1. To further the awareness and study of all Walks vary in distance from 6 to 14 km. branches of natural history within the East Gippsland community through field excursions, Easy: Flat, good firm track. regular surveys, specialist guest speakers and publications. Moderately easy: Mostly flat, track in good to fair condition. 2. To observe and strengthen the laws for the Moderate: May be undulating, track in good to fair preservation and protection of indigenous flora, condition. fauna, habitat and important geological features. Moderately Difficult: May be some steep sections, 3. To promote the formation and preservation of track may be rough in places. National and State Parks and Reserves. Difficult: May have long steep sections, track may be 4. To collaborate with other groups and agencies non- existent at times. with similar environmental interest. Contact the leader of the walk for a rating if it’s not LIBRARY INFORMATION - ask a committee member included in the program. If you would like to borrow a book. • Books are generally borrowed for one month - however you can write on the sign-out sheet if you wish to have it longer. CONTACTS for Field Trips • Should any library materials need maintenance, James Turner: 5155 1258 m. 0427 290838 please make a committee member aware of same. • If you wish to recommend a book, this can Noel Williamson 5152 1737 be done by writing a short recommendation Vicki Fraser: m. 0417 586856 for the Clematis. This information could be from our library books or from other books that you believe our library could look at purchasing. Page 3 Issue 113 PROGRAMME September to December 2017 SEPTEMBER TBA Junior excursion TBA Vicki Fraser Thur 7th Comm. 4.00pm P. McPherson’s home meeting Frid 15th Gen. meeting 7.30pm Noweyung Centre Fox Control Pro- Brett Mills, Trust gram at Blond for Nature Bay Sun 17th Excursion 8.30am Bridge Club McLoughlins Beach, James Turner sharp South Gippsland and later Kath Tisdale Sun 24th Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club Mottle Range Not yet rated Noel Williamson Sat 30th Metallic Sun- 10.00a Bridge Club James Turner orchid count m OCTOBER TBA Junior excursion TBA Vicki Fraser Thurs 12th Comm. Meeting 4.00pm Pauline Stewart’s home Frid 20th AGM & general 7.30pm Noweyung Centre Members’ photos & meeting supper Sun 22nd Excursion 9.00am Bridge Club Fernbank area Andrew Bould & Jen Wilkinson Sun 29th Bushwalk 9.00am Bridge Club Tabberabbera area Not yet rated Noel Williamson NOVEMBER TBA Junior excursion TBA Vicki Fraser Thurs 9th Comm. meeting 4.00pm Margaret Regan’s home Frid 17th General 7.30pm Noweyung Centre Biodiversity at Hagan Bright- meeting Strathfieldsaye man Sun 19th Excursion 9.00am Bridge Club Strathfieldsaye Hagan Bright- man 24,25,26 Camp-out 9.00am Bridge Club Wulgulmerang, James Turner Karoonda Park 9.30am Red Knob McKillops Bridge, Gelantipy Willis DECEMBER TBA Junior excursion TBA Vicki Fraser Frid 15th Xmas Breakup The Clematis Page 4 PRESIDENT’S REPORT Whilst general meetings have been in abeyance over winter your Committee has been carrying on the work of the Club on a number of fronts. First the good news; at the Field Nats. display to celebrate World Environment Day in June, we (Vicki, Andrew and I) looked with envy at the banners that other organisations proudly displayed and it was apparent that a Club banner would have identified us in our small corner of the Mall and raised our profile. Well, this is now a reality. Jennifer Wilkinson has created two beautiful pull up vertical banners and a tie- on horizontal banner which collectively identifies who we are; what we stand for; what we do; where we do it; and how to contact us. Our friends at e-gee printers have done the work for us and these banners will be launched at our general meeting on September 15th. Now, the not so good news; due to re-organisation within DELWP we can no longer take advantage of their facilities to print hard copies of our Clematis Newsletter. Most of our members receive their copies online but 10 members with the facility to do so have requested (and receive) a hard copy and there are 8 members who don’t have online facilities at all and rely on the hard copy. It is our intention to circulate the Clematis in digital format starting with the autumn edition that comes out in March 2018. All members with online facilities will receive it this way as will Departments and external organisations who have already indicated that they are happy to do so. This leaves the 8 members dependent on a hard copy. I plan to be in touch with each of them personally in the near future to work out a suitable method to meet their needs. Another big issue that we have dealt with over winter is the Amendments to Working with Children Act 2005. B&DFNDC certainly comes under this Act and the Amendments have relevance for us. It requires the Committee of Management and the Co-ordinator of our Junior Group to undertake a Working with Children Check (WWCC) which we have in hand. If any of you have any queries about this issue and/or implications of the Amendments, please let me know as I have a pretty good handle on it. A welcome diversion from the cold weather has been a little research project relating to aboriginal bones thought to have been found by a field naturalist on Sperm Whale Head and handed in to Aboriginal Victoria. Their anthropologist wanted to re-inter them and asked if B&DFNC knew where they had been found. In investigating this issue I was led to the amazing life and times of Fred Barton and members of his extended family who settled on the many islands and headlands in the Gippsland Lakes in the 1800’s and lived there until Fred, the last member, left in 1957. Unfortunately, there is no record of Fred finding aboriginal bones in his book The Bartons of Banksia or in the family memory of his surviving son Trevor but the search was very enjoyable. Pat McPherson President Page 5 Issue 113 AROUND ORBOST - 21 May 2017 By Margaret Regan Our first reconnoitre was along Corringle Road, which is south from Newmerella, to near the corner of Old Station Road. Where did the name come from – was there once an old coach station there or did it lead to a property called Old Station?? This area of State Forest was last burnt around April 2015. Overhead trees were Southern Mahogany (Eucalyptus botryoides) which has thick fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches, and smooth bark on the smaller branches; White Stringybark (E. globoidea); and Coast Grey Box (E. cypellocarpa). Austral bracken (Pteridium esculentum) was ubiquitous. The only flowering found on the sandy soil was a mid-pink Common Heath (Epacris impressa); and two orchid species – Large Mosquito-orchid (Acianthus exsertus) which has a flat heart-shaped leaf, green above and purple beneath, with several tiny brownish flowers on the flowering stem; and almost flowering was Spurred Helmet-orchid (Corybas aconitiflorus) which has a similar leaf, but a single purple hooded flower with two white spurs projecting down, on a very short stem.