RESCUE OUR PARKS! MARCH 2016 NO 264 NEW! VICNATURE 2050 GREAT VICTORIAN FISH COUNT BUSHWALKING LEADBEATER'S PLAN AND ACTIVITIES 'PLACES YOU LOVE' ALLIANCE PROGRAM WE'RE LISTENING FOR NATURE AUTUMN 2016 VICTORIA'S BEST WALKS Be part of nature PRESIDENT Euan Moore DIRECTOR Matt Ruchel CONTENTS Level 3, 60 Leicester St, Carlton, VIC 3053 3 From the President ABN 34 217 717 593 3 From the Editor Telephone: (03) 9347 5188 4 Vicnature 2050 Facsimile: (03) 9347 5199 E-mail: [email protected] RESCUE OUR PARKS Web: www.vnpa.org.au 5 It’s time to revive our parks VNPA’S VISION 6-7 The pests in our midst We share a vision of Victoria as a place with a diverse, secure and 8 Burning question healthy natural environment cared for and appreciated by all. 9 The climate changes everything EDITORIAL COMMITTEE 9 Expertise in park planning Euan Moore, Matt Ruchel, Philip Ingamells, Chris Smyth. 10 People in parks GETTING INVOLVED IN VNPA 11 The Falls to Hotham ‘icon’ walk – Everyone can help in the conservation of Victoria’s wild and beautiful desecrating Mount Feathertop places. You can: 12-13 Counting on variety • make a donation 13 Fossils or bay filling at Beaumaris? • become a regular giver or member • volunteer. You’ll be welcome in the office, on a campaign or in a park 14-15 Mountain Ash: exploring the book • leave a bequest to VNPA in your will. 16 New plan for Leadbeater’s PUBLISHING POLICY 16 Citizen science survey protects gliders All advertisements should be compatible with VNPA policies. Publication 17 Biodiversity Strategy under way of an advertisement does not imply endorsement by the VNPA Inc. of 18 Legal action forces VicForests the advertised product or service. The VNPA reserves the right to refuse to survey for wildlife any advertisement at any time. 18 Park camping fees reduced Park Watch may be quoted without permission provided that 19 The ‘Places You Love’ alliance acknowledgement is made. The opinions of contributors are not 20 Planned burn disaster necessarily those of the VNPA Inc. 21 Coming soon: Nature Play Week! GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS 22-23 We’re listening for nature You’re always welcome to contact the editor to discuss ideas for articles. 24-25 Finding safe havens Phone the VNPA or email [email protected]. Articles may be 26-27 In Parks: Parks in the ground submitted by email, on disk or as hard copy. Include your contact details and brief biographical information. Photos, maps and 28-29 You bloody dingo! drawings are needed too. Digital photos should be 300dpi and 30-31 Wildlife welcome! around 8cm by 12cm. 32-33 Closing the gate on extinctions? COPY DEADLINE for June 2016 Park Watch is 25 April 2016. 34-35 Finding Victoria’s best walks DESIGN Mary Ferlin PRINTING Adams Print 36 Come to Project Hindmarsh, 37 June 2016! 37 A walk to Genoa Peak FRONT COVER Places we love: a student from the Department of 38 Book Review Education & Training Leadership School (Alpine School The Invention of Nature: The adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, at Dinner Plain) photographs wildflowers at JB Plain in the Lost Hero of Science the Alpine National Park. Photograph by David Tatnall. 38 Book Review BACK COVER Laughing Waters Road: Seal Bay, Croajingolong NP. Photograph by David Tatnall. Art, Landscape & Memory in Eltham Park Watch ISSN 1324-4361 39 Australia Day awards 2016 2 PArk wAtch • MARCH 2016 NO 264 From the President PHOTO COURTESY EUAN MOORE Christmas 2015 came a few days early park. Some were working on tracks or front line in dealing with the public, and with news about a successful grant feral animal control, or carrying out with threats such as invasive species. application to enable VNPA to extend research, while others enhanced the The human presence in parks helps make visitor experience by talking to people. the ‘Caught on Camera’ project to visitors feel welcome. Talking to rangers include sound recording. This is in stark contrast to Victoria, increases people’s appreciation of the park, The new project, in conjunction with where staffing levels are so much and makes them want to protect it. It’s the Museum of Victoria, is called reduced that in most parks you have to also likely to increase the length of their ‘Communities Listening for Nature’. search for a ranger if you want to get stay, bringing a financial return to nearby See story on p. 22. Congratulations and more information - and you still might communities. not be successful. thanks to Caitlin Griffith and Christine This decline has resulted from the Connelly for their work in obtaining Few of our parks have adequate poor levels of funding for managing the grant. information centres, and there is our national parks, which was made 1 February saw the launch of the excessive reliance on web-based significantly worse by recent cuts in core VicNature 2050 website, which information. funding. It’s time for our parks to receive the field staff and funding they need for summarises output from the October We need people working in our parks to proper management. That is a major symposium ‘Managing Victoria's show that as a community, we care about theme of this Park Watch. PW Biodiversity under Climate Change’ the parks. The staff who work in parks • which the VNPA jointly organised care about ‘their’ parks, and are also the Euan Moore, VNPA President with the Royal Society of Victoria and the University of Melbourne’s Bio21 Institute. See story on p. 4. Speaking of years, I’m sorry to say that While talking about our online this will be my last Park Watch as editor, presence, I should mention that the after 12 years and some 46 issues. It’s been redevelopment and modernisation of an amazing journey and a privilege and the VNPA website are well underway. pleasure to edit the magazine and meet, or The new website should be available in at least read articles (and see photos) from, the second half of the year. so many interesting and committed people. We’re also reviewing our current I can’t name you all personally but please website and bringing the content take this thank-you as applying to you! It’s up to date, and there’s a new section also been a privilege to work with such a with a lot of material relevant to the great team of VNPA staff and volunteers. school curriculum. See p. 17. Dorothy and I feel it’s time to try things Moving to parks on the ground, while From the Editor like longer walks and other travelling and on holiday in December I visited six PHOTO: DOROTHY HOWES volunteering, and we’re also helping to look national parks in New Zealand. Each after Thomas (see photo), Australia’s cutest Welcome to the first Park Watch had information centres with displays baby and our first grandchild. But I won’t for 2016! about the fauna, flora and geology of the say a final good-bye, rather an au revoir. It park as well as about walks and other The need for more funding for could be a Dame Nellie Melba farewell as activities. One small park had three parks is the theme of this issue, I hope to return to help with Park Watch centres, one at each entrance! and there’s also a range of articles (if invited) and maybe, with more time available, take part in some BWAG walks! The centres were all staffed by on VNPA activities, conservation Department of Conservation staff who topics and bushwalking. A big And many thanks to our members and thank-you to all our contributors, had detailed knowledge of the area. Maps readers. Without you there wouldn’t be a with special thanks to David Tatnall and other printed information were Park Watch! I hope you enjoy the magazine, for the great photos in this and available, sometimes for a small charge. and I wish you all the very best. PW many other Park Watch editions • We encountered rangers and other DoC over the years. Michael Howes staff during every visit to a national PArk wAtch • MARCH 2016 NO 264 3 To help nature adapt to a new Vicnature climate: 2050 1 We are working together, so we support each other and keep learning. OUR CLIMATE IS CHANGING, 2 We accept that natural AND THIS WILL AFFECT OUR areas will change, and that BIODIVERSITY. PHIL INGAMELLS new ecosystems that may OUTLINES A COOPERATIVE emerge are also valuable. EFFORT TO HELP NATURE ADAPT TO A NEW CLIMATE. We are protecting our 3 parks and reserves, PHOTO: JENNY BARNETT as they are the most important refuges for native species as the Climate change will hit Victoria’s climate changes – places natural areas quite hard, but there are where species can move many things we can do to help. around and/or evolve to accommodate changes. This is the message from a symposium held last year, when some 200 scientists, 4 We are working to remove land managers and other community existing threats, such as members put their heads together to weeds and feral animals, help nature ride out the tricky years and further clearing of ahead of us. native bushland. PHOTO: PHIL INGAMELLS The symposium was jointly held by the Top: Even once-common birds like kookaburras are VNPA, the Royal Society of Victoria suffering a decrease in numbers across Victoria. 5 We are understanding and and the University of Melbourne’s Bio21 Bottom: Snow Myrtle, Grampians National Park.