reFire Recoverygrow... a natural progression h A newsletter by Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment on public land fire recovery JUNE 2010 Over 287,000 hectares of Victoria’s public land was burnt Inside this issue: in the February 2009 bushfires, including almost 100,000 • $4.8m win for wildlife hectares of national and state parks and reserves managed • Big funding for a small town by Parks Victoria and nearly 170,000 hectares of state forests • Hello possums and reserves managed by the Department of Sustainability • Healthy habitat, happy home and Environment (DSE). The most severely affected parks • Honouring our history were Kinglake National Park, Wilsons Promontory National ... plus an update on fire-affected parks and reserves Park, Bunyip State Park, Cathedral Range State Park and Yarra Ranges National Park. The fires devastated the Ash Some of Victoria’s most endangered species including the Forests through the Central Highlands. Leadbeater’s Possum, Barred Galaxias (fish) and Powerful Owl were threatened before the fires and we need to ensure the long term impact of the fires doesn’t inhibit their recovery. Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and DSE and Parks Victoria staff, volunteers and local contractors will Environment (DSE) have been working closely with the Victorian undertake habitat restoration, weed and pest control works to Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA) to assist the recovery of threatened species. Funded by the Victorian rebuild and reopen areas, and protect our natural and cultural values. and Commonwealth Governments ‘Rebuilding Together’ Statewide Bushfire Recovery Plan, a full list of projects can be This newsletter provides an update on recent fire recovery works, viewed at www.dse.vic.gov.au/naturalvaluesrecovery if you missed the special twelve months report edition issued in April 2010, then you may access it here www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/fire Big funding for a small town As part of the “Rebuilding Together” plan, $600,000 has been Funding Fire Recovery allocated to fire recovery rebuilding initiatives at Kinglake National Park, Yarra Ranges National Park and Cathedral Range State Park. $4.8m win for wildlife The projects were recently announced by Jacinta Allan, Minister Wildlife is a winner under the $4.8 million Natural Values program for Regional and Rural Development and the funding will be used announced by Gavin Jennings, Minister for Environment and to restore park facilities. Climate Change. Recycled steel to assist bushfire recovery Twenty-five projects across areas affected by the bushfires will The fires of Black Saturday resulted in a four month clean up of receive funding to assist native species recover from the 2009 around 3,000 properties with 11,650 tonnes of steel reclaimed bushfires. for recycling. Funds raised from recycling the steel are now available to Landcare and other community environmental groups to rehabilitate the environment. Known as the Recycling for Recovery Program, the $1.584 million raised will support volunteers in rebuilding efforts to help communities move forward – environmentally and socially. Grants will be available for projects such as preventing pest animal and weed species becoming established on public and adjoining private land or replanting vegetation to prevent erosion. More information is available by calling the Regional Landcare Coordinator in your local Catchment Management Authority, or Landcare and Community Engagement Policy Officer Allison Long Minister Gavin Jennings announces $4.8M at [email protected] Natural Values Fire Recovery Program Hello Possums Healthy Habitat, Happy Home Just two days before Lake Mountain’s first snowfall of the season, A significant fire recovery initiative is underway revegetating Parks Victoria’s Fire Recovery Project Officer-Jo Antrobus, hosted eighty hectares of former farmland into a healthy habitat for Channel Seven’s television crew from The Zoo program to showcase native fauna. Known as the Watsons Creek Biolink Project, 355 the Leadbeater’s Possum fire recovery efforts and supplementary individuals, volunteer groups and international students from the feeding program for an upcoming episode. The Zoo is the fourth University of Melbourne, have joined with Parks Victoria and DSE top rating program on Australian television attracting between staff to lure native inhabitants back into Kinglake National Park. 1.5 and 2 million viewers weekly. So far, over 127 volunteer hours has gone into the project with lots more to come. Greenfleet has also joined in as a major partner providing equipment and ample supplies of plants, grasses, shrubs and trees. Since the February 2009 fires, Kinglake National Park has witnessed a vast reduction in its mammal numbers, particularly the Brush Tailed Phascogale and Common Dunnart. The Watsons Creek site connects the unburnt Warrandyte-Kinglake Nature Conservation Reserve with the adjoining Kinglake National Park. The planting of hundreds of seedlings at Watsons Creek will create a biological link between the park and the unburnt Warrandyte-Kinglake Nature Conservation Reserve. This will enhance the connection with known populations of the Brush Tailed Phascogale and Common Dunnart in the unburnt forest and provide a corridor of continuous vegetation to allow these animals to re-inhabit Kinglake National Park and facilitate their recovery. Leadbeater’s Possum (photo copyright D Harley) With the help of Healesville Sanctuary and Parks Victoria staff - Darren Barnes and Steve Robertson, we were able to convey the post fire plight of this tiny endangered marsupial on camera which will be seen by a huge audience. An on-air date for the segment has not yet been finalised. The story also featured the HELP (Helping Endangered Leadbeater’s Possums) team - Elly, Ellie, Mollie and Luke - who have been tirelessly campaigning and fundraising for the Leadbeater’s Possum for the last twelve months and are about to take their project to the International Problem Solving finals in the United States. If you would like to know more about the Leadbeater’s Possum and Volunteers working at Watsons Creek BioLink Project supplementary feeding program, please refer to the April issue of Regrowth available here www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/fire Location and access This site can be easily found just off Marshalls Road about 10.3 kilometres from the township of St Andrews and 61 kilometres from the centre of Melbourne. The site is slightly sloped and just a short walk from the car park. Volunteer registration Registrations are still open for individuals and groups to participate in planting the seedlings, the project is expected to be completed on Sunday 20 June 2010. Children under the age of sixteen are required to be supervised by a parent or guardian. If you would like to be involved in this project contact: Tara Sanders 03 5772 0290, Mobile 0437 705 432, email [email protected] Channel Seven’s TheZoo program filming at Yarra Ranges National Park Honouring our History Keppel’s Hut is closed annually after the Queen’s Birthday weekend and reopens prior to the Melbourne Cup weekend. Heritage consultants have commenced fieldwork at Masons Falls Picnic Ground within Kinglake National Park, for the development of a Cultural Heritage Management Plan. The works are being carried out in consultation with the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council. Final consultation is underway for the completion of a Post-Fire Indigenous Cultural Heritage Survey Report at Wilsons Promontory National Park. This project has had some exciting results, and will provide Parks Victoria with a greater understanding of the Indigenous history of the Prom. Anderson’s Mill horse yards rebuilding begins Work has commenced to rebuild the Anderson’s Mill horse yards Keppel’s Hut near Marysville after they were destroyed on Black Saturday. Members of the Alexandra and District Horseman’s Association and Bunyip State Park DSE began working on the new yards on the ANZAC long weekend. The fire started before Black Saturday on 4 February 2009. This is not the first time the horse yards have been rebuilt. The A total of 7,640 hectares (46 per cent) of the park was burnt over 1939 bushfires burnt Anderson’s Mill to the ground, and wire yards the next four weeks before the fire was contained. were constructed at the site, then in the early 1990s the wire yards Lawson Falls Picnic Ground and Lawson Falls Walking Track were replaced with natural local timber horse yards in a project also are the only areas which remain closed in Bunyip State Park. undertaken by volunteers. A Cultural Heritage Management Plan for the picnic ground The horse yards are part of a wider DSE project to rebuild visitor and design drawings for the boardwalk are complete. facilities at Anderson’s Mill which includes the construction of a new toilet block, improvements to campsites and visitor information signs. Victoria’s bird emblem on the road to recovery Recently 22 captive-bred Helmeted Honeyeaters were released into Bunyip State Park, in what researchers hope will be a significant boost for Victoria’s bird emblem. The young birds, bred at Healesville Sanctuary, are being supported in the wild by DSE, Parks Victoria and Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater and Friends of Bunyip State Park. Staff and volunteers will keep a close watch on the birds, including undertaking nest protection works during the breeding season. There are only about eighty Helmeted Honeyeaters left in the wild at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve, south of Healesville and at Bunyip State Park. The Bunyip Ridge fire came within 350 metres Anderson’s Mill Horseyards of the population at Bunyip State Park in February 2009. The aim of establishing a new population is to reduce the risk of the Keppel’s Hut rises from the ashes critically endangered Helmeted Honeyeater being wiped out by a The historic Keppel’s Hut, which was destroyed in the Black single event such as wildfire or disease.