Issue 34 April 2009 Goodbye 'Sodden Loddons' The muddy ‘sodden Loddons’ may be no more, if proposed construction of 6.2 kilometres of new track on the Frenchmans Cap Track proceeds as part of a new management plan for the track. The Frenchmans Cap Walking Track Management Plan 2009 was produced to provide strategic direction for the track’s upgrade over the next 10 years. Its In this issue development resulted from businessman Dick Smith’s donation to the WILDCARE Gift Fund of $100,000 per year for the next 10 years, – Grants success for Tamar to fund track improvements. Mr Smith, a Islands regular visitor to Tasmania, made the donation following his visit last year, which included – Maatsuyker Caretakers Celebrate Anniversary walking the Frenchmans Cap track. The Tasmanian Government agreed to match – Bill Forsyth's Relections on his donation with a commitment of $50,000 PWS Ranger Stuart Graham at the ‘sodden Loddons’ PWS Staff each year for 10 years. This plan will now be used as the foundation for – New Wildcare CARes Groups The 23 kilometre track from the Lyell Highway a funding bid to the WILDCARE Gift Fund. The to the summit of Frenchmans Cap is used by work would begin following the WILDCARE – Redefining the Tasmanian approximately 1000 walkers each year. Trail Gift Fund Board’s funding approval. ...continued on page 2 – DAGs Complete Margate Track Still Wild About Writing – WILDCARE Supports The WILDCARE Tasmania Nature Writing WILDS’COOL Trial Prize, the international prize for outstanding nature writing, is on again this summer. Newsletter of Since its beginnings in 2003, the prestigious WILDCARE Inc biennial prize has attracted over 200 entries Tasmania’s largest incorporated from writers all over Australia and overseas. volunteer organisation, caring for In aiming to lift the profile of nature writing, wild places, wildlife and cultural it helps put words and actions together in the heritage. cause of caring for our world. Writers are vying for: C/o GPO Box 1751 Hobart • First Prize of $5,000 in cash plus an airfare TAS 7001 Australia. to Tasmania; a 2 week residency in a national park; and publication of the piece Ph: 03 6233 2836. in ISLAND magazine and WILDTIMES. Fax: 03 6224 0884. • Two Runner-up awards of $250 each, plus publication of their entry in ISLAND E-mail general: magazine and WILDTIMES. [email protected] By the time this article goes to press entries E-mail newsletter articles: will have closed for the 2009 prize. In fact we Orange Bellied Parrot image, produced for the [email protected] have received over 130 entries for Australia and overseas. prize publicity by artist Bradley Trevor Greive. Web: www.wildcaretas.org.au ...continued on page 2 2 – WILDTIMES – April 2009 ...Goodbye Sodden Loddons from page 1 Two of the Parks and Wildlife Service’s highland sections of the existing track ...Still Wild About Writing from page 1 most experienced track management (including the Irenabyss track) and However WILDCARE members staff, Grant Dixon and Stuart Graham, construction of 6.2 kilometres of can still be involved by: prepared the plan. new track in a re-route of the entire • Volunteering some time to Grant said that the certainty of funding Loddon Plains-Philps Lead section of help administer the prize, for the next 10 years provided the the existing track. Construction in • Taking part in a special scope for ‘doing the job properly’. two stages would allow for it to be WILDCARE nature writing opened sequentially. workshop with the winner, and The plan identified that extensive • Submitting your own entry works on the track were undertaken Grant said the option of a new route and spreading the word for between 1985 and 2005, with more through the Loddon Plains-Philps Lead the next prize, the more than $800,000 spent on track works section examined a range of factors entries the better! in the past 20 years, but that major including environmental impacts and problems such as active erosion, still future maintenance requirements. Tasmanian-born Bradley Trevor occur in some extensive sections of “This new track would compare Greive is an international best the track. favourably in terms of construction selling author & illustrator of books such as The Blue Day Grant and Stuart spent a total of and be much cheaper in terms of Book and Priceless: the Vanishing 17 days during three field trips in future maintenance costs as compared Beauty of a Fragile Planet. When October and Novemeber compiling to the alternative of hardening the he heard about our prize, he was an inventory of the existing track existing track,” he said. so impressed he donated his own and options for stabilisation and Late News: Following adoption and hand-made, felt illustration of an repair. This information has been publication of the report PWS has endagered orange-bellied parrot, collated into the comprehensive plan submitted a works program for the which was used (in colour) on which includes an assessment of the period to the end of this financial the entry form. Thanks BTG!” location, condition, values and usage year (to July 2009) to the WILDCARE of walking tracks and major walking Gift Fund committee and the first More information about the routes in the Frenchmans Cap area. payment from the Fund to PWS is prize is available on-line at www.wildcare.org.au, or you can Its major recommendations include: likely to be made in July. ring Peter Grant on 6233 2665. This completingcompleting stabilisationstabilisation ofof thethe Liz Wren, PWS year’s winner will be announced during the ‘10 Days on the Island’ WILDTIMES publication schedule festival on 4 April 2009. Issue # Article Submissions Due Publication Date Look for the winning entries in the next Wildtimes. 35 1 July 2009 August 2009 Peter Grant (WILDCARE member 36 1 November 2009 December 2009 & Manager Interpretation & 37 1 March 2010 April 2010 Education with PWS Submissions to Wildtimes Editor at [email protected] April 2009 – WILDTIMES – 3 Grant Success for Tamar Island Wetlands Volunteers at Tamar Island Wetlands and Wildlife Staff, Centre, a branch of WILDCARE Inc, Wetlands Centre are keen to landscape the area around Volunteers and Plant the Centre’s car park by planting a Society Members was selection of Tasmanian native trees, present. shrubs and ground flora. Donna Stanley from Having discovered that a grant of up Parks and Wildlife to $1,000 is offered each year by the introduced Dick, who Australian Plant Society Tasmania Inc. explained that the to volunteer organisations, Wetlands grant is available each Centre Volunteers President, John year to volunteer Duggin submitted an application. o r g a n i s a t i o n s and schools, with As the project proposed by the John Duggin accepts the grant cheque from APS applications to be Wetlands Volunteers complied with President Dick Burns the conditions set down by The submitted by July. Previous recipients were Bridgewater The first stage will be to plant the Australian Plant Society, the grant area between the car park and the was awarded to the volunteer group. High School and the Understorey Network. He then presented the Wetlands and the second stage to Dick Burns, President of APS. Tas. plant around the car park itself. Inc. travelled to Launceston to make cheque to John, who explained that the project will be undertaken in two Tasmanian indigenous species will be the official presentation in November. used in both stages. A small group, consisting of Parks stages. John Duggin Maatsuyker Volunteer Caretakers Celebrate Anniversary. A celebratory dinner was held in Maatsuyker Island is home, at least PWS Regional Volunteer Facilitator at Hobart recently to mark the tenth for part of the year, to three species of PWS Huonville on (03) 6264 8463 or anniversary of the Parks and Wildlife seals: Australian and New Zealand Fur [email protected] Service managed Volunteer Caretaker Seals, and more rarely the Southern Craig Saunders Program on Maatsuyker Island. Elephant Seal. About 50 caretakers and Friends of The island is also a Maatsuyker Island gathered at Irish place of significance Murphys to renew old acquaintances to the Tasmanian and reminisce. A b o r i g i n a l When the labour intensive original community. light on the island was replaced with a The Volunteer modern, solar powered beacon in the Caretaker Program mid 1990s the Australian Government was designed management agency Australian as a means of Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) maintaining a downgraded the lightkeeper presence fulltime presence and eventually handed management on the island after of the island to the Tasmanian the departure Government and hence the Parks and of professional Wildlife Service. l i g h t k e e p e r s . Soon after, the island was added to Caretakers have the Southwest National Park and is been on the island now part of the Tasmanian Wilderness for periods of three World Heritage Area. Apart from the to six months and heritage values of the light station combine their PWS which include the light tower, three duties with weather houses and various other buildings observations for and infrastructure the island has many the Bureau of important natural values. Meteorology. The island is an important breeding Any WILDCARE habitat for seabirds, none more evident members interested than about 2 million shearwaters (or in more details of mutton birds) but also small numbers this program should of the rare Soft Plumaged Petrel. contact Pip Gowen, 4 – WILDTIMES – April 2009 New WILDCARE CARes Groups Since our last issue we can report that new We are volunteers committed to caring We operate from St James Church, a community conservation groups across for the Franklin River and its National lovely heritage building located in Jericho, the state are realising the advantages Park.