Dear Friends,

Sincere apologies to those without

access to the internet for the lack

of a newsletter during 2014.

Those with internet did receive

“eletters” from the secretary, Phil-

lip Jensen. These updated mem-

bers and friends on the vital issues

of the time, which included pro-

gress on the efforts to save Toot-

garook Swamp. See more page 2.

So you will see that SPIFFA and

associated groups have been just

as active and effective as in the

past, with Gidja Walker and Phil-

lip seeming to never tire. Likewise

all the indefatigable volunteers in

the reserves.

Despite recent tragic happenings

both in Australia and many other

places in the world, we hope for a

personally fulfilling and healthy

2015 for each and every reader of

this newsletter and their loved

ones.

J Dwyer, Editor.

SPIFFA NEWSLETTER

SOUTHERN PENINSULA IDIGENOUS FLORA AND FAUNA ASSOCIATION INC. PO BOX 480 ROSEBUD VICTORIA AUSTRALIA 3939

REGISTERED NUMBER A0024178

WEBSITE: WWW.spiffa.org

SUMMERTIME IN VICTORIA

Despite the recent rains at time of writing (mid January) it’s a fair assumption that we

will still have to face hot weather until the end of February. This quickly dries out the

vegetation, bringing the threat of bushfire. How to protect your property? Apart from

measures to fireproof your house as advised by the Fire Authorities, your garden can be a

mitigating zone. Although nothing could withstand the kind of heat intensity of a Black

Saturday, there are plants which are fire resistant because of a high salt and moisture con-

tent and other properties. Some of these include

the following:

Bower Spinach, (Tetragonia implexicoma), as

shown right, is found mainly in coastal areas of

southern Australia, so is suited to sandy soils. It is

a scrambling plant which makes excellent ground

cover as well as climber. Belonging to the Pigface

(Aizoaceae) family, it has long trailing stems and

is very hardy, not needing to be watered. The yel-

low flowers which appear between August and

November are strongly scented, giving way to

orange-red fruits which ripen to near black and

provide food for birds. They have also been used

for dye. The fleshy leaves contain salt and water

and are high in vitamin C. They were used as a

leafy green vegetable by indigenous Australians

and also by early European settlers and sailors to

ward off scurvy. (DPI, Wikipedia).

Boobialla (Myoporum insulare), Left:

Also known as Native Juniper, this is also a

coastal plant which grows on dunes and cliffs

from southern New South Wales to South Austra-

lia and Tasmania. The thick, smooth green leaves

are 3-9cm long. White flowers with purple spots

appear from October to December. The small,

rounded fruits are purple to black and 4.5—9 mm

in diameter. Again, a hardy plant which can with-

stand drought and can be used as a fast-growing

hedge. (Wikipedia)

There is also a creeping variety (Myoporum parvi-

folium), which is suitable for groundcover in

acidic, sandy, alkaline and “quite clay” soils.

(Sustainable Gardening Australia).

Seaberry Saltbush (Rhagodia condolleana)

below R: Found in coastal areas and salt

marshes, this is again fire-resistant because of salt

and water content. It is a sprawling shrub which

can tolerate a wide range of conditions. Requires

no watering, and the small, shiny dark red berries

provide food for birds in the autumn. It is possible

that the leaves and berries were also eaten by In-

digenous Australians. (Victorian Flora).

Photo: “Melburnian”, Wikipedia.

Photo: Victorian Flora

Indigenous Grasses such as Poas and

Stipas carry a much lesser fuel load

than introduced pasture grasses,

need no watering or mowing and are

ornamental, especially as garden

borders. Eskdale Nursery Photo.

THE BURNING QUESTION: By Bob McDonald

Sent via Email by Maryland Wilson, 11.04.2014 Australian Wildlife Protection Council Inc.

Maryland quotes Bob McDonald, who wrote:

Frequent planned fires often escape in Victoria with regular hot dry summers. These fires come to-

gether to form out of control bush and grass fires. Countless millions of animals are killed not only

by fires but by starvation, loss of habitat and being exposed to predators.

In the 1980’s ‘ecological burning’ began in National Parks and reserves to ‘increase the diversity of

plants’. These fires kill reptiles, frogs, nestling birds, small mammals and (have) at times escaped to

burn large areas. From the late 1960’s various academics claimed that this burning replicated what

Aboriginal people ‘did’ - with poor evidence. The use of burning as a form of forest management ‘took

off’ in Western Australia and spread across to the eastern states to accompany ‘clear falling’ (sic) to

grow young trees for the paper industry and export woodchips. The market collapsed in early 2000s

and suddenly fires were being extended by backburns and foresters were using ‘Aboriginal Burning’ as

the ‘reason’ for increasing this fire frequency. Without any evidence the 2009 bushfires were blamed

on a lack of ‘fuel reduction burning’ and the amount of all bush, including Parks and Reserves, that was

burned was radically increased.

There are now few areas left unburned and around 500 hectares of Cape Liptrap Coastal Park on Waratah Bay in South Gipp-

sland is one. Here there are a series of catchments that are intact. They run from the ridgeline to the sea and support a massive

range of birds, plants and animals, including Lyrebirds, Bandicoots and Tiger Quolls. There are a series of burns planned for

this small park and locals have been working hard to stop them with research to establish the role of animals, insects and fungi of

this bushland in eating and breaking down leaf litter and dead timber. There have been no significant fires here for 88 years,

despite lightning strikes.

The local community is undertaking this research in as transparent fashion as possible, with a

website www.eclecticparrot.com.au that has links to an active Facebook page (you do not have

to be signed up to have a look) and a Youtube video. We are working with botanists, naturalists,

local Aboriginal people, Entomologists from the CSIRO and undertaking continuous survery

work and engaging with governments departments.

We need funding and we can take people into the bush and provide value in exchange for dona-

tions by teaching people. Donors get to set and see the results of wildlife cameras, to look for

birds, plants and animals and participate in regular moth surveys with naturalists. Contact will

be by email, letter or phone.

You can also help by ‘liking’ the Facebook page, if you are signed up and getting others to as

well and getting people to watch the Youtube video. The best (aspect is) coming down to this beautiful place and learning more

about it and we can help find affordable accommodation and camping...Donations can be made to Natural History Network C/-

ANZ Bank BSB (013 259) Acc.(2952 34401) or sent payable to same c/- PO BOX 305 Foster Victoria 3960.

Just a few of the vulnerable:

Photos clockwise from top

left:

SPIFFA website;

DPI website; Museum Aus-

tralia; Internet: Picassa;

Internet; J Dwyer

“Countless millions of

animals are killed not

only by the fires but by

starvation, loss of habi-

tat and being exposed

to predators”

Bob McDonald

Although this letter

was sent last year and

the situation re Cape

Liptrap burns no

longer applies, the

question of the dam-

age done by burning is

still topical and worth

considering, if not

vital, as is the research

being done by this

group. Joining the

effort could also make

for an enjoyable holi-

day. Ed

Further in-depth discussion by Bob McDonald concerning frequent burning can be

found on the SPIFFA website: www.spiffa.org, where he discusses the validity of cur-

rent thinking and practice and the history of burning from Aboriginal times to today,

with references to many credible publications. Unfortunately, space does not allow

the full document here, but it is an eye-opener and well worth reading. This is a dis-

cussion we surely need to have. Ed.

Fire is not the only significant threat to wildlife. Humans not only destroy habitat for

their own homes and roads, our politicians’ actions can so often be lethal. EPBC approval

has been withdrawn for the Southern Brown Bandicoot Habitat Corridors, thus signifi-

cantly jeopardising the species’ survival, making them likely to join the Eastern Barred Ban-

dicoot, which is extinct in the wild. To prevent this, the Green Wedges Coalition has lodged

an appeal in the federal Court, using most of the GWC savings. Taking it to Court will cost

a further $15—$20,000 .

If you can help, contact Rosemary West: rowest@ozemail.com.au

Source: Rosemary West eletter 22.12.2014 Photo: Bertram Lobert. Wikipedia

Congratulations to Liz

Barraclough for being

awarded an AOM, Gen-

eral Division, Australia

Day Awards. A truly

deserving recipient.

BERG also deserves to

bathe in reflected glory

for the excellent conser-

vation work it has

achieved as part of the

team.

STILL ON A FIERY NOTE: Last December Andrew Cox of the Invasive Species Council

wrote that “Red imported fire ants have been found in Sydney. Never before have these

highly aggressive and destructive ants been found outside of Queensland. The new infesta-

tion could seriously undermine efforts to rid them from Australia”. He continues “This is an

ant you don’t ever want to live with. In southern US, where there is a large infestation, you

can’t stand still, you can’t wear thongs, you can’t sit on the grass in your own backyard”. He

lists the damage they are capable of as:

Aggressive swarming behaviour and intense painful stings

Killed over 80 people in the USA including children and the elderly

Makes grassy areas unusable

Destroys ground-dwelling wildlife, young livestock and infrastructure

Fortunately, the Council succeeded in having a federal Senate inquiry launched. This focuses

on preventing new invasive species from entering Australia and has “revealed systemic bio-

security failures” which have resulted in growing numbers of invasive species entering the

country. Andrew fears that because $300million has already been spent, State governments

may be reluctant to fund further efforts. He

points out, however, that failure in southeast

Queensland alone could total $43 billion

over 30 years.

As the only group nation-wide which is

working to prevent invasive species entering

and the eradication of those that have done

so, funds are urgently needed.

If you can help, or need more information

contact Andrew Cox on 0438 588 040

Photo: Wikipedia

On a happier—and greener–

note:

GetUp announced last June

that the World Heritage Com-

mittee took only seven min-

utes to reject Prime Minister

Abbott’s submission to have

Tasmania’s ancient forests

stripped of their protection

status and opened to logging.

Let’s hope that’s the end of

that battle forever.

The Environmental Defenders

Office which has for 20 years

given legal advice and help to

those endeavouring to save the

natural environment, has now

become ENVIRON-

MENTAL JUSTICE AUS-

TRALIA.

It is pledged to “create an

Australia where our laws

work as they should to pro-

tect our environment and

empower our people”.

Back in March, 2014, Green Action News published the following:

“Most houses in Victoria are pretty leaky when it comes to energy and water. In fact,

houses built before 2005 average just two stars out of 5 for water and energy efficiency.

This means they’re hotter in summer, colder in winter and a whole lot more expensive

to run than they need to be”. Anne Martinelli, One Million Homes Campaigner, calls

for “direct government assistance to retrofit the homes of low-income Victorians...and a

mix of policy measures and financial incentives to encourage home owners and land-

lords to invest in improvements”. She claims this could save government $2.5 billion

over 20 years.

Given the predictions of hotter summers, Green Action is also asking governments to

commit to a Clean Energy Plan which incorporates a much higher emissions reduction

target, a clean energy supply and a range of energy efficient programs. (Dr Nicholas

Aberle, Safe Climate Campaign Manager). Sounds like sense to me. Ed.

YOUR COMMITTEE:

PRESIDENT: Gidja Walker (5988 6529)

SECRETARY: Phillip Jensen (5988 6529)

TREASURER: Lucy Firth

MEMBERSHIP: Jon Greening :

jonni5isalive@yahoo.com

FUND-RAISING: Tamara Hicks (5981 2502)

SPEAKERS: Gidja Walker

NEWSLETTER: Imelda Douglas (5986 5291)

& Jan Dwyer (5986 6566)

SUPPER: Jacquie Salter & Cathy Sansom

A BIG THANK TO ALL & WELCOME TO A

NEW YEAR OF DEDICATION.

MEMBERSHIP: This stands at $15 per person. It

will considerably help towards SPIFFA’s continued

effort to fight for the natural environment by tack-

ling issues, educating the public and environmental

workers. You can pay via the website:

www.spiffa.org, or complete the following:

NAME/S.....................................................................

....................................................................................

POSTAL ADDRESS/EMAIL:..................................

...................................................................................

P.CODE...............................PH.................................

I enclose cheque/money order for.$...........................

Being subs/donation to SPIFFA Inc.

SAVE TOOTGAROOK SWAMP-

AGAIN! Yes, apparently developers cannot bear to see any

‘vacant’ land—a greatly misused word, as in fact most

‘vacant’ land has many inhabitants, sometimes pre-

cious, as in the case of the Tootgarook wetlands. As

members will be aware, threatened indigenous and mi-

gratory birds alone are of sufficient importance to

make the wetland worth fighting for. Then there’s the

myriad small creatures, such as frogs - it is, after all,

the “land of the croaking frog” - snakes, insects and

small birds.

After achieving Shire support in the past after much

hard work by a few valiant souls such as Jess Durant

and Cameron Brown, there is now an application for a

99 LOT SUBDIVISION covering a large section of the

Swamp.

TO LEARN MORE visit:

http://www.savetootgarookswamp.org

YOU CAN HELP BY submitting an objection to the

Shire as follows:

HEADING: Planning Application for Lot 92

Elizabeth Avenue Rosebud # P14/1202 & P14/1901

INCLUDE: Your name, address, phone (mandatory)

SEND TO:

Email: planning.submission@mornpen.vic.gov.au

Post: Mornington Peninsula Shire.

Statutory Planning Department

Private Bag 1000.

Rosebud Victoria 3939

OR YOU CAN DONATE:

Name: Save Tootgarook Swamp;

BSB: 06 3540; A/C: 1058 2313

MEETINGS

Include plant identification and are held on the first Monday

of the month at 7.30 pm at Seawinds Community Centre

Allambie St West Rosebud

If undeliverable return to SPIFFA Inc.

PO Box 480 ROSEBUD VIC 3939

Surface

Mail

Courtesy Mornington Peninsula Birdlife

Newsletter 03.09.2013