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Any covenantors interested in taking part in this project can register interest by emailing East Gippsland Stewardship Officers Kate Allen or Clare Manuell or call the East Gippsland office on (03) 5153 0457.

This recent article in The Age (10 April 2012) may be of interest: 

http://www.theage.com.au/national/leafy-roadsides-to-ease-the-stress-of-highflyers-daily-commute-20120409-1wl7y.html

And the National Regent Parrot Recovery Plan can be found here: 

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/pubs/regent-parrot.pdf

"The best results for our community and environment are achieved through a partnership approach – where we work together to develop and implement the most effective way to manage and protect Victoria's plants, animals, waterways and beaches.' Mr Smith said.

The Minister visited a covenanted site in Mitre where the covenant process was explained.

To read the full media release click here.

Floodwater is affecting many communities, impacting upon both homes and properties. Of primary importance is your safety and well-being during this time.  If your property has been affected as a result of inundation, flood damage and tree fall, it may be that to cope you have had to temporarily change the management regime of your property.  Trust for Nature acknowledges that to prepare for rising floodwater across your property, you might have needed to move stock and/or machinery to higher ground, even into areas protected by your conservation covenant. During a flood event, your fences may also have been damaged, which has resulted in your stock or neighbouring stock entering the covenanted area.

We encourage you to contact your Regional Manager if you have had to change the management of your property due to flooding.  Your Regional Manager may be able to provide assistance or advice.  Visit our contacts page here.

Please be safe at all times when working on or moving through your flood- or storm-affected property. A few helpful sites on other general safety advice and preparedness can be found here, while information regarding road closures can be found here.

Below are some photos from the event.

Read more here.

She is now trying to give the truffle species a name with the help of the rest of the BushBlitz team.  The species will be officially described and published in fungi journal volume called ‘Truffle-like fungi of Australia’, which should be out in 2013.  And while that is a little way off, we look forward to seeing what name the truffle receives.

Brian resigned from Trust for Nature in February 2000 to follow his private endeavours, including travelling around Australia with his wife Sandra.

Brian passed away on the 29 January 2012 and he will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues.

LARGE hairy spiders whose front resembles the intimidating grille of a Hummer. Ant spiders who mimic ants, look like ants, live with ants, and when they get hungry, eat ants. Dozens of plant species considered rare, vulnerable or endangered.

There are some of the largest huntsman spiders seen in Australia, including females measuring up to 20 centimetres wide-nearly half the width of a broadsheet newspaper page.

As environmental comebacks go, it is a particulary strong one. For these are just some of the highlights of an intensive biodiversity census conducted recently on one of the biggest privately owned properties in Victoria, Neds Corner, a 30,000-hectare property about an hour west of Mildura on the Murray River...

Read the full article here.

Wolf Spider at Neds Corner Station by David Paul, Museum Victoria

Jim Radford, Northern Plains Grassland Conservation Project, Department of Sustainability and Environment.

Deanna Marshall, Protected Areas on Private Land Project, Victorian Riverina, Trust for Nature.

Inappropriate tree planting at Towaninny South Flora Reserve. Photo: DSE, 2009.

Seemingly vacant roadsides and miscellaneous public reserves scattered throughout agricultural landscapes often harbour native grassland remnants. Often, there is a lack of understanding that these valuable treeless ecosystems are an integral part of the landscape, and support much biodiversity not found in treed ecosystems.

Inappropriate tree planting can be a major threat to these grassland remnants. Trees may compete for resources (space, light, water, nutrients) with grassland species, altering species composition and vegetation structure.

Even if tree planting may not significantly damage grassland remnants, site preparation may have major impacts. Disturbance such as cultivation, deep ripping and weed control results in habitat destruction, damage to the soil crust, weed invasion and soil erosion that can be expensive or even impossible to repair.

The natural distribution of vegetation types, such as ‘woodlands’, ‘treeless plains’ and ‘drainage lines’ are strongly linked to soils and associated parent materials and geomorphic processes. These patterns are not random. Revegetation projects should aim to match species with these natural patterns.

Altering the vegetation structure can also have unintended consequences for fauna. For example, Plains-wanderers will not inhabit grassland areas close to trees because of the threat from birds of prey that use trees as perch sites.

If your community group is planning any tree planting projects, be sure to check with the landowners / managers, be it Parks Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Local Shire, VicRoads etc, that trees are being planted in areas that are suitable and that you have approval from the landowners / managers to undertake the project.

The fund was launched in December, and the first round of grants closes on January 31st.

Greg Leach is the CEO of Greening Australia NT, he's been facilitating workshops in the Territory this week to provide more information about what types of programs could attract funding.

Read the full article here.

To apply to the Biodiversity Fund, visit: 

http://www.environment.gov.au/cleanenergyfuture/biodiversity-fund/index.html

In south-west Victoria, the Brolga Recovery Group have been giving out special calendars to landowners who have Brolgas on their properties. The calendars are used for recording Brolga behaviour. If you would like a calendar or more information, please contact Sue Mudford at suem@tfn.org.au and read their latest newsletter (December 2011) on our threatened species page here.