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.

Trust for Nature directs you to the Country Fire Authority (CFA) website (www.cfa.vic.gov.au) which has important information about:

• Warnings and fire danger ratings
• Fire restrictions
• Total fire ban days
• Vegetation clearance for fire prevention (including any requirements for a planning permit)

Please refer to this website for the most up-to-date information about current fires and what to do before, during and after a fire.

You should also note that 2011 fire restrictions for the coming Fire Danger Period do apply to a number of municipalities, although restrictions are being delayed in some others due to milder climate conditions this season. 

http://cfaonline.cfa.vic.gov.au/mycfa/Show?pageId=showRestrictionDates

Other websites also have useful information:

Department of Sustainability and Environment - Fire Situation
This weblink provides information about the current fire situations on public land in Victoria, including Fire Maps:

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/fire-and-other-emergencies/fires-today-incident-summary

Bureau of Meteorology – Victorian Warnings Summary
http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/warnings/index.shtml

Vic Roads
See ‘Traffic and Road Conditions’ for any road closures or other warnings affecting roads.
http://alerts.vicroads.vic.gov.au/?htmintcmp=HPE01000

Department of Human Services (DHS)
DHS provide a range of services to support mostly post fire support - including counselling, financial support and information.
http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/emergency/

ABC Radio Victoria
Select the closest centre for your regional website.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/

NOTE: One method for quick access to the web site on individual computers is to set up a directory under favourites in internet explorer or your preferred web browser.

To further develop private land conservation techniques, we have established the Trust for Nature Land Management Innovation Fund. The Innovation Fund is an exciting new resource for the Trust, which allows our dedicated conservation staff to develop and deliver new conservation projects.

The Innovation Fund provides Trust staff with the resources to address current conservation challenges. It also enables our regional staff to develop techniques that will benefit Trust for Nature Covenantors, as well as others passionate about nature. It is hoped that some of the projects supported by the Innovation Fund will become programs that can be rolled-out across the State.

The Innovation Fund provides investment in small-scale, well-researched projects and aspires to address challenges in conservation by using the latest research to create practical solutions to challenges faced by landowners who protect native plants and wildlife.

Stay tuned for information on the innovative projects undertaken by Trust for Nature's dedicated conservation staff, which demonstrate the type of work that we will be seeking your support for this Christmas.  To make a donation to support the on-going work of the Trust and the Innovation Fund, click here.

The team have had some great weather and seen more than 100 different species of birds, loads of reptiles and fascinating insects including this moth.

Read more at the Parks Australia blog. 

A two day Grass Identification and Management course, presented by Ecologist Dr Graeme Lorimer PhD, from Biosphere Pty Ltd proved to be popular event in Bendigo last week.

It was jointly organized by the North Central Catchment Management Authority and the Trust for Nature, and hosted by the Bendigo BRIT, Charleston Road campus. Thirty land managers were selected for the course, from areas as diverse as metropolitan Melbourne, Kerang and Heatcote, through to the Grampians.

Read more at the Lockington Landcare blog 

www.nedscorner.org.au

A team of top biodiversity scientists are spending more than 2,000 hours ‘blitzing’ Neds Corner Station in Victoria’s mallee country, surveying the reserve’s plants and animals in the hope of finding species that are new to science.

Read more on the BushBlitz and Parks Australia websites.

The survey, which runs between 21 November and 2 December, is part of the three-year multi-million dollar Bush Blitz partnership between the Australian Government, BHP Billiton and Earthwatch Australia that aims to document the plants and animals across Australia’s National Reserve System. Neds Corner Station was added to the National Reserve System in 2002 and is today managed for conservation by Trust for Nature.

Bush Blitz manager Jo Harding said the 10-day Bush Blitz at Neds Corner Station brings together a wealth of biodiversity expertise with scientists from the Victorian and Queensland museums, universities, herbariums and Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens as well as the private sector.

“Bush Blitz expeditions are unique because they record plants, fungi, reptiles, mammals, spiders and insects from the same sites at the same time, allowing us to build a clearer picture of the biodiversity of these habitats — which will add immense value to conservation planning,” Ms Harding explained. “We even have snail whisperer Dr John Stanisic taking part. An expert in Australian land snails, John will be on the hunt to discover new species of these native gastropods.”

Trust for Nature Chief Executive Officer Victoria Marles said, “Having scientists of this calibre come to Neds Corner Station for an intensive survey is a great opportunity to see what species have benefited from our hard work over the last nine years. This property is Victoria’s largest private land conservation reserve and Bush Blitz is a great way to find out more about what we are protecting here.”

Botanists from the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne are looking forward to sampling the diverse range of plant communities at Neds Corner. Gardens’ Chief Botanist and Plant Sciences and Biodiversity Director Professor David Cantrill, said the Bush Blitz survey provided a great opportunity for the Gardens’ botanists to also undertake a broader plant survey in Victoria’s north-west.

“This region has been relatively poorly surveyed for plants and we’ll be fielding the largest team we’ve sent out in decades,” Dr Cantrill said. “One of our conservation botanists was surveying in the region a few weeks ago and identified a number of plants that we believe will be new records for the State.”

Museum Victoria’s Head of Sciences Dr Mark Norman, who will be leading a team from the museum, said he was anticipating a bumper year for small mammals and reptiles. “Neds Corner Station is on Victoria’s desert fringes and it will be interesting to see the bounce back after many dry years,” Dr Norman said.

Earthwatch Executive Director Richard Gilmore said that BHP Billiton participants will be working alongside the scientists to document and discover new species during the expedition. “With more than 30 scientists as well as the BHP Billiton participants taking part in this ‘blitz’, it’s the most intensive survey yet done on this 30,000 hectare reserve,” Mr Gilmore said. “The results of this survey will contribute greatly to our knowledge of the biodiversity in this region of Victoria and will be invaluable in the reserve’s future conservation management.”

MEDIA INVITE

THE MEDIA is invited to a Bush Blitz Open Day being held at Neds Corner Station on Monday 28 November from 10am to 2pm. 

• Be the first to see the diversity of plants and animals encountered in this survey
• Find out how they go about collecting and identifying the plants and animals
• Experience one of Victoria’s great conservation sites covering a variety of landscapes right on the Murray River
• HD video footage and high quality images of survey and wildlife will be available

CONTACT:  Parks Australia: Karen Markwort
Phone: (02) 6274 2655
Mobile: 0439 582 686

Come and read more about the work that has been carried out over the last nine years ever since Trust for Nature bought the property and have managed it for conservation.  

Neds Corner Station is 30,000ha of protected property and is an important link in the Victorian landscape. It showcases Trust for Nature's land management works and our expertise in ecological restoration. 

The purchase of and works carried out at Neds Corner Station would not have been possible with out philanthropic support from many different groups.  We thank our supporters and hope that they will continue to support our work at Neds Corner Station.

We welcome donations to Neds Corner Station.  If you would like to donate, please click here.

In the Victorian Riverina, a region that stretches from the South Australian border in the west to Rutherglen in the east along the Murray Floodplain, we are looking for private landowners who are interested in protecting their land forever.

This part of the State is rich in biodiversity and has been rated as nationally and internationally important.  The Trust for Nature 'Protected Areas on Private Land' team are currently talking to people in the Victorian Riverina area about managing and protecting the fantastic natural values throughout the area - the grasslands, woodlands, waterways and wildlife.

Trust for Nature works with the National Reserve System in the Victorian Riverina to protect private land and habitat and therefore contribute to Australia's reserve system.

If you would like more information, please download the brochure by clicking on the image above, or you can call us (03) 8631 5888 or email.

Children enjoyed the huge range of activities including face painting, jumping castle, badge making, butterfly wing creating and water watch. They filled out nature passports, danced with Swifty the Parrot and Tilly the Platypus and collected nature cards from the Connies.  The biggest hit of the day was the live native animal display by Tooko which included Dingos, a Cape Barren Goose, Possums, Turtles and a 2m long Python.

The nature information stalls gave away a huge amount of information about local environment groups including Trust for Nature, Parks Victoria, Connecting Country and local Landcare Groups.

Trust for Nature worked with Connecting Country, Victoria Naturally, the Norman Wettenhall Foundation, mecu, IGA, Mildura Brewery, Bakers Delight and KR Castlemaine to sponsor the event and help to arrange the day.

Gembrook residents, Ed and Susie McNabb captured a rare sight earlier this year – a little White-footed Dunnart (Sminthopsis leucopus).  The mouse-like marsupial was seen climbing down a small branch leaning against a wall one day in January.

‘According to DSE’s Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, this is the first time the species has been recorded in the Gembrook area and the nearest previous record was at Yarra Junction in 1978,’ said Ed, a well-known ecologist.  ‘It really was an unexpected find, so when we found out what it was, we were very surprised.’

The White-footed Dunnart is listed as threatened under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.  The Dunnart is nocturnal and comes out to feed on insects and lizards.  During the day it rests in the hollows of trees, rotting logs and other areas it can find a safe place.

The McNabb’s property is protected by a conservation covenant, put in place by Trust for Nature.  The conservation covenant means the McNabbs manage their property primarily to look after the local native plants and wildlife.

‘We are really pleased to have the Dunnart here,’ said Ed.  ‘It makes us feel that we are doing the right thing by the wildlife of the area and providing good habitat for it to feed, rest and hopefully, breed.’

Across Victoria, there are now over 1000 other private properties that have a Trust for Nature conservation covenant in place.   

Our latest Conservation Bulletin is now on-line.  Read more here about our property, Mount Elephant, co-managed with the community of Derrinallum and meet the new covenantors who have protected their properties for conservation, forever.

Robyn was the first Norman Wettenhall Fellowship awardee and it has given Robyn the opportunity to further develop her leadership skills while she worked for Trust for Nature. She has received $10,000 a year, for three years and has undertaken project management training and tutoring, attended an ecological restoration conference and participated in stress reduction courses.

Robyn sees the Fellowship as a fantastic opportunity. 'I would encourage all Trust for Nature staff and covenantors to apply for the fellowship as it provides excellent support to improve your skills and knowledge,' she says.

Read more about the Norman Wettenhall Fellowship and what Robyn has been up to here.

Well done Robyn!

Across Victoria this spring, you can visit a whole range of private conservation properties and reconnect with nature.

Do you remember the feel of standing in a grassy field with your eyes closed and suddenly hearing the sounds of small birds, having a cool breeze zip past your neck and welcoming the sun's heat on your back?

Come along and stretch your legs on a nature walk, listen to a talk with conservation experts, watch birds getting ready to nest and smell the wildflower blend that means spring has arrived.

Click here for a full list of events near you or phone us on (03) 8631 5888 and we have more on our Spring into Nature page.

Enjoy spring the way nature intended. 

Celebrating nature in your backyard

Victory Park in Castlemaine will be alive with all sorts of activity on Sunday 25th September, from 11am until 2pm.

There are loads of things the kids can do which are all free - face painting, jumping castle, arts and craft including making wings and badges, and native animals to see up close. There is Indigenous story telling as well as loads of information and displays about nature.

Don’t miss out on the wing parade at 1.30pm with prizes to be won. Get yourself a nature passport, collect the stamps from around the park, and go into the draw to win a prize.

Bring your camera and get a shot of the kids with Swifty the Parrot and Tilly the Platypus.  You can bring a picnic or enjoy the free BBQ.

All enquiries to (03) 5472 1594 or visit the website at familynatureday.org