Wedderburn Landscape Restoration Tour
Published on 27 August 2015
A BUS tour next month will highlight the difference being made by volunteers in Loddon Shire dedicated to improving their environment.
The tour, on Sunday, 13 September, will visit sites around Wedderburn which are part of the Wedderburn Conservation Management Network (WCMN) and Loddon Plains Landcare Network (LPLN) list of restoration projects.
The day trip is operating as part of the 2015 “Naturally Loddon” Spring Festival, seven weeks of family-friendly events designed to showcase the best of the region’s natural attractions.
LPLN facilitator Anthony Gallacher said similar outings had been offered for the past three years.
“This time, our stops will include an inspection of sites protected through the federally funded Kooyoora Connections project, a joint effort by the North Central Catchment Management Authority, WCMN and Trust for Nature, as part of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program,” Mr Gallacher said.
This project aims to improve ecological function in the landscape and create vegetation links between Kooyoora State Park, Wychitella and Mt Korong Nature Conservation Reserves by protecting and enhancing 1000ha of three nationally significant ecological communities along the Sunday Morning Hills range and through the Wychitella/Mt Kerang and Mt Korong areas.
“We’ll inspect nest boxes at Hard Hill Reserve which were placed there – and elsewhere around Wedderburn – after a joint project last year between Wedderburn College, the Men’s Shed and the LPLN,” Mr Gallacher said.
“We’ve just received a $1,950 grant from Council to buy monitoring equipment, which will be a great help in seeing what’s inside those boxes.
“Another stop will be a decommissioned eucalyptus harvesting restoration site project being undertaken by WCMN, which has involved dropping old plantation trees to help build up organic matter on the ground.
“Participants will also see some endangered soaks – or springs – at Mt Korong and Mt Kooyoora, plus survey sites run under the Loddon Plains Community Bird Monitoring Project, which seeks to gather data on woodland birds.
“Lastly, we’ve included wheel cactus control works at Mt Buckrabanyule, where volunteers have carried out stem injections on the cactus with glyphosate.
“We’ve had six working bees there over the past year, plus help from the Green Army Program, a federal government initiative.”
The bus tour runs from 10am to 4.30pm and lunch is provided.
Book your seat by contacting Anthony Gallacher on 0447 095 501 or email facilitator@lpln.org
To obtain a festival brochure, phone the Loddon Visitor Information Centre on 5494 1257 or visit www.loddon.vic.gov.au