Sorting , Cleaning & Cataloguing Seed

Seed collected for the Lorax Project is currently being sorted , cleaned , weighed and catalogued ready for storing in the Goulburn Broken Indigenous Seedbanks coolroom. This seed will be available to community groups and local nurseries for propagation and use in future re vegetation projects across the bushfire areas. This fresh , diverse and genetically healthy seed will be a wonderful landcare asset.

David Wakefield has delivered his harvest to the seedbank already.

Sarah Roberts and Janet Hagen are in the process of sorting through bags of seed .Cathy Olive and family have a large collection ready for delivery .

Chris Cobern's daughter also collected seed which is being grown by service club volunteers this season.

Weed Control Courses

Over the weekend of 19th & 20th February 23 people from the Flowerdale area attended the sixth free UGLN weed management course. The course was held at the Flowerdale Recreation Reserve pavillion and run by NMIT lecturer and Kinglake resident Kevin Chandler. A delicious morning tea and lunch was provided by Flowerdale's own catering business 'Molly's Kitchen'.

Since April 2009 we have been running free Weed Identification and Control Workshops and Farm Chemical Users Courses throughout the fire affected areas of Murrindindi Shire. The courses have also been held in Strath Creek, Marysville and Kinglake; and the next one is planned for the 2nd & 3rd April at Yea. They have all been well attended averaging around 20 per course with 34 attending the first one in Kinglake.

Strath Creek Nest Boxes

While checking nest boxes provided by the UGLN fire recovery program David and Laurie Wakefield from the Strath Creek Landcare Group were delighted to find a Brush-tailed Phascogale curled up in one of the boxes. Phascogales would have been hit hard by the Black Saturday fires, due to loss of tree hollows, ground cover and food sources. The Wakefield's and others in the district, have also found Sugar Gliders and an antechinus in nest boxes installed after the fires.

Four Wheel Drivers Fencing Team

Geoff, Fred, Marg, Sparky and Ron are the stalwarts of our 4WD fencing team. They have been donating their time on weekends to help landcare and bushfire recovery. They have been a great help fencing in the muddy, wet conditions this winter where four wheel driving expertize was needed. They have worked on properties at Glenburn, Castella and Kinglake. Chris Cobern has been supervising their activities and they have been staying overnight at the Kinglake Scout Hall to make full use of their time.
Thanks guys and girls for your participation in the Fencers without Boundaries project.

Letter from another happy customer:

"Dear Chris, Just a short note to thank you and the fantastic gang led by Geoff for helping with the re-fencing of my property on Deviation Rd Kinglake. What a fantastic group of people. I could never have done it alone and their dedication has been inspiring. I appreciate that they have been doing this now since the fires on a regular basis and my only regret is that I did not nominate them all for an OA which I believe they are worthy of. If there are any plans along these lines please count me in. They have worked on the fencing at my place alone through 40C heat and six inches of snow and during days of consistent and sometimes heavy rain. Nothing stops them or dampens their spirit.
I feel very humble having had the privilege of working along with them all. They seek no praise. They say thanks and move on to the next challenge when it is us that are in their debt. Janet and I will never be able to thank them enough.
Thank you also Chris for all your help. I know the effort you personally put into assisting people like Janet and I affected by the fires with inadequate insurance and no farm insurance to cover costs of re-fencing. Your work as Fire Recovery Landcare Coordinator and that of the
Upper Goulburn Landcare Network is truly appreciated.
I take pride in having the teams efforts acknowledged on the sign you have posted."

Sincere thanks, Barry and Janet.