Mid Jan & plenty of activity in the field

It's been an interesting year for the Helmeted Honeyeater Recovery Team. The Yellingbo populations are holding their place on the globe (they tend to stay put in the general area they're released or wild born) and they're breeding well. The Bunyip State Park populations are proving more challenging to keep track of. They seem to be finding richer pastures than the release sites - somewhere - whilst making an occasional visit back to where they were released! Different individual birds are being seen intermittently at sites well away from the release sites, including areas that had been burnt in the Feb 2009 fires. Not exactly what was expected, but, the ultimate aim is that the birds find their own way in the world and establish colonies. Perhaps this is nature telling us people aren't that good at choosing the best habitat for them.

Meanwhile, we are still seeing breeding activity with 3 known pairs currently sitting on nests at Yellingbo and new fledglings just joining the population at Bunyip State Park. How luck are we to be part of this fantastic program? Want to find out how you can help?

Image: A typical Helmeted Honeyeater nest
Photographer: S Tardif

2011 - International Year of Forests

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

We look forward to doing our bit through our education programs and volunteering efforts to celebrate people’s action to sustainably manage the world’s forests.

We'd love you to join us! The best way to start is to drop in to our community nursery at 1217 Macclesfield Road, Yellingbo (Melways reference 305 G11) on any Tuesday or Thursday throughout the year. Our nursery volunteers are on deck from 10am-1pm and would love to talk to you about the volunteer roles the Friends are involved with including plant propagation, planting, school talks & bird surveys to name just a few. BYO lunch to enjoy together at 1pm. We provide morning tea. See you there!

NB. We are closed on days of High Fire Danger.

Yellingbo State Emblems Park - next steps

Not quite the outcome we planned on.... but the Yellingbo State Emblems Park Alliance of which the Friends are a founding member, look forward to working with The Hon. Ryan Smith, MP (Minister for Environment and Climate Change) and the new Victorian State Government to progress the Park. More on this as things develop...

A step closer - Yellingbo State Emblems Park

Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings announced at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve on Thursday 18 November that a future Brumby Labor Government would examine ways to create a new 5000ha State Emblems Park in the Dandenong Ranges to help protect endangered species. It is proposed that the park would be called Yellingbo State Emblems Park.

The YSEP interconnects high biodiversity public land in the Woori Yallock Creek catchment, using existing streamside public land without acquiring any new land. The existing uses of the public land involved will not be affected by the creation of the proposed Park.

Why do it?

The creation of a single Park will rationalise the current confused mixture of public land tenure and management arrangements, streamlining the complex regulations that apply on the many different parcels of land. Currently there are a range of public land managers, Dept. of Sustainability & Environment, Parks Victoria and local Councils.

A number of existing reserves located within YSEP's boundaries are home to a range of significant fauna and flora species including Helmeted Honeyeater, Leadbeater's Possum, Emerald Star Bush, Sedge-rich Eucalyptus camphora Swamp, Powerful Owl, Swamp Skink, Dandenong Freshwater Amphipod, Slender Tree Fern, Southern Sassafras Cool Temperate Rainforest Community, Pomaderris eliptica, Lace Monitor and many more. These species however are often contained within 'islands' in the landscape, restricting their dispersal into other conservation zones. Coordinated management of the YSEP will create a much improved environment for these species to adapt to change.

Thank you to members of the Woori Yallock Creek Park Alliance for their commitment to this project over many years. The Woori Yallock Creek Park Alliance is a collective of Community Groups primarily within the Woori Yallock Creek Catchment. They include:

• Friends of Helmeted Honeyeater Inc
• Meander-A group caring for the Menzies Creek and Emerald Tourist Track Inc
• Macclesfield Landcare Group
• Monbulk Landcare Group
• Johns Hill Landcare Group
• Friends of Sassafras Creek
• Friends of Wrights Forest
• Friends of Hoddles Creek
• Cardinia Environment Coalition
• Upper Yarra and Dandenongs Environment Council
• Friends of Leadbeater's Possum
  

Our thanks also to Member for Monbulk James Merlino and Member for Gembrook Tammy Lobato for their support of this proposal.

Thank you

Without our volunteers Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater would not be able to achieve what we do. Our sincere thanks go to the many people who have helped us this year in our community nursery, our school planting days, our community talks, as committee representatives, as Helmeted Honeyeater supplementary feeders and the myriad of other activities Friends are involved in. Thank you.

Images: Over 5,800 habitat plants were planted at 2 recent corporate planting days in September 2010. Thanks to Zoos Victoria staff & volunteers, NAB staff, Swinburne TAFE CLM students, Deakin University Environment Group and RACV staff for their time & enthusiasm.
Photographers: Sue Tardif & Mark Krause

Eastern Yellow Robin nestlings

How lucky are we to have spotted a family of Eastern Yellow Robins on a walk through Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve today? The wet weather has not dampened parenting instincts. Has it heightened it?

Image: A Millipede was the food of choice for this nestling
Photographer: Bruce Tardif

The floodplain is living up to its name

Winter 2010 has been a great season for the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve.

After consistent rain we postponed a planned planting day with Macclesfield Primary School on 5 August. At one time during the morning we doubted our decision. The sun was out. The rain had stopped.... but a walk to the site showed we made a good call!

Gumboots haven't been needed too often in the past few years so a quiet time of reflection was in order.

Revegetation is a major priority for the Friends. Read more here

Image: Woori Yallock Creek floodplain 5 August 2010
Photographer: Sue Tardif