Victorian National Parks Association newsletter – Number 8 April-May 2011

Nature’s VoiceBurke rallies alpine cattle grazing crowd

VNPA logo & style sheet

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A gift donation to the VNPA makes a wonderful present for a friend or loved one. Ideal for birthdays, Mother’s or Father’s day, weddings, anniversaries and more. It also helps us ensure that we can continue to protect Victoria’s unique natural environment.For more information visit www.giftdonation.vnpa.org.au or phone 03 9347 5188.

More than 500 people packed Box Hill Town Hall on April 6 to

demand permanent removal of cattle from Victoria’s Alpine National Park.

Powerful speeches by federal environment minister Tony Burke, Dr Greg Moore and Dr Libby Rumpff rallied the crowd to keep up the fight against alpine cattle grazing and for better protection and management of national parks across Australia.

Mr Burke declared that ‘national parks should be above politics’, and asked if a government had ever before deliberately introduced an invasive species into a park. He said he had been shocked by the cattle damage he observed in the park on a recent visit.

The minister also warned that if the Victorian Government failed to refer the issue for federal scrutiny he could force a referral – which would entail removing the cattle while the Federal Government assessed the issue.

“We will defend our national parks,” he promised, adding that if existing federal laws are not adequate he will make every attempt to change them.

The meeting ended with the unanimous adoption of statements calling on the Victorian Government to end alpine cattle grazing, reassess research priorities and improve park management, and on the Federal Government to end grazing in Victoria’s Alpine National Park and ‘make national parks national’.

More reports page 5. Photos: www.vnpa.org.au.

Michael Howes

WHAT YOU CAN DOStop the Baillieu Government from turning the Alpine National Park into a cow paddock:

Buy one of our ‘Stop Alpine Grazing’ t-shirts, all proceeds go to our work to stop alpine cattle grazing – www.t-shirt.vnpa.org.au.

Donate at www.alpineappeal.vnpa.org.au or by using the donation form on page 7.

Take Action at www.vnpa.org.au.

Federal environment minister Tony Burke condemns alpine cattle grazing during his speech at the Box Hill town hall meeting. Photo: Bjorn Svensson

2 – Nature’s Voice | No 8 | April-May 2011 Victorian National Parks Association

Editor: Guest editor, John SampsonDesign: John SampsonPrinting: Tara PressNature’s Voice is the VNPA’s quarterly newsletter. The deadline for our July-August edition is 24 June.Address: Level 3, 60 Leicester St, Carlton 3053Tel: 03 9347 5188Fax: 03 9347 5199Website: www.vnpa.org.auEmail: vnpa@vnpa.org.auABN: 34 217 717 593ISSN: 1837-6681SAVE PAPER! If you would prefer to receive Nature’s Voice by email, please contact us on 9347 5188 or email vnpa@vnpa.org.au

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VEAC celebrates 40 year milestone

Mad March storm delivers knockout blow to the PromMuch of Victoria’s most popular

Easter holiday destination may be out of action this year after flash flooding caused severe damage to Wilsons Promontory National Park, taking out sections of road and washing out walking tracks.

However, Parks Victoria says the northern section of the park will be open for day visits over Easter and it hopes there will be limited camping at Tidal River.

The damage was caused by a huge storm that hit the park in late March, dropping 370mm of rain in just 24 hours, a third of the Prom’s average annual rainfall.

The wild weather turned VNPA member Taariq Hassan’s Prom trip into the experience of a lifetime.

Caught out by the ferocious conditions, Taariq was forced into

a mad scramble out of the park, overcoming tidal surges, flooding creeks and drenching rains.

“When I reached Waterloo Bay the surf was just feral, the tide was coming in and the wind knocked me over a few times. Rivers that never existed before were rushing towards the sea,” he told the VNPA.

Taariq was one of around 400 people airlifted out of the park. Read how he escaped the storm in the June edition of Park Watch.

Premier Ted Baillieu has since announced $8.6 million will be spent repairing park infrastructure, including $6 million for roadworks.

Before heading to any of Victoria’s national parks over Easter check with Parks Victoria for access issues – visit www.parkweb.vic.gov.au or phone 13 1963.

In late 2009 Victoria’s then Labor Government passed legislation to protect about 45,000 hectares of East Gippsland’s forests.

While this announcement was welcomed by environmental groups, there remained many areas of old growth forest still open to logging.

Since then the Department of Sustainability and Environment has proposed changes to the entire informal reserve system in East Gippsland, changes that could see forest currently classified ‘Special

Protection Zones’ logged.Thankfully the process stalled in the

lead-up to the Victorian election, but the changes are still on the cards and the future of East Gippsland’s forests remains in the balance.

Along with the Victorian National Parks Association, the Wilderness Society will be keeping a close watch on the process to see which previously protected old growth forests may be opened to logging in the near future. – Luke Chamberlain, The Wilderness Society

East Gippsland forest at risk

The Australian Government has opened its Caring for our Country program for public review and is inviting submissions into how our natural environment is managed.

Go to www.nrm.gov.au.

Caring for our Country

Earlier this month the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council celebrated 40 years of advising state governments on public land use.

Established in 1971 under the Bolte Government, VEAC began as the Land Conservation Council, was changed to the Environment Conservation Council in 1997, and is now known as the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council.

It has produced detailed reports on many of Victoria’s natural environments, including the Alps, marine areas, box-ironbark and River Red Gum forests.

VEAC’s latest report, an investigation into remnant native vegetation, has been released, see www.veac.vic.gov.au.

The Victorian Government could be forced to address the state’s growing feral horse problem if a nomination to list the damage they cause as a threatening process is successful.

To find out more about this issue go to www.feralhorses.vnpa.org.au.

Feral horse nomination

The footbridge at Tidal River, battered after the storm. Photo: Taariq Hassan

www.vnpa.org.au Nature’s Voice | No 8 | April-May 2011 – 3

Last year federal Labor gave a pre-election commitment that

it would buy as much water as was necessary to restore the health of the Murray River under the proposed Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

Then water minister Penny Wong said ‘we will continue to purchase water in the years ahead to make sure that we return as much water to the Murray-Darling Basin as is required’.

She went on to say that the River Murray cannot be fixed ‘unless we take less water out of the river’. “It’s as simple as that,” she said.

A full federal election later and with a new Labor government installed in Canberra, there is now growing concern among environment groups that a compromise is being considered that will once again fail our rivers.

Since the draft Basin Plan was released in October last year we have heard little out of Canberra that would indicate Julia Gillard’s government still backs the sort of water volumes needed to restore the Murray River to full health.

Gillard weakens Murray Darling plan at her peril

Indeed, there are plenty of indications that the government could water down its pre-election commitments and give in to the irrigation lobby by delivering a much weaker Murray-Darling Basin Plan than originally proposed.

Such a decision would be a mistake, and we hope that the Gillard Government acts in the national interest by ensuring that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan delivers significant, measurable, science-based outcomes for the rivers of the Murray Darling.

There is an enormous leadership opportunity here, and fixing the problems of the past by restoring nationally and internationally significant rivers, floodplains and wetlands should be a greater priority than pacifying the irrigation lobby with a weak compromise.

Such a compromise would further degrade the Murray-Darling Basin and erode support for the Gillard Government in key federal seats.

Climate change a king hit to riversA recent scientific report has identified that climate change is likely to intensify the alarming rate of degradation of the world’s rivers and wetlands unless water resources are better managed, according to a special issue of the international scientific journal Marine & Freshwater Research.

Rainfall runoff and water availability will be increasingly affected in the next four decades, with the tropics probably getting wetter and dry regions drier.

“Australia is the driest inhabited continent,” says Professor Richard Kingsford.

“Climate change is likely to increase the challenges we already face concerning the sustainability of our rivers, particularly as a result of building dams and the over-allocation of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin.”

Nick RobertsRed Gum & River Rescue Project

A proposal to open Victoria’s national parks to tourism development would set a dangerous precedent, the VNPA’s executive director Matt Ruchel has said.

His comments followed the release of a draft report by the Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission recommending the State Government allow ‘private tourist facilities’ in national parks.

“National parks are becoming a victim of their own success,” Mr Ruchel said.

“They are popular and much loved, but now private companies want a piece of the action in a public

asset designed to protect nature for the future.

“There is a danger of killing the goose that lays the golden egg. People visit national parks for an experience they can’t get elsewhere – they want the opportunity to experience the natural world.”

Dr Warwick Frost from La Trobe University’s School of Management said Victoria should not be considering national parks as an economic resource.

“We must remember that previous generations preserved them so that we and people in the future could continue to enjoy them. If we yield to

temptation and make poor decisions we can’t easily put them back,” he said.

For more on parks under threat visit www.vnpa.org.au.

Parks development push flags new policy challenge

The right place for tourist develop-ments is outside parks, not within them. Photo: Grampians NP, Phil Ingamells

4 – Nature’s Voice | No 8 | April-May 2011 Victorian National Parks Association

A report by Victoria’s Auditor-General into how the state’s

marine protected areas are managed has highlighted some clear gaps and failings in the way this spectacular underwater world is cared for.

Contrary to claims by VRFish, the audit did not assess the biodiversity outcomes of the existing network.

It did however call for more active on-ground management, and recommends integrated statewide policy and planning for the whole marine environment as the best way to manage environmental threats.

It found that the State Government is failing to protect coastal waters from invasive pests and diseases, and recommends the development of a marine pest biosecurity plan.

It is also critical of poor co-ordination between Parks Victoria and the Department of Primary Industries to police illegal fishing, which is identified as a significant threat to marine biodiversity.

The Auditor-General found that only a fraction of the funding allocated for managing marine protected areas can be accounted for and was used for its intended purpose, a finding clearly symptomatic of an agency under stress.

We have repeatedly highlighted the fact that Parks Victoria’s core funding is not enough to do the job of protecting our natural environment.

Parks Victoria needs adequate and reliable funding to ensure budget allocations go where they are intended, and are not used to plug budget holes in other areas.

We strongly support the State Government’s commitment to implement all the Auditor-General’s recommendations.

Port of Hastings updateSubstantially expanding the Port of Hastings in Westernport remains on the State Government’s radar.

Recent newspaper reports confirm that new Ports Minister Denis Napthine considers that transforming Hastings into a shipping container port within 10 years is not only possible ‘but necessary’.

However, missing in his plans is any consideration of the significant environmental and social impacts the proposal would have on Westernport and surrounding areas.

Studies show that about 10,000 containers fall off ships every year. Left undiscovered in our seas, they form superhighways of ocean trash.

Apart from the risk of lost containers, expansion plans would bring major new and upgraded road and rail transport corridors, dredging of the channel and land reclamation, as well as the threat of oil spills.

Stay tuned for updates.

Clear gaps in marine management

The VNPA’s Reef Watch program has been busy helping Museum Victoria verify the presence of Western Blue Gropers in Port Phillip Bay.

Known as the ‘friendliest fish in the sea’ Western Blue Gropers are listed internationally by the IUCN as vulnerable, and so when divers taking part in our Great Victorian Fish Count reported sightings of this fish we got very excited!

Blue gropers are one of the largest and slowest growing of the reef dwelling fish, reaching sexual maturity at around a metre or 15 years of age.

These gentle giants are a favourite among divers, are both fearless and curious, and live for up to 40 years.

Blue gropers swim through reefs, turning over boulders in their search for crustaceans and sea urchins.

They are believed to play a role in

Big blue returns to our waters

Wendy RobertsReef Watch Co-ordinator

reducing sea urchin barrens. Currently there is no protection for

eastern or western blue gropers in Victoria, but that could change under a proposal by Fisheries Victoria, which recommends temporary protection of both species from recreational fishing.

You can see the VNPA submission to this listing on our website, under Publications>Submissions.

In NSW it is illegal to spear Eastern Blue Gropers, although line fishers have a bag limit of two a day.

In South Australia Western Blue Gropers are fully protected in the Spencer Gulf, Gulf St Vincent, Investigator Strait and Backstairs Passage, but only partially protected outside of these areas, with size restrictions of 60-100cm. In Western Australia they are protected around the waters of Rottnest Island.

To get involved with Reef Watch visit www.reefwatch.vnpa.org.au.

Blue gropers are known by divers as the friendliest fish in the sea. Photo: Mark Rodrigue

Simon BraniganMarine & Coastal Project Officer

www.vnpa.org.au Nature’s Voice | No 8 | April-May 2011 – 5

Speakers back calls for park protectionFederal environment minister Tony

Burke wasn’t the only speaker to rally crowds at the Stop Alpine Cattle Grazing meeting this month.

In a powerful address Dr Greg Moore, chair of the National Trust’s Significant Trees Committee, said cattle have no place in the high country, in fire management or in a sustainable future for the alps.

He said we should be looking forward to future protection of our greatest assets, our national parks, not backward to inappropriate practices.

Dr Libby Rumpff, post-doctoral research fellow in Melbourne University’s Botany School, detailed the inadequacy of the alpine cattle grazing ‘research project’.

She said it has disregarded existing science and research, and failed to develop an adequate research design or clear objectives.

Dr Rumpff described the project as ‘a gross misuse of science to justify a political decision’.

Respected Gunaikurnai elder Uncle Albert Mullett was unable to attend, but Gary Murray (senior co-chair, Dhudhuroa Native Title Group) sent a presentation stating Traditional Owners’ opposition to the cattle grazing and criticising the Baillieu Government’s ‘secretive and indecently hasty’ process.

The VNPA’s parks protection officer Phil Ingamells outlined the history of grazing in the Australian Alps, the damage it has caused and the evidence that grazing is ineffective in reducing fire.

Finally, The Wilderness Society’s national campaigns director, Lyndon Schneiders, explained the national significance of this issue, warning the crowd that Australians can no longer rely on state governments to protect national parks.

Mr Schneiders called for a national framework for parks protection and management, and a nationwide campaign to raise community awareness of the role and value of national parks.

You can still help Go to www.takeaction.vnpa.org.au

and email Premier Baillieu or sign our petition www.petition.vnpa.org.au.

Donate: Call us on 03 9347 5188 or visit www.alpineappeal.vnpa.org.au.

Overwhelming support from VNPA members and the public has been critical in helping us fight cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park.With your help we have:• Organised a town hall meeting that

attracted more than 500 people.• Held a March day of action with

life-sized cow puppets.• Gathered over 3500 signatures for

our petition so far. • Helped send more than 1000

letters to state and federal political leaders.

• Created a video showing damage caused in the Alpine National Park – www.video.vnpa.org.au.

• Obtained important legal and scientific advice.

• Run a robust public awareness campaign via the web, flyers, stickers, t-shirts and posters.

• Achieved excellent media coverage including print, online and TV.

‘Cattle’ romp through Melbourne heritage iconsSome of Melbourne’s best known heritage sites got a taste of what it’s like to be treated like a cow paddock last month when four life-sized cow puppets grazed the lawns of the Royal Exhibition Building and hit the steps of Parliament House.

The action, organised by the Victorian National Parks Association and the WIlderness Society, came just days after federal environment minister Tony Burke gave the State Government until April 8 to get cattle out of the Alpine National Park.

WATCH VIDEO: www.video.vnpa.org.au

Michael Howes

Your support critical in cattle battle

Thanks to your support we were able to show federal environment minister Tony Burke first-hand evidence of cattle damage in the Alpine National Park.

VIDEO: www.video.vnpa.org.au

6 – Nature’s Voice | No 8 | April-May 2011 Victorian National Parks Association

After kicking off 2011 monitoring a Growling Grass Frog population in

Epping, NatureWatch volunteers spent a day helping out with research on the rare Striped Legless Lizard.

This work involved a short information session by Dr Megan O’Shea, who showed us how to identify the lizards through their unique head scale patterns – much like our own fingerprints.

Volunteers will now use this information to investigate just how long these lizards live in the wild by comparing photos of specimens caught during our 2010 Iramoo survey with those of 800 plus

individuals captured between 1995 and 2000.

We believe Striped Legless Lizards live in the wild for more than 10 years, and our research will go a long way in proving whether this is true or not.

New monitoring sitesWe now hope to establish new Striped Legless Lizard monitoring sites, so let us know if you want to be involved.

Thanks to Megan O’Shea for another informative day and to Rick van Keulen and all the volunteers for assistance with the tile pick-up.

Volunteers needed!We now have a Plains Yam Daisy monitoring program up and running and are looking for volunteers to help with this threatened species project.

If you want to be part of this exciting work phone Ada on 9341 6513 (Wednesdays and Fridays), or email adan@vnpaorg.au.

NatureWatch involves volunteers gathering data that will help with the management of threatened species and their habitats. To find out more go to www.naturewatch.vnpa.org.au.

NatureWatch

On the last weekend of February the ‘WillowBusters’ moved into the Alpine National Park near Falls Creek on a search and destroy mission.

The enemy, Salix sp., is a vigorous weed most often found in the wetter areas of the park and more commonly known as willows.

There are more than 700 bogs in the Bogong High Plains and most have willow plants growing in them.

On the Saturday, after training from Melbourne University researchers and Parks Victoria rangers, we were assigned bogs, a map, a GPS and marking ribbon.

Every willow we found was marked on the GPS and labelled with a coloured ribbon. The GPS also recorded the path of each squad. The researchers will use this information to determine the success of our work, and to plan the next attack.

Weed busters tackle alps enemy

Last June 60 of our members and supporters attended a workshop to give their input into the development of a new Community Engagement and Education Strategy.

A working group discussed the ideas collected at the workshop and have since incorporated many of them into a five-year draft strategy.

We’d like to hear your thoughts on the draft by Monday, May 2, after which the working group will give the final strategy to VNPA Council for approval.

Once it’s approved we can start developing pilot projects and funding for particular components of the strategy.

You can view the draft education strategy at www.strategyfeedback.vnpa.org.au or phone 03 9347 5188 to request a copy.

Please send us your comments by Monday, May 2. You can email them to vnpa@vnpa.org.au or mail them to VNPA, Level 3, 60 Leicester St, Carlton, 3053.

What do you think of our education strategy?

That night weary volunteers were quickly re-energised by an excellent presentation by VNPA park protection officer Phil Ingamells, who spoke about the dreadful return of cattle grazing to the alps in January.

Sunday morning was disrupted by rain, but we were back at work by the afternoon. In the evening Melbourne University researchers showed us the information we had recorded – we had visited a total of 18 bogs!

On Monday, the WillowBusters were again hard at work destroying willows with cutting and glyphosate, as well as marking them on GPSs.

We all walked away from the

weekend with a warm glow in our hearts and the feeling we had done something good for our unique alps.

Many thanks to Parks Victoria rangers led by Elaine Thomas, Melbourne University researchers led by Dr Joslin Moore, Howmans Gap Alpine Centre, and our volunteers!

Also to Amy Dyer, Rod Novak and Phil Ingamells from the VNPA.

Well done everybody, and make sure you look out for the June edition of Park Watch, which will feature a personal perspective on alpine rehabilitation by VNPA member and volunteer Eva Klusacek.– Charles Street, VNPA Secretary

The WillowBusters show off their tools of trade. Photo: Eva Klusacek

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4/11

Thanks to everyone who filled out our recent survey about how well the current VNPA ‘brand’ works in communicating who we are and what we do.

We have received more than 270 responses and every single comment is very much appreciated and will be taken into account during the VNPA brand review process.

The lucky winner of the survey competition is Eliza Poole. Eliza was introduced to VNPA about four years ago by a friend.

Eliza is a zoologist with a strong interest in frogs and small marsupials. We hope she enjoys her new books from the VNPA catalogue!

Streamers were thrown for the first time in the BMW Edge theatre

at this year’s Sustainable Living Festival when Siwan Lovett and Frank Fitzgerald-Ryan presented ‘The Power of Story’.

Siwan is a social scientist with the Australian River Restoration Centre who uses storytelling techniques to link science-minded people – ecologists, agricultural scientists etc – with those on the ground, such as farmers and land managers.

During the forum she told us the theory behind why stories work and how they link the emotional and rational parts of our brain, as well as her stories about storytelling techniques. As she said, they can be used anywhere.

Frank, the director of Vox Bandicoot, encouraged us to overcome the ‘shy gap’ by finding the person at the end of the streamer and then telling stories to each other, concentrating on stories that link us to nature.

Young Liam, Siwan’s son, told us of being donged on the head by a gumnut when he was still getting around in the pram. He remembers it!

VNPA stall draws friendly faces It was also good to see familiar faces visiting the VNPA stall during the festival.

Volunteers and staff spent three sunny days chatting to people about VNPA’s activities and how they can get involved.

Particularly popular was the petition to stop alpine cattle grazing!

Victoria Naturally Alliance The Power of Story forum was organised by the Victoria Naturally Alliance, a coalition of nine environment groups led by the Victorian National Parks Association working on biodiversity issues across the state.

To watch a recording of the forum visit our website, www.victorianaturally.org.au, and click on the ‘Power of Story’ link.

To hear about future events join our ebulletin by emailing your name to info@victorianaturally.org.au.– Karen Alexander, Victoria Naturally Alliance Team Leader

Power of Story a big hit at sustainability festival

Fundraising and marketing update

You may recall an article in the last edition of Nature’s Voice about reviewing the VNPA ‘brand’.

The review is to help us improve and grow our profile, and effectively communicate to the community and potential new supporters the diversity of our conservation work.

We have just appointed a brand advisor to support us in this review and help us differentiate the VNPA within a very competitive market.

We will keep you informed on the VNPA branding review.

Communicating the ‘VNPA brand’

Director of Vox Bandicoot Frank Fitzgerald-Ryan encourages the audience to overcome their ‘shy gap’.

SURVEY