What's New in February 2022 BCLN E-news Hello to all of our Landcare Members, Partners, Sponsors and Friends throughout the Bass Coast Landcare Network and welcome to the February edition of the BCLN Enews. Things are back in full swing after the Christmas break, with events picking up, projects happening, weed control works continuing, and much more. We have lots of interesting articles for you to enjoy over a cuppa or a cool drink... we hope you enjoy this month's edition of the Enews! For all the latest updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram... just click the links above! UPCOMING EVENTS Join OzFish For A Drink And A Chat About Westernport Fish Habitat - February 16th Come along and learn more about Westernport fish habitats and what is being done to ensure there’s plenty of fish for generations to come. The topics for the night will be presented by local experts who have been making an on-ground difference to fish habitat. Learn about The Corals , and what makes these bryozoan reef snapper grounds so unique; seagrass , the best place to target calamari; mangroves as flathead homes; and shellfish reefs , juvenile fish habitat nearly gone, but not forgotten. These habitats require restoration and there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved and protect the future of fishing. Nibbles will be provided, and lucky door prizes, including a Shimano reel and lures, are also up for grabs. Click here to register ​ Online Shorebird Webinar - February 17th Birdlife Australia are running an online webinar on migratory shorebirds in the Western Port area, covering the diversity of these birds, the amazing journey they take, threats they face, and our role in protecting them. ​This webinar will be held via Zoom and will run from 2:30-4pm. Click here to register! Bass Coast Edible Gardens Open Food Gardens Weekend - February 19th and 20th Visit 20 Bass Coast Gardens this summer over the weekend of February 19 th and 20 th , including the River Garden! This inspiring weekend of open gardens features a selection of some of the most interesting and productive edible gardens across Bass Coast. You will be able to visit a diverse selection of gardens including community, backyard and acreage properties all producing a range of foods and using a variety of approaches. Tickets are available for a single garden visit or multiple, and if you volunteer your time for a 3 hour shift at one of the gardens over that weekend, you can get a free ticket. Contact Bass Coast Edible Gardens Volunteer Coordinator Leslie Adams if you are interested in volunteering [email protected] or call 0491 217 584. Click here to check out the website and read about all the gardens on display, and to book your tickets. Nest Box Information Day - March 5th Join South Gippsland Conservation Society in Inverloch on March 5th to listen to guest speaker: Peter Wiltshire – Head Ranger at Darebin Parklands, Melbourne, speaking on the topic of nesting boxes and their success in a restored tip site in Darebin. The morning talk will be followed by a walk along restored areas of the Ayr Creek Reserve with Peter to discuss the logistics of implementing a “pilot” Nest Box Project within vegetation planted in 1990s. Click here for further information, to view the flier and to RSVP GROUP AND NETWORK NEWS Pre-order Your Plants for the 2022 Planting Season! Are you planning to do some reveg this Winter/Spring? Hop onto our website and order your plants. Our wonderful volunteers grow the standard range of species for revegetation within the Gippsland Plains and Strzelecki Ranges and have also started growing colourful herbs and ground covers such as yam daisies, trigger plants, bulbine and chocolate lilies, pelargoniums, forest star wort, hounds tongue, and veronica. Click here for the full plant list and order form. Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group Focusing on Giant Gippsland Earthworm (GGE) An opportunity became available for Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group to partner with BCLN in a bid for funding of $250,000 through the Australian Government’s Environment Restoration Fund Priority Threatened Species grants; The Giant Gippsland Earthworm is listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act. GTSAG took the lead in the grant submission and some of their members spent considerable time in getting the bid together. A valuable learning experience in dealing with Australian Government grants! They have named the project ‘Enhanced Knowledge and Protection of the Giant Gippsland Earthworm’. We wish them the best of luck with their application. Click here to learn more about the Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group All About Soils at the River Garden On Saturday February 12th we had perfect Summer weather for our River Garden Blitz! Local Horticulture Teacher Adrian James led the session, teaching our group of 10 participants all about soils, soil testing, improving soils, creating garden beds and composting. We then had a little Blitz, where volunteers harvested apples, tomatoes and potatoes, pulled weeds and did some Summer pruning of our espaliered fruit trees. Details of the March Blitz will be available soon, keep your eye on our Facebook page and website! Using Artificial Intelligence to Listen for Frogs Arthur Rylah Institute researchers have recently developed sound recognition software that can analyse recordings and automatically detect the calls of different frog species. This novel method allows researchers to analyse huge datasets with ease, saving time and money and increasing their ability to survey large areas for hard-to-find species. Find more about this project on their website Staff Updates - New Invasive Species Officer We would like to welcome Aaron Stephens as BCLN's new Invasive Species Project Officer. Aaron's passion for environmental conservation is something he has always held dear and he's excited to extend that passion into the pest world. One of the focal points of Aaron's role will be on community engagement, specifically with facilitating educational and on-ground opportunities for local environment groups and increasing public knowledge on pest animals and their control solutions. A few of the projects Aaron will be working on include rabbit control programs on Phillip Island and in Corinella as well as other localised control programs around the Bass Coast and beyond. "I’m always eager to rise to a challenge and make the biggest positive impact on the environment that I can," says Aaron. Click here to read more about pest animal control ​ GRANTS, TRAINING, INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LANDHOLDERS Junior Landcare YouTube Channel Educational videos stimulate cognitive thinking, creativity, and engagement in primary aged children. Not to mention - they're just plain fun! The Junior Landcare Youtube channel is packed with tutorials, learning activities, and outdoor educational videos - many hosted by the charismatic Costa. Designed and filmed specifically for Aussie kids - Parents or Teachers will find your children or students are sure to love the Junior Landcare Youtube channel. Subscribe today to never miss another installment, and to have unrestricted access to these valuable learning resources. Victorian Landcare and Catchment Management Magazine Summer Edition Out Now The Summer 2022 issue (#83) of the Victorian Landcare and Catchment Management magazine is now available to read online. This issue has a focus on Landcare and biodiversity, and includes lots of interesting and inspiring stories from around the state. Click here to have a read! PROJECT UPDATES Davidson Biolinks Update In July of 2020 Bass Coast Landcare Network partnered with the Bass Coast Shire Council Biolinks program, Melbourne Water and the Working for Victoria team to plant out one of our largest sites in recent years. The BCLN works crew and Working for Victoria team put in 40,000 plants in the 20ha site which is on the top of Kilcunda Ridge Rd next to the Desal pump station. After 18 months of growth it looks fantastic with a high survival rate. If you are interested in doing a large scale revegetation project of your own please click here to get in contact with our NRM team and we can help make it happen. ​ River Garden Update We've had some great help from the Interchange and River Garden Blitz volunteers, who have all had a hand in bringing the garden back under control after a lot of growth over the Christmas Break. We will hold off planting for a little longer, while the days are still long, hot and dry. Currently ready/nearly ready for harvest are apples, a few nectarines, zucchinis, beetroots, celery, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes and lots of different herbs. This weekend the River Garden will be open from 10am-4pm for the Bass Coast Edible Gardens Open Day! Scroll to the top of this Enews for more information about this event... we hope to see you there! Click here to see how you can get involved with our emerging River Garden Community! Offset Your Vehicle Emissions for 2021/22 with Local Planting Projects! If you feel passionate about the environment and want to do your bit for our beautiful native flora and fauna, why not consider offsetting your car emissions with Bass Coast Landcare Network? Just click on your car's size to make a donation, which will cover the planting of enough indigenous plants to offset your car’s emissions for a year and contribute to restoring your own local landscape. All your friends and family will also see your complimentary car sticker showing your commitment to the Bass Coast environment. Offset today Bass Coast Arc – Landcare Public Fund Making Projects a Reality – Donate Today to Make a Difference! The Bass Coast Landcare Public Fund is a regional non-profit organisation focusing on conserving biodiversity throughout Bass Coast.​ The Bass Coast Arc – “Community Access to Public Space” concept supports community