Snow gums are the quintessential alpine tree on mainland Australia, generally growing at heights between 1,300 and 1,800 metres asl. Forests and woodlands of Eucalyptus pauciflora can look quite uniform from a distance, but up close they have such character.
But wildfire has been devastating large swathes of snow gum habitat, with significant fires in the Victorian High Country in 1998, 2002/3, 2006/7 and 2013 and in the Snowy Mountains in 2003.
Research is showing that if we want to allow snow gum forests the chance to recover from these fires, we need to keep the cattle out and do our best to stop any future fire activity.
Conservation Volunteers Australia and Parks Victoria are calling for volunteers to help restore remote sections of the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.
Helicopter Spur
Last summer saw helpers spend 120 days in Alpine National Park Across repairing 23 kilometres of track, laying 930 metres of rubber matting and installing water bars to prevent erosion at locations including The Knobs, Mount Sunday and Mount McDonald.
Remote sections of the track are difficult to maintain over time and help is needed to clear fallen timber off the track, install rubber tiling, brush-cut overgrown vegetation and to install crucial signage and symbols to help guide bushwalkers on their adventures in the Australian Alps.
There will be three projects in March and April which are rated hard walking, and involve remote camping in the King Billy/ Mt Magdala/ Mount Clear/Knobs areas of the Alpine National Park.
Full details here. (Search for Victorian projects on the map, then click the project in the Alpine national park) or check this leaflet on the trips.
For more info, contact volunteer engagement officer Adam Smolak on asmolak@conservationvolunteers.com.au
The trips are:
Australian Alps Walking Track Project Mt Clear/Nobs Area
2nd to 8th March 2014
16th to 22nd March 2014
Please check here for more info.
Australian Alps Walking Track Project King Billy Mt Magdala Area
30th March to 5th April 2014
Conservation Volunteers Australia and Parks Victoria are calling out for volunteers to help restore remote sections of the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.
Last summer saw helpers spend 120 days in Alpine National Park Across repairing 23 kilometres of track, laying 930 metres of rubber matting and installing eight water bars to prevent erosion at locations including The Knobs, Mount Sunday and Mount McDonald.
Park ranger Nigel Watts said: “It’s a win-win situation for us and for them; an opportunity to get out into the Alps, help with managing this area and enjoy this beautiful landscape.
“Remote sections of the track are difficult to maintain over time and help is needed to clear fallen timber off the track, install rubber tiling, brush-cut overgrown vegetation and to install crucial signage and symbols to help guide bushwalkers on their adventures in the Australian Alps.”
The first three projects in Januray and February are rated easy walking but require volunteers who are especially fit and strong to lay rubber tiles and use heavy mattocks over five full days. Accommodation will be provided in Falls Creek.The track work is all on the Bogong High Plains.
The last three projects in March and April are rated hard walking, and involve remote camping in the King Billy/ Mt Magdala/ Mount Clear/Knobs areas.
As our governments at state and federal level continue to ignore the reality and scale of climate change, and dismantle the limited actions we currently have in place to reduce emissions, this book seems rather timely for those of us who like our winters cold and our snow deep.
“This is the most important book on snow ever written. This is a wake up call. We need to accept our reality and get busy fixing climate change.” —Jeremy Jones, pro snowboarder and founder of Protect Our Winters
“The first in-depth report on how climate change is affecting the present and future of the ski industry and mountain communities, DEEP is a must-read for every passionate skier.” — John Stifter, Editor, Powder Magazine
“Skiing offers a good barometer of the trouble we’re in—and, as this book reminds us, one more good reason for wanting to face that trouble.” —Bill McKibben, author of Oil and Honey and co-founder of 350.org
In his stunning first book, veteran ski writer Porter Fox captures the 8,000-year-old sport of skiing, the miracle of snow and the shocking truth of how climate change could wipe out both in the next 75 years.
The narrative follows the unlikely rise of skiing from prehistoric Norwegian hunters to nobility in the Alps in the 1800s to present-day freeriders on the vaunted slopes of the Rocky Mountains. On his global tour of the most celebrated mountains in the Northern Hemisphere—from Washington’s Cascade Range to the European Alps—Fox talks to alpinists about the allure and mysticism of the sport and to scientists about climate change and its effect on snow—ultimately finding a story that is far larger than the demise of skiing.
For the seven million skiers in America who dedicate their winters to tracking storms and waking up at dawn to catch the first chairlift, the lifestyle change will be radical. It will likely be far worse for the rest of the world. Fox uses primary interviews and evidence, mixed with groundbreaking scientific studies, to explain exactly how and when the Great Melt will play out—and the tremendous groundswell that is rising up to stop it. DEEP provides firsthand accounts from skiers and scientists who are mapping a way to mitigate climate change, reduce human impact on our planet and repair the water cycle. As it turns out, their efforts to save snow and ice might end up saving the world.
The Cobberas Range is a remote area in the Victoria Alpine national park, close to the NSW border.
Friends of the Cobberas is a volunteer group who are interested in the conservation of the Cobberas and adjacent areas of the Alpine National Park. The group is under the umbrella of the Victorian National Parks Association and is supported by Parks Victoria.
Members are all volunteers, working together and learning together as we tackle various projects to assist with conservation and Park management. Activities include group camp outs and walks, walking track marking and maintenance, environmental and pest animal monitoring, weed control and more.
But we need more help!! This is a remote part of Victoria and there is plenty of projects the group could get involved with if we had more members. Joining the Friends of the Cobberas has many benefits, spending time in a great part of the High Country for starters! You will meet new friends, enjoy the benefits of shared knowledge amongst members and have the satisfaction of assisting with the management and conservation of some really special places.
Email: info@friendscobberas.com.au or Phone Parks Victoria Omeo on (03) 5159 0600
December 14-15 Track marking weekend
Mt Cobberas No 1 from The Playgrounds
Escape to the mountains for a dose of sub-alpine walking before Christmas!! Help out with some track marking and once you reach the summit, relax and soak up wonderful wilderness views. For those who are happy to camp there will be a base-camp at Native Dog Flat for at least one night. Accommodation options available a bit over 1 hour from site for non-campers.
Visitors or new members most welcome.
Email: info@friendscobberas.com.au for more details.
The 2013/2014 summer season of the Falls Creek Volunteer Hawkweed Survey, is now open for volunteer recruitment.
Native to Europe, Hawkweeds have recently become naturalised on mainland Australia. It is highly invasive and spreads quickly via runners and root, forming dense mats inhibiting and outcompeting native vegetation. Hawkweeds can cause major environmental damage in alpine & sub alpine areas and are considered a significant threat to the Victorian Alps.
Participating in the volunteer surveys are a great way to help save the Victorian Alps from this dangerous weed, as well as a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the magnificent alpine environment during the green summer months.
Accommodation has kindly been provided by Falls Creek Resort Management. Breakfast, morning & afternoon tea will be provided each day.
Session 1: Monday 16th – Friday 20th December 2013 (Full, but you can be added to the waitlist)
Session 2: Friday 27th – Monday 30th December 2013 (Full, but you can be added to the waitlist)
Session 3: Monday 6th – Friday 10th January 2014 (Places available)
Session 4: Monday 13th – Friday 17th of January 2014 (Places available)
Session 5: Monday 20th – Friday 24th of January 2014 (Places available)
If you, your friends, family or colleagues would like to attend, please contact me to book a place and provide the number of participants attending with you, their names and emails as soon as possible.
To express your interest in the program please contact:
The Hawkweed Team, Parks Victoria
Mt Beauty Parks Victoria Office
P: (03) 5754 4693 E: hawkweed@parks.vic.gov.au
The Victorian Coalition Government has launched an urgent effort to re-seed about 2,000 hectares of Alpine Ash forest that was burnt during the Harrietville fire earlier this year.
Minister for Environment and Climate Change Ryan Smith said a helicopter was being used to spread Alpine Ash seeds across 198 hectares of State Forest and 1,876 hectares of National Park that was burnt in the fires.
“Areas within the Harrietville fire boundary have been burnt several times over the past decade and Department of Environment and Primary Industries and Parks Victoria ecology experts predict about 2,000 hectares will not be able to naturally regenerate due to the nature of Alpine Ash and its response to fire,” Mr Smith said.
“It is also important to re-seed the area to assist with stabilising the fragile soils in the steep terrain to protect water catchments, which supply communities downstream.
“We have already started the aerial re-seeding operation in the State Forest and will continue the work over the next few days if the weather conditions remain suitable.”
Parks Victoria Regional Director East Andrew Marshall said it was important to sow the Ash seeds before other plants regenerate so the Ash seeds can germinate in the spring.
“There will be some follow-up monitoring of some sites within the State Forests but in National Parks areas this is a once off opportunity to regenerate,” Mr Marshall said.
The cost of the re-seeding work is approximately $620,000 and is funded as part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s Harrietville fire recovery program.
The following opinion piece comes from the Weekly Times.
Snowy River in Kosciusko National Park
GOVERNMENTS have failed the mighty river, writes LOUISE CRISP
The big spring releases from Jindabyne Dam into the Snowy River will capture the media’s attention this week.
Snowy Hydro Ltd will allow up to 84 gigalitres to flow down the Snowy River during the next two weeks.
Although they are much reduced, the spring releases are intended to mimic the huge spring snowmelt flows the Snowy was named for.
Most people now believe the Snowy has been saved.
When Jindabyne Dam was completed in 1967, the Snowy River had 99 per cent of its headwaters captured and diverted west to the Murray-Darling Basin for electricity generation and irrigation, resulting in severe degradation of the Snowy and considerable economic loss to the downstream communities.
In 1996, an expert panel scientific report identified that a healthy river needed the equivalent of 28 per cent annual natural flow below Jindabyne.
Ten years ago, the Victorian, NSW and Commonwealth governments signed agreements and legislation to fund a 10-year plan to return environmental flows to the Snowy.
The three shareholder governments of Snowy Hydro Ltd were committed to providing $375 million to Water for Rivers for savings in the Murray and Murrumbidgee systems to off-set increased flows by 2012 to:
THE Snowy River below Jindabyne Dam – up to 21 per cent of annual natural flow.
SNOWY montane rivers – up to 118 gigalitres a year.
SEVENTY gigalitres a year to the Murray.
The three governments also agreed to return up to 28 per cent to the Snowy below Jindabyne Dam post-2012.
The legislation also required the NSW Government to establish an independent Snowy Scientific Committee to provide advice on the best environmental flow release regime and produce annual state-of-environment reports on the rivers affected by the Snowy scheme.
So where are we 10 years later?
In November 2010 and October last year, large spring flows were released into the Snowy River below Jindabyne from water savings obtained by Water for Rivers.
While the Snowy has seen some good flows this year, it is far from saved.
The annual allocation to the Snowy below Jindabyne this water year (beginning May 1) is only about 15 per cent of the annual natural flow, and half the required minimum environmental flow identified by scientists in 1996. Releases below Jindabyne are unlikely to be much more than 15 per cent, as half the water acquired by Water for Rivers is general security or low reliability.
These entitlements would only deliver much real water to the river in exceptionally wet years.
The upper Snowy River in Kosciuszko National Park was scheduled to receive increased flows from 2007-08 (below Guthega Dam) and from 2009-10 (below Island Bend Dam). However, these sections of the Snowy have not received environmental flows.
For months the Snowy River in Kosciuszko National Park remains a dry stony riverbed.
In addition, the main eastern tributary, the Eucumbene River, and many other tributaries were not included in the original Snowy legislation and will not receive environmental flows.
Snowy Hydro Ltd has made one release to the Murray in 2005-06 of 38 gigalitres.
There is now 230 gigalitres of taxpayer-funded water savings owed the Murray River held by Snowy Hydro Ltd in Snowy Scheme storages. Nevertheless, the Murray Darling Basin Authority has included it in baseline modelling for the proposed Basin plan.
The 2002 legislation also required NSW to establish the independent Snowy Scientific Committee but it was delayed until 2008.
The committee produced a series of invaluable public reports on the adequacy of flows to the Snowy and the upper Murrumbidgee.
The committee’s term expired on May 15 last year and despite commitments from the three relevant NSW ministers, it has still not been re-established.
The 10-year plan to restore the Snowy is a simpler and smaller version of the proposed Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
The failure of governments therefore, to deliver the environmental outcomes for the Snowy, does not bode well for the future of the Murray.
2012/13 Bogong High Plains Hawkweed Surveillance Volunteer Program
Help needed to protect Australia’s biodiversity from Hawkweeds on the Bogong High Plains
Native to Europe, Hawkweeds have recently become established on mainland Australia. Posing a serious threat to Australian biodiversity and the structure of natural communities, it is imperative that the incursion is eradicated before it’s too late.
Hawkweeds spread quickly via runners and roots forming dense mats, inhibiting and out-competing native vegetation. In grassy ecosystems like the High Plains, dense patches of the weeds dominate the spaces between grass tussocks that are vital for the survival and recruitment of native flora and fauna.
Survey sessions will be conducted during the active flowering period. Most sessions will be five days long, the session between Christmas and New Year will be four days. Attendance for a full session is preferred but is not essential.
Accommodation will be provided at Falls Creek. Transport will be provided to survey areas each day.
The surveys for 2012/2013 season will be held over the following dates:
Session 1: Monday the 10th – Friday the 14th of December
Session 2: Monday the 17th – Friday the 21st of December
Session 3: Thursday the 27th – Sunday the 30th of December
Session 4: Monday the 7th – Friday the 11th of January
Session 5: Monday the 14th – Friday the 18th of January
For more information or to express your interest in the program, please contact:
Keith Primrose
hawkweed@parks.vic.gov.au
Mobile: 0428 508 299
Mt. Beauty Parks Victoria Office: (03) 5754 4693
Image: NSW National Parks – Office of Environment & Heritage
Media release: 10 September 2012
Field staff have been converting pest trees into valuable mulch to improve native animal habitat and suppress invasive blackberry and briar weeds in parts of Kosciuszko National Park.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Senior Field Supervisor Danny Matthews said the mulched trees, mostly poplars, had been spreading at an alarming rate.
“Five field staff recently spent 26 days removing and chipping hundreds of trees over an area of six hectares at the Talbingo Landslip Quarry near Talbingo Dam wall,” Mr Matthews said.
“During the construction of the Snowy Scheme, and particularly between the 1950s and 1970s, exotic trees were planted for erosion control and this had unintended consequences for native ecosystems.”
Mr Matthews said European species including willow, broom and poplar were planted in parts of Kosciuszko National Park and in many cases they had spread and become weeds.
“Replacing exotic trees with native vegetation will not only protect soil stability, it will have broader environmental benefits.
“And chipping these trees has produced about 800 cubic metres of mulch, which we have spread to boost organic levels in the soil and help stop weed infestations in the undergrowth.”
This major woody weed eradication program in Kosciuszko National Park is tackling exotic trees on Guthega Road, reducing Scotch Broom in the Snowy River, and removing kilometres of willows in the Tumut River.
More work is planned this year, including the removal of thousands of willow stems in the Eucumbene River and helicopter-based work in the upper reaches of the Tumut River between the T2 power station and the Elliott Way.
Weed eradication programs like the one underway in Kosciuszko are one way the Office of Environment and Heritage enhances the care and management of National Parks for a healthy environment.
This article comes from The Age, journalist is Bridie Smith, April 19, 2012
Mountain Pygmy-possum (Burramys parvus). Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage
POSSUM Researchers have intervened in an emergency move to deepen the gene pool of one of Australia’s rarest marsupials, the threatened Mountain Pygmy-possum. Studies showed as few as two or three males from the isolated Mt Buller population were successfully mating with females each year, contributing further to genetic depletion of the threatened species.
However scientists from the DSE and Melb Uni have combined to ‘genetically rescue’ the Mt Buller population by removing six males from Mt Hotham and introducing them to the females on Mt Buller.
They have since tested the results of this intervention – and this year found that half the offspring are hybrids (Dad from Mt Hotham, Mum from Mt Buller). It’s good news, as the hybrids are genetically more robust than pure Mt Buller animals.
2011/12 Victorian Alps Hawkweed Surveillance Volunteer Program
Help to protect Australia’s biodiversity from King Devil and Orange Hawkweed on the Bogong High Plains
Orange Hawkweed. Image: Parks Victoria
Native to Europe, Hawkweeds have recently become established on mainland Australia. Posing a serious threat to Australian biodiversity and the structure of natural communities, it is imperative that the incursion is eradicated before it’s too late.
Hawkweeds spread quickly via runners and above-ground roots forming dense mats, inhibiting and out-competing native vegetation. In grassy ecosystems like the High Plains, dense patches of the weed dominate the spaces between grass tussocks that are vital for the survival and recruitment of native flora and fauna.
Survey sessions will be conducted during the active flowering period. All of the sessions will be five days long. Attendance for the full sessions is preferred but is not essential.
Accommodation will be provided at Falls Creek. Breakfast and snacks will be provided as well as one dinner at a local eatery, other meals self catered. Transport will be provided from Falls Creek.
The surveys for 2011/2012 season will be held over the following dates: Session 1: Tuesday the 27th – Saturday the 31st of December Session 2: Monday the 16th – Friday the 20th of January
For more information or to express your interest in the program, please contact:
Keith Primrose
hawkweed@parks.vic.gov.au
Mt. Beauty Parks Victoria Office: (03) 5754 4693
Snow gums are the quintessential alpine tree on mainland Australia, generally growing at heights between 1,300 and 1,800 metres asl. Forests and woodlands of Eucalyptus pauciflora can look quite uniform from a distance, but up close they have such character.
Mountain Journal 
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