Environment
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Upskill in weed control at Woodend workshop
A workshop in Woodend next month will provide landholders who have waterway frontage with the skills and knowledge to improve weed management along waterways. Organised by the North Central Catchment Management Authority, the workshop is an integral part of projects that are improving the health of waterways in the upper Campaspe and Coliban catchments. Riparian…
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Devastation and hope
Dedicated local wildlife carers Scott and Nikki Medwell of the Red Box Wildlife Shelter at Elphinstone have been doing what they can to support stricken fellow wildlife carers in Victoria and beyond. Scott made the trek north earlier this month to offer assistance to fellow carers and friends Sara Tilling and Gary Henderson of the…
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Reclaiming the Campaspe River
Campaspe River landowners are taking the health of the river into their own hands by commissioning independent scientific monitoring of the waterway. The residents fear waste from the Kyneton Water Reclamation Plant will continue to pollute the river, as Coliban Water faces 11 criminal charges relating to the illegal discharge of thousands of litres of…
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Fierce forest fire
A thick layer of smoke has blanketed parts of the Macedon Ranges after lightning sparked a fierce blaze in the Cobaw Forest near Pipers Creek about 4pm Sunday. About 40 CFA, Forest Fire Management and Parks Victoria crews attacked the firefront that threatened farming properties. Emergency warning alerts were issued as winds spread embers over…
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Locals react to Baringhup solar farm approval
A Baringhup farmer has criticised the failure of the state planning minister to inform objectors that a solar farm has been approved for the area in recent days. Long-time local Peter Baker was among multiple residents who had formally objected to the solar farm proposed for a 230-hectare site at Baringhup West Road – and…
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Pick your own looks peachy at Harcourt
The time is ripe for some prime picking at Harcourt’s Tellurian Fruit Farm where the annual Pick Your Own Fruit Fridays are proving popular among those enjoying school holidays. “We’ve found school holidays are the busiest time of year,” Tellurian owner Ant Wilson says. While it’s been a great season for cherries at the local…
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‘Time to wake up’ – Extinction Rebellion demands emergency declaration
Extinction Rebellion protesters took to the street in Woodend recently in a display of polite civil disobedience to raise awareness of our climate emergency. On December 28, nine protesters with the well-known logo printed on their flags shared the High Street crossing with pedestrians as part of global protests demanding action on climate change. Traffic…
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Macedon Ranges Council urged to drop glyphosate
Macedon Ranges Council has been urged to drop its use of potentially harmful glyphosate-based herbicides. It is one of many councils that continues to use glyphosate weedkillers such as Roundup to manage parks and roadside weeds despite the chemical coming under fire for its possible link to cancers. Pushing for change, Kyneton local Lyle Green…
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Roo shot near Woodend devastates wildlife rescuers
The death of two rehabilitated and hand-raised kangaroos shot near Woodend has saddened local wildlife carers. Both kangaroos were discovered with gunshot wounds to head and face in two incidents occurring within weeks of each other, prompting the Conservation Regulator’s appeal for information last week. “All native wildlife is protected in Victoria. It is an…
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Forest friends unite
Forty members of Wombat Forestcare made the trip down to Parliament House last Thursday to take part in the Nature For Life Rally. They joined with 45 environmental and community groups from across the state who attended the rally to call for urgent and bold action from the Andrews government to guarantee a secure future…
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Dog ban for Mount Gisborne Reserve
Dogs will be banned from Mount Gisborne Reserve, beginning next year, in a bid to protect its native flora and fauna. The unanimous vote came as Macedon Ranges Shire councillors endorsed the Council Dog and Cat Order 2019 – Domestic Animals Act 1994. The order introduced requirements for dogs to be on-leash in public places,…
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Bioenergy plant plan for Castlemaine
Hopes to build a Castlemaine bioenergy plant using waste product generated at Don KR, in a bid to drive down greenhouse gas emissions while generating clean power, have received a significant boost with the proposal collecting a national innovation award in recent days. Driving the vision for the past four years, the Mount Alexander Sustainability…