Dear Friends,
A damp and showery day greeted the small band of workers for the August meeting. Weeding around the new trees at the Depot Road revegetation site and adding some Bulokes to the plantation was the main task. Buloke is an uncommon tree in the park. More Bulokes were planted in the park along Depot Road. Our thanks to Sandy Creek Farm Trees for their generous donation of the the plants.
The early warmth along with good rainfall has ensured the new plantings will get a good start. However the Capeweed is outstripping everything in growth rate and is knee high in the enclosure, hopefully Parks will spray it in the near future.
The Golden Wattle, which has been stunning this season, is fading and now it’s the turn of the Varnish Wattle to show off its colour. Among the wildflowers noted were Caladenia deformis, Bluebeard Caladenia an uncommon orchid in Chiltern; an unusual albino form of Pterostylis nana, the Tiny Greenhood; lots of Caladenia fuscata the Dusky Caladenia which is very pale in colour; a few Diuris pardina, the Leopard Orchid, these should be abundant over the next few weeks and Buttercups which brighten the bush at this time of the year.
For birdwatchers:
September 14th was the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Gould. Born in Lyme, Dorset, England, Gould rose up first as a gardener, developed skills as a taxidermist and an interest in birds. The rest is history! His story is told in “The Bird Man, the Extraordinary Story of John Gould” by Isabella Tree. It’s a very good tale, revealing the character of the man, his persistence, lack of artistic skills, his inability to give credit to his artists and collectors and his excellent business skills.
Vale Betty Carrasco:
Friends were saddened to learn of Betty’s untimely death in a freak accident near Gundagai. Betty was a lady committed to the environment and her loss will be felt by the groups she belonged to.
Rainfall: Rainfall in August 65.4 mm over 18 days. Yearly total: 326.4 mm over 67 days.
Contributions: Anyone wishing to contribute to the newsletter please email their article to me.
Please note: This will be the final newsletter for unfinancial members.
AGM:
It would be appreciated if members could bring along a small contribution to the meal to supplement the catering, salads or dessert would be appreciated.
NEXT MEETING SATURDAY OCTOBER 2ND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Meet at Chiltern Post Office at 2.00 p.m. Leaving the P.O. at 2.10 p.m . A walk in the park to enjoy the wildflowers to be followed by dinner at 6pm in the Senior Citizens’ rooms in Conness Street. AGM at 7.00 p.m. Followed at 7.30pm by our guest speaker Dr Catherine Meathral who will speak on the Great Albatross. Dr Meathral is a lecturer at Latrobe University and her speciality is seabirds.
Organiser: N Bartlett 0260 208 632 If the weather is at all doubtful please phone the organiser to check that the activity will go ahead.
FRIENDS OF CHILTERN NATIONAL PARK inc MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
P.O.Box 26 CHILTERN 3683 To assist, please mark the envelope Membership.
Friends have achieved a great deal during the past year. Surveys for plants, birds and monitoring of mammal boxes, tree planting and weed control are just some of our contributions. Your support for our activities is valued and your membership renewal is vital to our cause. Membership expires on June 30th. Thank you.
Please find enclosed my membership of $10 for 2004-5. The fee covers the whole family and includes 11 newsletters.
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