Exhibit #1. I had a letter from the Riddell CFA in my mail. We're at the end (we hope) of the fire season. We came through unscathed, unlike our brothers and sisters 50 kms the other side of Melbourne. The local brigade captain dropped us a personal note summing up the season, thanking everyone, urging us to keep on top of our fire plan. On the back side of the flyer, I saw an advert for fire extinguishers and realised I could by one (I need it in the shed) from the local brigade. On the to-do list. Thanks local brigade!Exhibit #2. Driving over the hill to swim at Gisborne, I see a sign at the top of my road saying that there's a BBQ at the Cherokee Station.
Not my territory, though I'd be welcome, but I love the immediacy of this way of sending a message. A small sign, on the intersection where you slow to turn to run up Gap to Cherokee. Everyone who lives up that road drives past here. They'll see this simple invitation to come along. Brilliant communication.
Exhibit #3. Bozos busted! Over coffee in my favourite cafe in Gisborne, the front page of a local newspaper has a story about CFA brigades jumping on some young lads deep in the Wombat State Forest. Out camping without a dickie bird of an idea of how to manage a fire. A great headline that sums up the situation in a mature way.
A brilliant photo - any local will see the whole story right there. Fire running along the big limbs, no fire pit, a huddle of you guys getting a talking to by a fire-suited brigade member.
Below the photo, a straight-shooting story that doesn't mince words about the danger they created, but see as well that we've got a community problem here. Young men are drawn to go camping deep in the forest. Ignorance is dangerous for us all. Ignorance has been corrected, we hope. Community education at the sharp end. Thanks to the Midland Express for the story.
Exhibit #4. Official notice of a burn on the railway reserve near Riddell.
Just when I thought the CFA couldn't do better, they did. In my email when I get home is a note from the environment team at the Shire, informing me of a burn in the rail reserve east of Riddell. It comes to me as President of Riddells Creek Landcare. Attached is the 20 page Burn Plan. I scan the document for native vegetation issues, and there it is, page 8:
Pre-burn assessment conducted by Karl Just on behalf of MRSC. The Tree Banksias (Banksia marginata) in the north-west section of Websters Road should be excluded from any fire, as this species recruits adequately in the absence of fire and the death of the current old plants would be a major loss. - Threatened species should be monitored and managed across all sites. Of high priority is the collection of seed from the Large-flower Crane’s-bill Geranium sp. 1 at Websters Road, to conserve the gene pool and allow planting of more plants in suitable areas. Site listed in the National Recovery Plan for Dianella amoena – avoid machinery and traffic on areas were Dianella amoena Matted flax-lily occur.
The Shire has kept watch on the native vegetation issue. It has let me know. In an era when our in-trays run with mail to which we are copied, we know not why, this is 'being kept in the loop' at its best - concise, unsolicited, relevant. Thanks to Michelle Wyatt at the Shire. I hope that burn goes nice and slow and uneventfully.
There is so much for us in Landcare to learn from these four instances of getting the message out. Kudos to the CFA and all who sail on her!
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