What a very grassy year it’s been, and not just because of La Nina!
This spring we’ve hosted a post-Covid frenzy of site visits to grasslands from Sunbury to Truganina to Hobsons Bay – so great to be out in the beauty and so important for the scope of the problems to be recognised as well.
We’ve just wound up our big push on the Western Grassland Reserve. GPN, in conjunction with DELWP, held two site visits to the Reserve and three online forums about its management and future. These events have provided a wealth of information that will hopefully help set the direction for future WGR management priorities. Big thanks to Wyndham City Council, ARI and Parks Victoria, as well as the almost 100 people who participated.
An early highlight of the year – and a big win – was stopping the gratuitous development – clearing – of Ajax Road Grassland. We couldn’t have fought that VCAT case without the huge support and donations that came in so generously from so many people.
The planning tribunal action continued when we objected to Development Victoria’s proposed destruction of grassland at Section G, Cairnlea. That decision is with the new Planning Minister now.
Back in May, we discovered, to our horror, the erasure of the high-quality Themeda grassland at Conservation Area 9 under a vast tonnage of asbestos-contaminated fill. That investigation is ongoing. But silver lining, GPN members featured on ABC News – twice – which is a great way of getting the pollies' attention, and our messages out to the public.
We received a great little grant to produce some grassland videos that we will be narrating in Mandarin, Vietnamese, Karen, Arabic and Hindi, and distributing through CaLD communities, particularly in Melbourne’s west and north.
We planted grasses on National Tree Day with Hobsons Bay Wetland Centre, and held a Walk and Talk at Dorothy’s Grassland with them too.
We began conservations with Parks Victoria about the future management and community engagement at Kororoit Regional Park.
GPN has reached beyond Melbourne, deciding we had to respond to the Geelong Strategic Assessment. The proposed release of land in Geelong’s northern and western growth corridors threatens large areas of grassland, which we now know is important Striped Legless Lizard and Golden Sun Moth habitat.
Sadly, we mourned the passing of Peter Haffenden, Neville Scarlett and Beth Gott. Peter was one of the founding members of GPN, a strong advocate, and is sorely missed. Neville Scarlett led much of the early discoveries of the grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plain in the 1970s and 80s. Beth Gott’s ethnobotanical research revolutionised the way we understand our grasslands and their significance to Traditional Owners.
November brought the Victorian election, we pushed out grassland policies, and we have new environment and planning ministers, DELWP is being broken-up and, at a federal level, changes to the EPBC Act are in the works.
Our work on threatened middle-ring and inner-urban grasslands (non-MSA Melbourne) continues. It’s slow but inching forward.
We’ve also worked with students and staff at various tertiary institutions, bringing grassland issues into focus in the urban planning and design professions.
Oh, and many letters to Ministers State and Federal, and submissions, submissions, submissions!
And last, but not least, our Facilitator role has been funded until May 2024.
All up, a very grassy year. We’d like to say a huge thank you to you all. Our good work couldn’t happen without you. We are planning a GPN catch-up in late January. Hope to see you all then.
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