After a wonderfully successful 2023 effort Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club is again hosting the Great Southern Bioblitz for the Castlemaine region. GSB24 runs from September 20th to 23rd 2024 with citizen scientists from across the Southern Hemisphere photographing and audio recording as many living species as possible within their regions. Join us to help showcase […]
Great Southern Bioblitz 2024 Read More »
Fire ants could potentially inflict a multi-billion dollar hit to Australia’s economy. They are three times more venomous than other stinging insects. They threaten iconic Australian wildlife populations like koalas, platypus and echidnas. Overseas, fire ants are causing agricultural land to become unviable. As expert stowaways they have crossed oceans and continents in cargo. These invaders
Monthly Meeting: Friday 9th August, 7:30pm via Zoom Read More »
As we heard from Executive Director Dr Sophie Bickford at our November Monthly Meeting last year, the Central Victorian Biolinks Alliance aims to work with partner organisations to restore and reconnect large landscapes across Central Victoria. For our August Excursion, we now have the opportunity to visit a Biolinks Alliance project site in the Spring
Our club has been allocated a section of the Pyrenees Highway to keep clean, west of Castlemaine from the top of McKenzie’s Hill to Woodman’s Road. We do this four times a year. It is always a pleasant walk along some interesting roadside bush. Come along and help do our bit for the community. Meet:
Roadside Clean-up: Monday 12th August, 9am Read More »
We are privileged to have A/Prof Jonathan Plett from the Western Sydney University Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment address our July monthly meeting on the topic of how fungi communicate with their host plants. Jonathan will tell us about his research to identify the protein signals that coordinate symbiosis between soil-borne mycorrhizal fungi and plants
Monthly Meeting: Friday 12th July, 7:30pm by Zoom Read More »
This excursion provides the opportunity to appreciate the interesting collection of trees in Goldsmith Crescent and Yandell, Forest, Kennedy and Campbell Streets. Our guides both have botanical expertise and will help us identify at least 20 different indigenous and introduced species, including several forms of Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon). Two of the trees are historically
Excursion -Saturday 13th July, 1.30pm “Street trees of Castlemaine” Read More »
The second South East Australian Naturalists’ Association (SEANA) camp for this year will be held from Friday 25th – Sunday 27th October in Marysville. This is an excellent chance to meet fellow naturalists from around SE Australia and explore a new region under the guidance of local experts. The Ringwood FNC is hosting this camp
SEANA Spring Camp – Marysville, 25-27 October, 2024 Read More »
The June meeting will be the first of our 3 winter meetings by Zoom for 2024, with our guest speaker being Dr Don Fletcher, an ecologist with the National Parks Association of the ACT. Don will describe a Citizen Science research project on Rosenberg’s Goanna (Varanus rosenbergi) in Namadgi National Park, ACT that has been
Monthly Meeting: Friday 14th June, 7.30pm by Zoom Read More »
For our June excursion, we will search for fungi with Joy Clusker who will give us tips on identification and where to find fungi. Since autumn has been dry, we will travel south to cooler, damper forests for a better chance to find a good range of fungi. So we will meet earlier than usual
Excursion – Saturday June 15th,10.00am, “Fungi search”, Leonards Hill Read More »
Aquatic ecologist, Dr Peter Rose, from the North Central Catchment Management Authority, will explain this plan at the AGM of Castlemaine Landcare Group (CLG). CLG invite anyone interested to come along to the Castlemaine Community House (30 Templeton St) on Wednesday 22 May at 7.30pm to listen and enjoy the hospitality. Peter will describe the
A Recovery Plan for Native Fish Read More »