Western Port Biosphere in Hastings, Victoria | Environmental conservation organisation
Western Port Biosphere
Locality: Hastings, Victoria
Phone: +61 3 5979 2167
Address: 35C High Street 3915 Hastings, VIC, Australia
Website: http://www.biosphere.org.au
Likes: 1302
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25.01.2022 Always Was, Always Will Be. The statement Always Was, Always Will Be recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. It further recognises that First Nations people are spiritually and culturally connected to this country. The Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Foundation (www.biosphere.org.au) acknowledges the traditional owners of this land, the Bunurong / Boonwurrung people and pay respects to their elde...rs past, present and emerging and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in our community today. NAIDOC Week 2020 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact whether in 1770 or 1606 - with the arrival of the Dutch on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula. "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists. Australia has the world’s oldest oral stories. The First Peoples engraved the world’s first maps, made the earliest paintings of ceremony and invented unique technologies. We built and engineered structures - structures on Earth - predating well-known sites such as the Egyptian Pyramids and Stonehenge. Our adaptation and intimate knowledge of Country enabled us to endure climate change, catastrophic droughts and rising sea levels. Always Was, Always Will Be. acknowledges that hundreds of Nations and our cultures covered this continent. All were managing the land - the biggest estate on earth - to sustainably provide for their future. Through ingenious land management systems like fire stick farming we transformed the harshest habitable continent into a land of bounty. It’s about seeing, hearing and learning the First Nations’ 65,000+ year history of this country - which is Australian history. We want all Australians to celebrate that we have the oldest continuing cultures on the planet and to recognise that our sovereignty was never ceded. Always Was, Always Will Be." Acknowledgement: https://www.naidoc.org.au/get-involved/2020-theme
20.01.2022 On the Wings of a Godwit! Red, The Red-necked Stint, our occassional avian correspondent has found a great event for you all to know about. Themed around the extraordinary story of the migratory bird, the Godwit, which also involves our other friend Kate Gorringe-Smith! So you know it will be good! Get along, virtually!
19.01.2022 National Agriculture Day, 20th November 2020. This National Agriculture Day, we’re keeping it local to celebrate the everyday extraordinary efforts of our farmers. This year, Australians everywhere are encouraged to host an AgDay Long Table Lunch! During COVID-19 farmers have had our back every day, continuing to grow the food and fibre we all depend on. On Friday 20 November, get the family or the community together in a COVID safe way, fold out the picnic table and chairs ...and raise cheers to all that is good about Australian agriculture and the people behind it! This year, on National Agriculture Day, we're asking people all over the country to get involved in National Agriculture Day (AgDay) by joining the #AgDayAU Bake Off! Whip up a country classic, follow the Lamington recipe
18.01.2022 Don’t cut the grass! Not your lawn, the grass covering the seabed. Seagrass meadows are incredibly important ecosystems. They provide both food and cover, and so are used by a wide range of species. Seagrass meadows are prime nursery sites for fish which is why recreational fishers should take care when fishing near them. Seagrass meadows can be damaged by anchors or even propellers if the tide is running out and the water is too shallow. The Biosphere Foundation is loo...king at seagrass conservation as part of our Protecting the Ramsar Values of Western Port Project and are collaborating with Deakin University’s Blue Carbon lab (Home - Blue Carbon Lab) Photo: Dolphin Watch Cruises (image may not be from Western Port) See more
18.01.2022 Water + Land = Food? Achieving sustainability in our Biosphere see https://www.facebook.com/events/396439088147400 Water, land and food are essential for all life, everywhere. This necessity puts these three elements of life at risk of being over exploited and over consumed. This is as much an issue for the Mornington Peninsula Western Port Biosphere as it is for the world, and it has to be addressed if sustainability is to be achieved. Globally, there are 17 agreed sustain...able development goals. These were adopted by the United Nations for implementation by all member states. This forum examines the local issues surrounding water, land and food before considering how they are reflected in the SDGs and what we can do to help their achievement. Draft Program * Introduction and acknowledgement of country * Water Stewardship, principles and practice * Water that grows food: farmer and industry engagement * Downs Community Estate community engagement in food production * Examining the SDGs - Working Group discussions * Conclusion and close To register for this forum please send an email to [email protected]. Registrations close 1 December 2020. #biosphere #unescobioshpere #unescomanandbiosphere #sustainableliving #sustainability #casey #cardinia #basscoast #frankston #morningtonpeninsula #westernport #morningtonpeninsulabusiness #water #waterstewardship
17.01.2022 New home: Built in three days, no permit required Recently, we have enjoyed watching a pair of Grey Fantails (Rhipidura albiscapa) build a new nest. These hyperactive birds set about the construction with amazing speed. They started in the afternoon and would fly in with a bit of grass or a cobweb, drape over the twigs, fly off, come back, fly off, come back. We can’t tell who is Mr and who is Mrs but they clearly share the domestic chores as both were busy, busy, busy. And by the third day this beautiful nest was complete. The perfect home to raise a brood. Photo: Birdlife Australia
17.01.2022 Reduce, reuse, recycle These are the watchwords to reduce consumption and promote sustainability. As such, they are very important to the Biosphere Foundation’s work. Firstly reducing the amount we consume but then, almost as importantly, reducing the amount we send to landfill, are amongst the easiest actions we can take as individuals to reduce our foot print on the planet. Given this, we want to highlight National Recycling Week which runs from Monday 9 to Sunday 15 No...vember. There are various initiatives and online sessions being held throughout the week. We are pleased to see our constituent Councils getting on board and encourage you to look at the resources on offer (see links below). We are particularly impressed by Mornington Peninsula’s Fix-it Festival which includes the intriguing workshop How to repair and upcycle common household items (Point Nepean Men's Shed) Mornington Peninsula Shire: https://www.mornpen.vic.gov.au//Waste-Init/Fix-It-Festival City of Casey: https://www.casey.vic.gov.au/n/national-recycling-week-2020 Bass Coast: https://www.basscoast.vic.gov.au///national-recycling-week General: https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/nationalrecyclingweek/about
16.01.2022 Reminder to all: The Biosphere Foundation's 2020 AGM will be held next Thursday January 28, 6 pm for a 6.30 pm start at the Balla Balla Centre in Cranbourne. Everyone welcome, there will be refreshments so we need to know for catering purposes who will be coming and whether anyone has specific dietary needs. Please email us your RSVPs to [email protected]... We'll report on the many activities we've been conducting, the ideas we are contemplating and Nicola Ward, our keynote speaker, will present the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals as a lens through which to view our future work. There's only Four Biospheres in Australia and we have one. Please come along and hear more about it. We look forward to welcoming you to at the AGM next Thursday evening. Date: Thursday, January 28, 2021 Time: Registration from 6 pm for a 6.30 pm start Venue: Balla Balla Community Centre, Berwick Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne Melway: 134 - B6 Web: ballaballa.com.au RSVP: [email protected] Photos from 2019 AGM with Josie Taylor as Guest Speaker.
13.01.2022 Hidden Gem: Balbirooroo Wetlands. Situated behind the Balnarring Primary School, the Balbirooroo Wetlands are a true Hidden Gem. Our walk earlier this week revealed many waterbirds (the wetland was supporting Swans with cygnets, Royal Spoonbills, and in the dam next door, Australian Shelduck, Coots, Swamphens, Egrets and even Cape Barren Geese - all of which would also frequent Balbirooroo Wetlands) and bushbirds featuring many blue Fairy Wrens, Wattlebirds, Kookaburras, Thor...nbills and Bronzewings! In the past, our bird watching guru and Executive Officer has spied the Latham’s Snipe at this site! As well as the frequent avian residents and dense native vegetation, we also heard 3 species of Marsh frogs calling (Pobblebonk, Spotted Marsh Frog and Striped Marsh Frog). On a previous visit, we were pleased to observe an echidna. The walking tracks are well made and marked, and, in part, includes board walks, bird hides and viewing platforms, makes for an easy 1 hour walk and allows you to look up and around (for the birds, frogs and wildlife) rather than your feet (also wheelchair and pram friendly!)! The wetlands are a great community asset developed by the Balnarring Primary School community, together with local environmental groups, and is an integral part of the school curriculum and a valuable natural habitat for the wetland and bushland species. See more
12.01.2022 What is a Biosphere? Who was listening to Virginia Trioli (@LaTrioli) on ABC Melbourne this morning? You can listen to the broadcast at https://www.abc.net.au//programs/mornings/mornings/12829394 and go to the 1 hour 21 minute mark of this podcast and you will discover our enterprising Executive Officer, Greg Hunt, who rang up about the real Biosphere, the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve! There was a discussion of a film about Biosphere 2 which was an... experimental dome in the Arizona desert, where 8 people lived for 2 years in 7 biomes (rainforest, grasslands, etc) and enclosed in 1 hectares. However, Biosphere Reserves are areas of the planet that UNESCO has designated as reserves where specially established Foundations investigate how we might meet human needs without damaging the environment upon which all species depend. We explore the best ways to achieve the balance between conservation and development with our projects. Check out www.biosphere.org.au for details. We are a membership-based organisation, so become a member and help us continue our vital work! This map shows the area of the Reserve and our catchments. Virginia asked if she could come down and do a broadcast from our Biosphere and we say YES she is welcome to visit and broadcast from here and, all of you, are welcome to visit! Tread lightly, however! See more
08.01.2022 Hidden Gem: Buckley Nature Conservation Reserve, Balnarring So hidden, in fact, that even some usually very knowledge Biosphere people didn’t know it existed! I was concerned that perhaps it wasn’t cared for, but I was pleasantly surprised the walking tracks and firebreaks had been recently slashed. We went for an early walk to this great reserve today, before it got too hot. We started at one of the 3 entrances to the reserve on Balnarring Rd, opposite a driveway for a hotel... and winery. Choose the track just left of the Parks Victoria sign inside the reserve. There is second entry point at Cnr of Balnarring Rd and Myers Rd, and a third on Myers Rd where the reserve gives way to farmland. It was a relatively simple walk through the middle of the reserve to the Myers Rd entrance and along a path next to Myers Rd and then across a boardwalk to the second entrance and back down to the entrance we came in from (that route is about an 1 hours walk and a just a bit over 2km, as quoted). If you wish there is a shortcut track just before you get to the crossing of Merricks Creek which comes back to the Balnarring Rd track, and I’d imagine it was a bit over 1km that way. The advantage of that is you are walking surrounded by the dense bush on either side of you, its cooler, with more wildlife spotting opportunities. It is not well marked. The reserve itself is a diverse bushland with many small birds, mammals and monotremes (and no doubt reptiles, although none were observed). We observed orchids and a great diversity of vegetation without leaving the track. There is surprisingly a diverse range of habitat types in this small reserve and it provides plenty of opportunities to connect with nature. #unesco #unescobiosphere #westernportbiosphere #biosphere #conservation #sustainability #hiddengem #alwayswasalwayswillbe
08.01.2022 What is Blue Carbon? After yesterday’s post, we were asked What’s Blue Carbon? The short answer is seagrass but there is actually a bit more to it than that. It is carbon that is absorbed by marine ecosystems which include mangroves, salt marshes and sea grasses. Blue carbon is a very effective way of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and so help us reduce the impact of climate change. So, seagrass meadows: Are vital for productive fisheries Protect our ...shorelines from storms and erosion Trap floating sand and debris, keeping our sea water clearer And they help fight climate change! That’s why we are ask people to look after them. To find out more: BC nutshell (bluecarbonlab.org) Unpack Habitat - Seagrasses - OzFish Unlimited
08.01.2022 Vale Meredith Sherlock. French Island is the jewel at the centre of Western Port and of the Biosphere. It is an anomaly in governance in Victoria, being unincorporated and not part of any local government. This means no rates for the residents but of course no council services either. The state government picks up the tab for some of these services. What government doesn't do, community does. The just over 100 residents collaborate through the French Island Community Associa...tion and it a very active Friends of French Island (FoFI). Andrew Browne, President of FoFI has just given some very sad news; that of the passing of Meredith Sherlock, a founder of FoFI in 1984 and its long time Secretary. Meredith has been a hardworking and thoughtful steward of the French Island environment. French Island, and all who value its many attractions, is the poorer for her passing. See more
06.01.2022 Funding for Waste Re-Use From the latest edition of the Pakenham Officer News: https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au//Recycling-Victoria-
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