General News
6 October, 2022
Field naturalists club marks 70th anniversary
The results of seven decades of protecting Maryborough’s natural history will be on display at the Maryborough Field Naturalists Club’s 70th birthday exhibition next week. The work the club has done over the years will feature in an exhibition...
The results of seven decades of protecting Maryborough’s natural history will be on display at the Maryborough Field Naturalists Club’s 70th birthday exhibition next week.
The work the club has done over the years will feature in an exhibition including photographs and natural history displays.
The club’s record of achievement has been substantial, showcasing a long history of protecting natural assets in the region.
After duck shooters shot dozens of pelicans at Cairn Curran several years ago, the club took up the matter with the State Government of the day, and as a result shooters now have to complete a recognition test to ensure they can recognise game species.
The club has also been responsible for having protection extended to more than 4000 hectares of forest surrounding Maryborough.
In more recent times, the club has been responsible for the protection of an area of forest less than half an hour from Maryborough being extended from 800 to 3200 ha to protect one of the most important areas of grass-trees.
The club also has ensured the protection of Aboriginal wells, which provided emergency water to the Dja Dja Wurrung people as they moved between the Bet Bet Creek and Carisbrook’s Deep Creek.
The club has also worked to protect important local flora in Cosstick Reserve, just off the Pyrenees Highway, and other high-value flora areas close to Maryborough.
It has been active in identifying areas where three recently discovered eucalypt trees are growing around Talbot and Avoca, and alerted Parks Victoria to the remnants of a little-known ghost town called Little White Hills between Avoca and Amphitheatre.
The club also publicised and created protection for the second largest piece of quartz in the southern hemisphere, Quartz Mountain, between Talbot and Lexton, which was once the site of a thriving gold town.
The exhibition will run from Friday, October 14 to Sunday, October 16 at the Maryborough Regional Library.