Virtual fences keep deer off road
Virtual deer fences are proving a success in the High Country, reducing the number of collisions between vehicles and the large animals.
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Two virtual fences were recently installed along the Mt Buller Rd, near Sawmill Settlement and Harrietville.
Forest Fire Management Victoria Hume planning manager David Pasztaleniec said he was pleased the trial project had been so successful.
“The virtual fence is activated by car headlights, and the device emits an ultrasonic sound and flashes a blue light into the vegetation beside the road,” Mr Pasctaleniec said.
“The audible and visual disturbance deters deer and other wildlife from crossing the road.”
Both fences are four kilometres long and were placed where deer are known to cross.
Grants to support sustainable hunting
Grants are available through the Victorian Government’s $5.3 million Sustainable Hunting Action Plan 2021-2024 (SHAP) to fund a range of activities, which will maximise the benefits of hunting for the environment, economy, regional communities and hunters.
Eligible projects could include regional game food events, habitat restoration, conservation projects, hunter education or research.
Individual grants of up to $80,000 are available to enhance game habitats, increase knowledge of game species and grow the industry.
The Sustainable Hunting Grants are now open until June 24.
Find out more at: djpr.vic.gov.au/hunting-grants
BOM upgrades app weather warnings
The Bureau of Meteorology has introduced push notifications on its BOM Weather app to provide more targeted advice to communities during severe weather.
The push notifications will include six types of weather warnings — tropical cyclone, fire weather, flood, tsunami, severe thunderstorms and severe weather.
People can now turn on push notifications for their set location and the BOM Weather app will proactively alert them when warnings are issued for those areas.
Once installed and enabled, a notification will appear on the person's device's lock screen whenever a warning is issued that is relevant to their set location, and they can also select which type of notifications they would like to receive.
People need to update or install the latest version of the app for the push notifications feature to work, and the app will work on all supported operating systems.
New VicForests chair appointed
The new chair of the VicForests board is Ben Hubbard, who will replace outgoing chair Chris Lovell.
Mr Hubbard is the former chief executive officer of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority.
He was previously chief-of-staff to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and is the current national chair of the YMCA and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
He will support VicForests through its next phase of transition, ahead of the 2024 step-down, as the organisation delivers on the Victorian Government’s timber commitments under the Victorian Forestry Plan, concentrating on contracting, harvesting and regeneration.
EV charging grants available
All Victorian businesses can now apply for a share of $1.5 million in grants to install electric vehicle charging stations.
The Electric Vehicle Charging for Business Fleets program will reduce operating costs and emissions by supporting chargers for business fleets and stimulating the purchase and lease of ZEVs for business operations.
By switching to Zero Emission Vehicles, businesses could save up to $500 per month per car in their fleet.
The turnover of fleets will flow-on to the second-hand EV market, in turn making them more affordable for Victorians and cutting the cost of living for the community.
Applications are open until 5pm on Friday, July 22 at: energy.vic.gov.au/grants/ev-charging-business-fleets
Tougher to protest against logging
The Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment (Timber Harvesting Safety Zones) Bill, introduced in the Victorian Parliament on May 24, aims to deter dangerous protest activities within Timber Harvesting Safety Zones.
These zones are small and restricted areas where forestry activities are being undertaken.
Protestors who illegally enter these zones and dangerously interfere with workers or their machinery, may face fines of up to $21,000 or 12 months’ imprisonment.
PVC and metal pipes, which can be used in dangerous protest activities, will be added to the prohibited items list meaning they potentially attract extra fines if used to hinder or obstruct timber harvesting operations.
To prevent repeated safety risks across multiple Timber Harvesting Safety Zones, authorised officers will be able to issue banning notices.
Authorised officers will be given additional powers to search containers, bags and vehicles for prohibited items.
For more information, visit: vic.gov.au/forestry
Final call for Bob Hawke Landcare Award
The 2022 Bob Hawke Landcare Award has been extended to June 5.
Currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, the prestigious national award celebrates Landcare and recognises individual excellence in sustainable agriculture.
The winner will be awarded a prize package to the value of $50,000 for further development of their knowledge and skills in sustainable land management to enable an even stronger contribution to Landcare.
The winner will be announced at the 2022 National Landcare Awards to be held in Sydney in late August.
To be eligible for the award, a nominee must be an individual who is actively involved in Landcare, natural resource management or sustainable agriculture.
For more information, visit: https://bobhawkelandcareaward.com.au/
Support line opened for veterans
Extra wellbeing support for Victorian-based veterans and their carers is being offered through a new phone number, 1800 VET FAM (1800 838 326).
The hotline was bankrolled by the Victorian Government to offer support during the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.
The hotline — which runs from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday — connects the caller to Melbourne Legacy, which is also temporarily beefing up its support team.
The next Royal Commission hearing will be held in Townsville on June 2