Josephine,+Bella+D,+Whitney,+Lilly+and+Scout

=__ **L I L L Y, S C O U T , ﻿ W H I T N E Y ,** J O , B E L L A  __=
 * Wilson's Promontory! **

Map of Wilson's Promontory, by Whitney. media type="googlemap" key="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=217486307845535542931.0004aa8360d28d5f6e437&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=-38.972596,146.373268&spn=0.12198,0.191545&t=h&vpsrc=6&output=embed" width="425" height="350" From A Little Spark May Burst a Mighty Flame. By Jo

Fire is powerful and has many assets, some of which unfortunately make certain locations vulnerable. Fire emits heat and light, elements of survival that are of extreme importance, especially to humans. Fire is used in day-to-day life and in ecological communities, as resource and tool. However, fire’s power can be abused- and not always on purpose.

Species and ecological communities adapt to the environment. These adaptations are an extremely critical factor for growth and survival of all species. Propagation is a natural occurrence for all species, but because so many have adapted to their environment, propagation has needed a little help. Bushfires and regrowth are often natural, and are needed to regenerate forests and spread seeds and propagate species. It’s as if the slate is being wiped clean. In some areas, bushfires have needed to be started to begin this necessary process.

Unfortunately, these fires that are essential for propagation and regrowth purposes can often become out of control. They can spread quickly through trees, and the power of bushfire is often abused or underestimated. Bushfire prone areas are those that have lots of flora and fauna, plenty of vegetation and variety of species. Wilson’s Promontory, the location our group has been inquiring about, has always been threatened by bushfires. It’s rich and healthy landscape and extensive ecological community has made it an easily destructible location for fire to spread throughout.

Although Wilson’s Promontory has endured bushfires before February 8 2009, it was that particular bushfire that put so many species in the bushfire prone area at risk. Lightning started the infamous bushfire, starting with just a miniscule spark hitting the ground; it then grew into an astonishing bushfire roaring through the area faster than the lightning that started it. Approximately 12,600 hectares of land and environment was burnt, and the National Park has been closed. This fire caused at least twice the amount of damage that the 2005 bushfire did, and it even burnt over 30% of the National Park. The National Park is home to many endangered species and has caused many species, endangered and vulnerable, to die or suffer severely. Some of these pictures show the devastating effects of the fire on beautiful Wilson’s Promontory. = =  Wilson’s Promontory was henceforth closed for about a month until the area could be deemed safe to enter and clear. Though much of the land was covered with ash and solemnness, and destruction of species and ecosystems was evident, no one gave in. Many organisations and even just locals pitched in to help action regrowth, but in the end the environment adapted and regrew naturally. This regeneration went amazingly, and as these pictures show the species regrew slowly but steadily, and eventually the animals adapted back into their environment also.

Fire is a powerful tool, though it’s affect on environments is mixed. An uncontrolled fire like the one in Wilson’s Promontory is dangerous, but unavoidable- all you have to do is fighting it and wish for the best. Bushfires can’t be permanently stopped, and many wouldn’t want that (including animals and plants in the areas) though extreme ones should be avoided if possible. Accidents do happen, and the tragedy of the 2009 bushfire in Wilson’s Promontory was fate and no one anywhere could ever change that.

Bibliography- Astonishing Wilsons Promontory Fire n.d., The Age Online, accessed 14 August 2011, . Bushfires n.d., Wild Zoo, accessed 15 August 2011, . Wilsons Promontory National Park n.d., Parks Victoria, accessed 16 August 2011, .

**__ The Hairy Nose Wombat __** by Lilly

**__ About the Hairy Nose Wombat: __**
The Hairy Nose Wombat is the largest herbivorous burrowing mammal in the world. It may look slow and fat, but it can run at 40km per hour and it has got a larger brain than all other marsupial animals! The Hairy Nose Wombat is around 75 to 100 cm wide. It is 25 to 35cm tall, and has a tail-span of 2.5 to 6 cm. Its full-grown weight ranges from 18 to 32 kg.

**__ How do bushfires affect the Hairy Nose Wombat? __**

The wombats stay safe in their burrows, but the fire destroys some grasses that are their main food. Sometimes trees fall on their burrows and they can not get out, so those kind of incidents cause death.

**__ How is the __****__ recovery going? __**

The recovering is going pretty well, as the Hairy Nose Wombats are breeding well in captivity. However, wild species are now restricted to a single population on Epping Forest National Park near Clermont in Queensland. The population was estimated to contain 113 individuals in 2000, of which as few as 25 may be breeding females. Though, with all the breeding programs, more Hairy Nose Wombats are being released into the wild.

LORAX SPEECH- by Jo
Greetings fellow people of Victoria, I am the Lorax. Today I will be talking to you about the effects of bushfires on species and how we can help prevent or decrease further damage in the future. Fires, especially bushfires in particular, are a massive threat to many various species. They can do a world of damage when uncontrolled, and have the ability to rampage throughout forests and grasslands with immense speed- destroying all in its path. Fires have destroyed the homes of many animals. Most birds have been highly affected by the fires because their trees have been burnt to the ground. It also affected fish and sea life. The ash is blown into the water, and forms gooey sediment. Ash pollutes the water, and then it becomes more sediment than healthy, causing animals to die. Fires also destroy many plants. As wood burns easily, and trees are wood, fire can travel quickly through a forest or an area rich in vegetation. To prevent such bushfires from being so devastating, we need to make sure they are watched and monitored. The state has been collecting resources to help us do so, and using them should commence now! We know bushfires are often an important way to allow new plants to grow, but if they aren ’ t monitored it will mean that more species will probably die. If thinking of lighting a bushfire, the government or the Environmental Department should be aware and ready at all times. Try to avoid using a lot of fuel to begin the fire, and then just let it burn what needs to be burnt. People controlling this need to make sure that no endangered species are in the area, and that if lots of animals are in the area required to burn they relocate them somewhere safer. Thank you for listening to my speech, Think wisely and don ’ t play with fire.

THE LONG NOSED POTOROO by Scout
 * __About the Long Nosed Potoroo__**

The long nosed potoroo is a medium sized marsupial. Their body is about 28-47cm long. Their tail is around 20-26cm long. A long nosed potoroo’s body is brown or grey body. They weigh about 7-16kg. The females usually are smaller in height and lighter in weight than the males. They have a long snout.


 * __How do bushfires affect the Long Nosed Potoroo__**

The main threat to the Long Nosed Potoroo is predation from feral cats and foxes, but the Long Nosed Potoroo was also affected by the bushfires. The Long Nosed Potoroo lives in trees ranging from 5-15m. This means they wouldn’t have been able to climb very far to escape from the fires. Burnt trees could have also fallen and crushed some potoroos. It eats things such as fungi, flowers, fruit and seeds. All of these things would have been destroyed in the fires. There have been many projects towards reducing the amount of predators of the Long Nosed Potoroo. The DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment) has been working with the Victorian Bushfire Recovery and Reconstruction Authority to work on the recovery of native animals and plants that were affected by the bushfires. As part of the recovery program there was predator control for the Long Nosed Potoroo as they are quite easy prey. Fire affected environment were sown with eucalyptus seeds.


 * Bibliography:**


 * Pictures**

Go Australia. Long Nosed Potoroo-Sydney Wildlife World. Available from: []. Accessed Thu, 25 August 2011


 * Websites**

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (2011). //Potorous tridactylus tridactylus// in Species Profile and Threats Database, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra. Available from: [] Accessed Thu, 25 Aug 2011

==**Here is a very cute video of a fire fighter giving a poor little koala a drink after the Black Saturday Bushfires. Despite there being only very little chance of this koala surviving, it conquered the odds and was helped by fire fighters that found it. Now, with regeneration apparent, species of all kinds have been coming home to their natural habitats. Enjoy this video....** == media type="youtube" key="FvkI8c9eALQ" height="345" width="420"