Matilda+Abbi+W.+Serena

=WHAT IS THE STATE OF OUR BACKYARD? =

Abbie Westley, Matilda Alexander and Serena Unmack


Task 1/2- Here is a map showing some of the areas that the Black Saturday bush fires affected and some the the endangered animals that live there.

//**Map of Victoria showing bush fire affected areas and animals.**// //**Key:**// Area affected by the bush fires = //**Scale:**//  media type="custom" key="10300281" width="120" height="120"

﻿ Task 3- A summary of **three** endangered species (with a brief description about them) and an overview of how they were affected in the fires and an evaluation of how their recovery is going.

//** Barred Galaxias – **// The Barred Galaxias (Or Brown Galaxias) is 70mm–90mm (sometimes up to 1500mm) long. It is currently listed as Endangered under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act of Victoria and was affected by The Black Saturday bush fires. There are around 12 known populations in Victoria. Each population runs about 1–2 kilometres and holds 280–1000 fish (it may sound like a lot but 100 years ago, there was probably 1000’s more). It was affected because of the ash fell into small, shallow, gravel bottomed streams that they call home. The ash from the trees (ash from the bushfires) and the air landed in the streams, creating sediment which choked the water and covered the eggs. There are currently projects in place to re-establish populations and discover key spawning areas.

//** Sooty Owl - **// The Sooty Owl is a medium sized owl about 45 cm tall. It has a slightly heart shaped face. As its name says, it is a dark sooty colour with dark eyes. The sooty owl is a very secretive bird that lives in Eastern Victoria and New South Wales. The bird is mainly found in Rain forests and Eucalypt Gullies. The bushfires have had a strong impact on the habitat of the sooty owl and this is expected to have an impact on the numbers of the already vulnerable animal (Vulnerable in Victoria, Endangered in NSW). Even if the owls survived the original fire, they are at risk of death because of reduced habitat. The long-term objective is to increase habitat area for the sooty owl (including hollow trees in - which can take more than a century to grow – which they make their nests). There are now less than 1000 known breeding pairs left.

//** Spotted Tree Frog – **// The Spotted tree frog is one of Victoria’s mo st endangered species. It lives in a few isolated, fast flowing streams in the East of Victoria. Prior to 1991, the frog lived in 12 river systems, 11 of which are in north-east Victoria and 1 which is in NSW. In 1996 there were 16 known habitats, but since then frogs have gone from 4 streams and 6 other sites. The (then) biggest population of the frogs has drastically dropped by 97%. Lots of important spotted tree frog habitat was wiped out in the fire and the biggest concern is that there could be a long term affect on the frogs from the amount of ash that becomes sediment in the streams. The first objective is to assess the impact that the fires had on the frog.

Task 4- A written piece which explains the background to the fires and why these regions are so vulnerable. Describe the state of recovery for these areas now (eg vegetation grown back etc).

//** Black Saturday fires **// Certain areas after a drought then weeks of extreme heat were extremely vulnerable for bush fires so we prepared for fire danger. On February the 7th, 2009 the Black Saturday fires killed 173 people, left 5,000 people injured, damaged 2,029 homes, killed countless animals and travelled over 4,500 square kilometres of land. Fire is a natural part of the Australian landscape and many native plants and animals have developed to depend on fire as part of the environment. The Australian bush has so many different types of plants/trees and not all of them can deal with fires so often and the intensity they are. Due to the increasing number of fires, the scale and wildness of them they are now considered one of the greatest threats to nature in the southern hemisphere. The main reason for these devastating fires was arson. The fire in Churchill started from someone starting a fire and the fire in Murrindindi started the same way. The fires started in Bunyip from arson and lightning. The fire started in Wilsons Prom from lighting and the fire started in King Lake because of a Powerline. Black Saturday obviously devastated some of Victoria’s animals and plants, for example experts from Birds Australia estimated that two million birds were affected in the fires. Victoria has seriously rethought the fire management in Victoria because of the frequency and force of these fires. People all around Victoria are working together to help the affected areas grow back and recover from the damage caused by the Black Saturday fires. They are doing this by:


 * Controlling the predators of the endangered animals such as foxes and cats


 * Building fences around threatened plant species to protect them from animals that dig

There are also about thirty-one fire recovery projects going on to save things like the rainforests that were affected to the small mammals that were affected, large mammals that were affected and everything in between.
 * P utting in nest boxes for animals such as the Leadbeater’s Possum.



Task 5- A description of how the animals have been supported after the fires. Select a specific group who are assisting eg Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria Wildlife Organisation, RSPCA, Melbourne Zoo etc.Describe the role that this organisation has played in assisting the affected endangered species.

//** How the affected areas and animals have been supported after the fires- **//

Healesville Sanctuary saw the Black Saturday bushfires first hand as some of the staff lost their homes and some of the animals were evacuated. After the fires a lot of animals came to the sanctuary in need of help. The staff of Healesville Sanctuary work extremely hard to get all these animals healthy again so they can then release them into the wild. Healesville Sanctuary plays a serious role in preventing extinction to save many of Australia's most threatened species including Tasmanian Devils, Mountain Pygmy-possums and Helmeted Honeyeaters. Healesville Sanctuary has helped so many animals and here is one of their stories. Mandarin is an adult ringtail possum. Mandarin has terrible burns all over her body from the fire. The staff has to change her bandages a lot to prevent infection. They put her to sleep so it doesn’t hurt her, it is delicate work because if she is ever going to be realised into the wild her paws need to heal perfectly. Thanks to the dedicated team from Healesville Sanctuary Mandarin will more than likely be realised into the wild in the near future as a healthy ringtail possum.



 Task 6- Imagine the Lorax appeared to talk about the impact on the endangered species following the fires. What action would he suggest needs to be taken to avoid a similar disaster happening in the future.

//** The Lorax **// If the Lorax came to speak to us, he would suggest that we put as much time and effort as we can into rehabilitating animals and plants. He would say that we need to protect our native species so that the future generations can see them. We need trees for air or we would be dead because everything would be carbon dioxide. He would also tell us that though something may seem useless, we are blind to lots of things, and it may prove to be useful in the future. Another thing that he would tell us would be that we should focus on stopping fires to start with instead of trying to do what we can afterwards (after all prevention is better than cure). We NEED to really think about how we can stop the fires and therefore stop the decline of the animals. Even though we are trying to re-establish populations, lots of lives of animals and humans could have been saved if this was done.  <span style="color: #006dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Task 7- Create a question related to the endangered species affected in the fires and research it to provide a written response.


 * // Were the animals affected by the 2009 bush fires already endangered before this event occurred, and if so, which animals? //**

The fires that struck on and around the time of Saturday the seventh of February affected many people, as well as many species of flora and fauna. Some of these include the Leadbeater’s Possum, Barred Galaxias, the Powerful Owl, and the Tiger Quoll.

One of the animals that was affected by the fires and was already endangered is Victoria’s faunal emblem: the Leadbeater’s Possum. It was believed to be extinct for almost sixty years until it was rediscovered in 1961, in Marysville. The fires affected the Leadbeater’s Possum, as well as its habitat, as when the fires struck, many trees with hollows burnt down, leaving the Possum with nowhere to live.

A second species that was endangered before 2009 is the spotted frog, which live in the streams in mountainous areas and who have reportedly been endangered since 1994. Although the exact reason that the frog is endangered is currently unknown, the suspected causes are introduced trout species and habitat disturbances near the stream.

Another species is that was already endangered when the bush fires hit is the Sooty Owl, which has been endangered since early 1995. It is became endangered because the law failed to protect it, as when a logging permit was issued the loggers would be able to interfere with the owl's habitat and therefore the owls themselves.

As well as the Sooty Owl, the Spotted Tree Frog and the Leadbeater’s Possum, the Ground Parrot’s population has been declining for a long time too. Since 1990, the population has dropped from approximately 400 individuals, to 110, in 2009.

These four species have been endangered for a long time, and since the bush fires the population of these animals has declined even more.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">

<span style="color: #00fff7; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Photos (in order of left to right) Ground Parrot, Sooty Owl, Leadbeater's Possum and the Spotted Tree Frog

<span style="color: #006dff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Task 8- Provide a correctly constructed bibliography.

<span style="color: #00ff7b; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">BIBLIOGRAPHY

<span style="color: #00ff7b; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Matilda Alexander, Abbie Westley and Serena Unmack 7B


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Preliminary Report: Impact of 2009 Victorian Bushfires on Nature and Wildlife."//Preliminary Report: Impact of 2009 Victorian Bushfires on Nature and Wildlife//. Wilderness Society, 2009. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. <Preliminary report: impact of 2009 Victorian bushfires on nature and wildlife>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Parks Victoria: Yarra Ranges National Park Page." //Parks Victoria: Parkweb.vic.gov.au//. 2010. Web. 23 Aug. 2011. <http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=223>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Black Saturday | Australian Broadcasting Corporation." //ABC.net.au//. 2009. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. <http://www.abc.net.au/innovation/blacksaturday/>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Lake Mountain." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. 2011. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Mountain>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Black Saturday Bushfires." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_bushfires>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Owl Endangered." //Green Left Weekly//. 08 Mar. 1995. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. <http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/9743>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Western Ground Parrot." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. 2011. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ground_Parrot>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Webb, By Emily. "Wildlife Care All-hours Job at Healesville Sanctuary - Health - News - Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader." //Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader Newspapers Melbourne News, Sport, Events, Blogs, Competitions - Whereilive//. 2011. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. <http://lilydale-yarra-valley-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/wildlife-care-all-hours-job-at-healesville-sanctuary>.

> <http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=Kinglake+black+saturday&um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=563&tbm=isch&tbnid=f41fEpD0xOJ1iM:&imgrefurl=http://vietnamswans.com/2009/05/15/&docid=_K1XsdzJXqYocM&w=422&h=302&ei=9NJZTvabOIWLmQXvzqnBDA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=312&page=1&tbnh=129&tbnw=172&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0&tx=111&ty=70>
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">//The Black Saturday Bushfires in Kinglake//. Digital image. //Vietnam Swans//. 2009. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">//Common Ringtail Possum//. Digital image. 2010. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. <http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=australian+adult+ringtail+possum&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=563&tbm=isch&tbnid=x1l7Gu6WJQx22M:&imgrefurl=http://www.allareaspossumremoval.com.au/index.php%3Fp%3D1_7&docid=wBkfLmgyfaHLpM&w=500&h=417&ei=gR1cTu4ujrSsB_P39MYP&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=30&page=1&tbnh=127&tbnw=147&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=156&ty=-232>.

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Webb, By Emily. "Wildlife Care All-hours Job at Healesville Sanctuary - Health - News - Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader." //Lilydale & Yarra Valley Leader Newspapers Melbourne News, Sport, Events, Blogs, Competitions - Whereilive//. 2011. Web. 29 Aug. 2011. <http://lilydale-yarra-valley-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/wildlife-care-all-hours-job-at-healesville-sanctuary>.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Bushfires & Wildlife Challenge - Bushfires & Wildlife Challenge - Zoos Victoria." //Wild! - Zoos Victoria//. 2011. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. <http://wild.zoo.org.au/bushfires/>.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Healesville Sanctuary - Zoos Victoria." //Zoos Victoria - Zoos Victoria//. 2011. Web. 26 Aug. 2011. <http://www.zoo.org.au/HealesvilleSanctuary>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. "Recovery Outline No. 10: Spotted Tree Frog." //Environment.gov.au//. 3 June 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. <http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/action/frogs/species10.html>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">Department of Sustainability and Environment. "Action Statement - Spotted Tree Frog."//Dse.vic.gov.au//. 2000. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. []


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Spotted Frog." //Threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au//. 1 Sept. 2005. Web. 25 Aug. 2011. <http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10492>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">"Sooty Owl - Profile." //Threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au//. 1 Sept. 2005. Web. 26 Aug. 2011. <http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/profile.aspx?id=10821>.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">National Recovery Plan for Barred Galaxias." //Environment.gov.au//. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. [|http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/pubs/barred-galaxias.rtf]


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%;">NFA. "Barred Galaxias." //Native Fish//. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. < [] >

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 * "Spotted Tree Frog (Litoria Spenceri) - Threatened Species Day 2003 Fact Fheet."//Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPaC) - Home Page//. 2011. Web. 31 Aug. 2011. <http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/vic2003.html>.

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