Hello Everyone,

FILM DAY + LUNCH + VISITORS – July 11th

At the July meeting there will be a showing of short films before lunch, then a special showing of the film ‘Love Letter to the Unseen’.

The film follows youth conservationist Spencer Hitchen on his journey to understand the imminent threats to the endangered Maugean Skate and the intrinsic beauty of a species that exists both in the real world and in the imaginations of its supporters. The 60-million-year-old Maugean skate has been around since the time of the dinosaurs, and Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, is its sole remaining home.The environment and the skate are at risk.  The heroes of the film are calling out to have the conservation advice for the Maugean Skate implemented in full, as the skate now faces a ‘very high’ risk of extinction.

After the showing of the film, there will be a Q+A session with Environment Tasmania’s Jess Coughlan.

You may have read in the Advertiser that bookings are necessary though the film showing is free. That is because we have invited members of the public to the film showing. 

It’s fine if Field Nats don’t book, because I’m expecting the usual turnup from 11am onwards for our winter social; that will involve bringing and sharing of lunch.

 

WATERHOUSE OUTING

Thanks to Mike we had a fantastic outing to Waterhouse in June.

We were able to juggle the outing day so as to be in a better weather system and changing to Sunday only excluded a couple of members.

Mike wrote a brief report for the Advertiser which you can also see on the website. Two things struck me as interesting….. the first was the thickness of the she-oak regeneration, so thick that the backmarker Ann, whilst waiting for a member to catch-up, lost track of the main group. The other was a surprise stretch of sealed road on a steep section of the road into the Conservation Area. I can verify this as a solution to a problem we experienced when, after a heavy rain on top of a re-sheeting of decomposed granite,  we had to back up and have a second go just to get up the hill. Likewise I imagine it could have been just as difficult in the dry.

P.S. Since preparing this email, I have realised that Helen Tait has written a report as well. So that’s a first – two reports for the same outing. Thanks to Helen and Mike.

Thanks to Ann, we can see the thick regrowth of the sheoaks after the 2024 wildfire at Waterhouse.