1.  Meeting opened at 1.20pm following a morning working bee and BBQ.

Present: Alan Anderson, Gemina Corpus, Jane Moore, Christa Beckmann (PhD student Sydney U Tropical Ecology Research Centre ), P&W rangers Gerry and Teddy, Heather Boulden and Jeremy Hemphill

Apologies: Leisa Baldwin, Jo Vandermark, Brigitte Wilson, Veronica Edwards.

2.  Minutes of meeting 25 October 2009. Approved: Jeremy/Jane

3.  Business arising from minutes & ongoing issues

a)            The school bus is now calling into Humpty Doo Station.

b)            John Holzapffel’s photographs of the Humpty Doo Rice Project have been given to Susan Pedersen.

c)             Advised by Fogg Dam P&W that the woodland to water lily boardwalk is in poor condition, is not to be treated with preservative and it will probably be replaced with similar material to the monsoon forest boardwalk.

d)            $10,000 of grant funds is now in a 4 months fixed term interest bearing account.

e)            Fogg Dam equipment list – awaiting advice from Ken Levy.

f)              Monsoon Forest Interpretive signage – Alan & Strider.  Propose Strider consider options now new boardwalk completed.

5.      Correspondence:  Out:

·      29 Oct 09, email to Dean McAdam of P&W, seeking involvement of Junior Rangers in Field Day 2010.

·      7 Nov 09, telephone call to Bendigo Bank advising FOFD is a tax exempt organisation.  Advised this would be noted on our fixed deposit account.

·      8 Nov 09, email to Peter Walker of Imagineer, advising that he has been made an Honorary Member.

·      12 Nov 09, email to Anna Cooke of P&W seeking involvement of Junior Rangers on the Field Day.

·      14 Nov 09, email to Anna Cooke, thanking her for information, giving best wishes for the Junior Rangers because it’s such a popular program.

·      15 Nov 09, email to Michael Crossland re speaker at November meeting.

·      16 Nov 09, telephone call to Bendigo Bank re FOFD tax exempt status.  Advised this has now been noted on our fixed term deposit account.

·      16 Nov 09, email to Vicky Forgie of ANZSEE, providing FOFD bank details.

·      16 Nov 09, email to Dean Lonza, Fogg Dam P&W confirming details for working bee BBQ and meeting for 22 November.

·      20 Nov 09, telephone call to NRETA following up our letter of 22 October seeking a permit to hold the field day on 11 April 2010.

6.        Correspondence In:

·      29 Oct 09, Bendigo Bank, Term Deposit Certificate.

·      31Oct 09, letter from Bendigo Bank, advising they do not have a TFN for FOFD and will charge withholding tax if one is not provided.

·      6 Nov 09, email from Dean McAdam of P&W, advising of changes in P&W structure and uncertainty about the possibility of Junior Ranger involvement with the Field Day.

·      8 Nov 09, letter from Bendigo Bank, again advising they do not have a TFN for FOFD and will charge withholding tax if one is not provided.

·      9 Nov 09, email from Peter Walker of Imagineer, saying he’s thrilled to be an Honorary Member.

·      10 Nov, 09 email from Barry Scott, advising that Anna Cooke is the contact for Junior Rangers.

·      11 Nov 09, email from Shane Dahihelm, advising that an information sign is being prepared to be installed on the approach to the interpretive shelter.

·      13 Nov 09, email from Anna Cooke, saying she is unable to commit for Junior Rangers to be involved with the Field Day. Suggests we contact her in early March 2010.

·      13 Nov 09, email from Vicky Forgie, thanking Jeremy for the talk to ANZSEE.  She advised that the conference was not a financial success but asked for our bank details to make a donation to FOFD.

·      16 Nov 09, email from Susan Pederson, enclosing a first draft of the Humpty Doo Rice Trail booklet for feedback.

·      17 Nov 09, email from Susan Pederson, enclosing a revised invoice.

7.         Business arising from correspondence: 

Jeremy and Heather met briefly with Alice Leppitt (Honours project studying aquatic life in Fogg Dam) at the ANZSEE Fogg Dam visit.

8.      Humpty Doo Rice Trail.  

            Susan Pedersen has completed a first draft of the Humpty Doo Rice Trail booklet.

9.      Fogg Dam Field Day, 11 April 2010

·               Organising committee:  Leisa; Alan; Heather, Jo, Jane, Veronica.

·               Awaiting the permit from NRETA before contacting proposed speakers. Discussed with Barry Scott and expected next week.

·               Working plan and draft program updated. 

·               Permits required for live animals to be taken to the Park, butterfly nets and for water to be removed for examination.

10.   Donation box & brochure holders

              Signs for donation box should now be printed and ready for installation.

11.   Wildfowl hunting.

              Jeremy advises there has been a lot of shooting this year at both Lambell’s Lagoon and Harrison Dam with considerable shooting before and after permit hours. Also shooting from within the Harrison Dam Reserve into private properties. That has been reported to Police.

12.   Guest speaker, Christa Beckmann spoke on her PhD research project on cane toad-bird interactions.

            A literature review found only 34 references mentioning 24 bird species and little specific information. 16 species listed to have interacted with toads and lived whilst 4 have interacted and died: kookaburra, white faced heron, bittern and pheasant coucal.

Christa has found:

·      cattle egrets eat toads and feed them to their chicks. They survive.

·      There are 172 birds that eat frogs and live with the range covered by toads

·      With the westward spread of toads, only 8 more frog eating birds species overlap with the toads. These are not under threat from the toads.