Jack


 * Atcivity 2

The Fox**

Why was it introduced? The fox was originally introduced into southern Victoria in 1871 for recreational hunting. After the settlers came over to Australia they wanted to make it seem as much like home as possible. This meant going on the regular Sunday hunt.

Why has it survived so well? The fox has survived in Australia so well because of there wide range of diet as they can live on birds, fruit, reptiles, amphibians, insects and most of all the rabbit. Rabbit is a common and stable food supply for the foxes due to there large numbers. Although foxes only have cubs once a year they tend to have a high survival rate. The fox has very little diseases and predators making there survival more easy. Where is it found? Foxes were first introduced into Australia, Victoria in 1871 for hunting purposes but by 1912, the fox had widened from Victoria to, W.A, QLD, NSW, and S.A. The fox is now one of the most wide spread vermin in Australia. The species is now feared to have been deliberately introduced into Tasmania as there has been numerous sighting of the animal. What diseases are associated with the species? Sarcoptic Mange is the most common disease to foxes. It is a disease that rots all the fur off the fox making it virtually hairless. It will then freeze to death. Mange can be contracted by dogs, cats and also humans so care should be taken when handling them.

What are the control techniques? There are many different control techniques used to reduce the amount of foxes such as, killing, trapping, shooting, catching, baiting and so on. this is also a strong way to control the amount of foxes.

What effects the natural species? major threat to many species of native fauna. Studies in Western Australia have shown that foxes have a major detrimental impact on existing populations of black-footed rock-wallabies (//Petrogale lateralis//), brush-tailed bettongs (//Bettongia penicillata//), numbats (//Myrmecobius fasciatus//) and tammar wallabies (//Macropus eugenii//) and many more. Populations of all these animals increased following intensive fox control. they are a major threat to aussie animals and need to be controlled!!!


 * week 3**

** Unit 2 – VCE – Outdoor & Environmental Studies  ** **Grampians** **National Park** **Introduction** Grampians presents some of the most picturesque scenery in Victoria. The spectacular mountain ranges and brilliant spring wildflower displays, combined with its Indigenous and European history, make it one of Victoria's most popular tourist destinations and the State's third largest national park.   Some activities involve Picnicking, bush walking, camping, swimming cycling, horse riding, rock climbing and abseiling. The Grampians is full of richly coloured wildflowers, wildlife and human history, have long created interest in the region as an area of high conservation value. It was declared a national park on July 1st 1984. Dominating the park's landscape are three spectacular sandstone ridges, running in a north-south band for some 90 kilometres. The park is located in central western Victoria, approximately 260 kilometres by road, north-west of Melbourne. The main cities near the park are Horsham, Hamilton, Ararat and Stawell. Halls Gap is a small township surrounded by the national park. Grampians  National Park  stretches 85 kilometres north-south and 45 kilometres east-west at its widest point, covering an area of 167,000 hectares The Grampians area has a temperate climate, with marked seasonal patterns. Usually summer and autumn are warm and dry while winter and spring are cool and wet.  The area has a high rainfall, receiving 635 mm to 762 mm annually Approximate Max Average Temperature: Spring (Sep-Nov):20c Approximate max average rain fall mm: Spring (Sep-Nov): 44 Close to 900 different flowering plants occur in Grampians National Park, forming diverse communities which support a variety of wildlife. During spring especially they create an exuberance of colour. Moist, cold, exposed sites such as Mount William and Mount Rosea support a dense woodland of Grampians Gum, banksias, Shining Tea-tree and other tall shrubs. Groundcover plants include wildflowers such as Silver Daisy and Mount William Beard-heath. ·  43% of Victoria's bird species,  • 34% of Victoria's mammal species, <span style="color: black; font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> • 34% of the State's amphibian species, <span style="color: black; font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> • 28% of Victoria's reptile species and <span style="color: black; font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> • 20% of Victoria's freshwater fish species. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastlanguage: EN-AU; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Four mammals, four reptiles, three fish and eight bird species recorded in the park are considered to be rare, threatened or requiring careful monitoring <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> Most visitors are from western Victoria, Melbourne and eastern South Australia. The majority of tourists are family groups with children between the ages of 5 -14 years. Ninety percent of the visitors spend less than seven nights in the park and 20% are day visitors. Ninety-two percent of visitors travel by car. <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Recreation is one of the main uses of Grampians National Park. The most popular activities are pleasure driving (with associated sightseeing and picnicking), camping and bush walking. <span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: HCJIND+Arial;"> People visited: 1 505 428
 * All answers can be found at []**
 * // Introduction to Grampians National Park //**
 * 1)  **** Provide a summary of the Park (What does it contain?) **
 * a.  **** What activities can be complete within the park? **
 * // Landscape Characteristics //**
 * 2)  **** Explain the unique characteristics of the Grampians **
 * a.  **** Where is the park located? **
 * // Climate of the Grampians Area //**
 * 3)  ** Provide a basic summary of the parks climate
 * a.  **** What will be the expected temperature (min and max) and rainfall for the month that we are away? **
 * // Vegetation of the Grampians //**
 * 4)  **** Provide a Basic Summary of the vegetation of the Grampians **
 * a.  ** What are the main Plant communities within the park?
 * // Animals of the Grampians //**
 * 5)  ** Explain the diversity of the animal species at the Grampian?
 * b.  ** What Mammals, Fish, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians can we expect to see?
 * // Visitors to the Grampians National Park //**
 * 6)  ** Who uses the Grampians?
 * a.  ** What do visitors do?
 * b.  **** How many visitors were there between 2000 and 2001? **