ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
At Falls Creek the mountains, clean air and pristine environment are our greatest asset. Resort Management is committed to protecting the alpine region's unique biodiversity and ensuring the natural environment is as beautiful as it is today for generations to come.
We are extremely proud of Falls Creek’s reputation as an industry leader in the field of sustainable alpine tourism and development. Our dedicated environmental programs reduce our impact on the local environment and acknowledge the importance of maintaining a healthy world beyond our boundary.
STAKEHOLDER RESOURCES
RABBIT MANAGEMENT
The recent La Nina weather influence has delivered consistent rainfall providing favourable conditions for rabbits, particularly in the Village area where there is abundant highly palatable non-native grass. Rabbits have been taking refuge under buildings causing damage in the Village and has been impacting on our native flora and fauna and overall public amenity. This is a community problem and will rely on everyone’s help to bring about successful rabbit control in the Resort.
Rabbits within Falls Creek Resort have become well established within the village creating issues including:
- Reduced survival of native plant species, providing a food source for breeding rabbits and helping to support foxes and feral cat populations
- Impacting infrastructure (buildings/services/roads)
- Contributing to weed invasion by exposing bare soil and carrying weed seed to new locations
- Erosion
- Reducing public amenity
To respond to the increased number of rabbits being detected in the Resort during the previous summer season, Falls Creek Resort Management (FCRM) sought
the help from an expert to develop a Rabbit Action Plan for rabbits within the resort
The Plan provides clear direction with staged phases for the control works required in the short term and as an ongoing effort to control and protect assets. The focus of the Rabbit Action Plan is centered around stopping breeding by preventing access to burrows.
The Falls Creek Rabbit Action Plan has been designed with risks and considerations in mind to reduce the opportunity of successful breeding by limiting rabbit access to burrows and/or removing burrows. Implementation of the Action Plan is a phased approach from May 2022 to December 2024.
You can report burrow locations and sheltering places on your site or anywhere that you see it occurring within the village. Report to the database by using the online form https://forms.office.com/r/UuajYaJfxs
To be successful, control methods will need to occur across the entire Village. In the early phases FCRM is seeking Expressions of Interest from leaseholders that would like to be part of the pilot program installing exclusion fencing around the base of any buildings with potential rabbit sheltering places. Complete this EOI https://forms.office.com/r/GGLRfF0y9j
PEST ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
Parks Victoria carry out deer control work in the Alpine National Park.
The next operation will run from February to June 2023. The focus of the work will be Bogong High Plains and the Bogong Foothills.
For more information about deer control and how deer damage the alpine environment, please visit Parks Victoria.
VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
In Victoria, a permit is required to remove, destroy or lop native vegetation. Revegetation removal is regulated by the Victoria Planning Provisions, and referred to as the native vegetation permitted clearing regulations. Any application to remove native vegetation considers the potential impacts on Victoria’s biodiversity in accordance with the Permitted clearing of native vegetation Biodiversity assessment guidelines. The guidelines also outline any offset requirements that apply if the permit is approved.
The Falls Creek Alpine Resort Management Board is working to finalise an offset management strategy which would enable the establishment of an offset site within the resort. If you are planning a resort development project that requires the removal and offsetting of native vegetation, please contact Falls Creek Resort Management to discuss in more detail.
Note that vegetation removal may trigger additional requirements under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Please complete and return the form below to [email protected]
The type, quantity and condition of vegetation fuel near buildings has an important effect on bushfire behaviour. Clause 52.48 of the Alpine Resorts Planning Scheme allows the removal, destruction, or lopping of vegetation to reduce the fuel load around existing buildings used for accommodation without requiring a planning permit. These permit exemptions only apply to buildings existing or approved before 10 September 2009. More information on landscaping for bushfire management is available through the CFA.
Approval for vegetation removal in the Falls Creek Alpine Resort which is Crown land must be obtained from the public land manager which is the Falls Creek Alpine Resort Management Board. Please complete the online form below.
The objective of the Falls Creek Vegetation and Weed Management Policy is to maintain and enhance the environment for flora and fauna through appropriate species and habitat protection and the management of threatening processes. The policy is applicable to all lease-holders within the resort.
A Landscape Management Plan in accordance with the Vegetation and Weed Management Policy is required as part of all new lease applications. The report is required to identify and outline removal procedures for any exotic species on the site and replacement with local provenance native species where appropriate and to ensure appropriate management of the existing native vegetation. Due to the environmental sensitivity of the Falls Creek Resort, effective weed control and revegetation programs are key steps in ensuring effective vegetation management within the Resort. The Landscape Management Plan should include the following:
- The existing site condition including a list of the native and exotic vegetation, and any areas of bare ground or erosion.
- The proposed vegetation management plan for the next 5 years, such as how any exotic species will be managed, any vegetation fuel reduction measures and a schedule of revegetation planting if required (i.e., what species will be planted and when).
- A map (at either 1:100, 1:200 or 1:400) that identifies the location of existing vegetation and the proposed management actions such as planting, or fuel reduction.
Depending on your site and the current condition of vegetation, the Landscape Management Plan may be something you can develop yourself, or may require the services of a consultant. Whoever is developing the plan will need to be competent in identifying native plants from exotic weed species.
Hawkweeds are perennial herbs from the very large Northern Hemisphere Asteraceae genus Pilosella (previously Hieracium). Due to the demonstrated ability of hawkweeds to form a monoculture, and the large area of suitable habitat available in the High Country they are seen as a high potential threat to environmental and agricultural values in Australia.
Hawkweed species are listed as State Prohibited Weeds in Victoria, the highest category of declared noxious weeds. While they pose a large threat, populations are relatively small and contained and it is believed that with appropriate resources the species can be eradicated from the Victorian Alps. Early detection and treatment is essential and Parks Victoria manages an intensive annual control program.
The Falls Creek village is a contaminated area and care must be taken not to spread seeds through soil and machinery movement. All Site Environmental Management Plans for contaminated sites will require a works practice to be prepared in accordance with the Works in Hawkweed Sites Procedures
Please report all hawkweed sighting to Falls Creek Resort Management or directly to Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) immediately by calling 136 186 or emailing [email protected]. Please do not attempt to control or dispose of hawkweed yourself.
WASTE & RECYCLING RESOURCES (LIVING BIN)
Please use the below form to order free waste and recycling resources.
From 1 February 2023, a variety of single-use plastic items will be banned in Victoria. This includes:
- Single-use plastic drinking straws
- Single-use plastic drink stirrers
- Single-use plastic cutlery
- Single-use plastic plates
- Single-use plastic cotton buds
- Foodware and cups made from expanded polystyrene
From 1 January 2026, these items are also banned when they are pre-packaged into a food or beverage product by a mechanical process (e.g. straw attached to juice box, plate in a frozen meal). Compostable plastic alternatives are also banned. The ban applies where the items are sold or supplied for free, and where they are provided individually or in packets.
For information about what to do with excess stock and what is covered in the ban go to:
https://www.vic.gov.au/single-use-plastics-ban-resources
Please see the below flyer for more information and for alternative products that may be useful in place of the single-use plastics ban.
ARTS & CULTURE DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT
A Site Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) must be submitted with all planning permit applications within the resort. The SEMP should document the environmental impacts of the proposed use or development of the site and the ways in which these impacts will be reduced by management strategies and practices. This will include management processes prior to and during construction, and if required the actions that will be undertaken to rehabilitate the site on the completion of works.
The SEMP should consider;
- storage of construction materials, equipment and machinery;
- waste management and litter;
- water run-off and sediment control;
- direct and indirect damage to vegetation and habitat;
- site access by work crews and vehicles;
- proliferation of existing weeds or the potential introduction of additional weed species (e.g. Hawkweed); and
- site rehabilitation.
A Construction Management Plan is required to be submitted as part of the SEMP and should include a map of the site including the location of potential impacts and management strategies such as sediment controls, materials storage, etc.
Resort management is happy to provide assistance and information to aid the development and implementation of your SEMP including a preliminary site visit.
AUTHORITY TO KEEP A DOG
Dogs are not permitted in Falls Creek without an authority from the Falls Creek Resort Management Board. The Alpine Resort (Management) Regulations 2020 provide the regulatory framework for the control of dogs within Falls Creek Alpine Resort and non-compliance can result in a significant fine.
All authority holders must comply with the Falls Creek Dog Policy which sets restrictions on where and when dogs are permitted in the resort. Unfettered access by dogs can result in risks to the public, hygiene risks, adverse aesthetics, danger to wildlife and the disruption of native ecosystems. Fox baiting also occurs in the resort and the policy assists to reduce any threats to domestic dogs.
Registered owners are expected to understand and abide by the policy and all dogs must be under immediate control at all times.
In response to feedback received, FCRM have created an online form for Dog Permit Applications to reduce time spent completing unnecessary paperwork. We thank you for your patience over the last few years whilst we have worked to refine the process. Please follow the application or renewal form link below.
RESIDENTIAL NOISE COMPLAINTS
It is part of life that we all make noise, whether we are talking to others, playing music, entertaining, working around the house or just going about our daily business. What is enjoyable to one person may be noise to another. Excessive noise can affect a person's quality of life.
Police and Authorised Officers can require offenders to cease unreasonable noise. Police are best placed to respond to late night noise such as parties, or issues where alcohol or threatening behaviour is involved. Authorised officers, such as Public Health Officers and Authorised Resort Management Officers are most suited to address long-term issues, involving prescribed items, plant and equipment, machine and animal noise. Investigations of complex issues may require a collaborative approach between both Resort Management staff and police officers.
Information about residential noise and what you can do about it can be found at EPA - Residential Noise information and the EPA publication - Annoyed by noise?
More information can also be found on the EPA website.
EDUCATION
Falls Creek Resort Management has worked with our North East Waste Resource Recovery Group partners to create an education series about alpine biodiversity and how you can help protect our alpine environment through the decisions you make about food waste.
There are three videos in the series:
OTHER
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, all Victorians are required to use masks when in public areas. We are urging all Falls Creek residents to recycle all of your used single-use face masks and personal protective equipment.
There is now a recycling box for face masks, disposable garments and gloves, safety glasses and ear plugs located inside the lower entrance way of the Resort Management Visitor Information Centre. Not for use by those who are confirmed or suspected self-isolating COVID-19 cases.
For more information on the disposal of safety equipment and protective gear, please see this informational poster. Further information on the appropriate way to use masks can be found here.
Help protect the Falls Creek Wastewater System from unwanted grease & fats.
Please view the below flyer to help take part in keeping our water and environment clean.
Most small mammals inhabiting buildings in alpine areas are native. This wildlife is protected so please do not use poison baits or snap traps. Catch and release traps and advice is available from FCRM, for more information see the below link.