Victorian Landcare Magazine - Spring 2021, Issue 82
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners at the 2021 Victorian Landcare Awards. We thank you all for your continued dedication towards doing Landcare to heal Country.
I was honoured to receive the Dr. Sidney Plowman Travel and Study Award. I will use the award to explore real-world examples of Traditional Owners and farmers combining Aboriginal caring for Country with regenerative agricultural principles and practices. This growing movement is breaking new ground and having a positive impact in the community. I look forward to sharing my learnings.
The Victorian Government’s 2021 Aboriginal Community Caring for Country Grants were recently announced with funding for 10 Aboriginal caring for Country projects over the next 12-months. Projects include revegetation, cultural burning, seed collection, bio-cultural landscape mapping of Country and strengthening connections with the Victorian environmental community.
For more information please contact Jackson Chatfield on Jackson.chatfield@delwp.vic.gov.au or 0419 504 451.
Congratulations to Corangamite farmer, Andrew Stewart on receiving the prestigious National Bob Hawke Award at the 2021 National Landcare Awards. We thank him for his ongoing commitment to Landcare.
We are pleased to announce the region has secured three years of funding through the 2021–24 Victorian Landcare Facilitator Program, to employ 10 Landcare facilitators to support 75 Landcare and environmental volunteer groups.
We have recently welcomed Stephanie Rosestone to the CMA team. Stephanie will job share with Elisia Dowling to deliver regional Landcare coordination and citizen science volunteer programs.
Consultation is now underway with our networks to develop the next Landcare Support Plan for the region.
For more information visit (Get Involved/ Landcare) or contact Elisia Dowling on 0418 397 521.
In September 2021 the Landcare community welcomed the announcement of $3.8 million in bushfire recovery grants through the Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants program. This funding will assist the local community to deliver projects on erosion mitigation, weed control, habitat and species preservation, and monitoring.
Landcare groups have been busy preparing to deliver projects funded through the 2021 Victorian Landcare Grants Program. These grants are highly valued by our local Landcarers.
As COVID-19 restrictions begin to ease, the Landcare community has begun to undertake planning and administration for another year. Groups are holding working bees and scoping out new project ideas. AGMs are being held online or face-to-face as numbers permit.
For more information visit www.egcma.vic.gov.au (What we do/Landcare) or contact Carolyn Cameron on 0419 892 268.
Congratulations to all our groups that have overcome COVID-19 related difficulties to deliver activities. Meetings, training and information sessions have all moved online. Getting plants in the ground has been challenging. Landholders who traditionally used volunteers from Landmate, Conservation Volunteers Australia and tertiary students have had to find alternatives – in most cases families have rolled up their sleeves and got on with it.
Community planting days have been difficult to organise with postponements and cancellations being the norm. Once again it has been many dedicated volunteers working in ones and twos that have been getting the job done.
The CMA has had a strong response to the Victorian Landcare Grants this year. It was a difficult task for the assessment panel to allocate the funds with such a long list of great projects. Extra funds from the Victorian Government resulted in a total of 25 group projects being funded.
For more information visit www.ghcma.vic.gov.au (Get Involved/Landcare) or contact Tony Lithgow on 0418 180 996.
The region has embraced the current round of Victorian Landcare Grants with some innovative projects being supported this year. We hope the delivery restrictions imposed by COVID-19 social distancing allows for projects to be undertaken without the stop and start of 2020 and 2021.
It was great to see some projects that are nearing completion share their successes through the media. Gecko CLaN was interviewed recently for the local ABC Country Hour. The group highlighted their recent dung beetle project and how it has assisted landholders to achieve their sustainable agriculture goals and for others to increase their knowledge.
The CMA is nearing completion of its renewed Regional Catchment Strategy. The community-based natural resource management groups of the region have been critical in the review process, shaping the strategy to drive direction and activity into the future. We are now asking groups to pledge their commitment to delivery. Many have done so already.
We are looking forward to the return of face-to-face meetings and social interaction in the region.
For more information visit www.gbcma.vic.gov.au (The Region/Community natural resource management) or contact Tony Kubeil on 0408 597 213.
Mallee CMA extends congratulations to the organisations that were successful in receiving funding through the 2021–24 Victorian Landcare Facilitator Program (VLFP). The five positions in the Mallee funded through VLFP are supporting 20 Landcare groups over a substantial area of the Mallee landscape. We look forward to working with them to achieve shared goals.
Mallee CMA is pleased to announce the release of a monthly e-newsletter to inform Landcarers about local news, resources, grant opportunities and much more. Contact Nelson Burand-Hicks to be added to the distribution list.
For more information visit www.malleecma.vic.gov.au (Get involved/Landcare) or contact Nelson Burand-Hicks on 0427 540 469.
Congratulations to the region’s Landcare nominees who were recognised as part of the 2021 Victorian Landcare Awards. The awards are a great opportunity to reflect on how committed, proficient, talented and pragmatic our Landcare community is, and how willing people are to take the time to recognise and nominate groups, networks, schools and individuals through the awards.
Spring was stunning across the region. We hosted our ninth annual Chicks in the Sticks event with the theme of Grasslands for Good – Celebrating Farming and Conservation. Despite the splendid floral displays on the Northern Plains grasslands we had to present the event online.
Participants learnt about the critically endangered plains wanderer and their habitat. Presentations from Zoos Victoria, Trust for Nature and the Northern Plains Conservation Management Network highlighted the importance of this unusual bird.
Groups are now implementing their 2021 Victorian Landcare Grants. We look forward to hearing more about the award-worthy work being done across our landscapes, farms and communities.
For more information visit nccma.vic.gov.au (Get involved/Landcare) or contact Tess Grieves on 0438 357 874.
With cold weather and various restrictions in place for most of winter, Landcarers spent much of their time indoors, but they were still busy with many online events and planning for future projects. Online training in Traditional Owners Cultural Safety was offered and many Landcarers participated with enthusiasm.
The region received a record number of applications for 2021 Victorian Landcare Grants. There is a lot of enthusiasm for future projects. Collaboration has also been underway with several joint grant applications made for the Murray Darling: Healthy Rivers Program and National Landcare Program’s Smart Farms Small Grants programs. We look forward to hearing the outcome of these applications.
Now the sun is shining again the Landcare community is keen to get out and about.
For more information visit www.necma.vic.gov.au (Solutions/Landcare & community groups) or contact Richard Dalkin on 0409 683 467.
Landcare and other environmental volunteers in the region have endured another long period where hands-on Landcare activities have not been possible. There’s a lot of motivation and lots to do as we open up.
Nicole Walsh has left the Western Port Catchment Landcare Network. Anne Fitzpatrick has left the Yarra Ranges Landcare Network. We welcome new Landcare facilitators employed through the 2021–24 Victorian Landcare Facilitator Program Chris Cobern to the Merri Creek Management Committee; Nicci Starke to the Cardinia Environmental Coalition; Cecilia Imre to the Western Port Catchment Landcare Network; and Jye Andersen from Bass Coast Landcare Network. Yarra Ranges Shire Council will employ a new Landcare facilitator who will support Yarra Ranges Landcare Network and its member groups.
The CMA is in the last few months of operation before its integration into Melbourne Water. The CMA will ratify a Regional Landcare Support Plan to guide service delivery. There are also plans to sign a host of partnership agreements among our Landcare network partners.
Congratulations to our regional winners in the 2021 Victorian Landcare Awards. Thanks to all our partners and volunteers who have worked with the CMA over the years. As an agency we have prided ourselves on our strong community links. We look forward to continuing this at Melbourne Water.
For more information visit ppwcma.vic.gov.au/landcare/ or contact Barry Kennedy on 0447 821 559.
Despite the challenges of storms, power outages, flooding, earthquakes and COVID-19 lockdowns, our Landcare networks continue to deliver an enormous variety of activities.
Dung beetle nurseries have been established in South Gippsland and the Bass Coast Landcare Network areas. The aim is to have a regular supply of winter and spring active beetles to distribute across local farms, ultimately improving soil health and reducing nutrient run off.
Maffra and District Landcare Network successfully delivered a series of six integrated weed and pest animal management planning workshops and have delivered a number of community planting days.
West Gippsland Landcare Subnetwork welcomed Kelsey Tong as Landcare facilitator employed through the 2021–24 Victorian Landcare Facilitator Program; Yarram Yarram Landcare Network welcomed Emily Physick as their new Landcare facilitator; and Latrobe Landcare Network (LLN) welcomed back Marnie Ellis as Landcare facilitator. LLN is working closely with the Latrobe City Council on its bio links project to improve habitat connectivity.
Yarram Yarram Landcare Network is trialing multi-species cover crops sown using the Soil Kee Renovator prior to establishing perennial pasture and are gearing up for a busy season of seagrass restoration in Corner Inlet.
For more information visit wgcma.vic.gov.au (Getting involved/Landcare) or contact Sam Shannon on 0409 944 114.
Several local Landcare groups demonstrated interest in the rollout of the Great Australian Platypus Search in the Wimmera region. This Victoria wide initiative led by Waterwatch Victoria and Odonata has called on community members to take part in eDNA sampling of waterways and wetlands. The aim is to detect every type of animal present at each location using eDNA technology, including platypuses. Roughly 100 sites were identified for sampling across the Wimmera.
This year’s Wimmera Biodiversity Seminar was delivered online as a series of webinars during September 2021. The theme was farming and biodiversity. This event has now been running for 24 years. Presenters included Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitators Bronwyn Bant, hosted by Wimmera CMA, and Karen O’Keefe, hosted by Corangamite CMA.
Wimmera-based Landcare facilitators participated in extension training with agroecologist David Hardwick in October 2021 to improve skills and confidence and help kickstart the next phase of the Victorian Landcare Facilitator Program. Congratulations to all Wimmera nominees representing our region in this year’s Victorian Landcare Awards.
For more information visit wcma.vic.gov.au (Get involved/Landcare) or contact Joel Boyd on 0429 949 196.