Landcare Victoria Inc.

Welcome to Ana Pimenta who will be leading our Advancing Landcare Project. Co-funded by the RE Ross Charitable Trust and DELWP, the project will address the governance and management development needs of our more than 600 member groups and networks. Ana has operated a beef cattle enterprise and served as a Landcare facilitator and committee member on King Island. We are excited that she is joining the LVI team.

The consultation report that forms a foundation for the Victorian Landcare Plan is available on the LVI website. We are looking forward to a strong grassroots contribution to the planning work that lies ahead in the next few months.

LVI is keen to support the professional development of Landcare staff. We had a strong response to the recent survey seeking feedback on our planned knowledge and skills framework. Thanks to all who contributed.

For more information on LVI or to become a member visit www.lvi.org.au or (03) 9034 1940.

Corangamite

Kylie McLaren was welcomed to the role of Regional Landcare Coordinator in August. 

The new Corangamite Landcare Support Plan has been published and local chairs and Landcare facilitators have been working with the CMA to develop an Annual Action Plan. We are excited to continue this collaboration, building on our existing work to enhance our communication, provide additional training and development opportunities, advocate for the work of Landcare, build resilience and undertake landscape-scale activities across the region.

For more information visit www.ccma.vic.gov.au or contact Kylie McLaren on 0455 673 537.

East Gippsland

The Landcare community welcomed the opening of the 2022 Victorian Landcare Grants with groups and networks keen to undertake projects to improve the local environment and to re-engage people with their communities.

The Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator from East Gippsland hosted a dinner for women in agriculture in Lakes Entrance in September. More than 100 attendees gathered to network and learn from each other. The keynote speaker was Frauke Bolten-Boshammer who spoke about her life in the Kimberley region of WA. The dinner was the first in a series of events featuring inspirational women.

Landcare and community natural resource management volunteer group members attended two sessions of cultural heritage awareness training in August to increase their knowledge and understanding of Gunaikurnai culture. The sessions involved presentations and field visits to places of significance.

For more information visit www.egcma.vic.gov.au or contact Carolyn Cameron on 0419 892 268.

Glenelg Hopkins

Landcare groups and members have been busy completing their 2021 Victorian Landcare Grants projects. Included in the outputs is fencing and revegetating over 300 hectares of indigenous plants. The CMA had a massive response to applications for the 2022 Victorian Landcare Grants. It was a difficult task for the grants assessment panel with such a long list of good projects. The CMA was able to fund 20 projects.

Kristy Brewer, the Landcare Facilitator working out of Portland, successfully organised a Bush Regeneration Workshop series for Landcare facilitators and Landcare group members. The 15 participants increased their skills and knowledge on how to harvest and propagate native seeds.

For more information visit www.ghcma.vic.gov.au or contact Tony Lithgow on 0418 180 996.

Goulburn Broken

It’s full steam ahead with the Victoria Landcare Grants in the region with groups either finishing off current grants
or planning and applying to support projects in the 2022 grants round. It was great to see Gecko CLaN’s wild dog fencing and the river connect projects highlighted through presentations at the 2022 National Landcare Conference held in Sydney in August.

At a recent CMA Board meeting members of the network chairs groups took the opportunity to discuss the successes of community networks and areas where the partnership can continue to develop.

Over the coming months we will be delivering training for both Landcare facilitators and the community in first aid, cultural engagement and food handling along with some targeted professional development for individual Landcare facilitators.

For more information visit www.gbcma.vic.gov.au or contact Tony Kubeil on 0408 597 213.

Mallee

The region received good rainfall over autumn and winter, with crops starting off exceptionally well with the potential for a good harvest. However, wet conditions also bring the risk of diseases, which many farmers are currently dealing with.

Spring brought ideal breeding conditions for a number of local native animals and the often-dry Mallee has been looking quite green. It’s been great to see myriad bird species scoping out tree hollows along the Murray, including the beautiful red-rumped parrots as well as the entertaining white-browed babblers.

For more information visit www.malleecma.vic.gov.au or contact Nelson Burand-Hicks on 0427 540 469.

North Central

The 2022 Victorian Landcare Grants assessment process is now complete. We would like to thank all the Landcare volunteers who took the time to apply. The Regional Grants Assessment Panel commended applicants on the quality of their submissions. We look forward to supporting volunteers through the delivery phase of their projects.

The 2022 National Landcare Conference was a great professional development opportunity with an excellent program of speakers and panel sessions. The hybrid event allowed for virtual and in-person delegates to participate and view the session recordings, as well as a live stream of the 2022 National Landcare Awards.

Chicks in the Sticks celebrated a decade of activity with an event on 8 October in the Spring Hill gardens of Camp David Farm. Thanks to all of the incredible women who have shaped our flagship rural women’s event. The event continues to introduce new audiences to Landcare and catchment management, and showcases opportunities to get involved at an individual, property or community level.

For more information visit www.nccma.vic.gov.au or contact Tess Grieves on 0438 357 874.

North East

Landcare has been an enthusiastic supporter of National Tree Day events held at the end of July. Many thousands of trees were planted in the region, and we have also partnered with other organisations, including Ambulance Victoria, to assist them in planning their own National Tree Day events.

Our Landcare groups and networks have been busy discussing, planning and submitting their applications for the 2022 Victorian Landcare Grants. This year saw a record of 49 applications submitted which demonstrates the enthusiasm and dedication of the community to enhancing our biodiversity and environmental values.

Four delegates from the region attended the National Landcare Conference in Sydney during August 2022. Landcarers from across the Australia came together to share and learn about a great range of innovative projects and partnerships. The second night of the conference included the presentation of the 2022 National Landcare Awards. It was inspiring to see the contributions Landcare is
making to the Australian environment and biodiversity.

For more information visit www.necma.vic.gov.au or contact Richard Dalkin on 0409 683 467.

Port Phillip and Western Port

Melbourne Water has completed its administration of the 2022 Victorian Landcare Grants with 28 project grants to be supported from a strong field of 45 applications. A 13-member Regional Grants Assessment Panel including partners from Parks Victoria, DELWP, LVI and Hume Council, combined with a cohort of new Melbourne Water assessors from work areas including Regional Services, Rural Land Program, Incentives, and Customer and Strategy.

The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation will be facilitating another round of Aboriginal Cultural Safety Training. Landcare professionals and volunteers from across the region will also participate in a Natural Capital Accounting training day.

In November Landcare facilitators will join colleagues from East and West Gippsland for a two-day training event. At the end
of 2022 a cohort of Landcare facilitators will also complete their involvement in the first Caring for Landcarers mentoring program for Landcare facilitators that was launched in May.

For more information contact Barry Kennedy on 0447 821 559 or email barry.kennedy@melbournewater.com.au

West Gippsland

Landcare groups continue to innovate to improve land management in our region. The South Gippsland Deer Action Group has been established to facilitate the control of deer on private land. The group will get underway by focusing on Cape Liptrap and Mt Best. The group has released videos, undertaken monitoring, and released a digital resource pack.

Bass Coast Landcare Network has launched its Climate Adaptation Plan tool. The web-based tool helps farmers identify future climate impacts relevant to their enterprise and provides guidance on possible actions to help mitigate effects (see page 28 for more information.)

For more information visit wgcma.vic.gov.au  or contact Kathleen Brack on 0428 619 671.

Wimmera

The annual Wimmera Biodiversity Seminar returned to an in-person format after several years online. The gathering at Pomonal in early September was a sell-out. The theme of the seminar was the image of biodiversity and speakers included Costa Georgiadis from ABC’s Gardening Australia program. It was also an opportunity to celebrate 25 years of the event. The seminar is one of the longest running events of its kind in Australia and looks like it will continue well into the future

There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm for Landcare in the region with groups putting together a diverse mix of project ideas as part of the 2022 Victorian Landcare Grants. We are excited to see new partnerships and opportunities unfold over the next 12 months. 

For more information visit wcma.vic.gov.au or contact Joel Boyd on 0429 949 196.