The Bugle - 26 August 05
In news this week
Regional body stories
- Pop quiz shows shoppers concerned about water conservation
- FBA and NR&M share information
- Weeding out a prickly situation
- Land managers contribute to water plan
- Farm visit provides hands-on education
Government updates
- Removing the salt from meat and vegetables
- Councils receive $311 million
- What is the Queensland Government's IQ?
- Management of natural resources goes under the hammer
- Mossman cane growers bid for the environment
Natural resources news
- Cutting salinity, not the grass, enhances farm production
- Stopping the bride creeping away, in the south
- 2005-6 regional NRM 'benchmarking' begins in October
- Australian Government denies existence of global warming. Or does it?
Pop quiz shows shoppers concerned about water conservation
Condamine Alliance surveyed 104 Toowoomba shoppers during a promotion, which featured a catchment fly through and giveaways.
Water conservation was the most important environmental issue according to 90% of people surveyed, 92% practice some form of conservation, ranging from water wise gardening to recycling. Additionally, 78% of participants provided their contact details for a follow-up in-depth survey.
The short survey revealed that there was a high recognition (50%) of the Condamine Alliance (CA). CA plans to repeat the process at AgShow in Toowoomba in early September to expand the survey base.
A local shopping mall provided space for the display free of charge, giving valuable exposure of the Condamine Alliance brand to thousands of shoppers.
The 3-D fly through simulates a flight commencing at Moreton Bay and following the Warrego Highway to Toowoomba, where it highlights features of the Condamine Catchment, including the Darling Downs, Bunya Mountains, state forests and major townships.
For more information visit the Condamine Alliance web site or contact them on 4620 0102 or by emailing Condamine Alliance.
FBA and NR&M share information
Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA) and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines (NR&M) have signed an agreement to share information and digital data.
Under the agreement, NR&M will provide access to their datasets in exchange for value-added datasets on activities associated with the FBA regional plan 'The Central Queensland Strategy for Sustainability - 2004 and Beyond'.
The comprehensive agreement includes clauses to limit the use of data by both FBA and NR&M. FBA is currently establishing guidelines on what information can be transferred.
For more information please email Kristian Smith or by calling 4999 2807.
Weeding out a prickly situation
Our nation has a prickly problem, but land managers are banding together and taking advantage of a special grants program to control these weeds.
The Natural Heritage Trust (Trust) has provided $1.6 million for community-based projects targeting prickly weeds, including mesquite, parkinsonia and prickly acacia, three of Queensland and Australia's worst weeds.
In the last three years, 112 community groups have applied for special grants and set up weed control projects on 400 properties.
Thanks to regional NRM planning, these land managers are working together with a common aim, sharing their expertise and resources instead of working alone, and attacking the problem property by property.
State and local governments and regional NRM bodies have also assisted, resulting in better mapping and awareness of these thorny trees and shrubs affecting about nine million hectares Australia-wide.
Community groups have used Trust funding to treat several hundred thousand hectares, including infestations in Cape York, the central highlands and south-west Queensland.
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Land managers contribute to water plan
The Department of Natural Resources and Mines (NR&M) is consulting local stakeholders as part of the formulation of the Moreton water resource plan.
NR&M has responsibility of ensuring water resources are managed and used wisely for the benefit of all Queenslanders. NR&M will assess all suggestions from interested groups before instigating the plan.
One suggestion has been to allow Lockyer Valley irrigators to self manage their use of groundwater.
The Lockyer Water Users Forum (LWUF) in conjunction with the SEQ Western Catchments Group plans to host meetings throughout the Lockyer Valley over the next few months to provide irrigators with a voice in the self-management debate.
This consultation will be conducted with the irrigator community to develop self management options and recommendations for a resource operations plan (ROP) currently being developed by NR&M as part of the Moreton water resource plan.
Final recommendations will be presented to the LWUF who will liaise with NR&M to decide upon the most desirable options to be incorporated into the ROP.
For more information contact Julian Winch on 0400 001 088 or send a email to project@seqwcg.com.au
Farm visit provides hands-on education
When high school students mixed soil with water at a recent field day near Goondiwindi, it proved that making mud pies can be educational.
Agriculture students from seven southern Queensland schools took part in a day filled with activities including learning about soils, pastures and vegetation.
The 'Kioma' field day was part of QMDC's property planning program allowing students to get a feel for applying their classroom knowledge on a real farm.
The Property Planning Program is run by the Queensland Murray Darling Committee (QMDC) and supported by the Gambling Community Benefit Fund.
In addition to students participating in a number of on-ground activities, the manager of 'Kioma', Steve Wilkins, spoke about current management and goals for the future.
Students will now draw up their property management plans, ensuring they meet production and environmental needs for the property and submit them for judging. The finalists will present their plans at the Discovering Landcare Conference in Toowoomba (2-4 October).
Removing the salt from meat and vegetables
A field day in Monto this month will inform land managers of the causes and effects of dry land salinity and its impacts on surface water quality.
Guest speakers will include specialists in water quality Bruce Pearce (Hydro Geologist), Peter Shields and Bill Thompson.
The field day will include tours of several sites, including test bores drilled by Burnett Mary Natural Resource Management Group and Department of Natural Resources and Mines which are being used to build knowledge on water salinity and quality changes in the North Burnett region.
The field day, hosted by North Burnett Landcare Group on 31 August, will also demonstrate new water monitoring equipment.
Anyone wishing to attend can contact 4166 3124.
Councils receive $311 million
Queensland's councils will benefit from $311.9 million for social and community services.
Queensland receives 19 per cent of the annual national allocation of Financial Assistance Grants, distributed by the Australian Government to help councils with their day-to-day provision of community services.
The amount of money each council receives is based on their ability to raise revenue and this means smaller and less financially secure councils often receive more money per capita than larger councils.
Councils can use the funds at their own discretion, however, ratepayers can generally expect this money to go towards services such as community and recreational facilities, water and sewerage, environmental protection and roads.
The break up of the $311.9 million between councils is recommended by Queensland's Local Government Grants Commission, an independent body established to consider each council's individual circumstances.
The rollout of this money occurs quarterly, with the first payment to councils being made last week.
What is the Queensland Government's IQ?
Information Queensland (IQ) involves a number of agencies collaborating to give people fast and easy online access to Queensland Government information.
In its first year, IQ will give Queenslanders unprecedented access to government-held information on land, resources, demographics, and statistical information; as well as satellite imagery, topography, property and land use information.
IQ will give Queenslanders access to government information from a one-stop web spot. Visit the Information Queensland web site to find out more.
Queenslanders can now search for their properties on the internet, look at satellite pictures of their suburbs, discover local facilities, and learn more about their regions using the IQ online atlas web site.
Management of natural resources goes under the hammer
Land managers may soon be asked to present the environmental benefits of proposed resource management works in order to receive funding under a new auction-based grants scheme called Catchment Care.
The CSIRO-developed system gives land managers the opportunity to state what they expect to be paid to undertake watercourse and riparian zone restoration and protection works, including revegetation and weed control.
Land managers offering the most environmentally beneficial works at the best price are awarded funding. CSIRO anticipates the up-front development costs of such an auction to be quickly recouped through increased efficiency.
A trial of the Catchment Care scheme has shown it is the most cost-effective way to distribute funds to the community for NRM on private land.
From 52 expressions of interest, 42 site assessments were made and 29 full bids submitted during the scheme's trial. A total funding limit of $150 000 was set and 17 bids were ultimately funded.
Conducted by CSIRO and the Onkaparinga Catchment Water Management Board, the auction-based system has several advantages over the conventional 'devolved grant' schemes, as it allows the environmental benefits of land manager works to be calculated and compared.
Mossman cane growers bid for the environment
A Queensland NRM auction pilot program has also proved successful.
The Queensland Government grant and pilot auction program is demonstrating that farming practices can be changed in a way that meets the needs of industry as well as the environment.
Farmers have been helped by $150 000 in state government grants as part of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Sustainable Sugarcane Catchments program. This has led 25 sugarcane farmers in Douglas Shire to protect, rehabilitate and in some cases construct wetland areas to reduce nutrient and sediment run-off to help protect the Great Barrier Reef.
The success of the program relied on the teamwork of the EPA, the Mossman Agricultural Services and Douglas Shire Council.
One of the aims of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan is to work in partnership with communities and industry. Under the Reef Plan, a pilot environmental auction was conducted to conserve wetlands and vegetation at the edge of waterways. The "auction" involved farmers putting forward their plans to stop runoff and nominated how much it would cost.
Successful environmental auction bids invested in various works, including: restoration and expansion of a natural spring; stream bank stabilisation; revegetation and establishment of silt traps.
The Reef Plan's goal is to halt the decline of water quality entering the Reef lagoon within 10 years.
For more information visit the EPA web site.
Cutting salinity, not the grass, boosts farm production
Farm-scale trials of a CRC project to reduce salinity and increase stock production in high rainfall areas have proved so successful they are now being scaled up to commercial level.
Farm trials in Victoria and NSW of the EverGraze - perennial pastures project, have reduced salinity and enhanced prime lamb production in high rainfall areas.
Commercial trials are set for WA, Victoria and NSW and are expected to increase farm profit by 50% a year through the mass planting of grass species that can soak up excess water to prevent the rise of saline groundwater.
Additionally, shrubs and trees will be planted on some sites to help prevent the rise of saline groundwater and provide shelter for stock.
The $8 million project is expected to align participating farmers' priorities with the environmental priorities of their region's catchment management plans.
For further information visit the CRC salinity web site.
Stopping the bride creeping away, in the south
A discovery by a volunteer land management group is offering new hope in the battle against one of Australia's worst plant invaders, bridal creeper.
Bridal creeper is one of Australia's top twenty plant enemies. Community volunteers on Kangaroo Island, SA were confident that a rust fungus was attacking the weed, but were not satisfied at the natural rate of spread.
Rust fungus is normally spread by wind, but the volunteers discovered that it can also be distributed in a rainwater solution which has become known as 'spore water'.
The effect on the weed has been immediate and dramatic and the water-based spray received the green light from state and federal regulatory authorities for unrestricted use, provided it is not sold as a commercial product.
The Victorian Department of Primary Industries has a new research project to scientifically test the spore water technique across a range of environments.
For more information please email Dennis Gannaway from the SA Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, call 08 8303 9748 or visit the CRC weeds web site.
2005-6 regional NRM 'benchmarking' begins in October
During October and November the Healthy Savanna Planning team will conduct the final round of 'benchmarking' for regional NRM.
There will be a focus on implementation activities and partnerships. This round will include WA and NT regions in addition to Queensland.
A short web-based survey will be used to gather information from regions and the healthy savanna team will talk directly with some: regional chairs, CEOs, planners and Regional Coordination Group (RCG) members.
The healthy savanna team values the contribution of regional NRM bodies and RCGs during the 2004-5 benchmarking process and are seeking further support this year.
If you have any thoughts or concerns about this next phase of the project, please email Geoff McDonald or Bruce Taylor or call them on 3214 2638 or 3214 2290.
Australian Government denies existence of global warming. Or does it?
The Australian Government tendered documents to a federal court which have been interpreted by environmental groups as a denial of the existence of global warming and that coal burning releases greenhouse gases.
However, recent reports released by the Australian Government warn that climate change is inevitable as a result of rising greenhouse emissions and that the impacts must be considered in all future government decisions.
A federal court action against the Australian Government was launched by the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, which wants the Isaac Plains and Sonoma Coal projects stopped. They state that the Australian Government failed to consider the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gases from the burning of coal from these coal mines when assessing the potential impacts.
The Australian Government responded by disputing a statement of facts asserting the existence of global warming, that burning coal leads to global-warming greenhouse gases and that climate change can have a severe impact on areas such as the Great Barrier Reef.
The case relies on a precedent set last year by the federal court over Queensland's proposed new Nathan Dam. That decision broadened the Commonwealth's assessment obligations under the EBPC Act as it found that the indirect impacts on the Great Barrier Reef from a new dam, such as increased chemical application and farm run-off, must be considered.
We welcome your input and feedback on this newsletter. If you have any contributions, comments or suggestions please contact Carl Glen or Paul Rees.
To view past issues of The Bugle use this link, on the regionalNRM web site.
The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Strategic Policy and Regional Arrangements, Natural Resources and Mines, highlighting regional natural resource management activities around Queensland.
Last updated 05 April 2006