The Bugle - 09 September 05
In news this week
Regional body stories
- Tender loving care for Condamine land
- New signs show FBA's neighbourhood catchment projects are working
- Bottlenose, Humpbacks and Spinners meet the new Snubfin dolphin
- Wild dog survey sniffs out vital information
Government updates
- Taking the guess work out of managing salinity
- Turning old timber into new houses provides boost to housing industry
- Guidelines for water recycling in horticulture
- Draft management plan to release water from the Basin
- Reviewing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act
Natural resources news
Tender loving care for Condamine land
A trial of a land management tender scheme is being led by the Condamine Alliance and if it is successful they will introduce the scheme across the catchment, as part of the Alliance's long-term commitment to grazing land management.
Currently only 15% of grazers in the Condamine adopt these recommended practices, which, according to the Alliance's 2004 study, is the lowest rate of any industry in the catchment.
An area of vulnerable Brigalow land near Millmerran has been chosen for the $100 000 pilot project. This is an opportunity for Millmerran land managers to invest in catchment management, increase productivity and improve their bottom line.
Under the scheme, farmers and graziers will be encouraged to tender for funds to help protect and restore degraded areas by submitting action plans to the Alliance.
Such actions may include returning marginal cultivation land to its natural state by planting pasture species, fencing riparian zones, moving stock watering points away from streams or planting trees where necessary.
New signs show FBA's neighborhood catchment projects are working
Participants in the Fitzroy basin can now proudly show they're involved in a neighborhood catchment project. The Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA) and their sub-regional groups have produced new signs for field officers to give to land managers participating in one of FBA's NRM projects.
If you are living in the Fitzroy basin and would like to participate in a NRM project or you currently are participating and would like a sign, please contact your subregional group or FBA field officer.
A new brochure about FBA and a fact sheet explaining neighbourhood catchments are also available now. These products use the new FBA corporate identity to help the public recognise the FBA's good work.
For questions about any of these items or to request copies, please email FBA Communication and Education Officer Mittsy Voiles or call her on 4999 2821.
Bottlenose, Humpbacks and Spinners meet the new Snubfin dolphin
The latest type of 'Flipper' has a snubfin, not a bottle nose or humpback. Like Flipper the dolphin on TV, many dolphin species get their common names from a distinguishing feature of their body. James Cook University (JCU) researchers have continued this trend with their discovery of a new dolphin species they are calling the Snubfin.
The Australian Snubfin Dolphin's scientific name will be Orcaella heinsohni honouring JCU researcher George Heinsohn. Dr Heinsohn examined carcasses of dolphins which were stranded or caught in shark nets in the late 1960s and 1970s.
A new FBA project will be the first to study the spread of the Snubfin off the coast of Central Queensland. The FBA and Southern Cross University project was originally developed to investigate the "Distribution and abundance of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) and Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) in the southern Great Barrier Reef" but will now differ slightly after the discovery that Irrawaddy in the study area are actually the Snubfin dolphin.
Studies by Isabel Beasley and Dr Peter Arnold showed the Irrawaddy and the Snubfin in the southern Great Barrier Reef are two different species. Ms Beasley and Dr Arnold made the discovery after examining the skulls and external measurements of both species and this led to a genetic study.
For more information about this FBA project, please email Regional Coordinator Coasts Jeanie Heaslop or phone her on 4999 2806.
Wild dog survey sniffs out vital information
Inglewood, Tara, Millmerran, Waggamba and Wambo Shire Councils are developing a joint plan for controlling wild dogs.
In stage one, a survey will be sent to around 5000 land managers. All recipients, even those without a dog problem, are encouraged to complete the questionnaire and return it, as it is important to know where wild dogs are and are not a problem so scarce resources can be directed to priority areas.
The project is supported by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee.
For further information please contact Queensland Murray-Darling Committee's Local Government NRM Officer Rose Coburn on 4681 5529 or mobile 0407 023 510.
Taking the guess work out of managing salinity
Two new guides will help take the guess work out of managing salinity. Lack of knowledge about where salt is concentrated under the ground and whether groundwater poses a risk are big problems for land managers.
Two new Australian Government publications, available free of charge, have been prepared to assist with mapping, predicting and monitoring salinity. The user guide and book on salinity mapping methods in the Australian context provide up-to-date information about ways to map dryland salinity and strategies for making investment decisions for salinity management.
The user guide provides a broad overview for a general readership. The companion book expands on techniques for salinity mapping, prediction and monitoring, as well as strategies for risk management.
The book sets out the benefits and limitations of each technique together with useful information on costs, scale, survey design and the depth to which each technique is useful. It also contains references to published literature, case studies and extensive appendices with details of specific mapping techniques.
These publications were jointly funded by the federal and state governments under the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality. The publications will be sent to Landcare and regional NRM bodies, industry groups, state and local governments and are also available from the Australian Government's NRM web site.
Turning old timber into new houses provides boost to housing industry
A Brisbane-based timber recycling company has just received a state government grant to help it meet burgeoning demand for recycled timber.
The $43 000 Queensland Government Industry Development Grant will help the company increase its recycling capacity by 30 percent. The company cannot meet the demand for recycled timber.
The timber recycling industry may not be something regional bodies have considered supporting in their regions as yet, but the advantages of recycling timber include reducing the amount of land fill, reducing the need for importing timber, reducing tree clearing and providing local employment and revenue.
According to the company's managing director, almost 60 per cent of the timber from demolished buildings in Queensland ends up as landfill. The grant would give the company the opportunity to use more of this discarded timber. The grant would also lay the way for the creation of up to 45 new jobs over three years.
For more information email Kennedy's Classic Aged Timber or visit the Queensland Government Industry Development Grant web page.
Guidelines for water recycling in horticulture
Guidelines for developing recycled water schemes in horticulture have been released to assist horticulturists to use recycled water safely and effectively.
Produced by Land and Water Australia and Horticulture Australia Ltd, the guidelines summarise the key requirements and procedures to consider when planning and implementing wastewater recycling schemes for horticulture.
The guidelines were produced by the Water Reuse and Recycling project, one of seven projects approved under the Water Savings program. Staff from the Water Reuse and Recycling project surveyed water authorities, producers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers and their comments were used to help develop the guidelines.
Funding for water projects is available from the Australian Government Water Fund with a total of $2 billion available over the next five years.
The water recycling in horticulture guidelines are available on the DAFF web site.
Draft management plan to release water from the Basin
A draft management plan for the allocation of water in the Great Artesian Basin has been released for comment by the Queensland Government.
The plan determines the amount of water that will be available, provides a framework for the sustainable management of water and identifies priorities and mechanisms for meeting future water requirements.
The plan applies to artesian, spring and sub artesian waters of the Great Artesian Basin.
The Water Resource Plan will be implemented by a Resource Operations Plan which is currently being developed. The draft ROP is scheduled to be published early in 2006 for public review and comment.
Visit the NR&M web site for a copy of the draft Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Plan 2005.
Reviewing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act
The terms of reference for the review of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 have been released to ensure that it complements and works in harmony with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
The review, expected to take about six months to complete, will also meet the requirements of the government's broader review of the governance of statutory authorities, the Uhrig review. Consideration will be given to changing the Authority's financial framework to the Financial Management and Accountability Act.
The review will focus on the role of office holders, the functions of the Authority, accountability frameworks and consultation mechanisms.
The review will provide advice, in light of the Uhrig principles, on the appropriateness of current arrangements, the efficiency and effectiveness of current consultation mechanisms, any changes to improve the corporate governance arrangements of the Authority, adjustment of the function of the Authority, improving consistency between the GBRMP Act and the EPBC Act and any legislative amendments required to make such changes.
The review will be chaired by the Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Heritage, David Borthwick, assisted by Barbara Belcher, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Jonathan Hutson, Department of Finance and Administration.
Public submissions are invited, with a closing date of 30 September.
For further details visit the DEH web site.
Baiting program hounds wild dogs
The Department of Natural Resources and Mines aims to reduce wild dog numbers through a coordinated baiting approach that involves local farmers and residents.
Wild dogs kill native animals and regularly attack sheep, goat, cattle and family pets for food.
They cost Queensland up to $33 million per year in control costs, livestock predation and loss of production through the spread of diseases.
Land managers wanting to participate in the coordinated baiting program must have more than 40 hectares of land and be more than five kilometres from town areas.
Wild dogs maintain territories of 10 to 70 square kilometres, depending on food and water availability, and roam up to 12 kilometres a day.
Those interested in participating in the program or who would like further information should contact a local council Animal Control Officer or a local NR&M Land Protection Officer.
Eureka: Herbarium scientists take out the gong
Two scientists from the Queensland Herbarium, Dr Rod Fensham and Russell Fairfax, have won the $10 000 Sherman Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.
Over the past ten years, the researchers have developed a scientific foundation to measure and understand the fate of Queensland's native rangelands, and this has provided the scientific foundation for Queensland's laws on land clearing.
They used a wide range of resources to identify the changes that had occurred in natural vegetation and to search for the causes of those changes. They showed that climate cycles drove the appearance of woody weeds and that bush clearing would not stop the spread of these weeds, and they proved that clearing is a net producer of greenhouse gas, clearly outweighing any reduction associated with vegetation thickening.
They also identified ecosystem types at high risk and helped direct the choice of land for conservation reserves including the National Parks of Cudmore, Albinia Downs, Lonesome and Nairana.
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 visit the regionalNRM web site.
The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Natural Resource Management Arrangements, Natural Resources and Mines, highlighting regional natural resource management activities around Queensland.
Last updated 05 April 2006