The Bugle - 10 February 06
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- Final call for erosion project funding
- May declared Healthy Waterways Month in Mackay
- Get a job ... in Mackay!
- Get a job ... in the Burnett-Mary!
Government updates
Natural resources news
- Landcare support available to all Queensland farmers
- Getting a handle on land management practices
- Conference focuses on Growing Regions
- Spot that weed
Reef news
Final call for erosion project funding
Landholders in the Lockyer Valley, Bremer, Upper Brisbane and Stanley catchments have until 28 February to apply for funding to address soil erosion on their properties.
Soil erosion is reducing the quality of the region's waterways and dams and Moreton Bay.
Projects which may be funded include structural earth works and soil conservation measures, fencing, establishment of alternative watering points and revegetation with suitable pastures, shrubs and trees.
The funding is available from SEQ Catchments under the 2005-06 funding program for the Healthy Land – Our Future regional NRM plan.
SEQ Catchments, in partnership with SEQ Water, has employed a soil conservation officer to provide landholders with technical support.
For expression of interest forms, information on how to apply for funding, or to arrange a site visit by a soil conservation officer, email Bruce Lord or phone 3816 9720, 5422 0516 or 0427 013 284.
May declared Healthy Waterways Month in Mackay
The Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Group has announced May as Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Waterways Month for 2006.
"We chose Healthy Waterways as the theme for 2006 as it is a concern for the majority of people in the community. We all use water for some reason or another and the quality of that water is important to us," MWNRM's Kelly Flower said .
If you would like to be involved, please contact Kelly Flower on 4953 3864.
Get a job ... in Mackay!
If the idea of working in the beautiful Mackay Whitsunday Region with a friendly team and very reasonably salary package sounds tempting then read on….
The Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Group is looking for a strategic regional facilitator.
The position will focus on supporting MWNRM in increasing the level of involvement in NRM planning as well as communicating Australian Government NRM policies and initiatives.
Application packages are available from the MWNRM. Please contact Kelly Flower on 4953 3864. Applications close 12 noon, 13 February 2006.
Get a job ... in the Burnett-Mary!
The Burnett-Mary Regional Group is looking for a communications officer. Email Tunja Cottier or phone 4132 8333 for more information.
What's in a name?
NR&M is now NRMW.
The Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water's new name reflects the heightened importance of water in times of drought and climate change.
Premier Peter Beattie announced the new name last week.
The Department's Director-General, Bob McCarthy, said: "The Premier's announcement on Wednesday that our department would have a pivotal role in the development of water infrastructure in Queensland is a reflection on the government's confidence in this department to deliver on crucial issues.
"We have demonstrated our capability in water reform, planning, management and use as well as in the areas of land protection, mining safety, cultural heritage, native title, vegetation management and land information and titles."
New face joins Learning and Evaluation team
Christine Powell has joined the Learning and Evaluation team in the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water.
Christine's background is in social science and she is completing a post graduate certificate in management.
Christine will fill the big boots left behind by Claire Carter, who has taken up a position in Community Waterway Monitoring at NRSc.
Contact Christine Powell on 3224 2323.
Landcare support available to all Queensland farmers
Farmers trying to make their farms more sustainable need not go it alone – Landcare organisations are here to help.
This is the message that three of Queensland’s statewide Landcare organisations are spreading at the Queensland Farmers’ Federation Conference, "enhancing sustainable agriculture", to be held at Coolum on 19 – 21 March.
"Many Queensland farmers have already adopted Landcare practices as an important step towards sustainable farming," Queensland Water and Land Carers President Esma Armstrong said.
"Now we want to let all farmers know that Landcare organisations in Queensland exist to help them with funding, technical support and having their say in natural resource management practices."
The conference exhibit will be the first collaboration between Queensland Water and Land Carers , the Queensland Landcare Foundation and Queensland’s State Landcare Coordinator.
The QFF conference is the culmination of a two-year project to educate and raise awareness about sustainable agriculture. More information is available at Queensland Landcare.
For more information, email Tess McGlone at Queensland Water and Land Carers or phone her on 07 3211 4409.
Getting a handle on land management practices
Nearly 90 per cent of Queensland is used for cropping and grazing. However, while we know what the land is used for, we don’t have a clear idea of how it is being managed.
A Natural Resource Sciences (NRSc) project team within the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water is trying to shed more light on the issue by finding out how government agencies, regional NRM groups, industry bodies and others monitor land management practices and how they might do this in future.
Using satellite imagery, NRSc has mapped land use throughout the state as part of the Queensland Land Use Mapping Program.
However, extracting information on land management practices is a far tougher proposition, according to NRSC's Christian Witte.
"Numerous land management practices may be applied to any one paddock, depending on the type of land use," Christian said.
"Such practices may be aimed at fertility, pasture or vegetation management, weed control, soil conservation or the efficient use of irrigation water, among other things.
"In addition to this, land holders will change practices over time to adapt to the weather, markets or new knowledge and technology."
Inherent difficulties aside, so far the NRSc project has uncovered several methods private and public sector organisations use to monitor farmers' and graziers' land management.
These include telephone and face-to-face surveys, aerial photography and satellite imagery interpretations, and cross-landscape transects.
NRSc has found that practices that affect groundcover concern many stakeholders because bare ground can lead to soil erosion, increase the risk of salinity, encourage weeds and reduce water quality.
Among the potential pitfalls identified so far are landholder suspicions about the government's motives for seeking the information.
"Land management practices have a profound impact on our natural resources, the environment and agricultural production so it’s important we get a handle on them," Christian said.
For more information, contact Christian Witte on 3896 9832 or Bruce Carey on 3896 9390.
Conference focuses on Growing Regions
The Australian Government's Department of Transport and Regional Services is organising the Growing Regions Conference in Brisbane, 25-27 July.
Issues to be addressed include economic development, managing change and the role of government.
The star-studded line-up includes guest speakers from the European Union, United Nations and the US, as well as local experts.
See the conference web site for details.
Spot that weed
Queensland Herbarium senior botanist John Thompson will provide weed spotters with the skills and knowledge needed to identify weeds in the Rockhampton region.
The workshop will cover:
• tools needed for plant recognition
• identifiable characteristics of each weed
• the steps required for weed identification
• more than 20 weeds taken from the recent survey in the region.
The workshop will be held on 23 February at Central Queensland University.
For more information or to register, contact Jane Morton, National Weed Detection Project Officer, on 3896 9467 or Trudy Baker (07) 4931 5439.
Water quality report to be released today
A report designed to increase awareness of water quality and aquatic ecosystem issues within the Mackay Whitsunday region will be released today.
The report includes data on pollutants generated by major land uses and subsequent discharges to the inshore areas of the Great Barrier Reef. The report identifies the water quality issues for each land use and will support regional and local target setting for water quality.
The report was funded by Mackay Whitsunday Natural Resource Management Group and undertaken by Department of Natural Resources Mines and Water and Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research.
For more information, contact Kelly Flower on 4953 3864.
We welcome your input and feedback on this newsletter. If you have any contributions, comments or suggestions please contact Shona Strachan or Paul Rees.
To view past issues of The Bugle visit the regional NRM web site.
The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Natural Resource Management Arrangements, Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water highlighting regional natural resource management activities around Queensland.
Last updated 05 April 2006