The Bugle - 28 July 2006
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- Ghost Net program wins prestigious Banksia Award
- Landcare group shortlisted for $75,000 Thiess National RiverPrize
- Help Planet Ark celebrate planting 10 millionth tree
- Volunteers lend a hand for SEQ waterways
Government updates
Reef news
Natural resources news
Ghost Net program wins prestigious Banksia Award
The Carpentaria Ghost Net program has been named joint winner of the prestigious Banksia Environmental Award for Water.
The Natural Heritage Trust-funded program is based in Karumba and involves coastal communities in the Gulf of Carpentaria (across Queensland and the Northern Territory).
To date, the rangers have removed 5148 metres of net thus preventing it re-entering the ocean and continuing its killing spree. See the Ghost Nets web site for more info about the issue and the program.
For the last 17 years, the Banksia Awards have recognised many Australians for their tireless work for the environment.
Leading by example, the finalists and winners of the Banksia Environmental Awards have inspired and motivated other individuals, organisations and companies across Australia to take up the vision, pursuit and practice of environmental excellence.
The win is great news for Gulf communities and the Natural Heritage Trust program.
You can email the Ghost Nets coordinator, Riki Young, if you would like more info or would like to send the team a congratulatory note.
Landcare group shortlisted for $75,000 Thiess National RiverPrize
Several members of the Wowan Dululu Landcare Group (Dee River sub-committee) will travel to Brisbane in early September to the 9th annual International RiverFestival as one of four finalists for the prestigious Thiess National RiverPrize.
The group's tireless work to clean up the Dee River has earned them a place with three other Australian finalists on the international stage.
They will have an opportunity to present their work during concurrent sessions of the International River Symposium and are also competing with the other finalists for the $75,000 Thiess RiverPrize.
The International RiverSymposium is part of Brisbane's annual Riverfestival, which celebrates the ecological and social value of rivers, showcases world best practice in river management and provides a global forum for research and policy development.
Keynote speakers will include David Grey (Senior Water Advisor of the World Bank and chair of the Bank's Water Resources Management Group) , Roberto Epple (founder and director of the European Rivers Network) and Dr Caroline Sullivan (Head of the Water Policy and Management Group, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK).
Good luck to the sub-committee.
Help Planet Ark celebrate planting 10 millionth tree
Calling all green thumbs - Planet Ark is calling on schools, community groups and individuals in Mackay to lend a hand and help plant National Tree Day's 10 millionth tree.
Last year, 350,000 volunteers planted more than 1.5 million native trees at more than 4000 sites.
This year's National Tree Day is being celebrated at sites throughout Mackay.
Local organiser Lisa Kermode of Mackay City Council welcomes volunteers to join in and help out on the day. Volunteers should wear sunscreen and closed-in shoes and bring gloves, a hat and water. Planting will be from 9am to 12 noon at Annie Wood Park on Saturday 29 July and Blue River Trail the next day.
"Planting local native trees in Mackay not only beautifies our area, but it also improves the environment and is a great day out in our community," Ms Kermode said.
Planting this year will expand on last year's effort along the Blue River Trail. Organisers aim to plant and mulch 1000 trees – twice as many as last year.
National Tree Day is an annual event organised by Planet Ark in association with Toyota and AMP Foundation. Mackay City Council supports local schools and community groups to organise events in Mackay.
Other groups participating in National Tree Day activities throughout the week include Slade Point Primary School, Beaconsfield Primary School, MacWatch, Holy Spirit College, Mirani Primary School, Eungella Primary School, Eungella Business Group, MacKillop Catholic Primary School, Friends of Morag McNichol Reserve, Department of Main Roads and Pioneer Catchment & Landcare Group.
For more info or to volunteer for these events, contact Mackay City Council on 4968 4444. To register your own site, please call the Planet Ark Tree Day Hotline on 1300 88 5000 or go to the Planet Ark web site.
Volunteers lend a hand for SEQ waterways
Local volunteers are helping scientists collect vital data used to monitor the health of SEQ waterways.
Volunteers from Ipswich, Beaudesert, Logan, Ipswich, Gold Coast, Redlands, Gatton, Lockyer and Brisbane monitored sites across rivers and creeks from October to December last year as part of the Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program (EHMP) Capacity Building Trial.
Funded by SEQ Catchments and Healthy Waterways, the trial used testing equipment to measure the physical chemistry of the water, including its acidic and alkaline properties (pH), dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature and electrical conductivity.
While the EHMP Capacity Building Trial is being reviewed, the monitoring continues.
Anyone interested in being involved in ongoing water quality monitoring and training can contact Joadie Hardy at SEQ Catchments on 3816 9717.
Minister announces likely targets for Pest Offensive program
Natural Resources Minister Henry Palaszczuk has listed the weeds and pest animals likely to be targeted under a new three-year, $11 million program.
Mr Palaszczuk said the "Reclaim the Bush, a Pest Offensive" program was part of the Queensland Government's historic Blueprint for the Bush strategy.
"Weeds and pest animals remain a substantial threat to the bush and the long-term management of our natural resources," Mr Palaszczuk said.
"Most primary producers rank weeds as their worst land management problem. Pest animals ravage livestock and crops and they are a cause of environmental damage across tracts of regional Queensland."
Mr Palaszczuk said the program has six components – prevention of new threats, woody weeds, wild dogs and feral pigs, prevention of weed spread, and indigenous community pest management.
Specifically, the department is assessing likely weed targets, including kudzu, firethorn, kahili ginger and cecropia (trumpet tree).
Woody weed targets are likely to include mesquite (Hughenden, McKinlay and Kynuna), prickly acacia (Home Hill and lower Gulf), rubber vine (central and northern Queensland), bellyache bush (Mt Isa and Gregory River), parkinsonia (indigenous communities and far south-west Queensland), athel pine (Hughenden and Mt Isa), badhara bush (Stanage Bay), pond apple (wet tropics) and harungana (wet tropics).
Scientists shed light on a sources of sediment deposited on the Reef
The Fitzroy catchment, which is close to Victoria in size, is the second largest terrestrial source of nutrients and sediment entering the Great Barrier Reef, according to scientists from CSIRO and the Coastal CRC.
These pollutants are mainly sourced from catchment soils and it is estimated that 70% of these nutrients dissolve into the water prior to being deposited in Keppel Bay.
CSIRO and the Coastal CRC have found between 1.1 and 3.2 kilotons (kT) per year of phosphorus, and 5.1 and 8.9 Kt of nitrogen flow out of the Fitzroy River mouth into Keppel Bay. This is the equivalent of 140 to 400 standard dump trucks of phosphorus and 637.5 to 1112.5 trucks of nitrogen exiting the Fitzroy River each year.
The majority of these pollutants remain in Keppel Bay. However, between 0.6 to 3.2 kT per year of phosphorus (75 to 400 truck loads) and 1.8 to 5.6 kT of nitrogen (225 to 700 truck loads), are exported out of the bay and are distributed further into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
This information will help regional NRM groups and government agencies to implement actions associated with sediment and nutrients within the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan.
For further information about the Reef Plan visit the Reef Plan website.
Wetlands receive a facelift
Over the last couple of years, a cooperative effort has been underway removing water weeds and restoring wetlands in the Burdekin and Herbert flood plains.
Approximately 80% of freshwater wetlands on the tropical northern coast have been lost to development, while many of the remainder are in perilous state.
Water weeds are one of the many ills affecting these remnant wetlands. This situation is typical of the wetlands in the coastal plain of the Burdekin River, which have exotic plants such as water hyacinth and paragrass. Water weeds, along with a loss of connectivity with estuaries, are causing the wetlands to literally disappear.
Damien Burrows from the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research has been working with land managers, local government and community groups on a successful wetlands restoration project conducted on the lower Burdekin and Herbert floodplains. The project has removed aquatic weeds using mechanical harvesters, chemical spraying, water level manipulation, controlled grazing and riparian shading.
Major wetlands have been revived, resulting in substantial water quality improvements. These rapid and highly visible improvements have generated an increasing demand for similar restoration activity in the area.
These improvements will also benefit the activities of the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan and Queensland Wetland Programme, especially in regard to improving water quality for the Great Barrier Reef.
These restored wetlands now support a flourishing freshwater fish community where there was once stagnant water and a breeding area for mosquitos.
Irrigation water use down for Australian farmers: ABS
Australian farmers used less water for irrigation in 2004-05, according to the latest statistics released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
A total of 10,085 gigalitres of water was used on crops and pastures, down 3.4% on the previous year.
While most pastures and crops experienced decreases, cotton went against the trend. Water used to irrigate cotton in 2004-05 was the highest for three years, totalling 1,819 gigalitres, an increase of 45.7% on 2003-04.
Read the ABS report and media release
Thought for the week
"The majority of species on Earth are yet to be discovered...it is generally agreed that right now we know a mere 10 or 20 percent of the species that share the world with us."
Wild Solutions: how biodiversity is money in the bank
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The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Community Partnerships, the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water, highlighting regional NRM activities around Queensland.
Last updated 26 July 2006