The Bugle - 16 March 2007
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories- Science and tradition combine to care for country
- SEQ Catchments wins Environment Award
- Condamine councils close ranks in war on pests
- Young dairy farmers mix hard work with play
- Egg farmers adopt clean, green systems
- Rainfall impact on sugar cane study underway
- Climate change, clearing link to be tested
- Volunteers monitor the 'big wet'
- Community preparing for fire in the Helidon Hills
- Dishing the dirt on organic waste
- Getting information off paper and out to people
- FarmBis training boosts farmer confidence
- Time bomb in the Darling downs
- Irrigators apply for rebates on fixed water charges
- Queensland climate change centre of excellence helps wine industry
- Feral pigs are a high priority for QPWS
- Rainman proves to be popular tool for drought
- Great expectations for Queensland’s new great walks
- To drink or not to drink, that is the recycling question
- QWaLC helping to keep it real
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
Science and tradition combine to care for country
The descendents of the annual bunya nut festival, will work with the Condamine Alliance and other environmental groups to preserve their cultural heritage in the Bunya Mountains, north of Dalby.
Pests such as feral pigs are threatening the cultural and natural features of the Bunya Mountains. A $150 000 project managed by Condamine Alliance, will engage Bunya Mountain's Wakka Wakka, Barunggam and Jarowair people in training and pest control programs.
Condamine Alliance is linking this work to a $390 000 Natural Heritage Trust project it is running in conjunction with SEQ Catchments and South West NRM to investigate "indigenous indicators" such as using the presence or disappearance of certain plants or animals as potential indicators of catchment health.
Images of the area will be collected and used in "photo-voice" workshops to establish indigenous indicators, identifying characteristics of "good country" and "poor country". SEQ Catchments will run the same process with the Quandamooka people of Stradbroke Island and South West NRM region with its traditional owners, to help maintain good country and improve poor country.
For more information contact Corie Leslie on 4620 0119 or Jayne Thorpe on 0427 131 625.
SEQ Catchments wins Environment Award
SEQ Catchments' Ningi Catchment Sustainable Production Partnership Project won the 2006 Sunshine Coast Environment Award in the Sustainable Agriculture category. Judges were impressed with the level of collaboration amongst the project partners and in seeing real dividends after only 10 months.
This project enhances the adoption of best management practice using an Area-Wide Management (AWM) approach. The targeted AWM approach involves growers, industry organisations, government agencies, NRM and community groups working cooperatively on a sub-catchment basis. The growers develop and implement better sustainable production systems and farmer-driven monitoring on the impact of these activities.
The approach establishes social networks and farming systems, which facilitate long term improvements in the economic sustainability of farms. These systems also improve the health of the catchment's waterways and wetlands.
Visit the SEQ Catchments website to see fact sheets and other information about the award winning Ningi Catchment Sustainable Production Partnership project.
Condamine councils close ranks in war on pests
What was once merely an ambition to have Darling Downs councils pool their resources and work together across shire boundaries to stamp out pests is now a big step closer to reality.
The Condamine Alliance has kicked off a $484 000 project involving at least 10 councils in the Condamine River catchment in a coordinated assault on key pests such as feral pigs, wild dogs and weeds of national significance.
The Condamine Alliance funded Central Downs Landcare to commence this project in 2005 through a $117 000 pilot program mapping roadside weeds, coordinating councils' pest management officers efforts and engaging a Darling Downs Correctional Centre work crew to control velvet tree pear on council roads in three shires.
Previously, government, Landcare groups, the Condamine Alliance and land managers worked in isolation, now they are working together.
For more information contact Garry Wilson at Clifton Shire Council on 4697 4222 or 0428 183 896.
Young dairy farmers mix hard work with play
A network for young farmers on the Darling Downs is helping them to work smarter, not harder, in developing solutions to drought-related management issues in the dairy industry.
At one of their recent workshop, Jeff Schrale of BESTfed International said during drought times farmers had a tendency to work harder and longer hours and while this is human nature, a lot of the time we can lose focus on those 20% of things that make 80% of the difference.
"Much of the time spent working harder isn't putting the energy into the things that are going to make the biggest difference at the end of the day," he said.
Last year, in its inaugural year, the Darling Downs Young Farmers Network partly funded by the Condamine Alliance, signed 64 members, representing 49 dairy farming businesses.
The network has been a success on many different levels: members have had the opportunity to participate in a young farmers’ forum; had access to up $5000 each to improve NRM; and attended three workshops.
Along with educational opportunities, there has been a number of social gatherings which provide a rare opportunity for fun and a great opportunity to get out and talk to like-minded farmers away from the isolation of working every day on the farm. It's a chance to talk about common problems like the drought.
Network member David Fitch, who farms at Kulpi on the northern Darling Downs, said "It helps you clear your mind and lets you get away from the farm for a bit, because otherwise you get depressed and it just builds and builds," he said.
For more information contact Theresa Kunde on 0428 147 749.
Egg farmers adopt clean, green systems
Egg producers across Queensland have started implementing an on-farm environmental management systems (EMS), developed with support from the Condamine Alliance and SEQ Catchments.
The $130 000 three-stage project has been trialled by one of the nation's largest accredited organic egg producer.
In the first stage the Queensland Egg Farmers Association (QEFA) worked with consultants to develop EMS guidelines in accordance with future legislative requirements. Stage two involved training producers across the state in the adoption of EMS, including waste management, buffer zones, restoration of vegetation and minimisation of nutrient leaching. The final stage supported the implementation of on-ground works to implement the EMS.
For more information please contact QEFA president, Ivy Inwood on 4696 7501.
Rainfall impact on sugar cane study underway
Mackay district canegrowers are hoping to increase their knowledge about the impact of rainfall on their crop through a series of rainfall simulation studies run by the Department of Natural Resources and Water and the Mackay Whitsunday NRM Group.
It is hoped the study will yield information about new cane framing practices pioneered by farmers, providing water quality benefits, as well as production and economic benefits. The project studied the performance of different nutrient and herbicide application techniques on two farming systems, under a simulated 100mm/hr rainstorm.
The data collected will complement a larger scale water quality monitoring project for the region.
Email the Mackay Whitsunday NRM Group for more information.
Climate change, clearing link to be tested
The impact of climate change and human activity on the Brigalow Belt South Bioregion, a national biodiversity hotspot extending from central Queensland to north-central New South Wales, will be studied to develop a set of decision-support tools for its restoration and conservation.
Condamine Alliance will part-fund the $500 000-plus project involving a team of researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) and University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Natural Resources and Water.
"Condamine Alliance will use these tools to target investment in the restoration of native vegetation, and this will have a positive impact on birds, reptiles and ground-dwelling mammals in the bioregion," says the Condamine Alliance's project coordinator, Deborah Vella.
"The brigalow is habitat for many threatened fauna species, so our partner organisations are keen to work with us in pooling knowledge to develop an action plan for restoration in the region," says co-chief investigator and USQ landscape ecology lecturer, Dr Martine Maron.
Lead investigator and senior research fellow at UQ, Dr Clive McAlpine, says the research will consider multiple species and threats, including the impact of climate change and the opportunities to use regrowth in large-scale restoration.
For more information contact Condamine Alliance's Deborah Vella on 4620 0114 or visit the Australian Government's Environment website.
Volunteers monitor the 'big wet'
During February's 'big wet' highly trained volunteers collected water samples from the major waterways of the Burdekin Dry Tropics region, including the Burdekin River and its tributaries, as well as the coastal catchments between Giru and Bowen.
As the majority of sediment and nutrients are transported during major flood events, volunteers collect samples from the rising, peak and falling stages of river flow.
The data collected will identify sub-catchments within the region that contribute the highest concentrations and loads of sediment and nutrients. This will assist Burdekin Dry Tropics Natural Resource Management (BDTNRM) to prioritise funding for on-ground actions to address the loss of vital soils and nutrients within the catchment. Graziers and cane farmers from the Burdekin are currently working with BDTNRM to identify best management practices that will deliver water quality improvements
Data from water quality monitoring and the BMP guidelines will inform the development of BDTNRM's Water Quality Improvement Plan, to be released later this year.
The 'Burdekin Community Water Quality Monitoring' project was established in 2002 by the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research (ACTFR) for BDTNRM.
For further information please contact Zoe Bainbridge, Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research on 4781 4595 or Dr. Ian Dight, on 4724 3544 or visit the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM website.
Community preparing for fire in the Helidon Hills
Helidon Hills locals are working together to protect the area from fires. Helidon Hills is one of the largest bushland areas in south east Queensland and is sensitive to fire.
Helidon Hills covers around 35 000 rugged hectares. It is biologically rich with over 430 plant species, some classed as vulnerable and endangered.
A Fire Management Strategy is being developed for Helidon Hills involving close collaboration between local land managers, Helidon Hills/Murphy's Creek Landcare Group, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Regional Rural Fire Service groups and SEQ Catchments.
The Fire Management Strategy addresses property protection and communication across community groups and agencies. The strategy emphasises ways to protect the natural assets of the Helidon Hills. It provides a strategic base for fire management authorities and decision makers and a tool for land managers and the community to guide fire management operations
Key stakeholders came together recently for the first time to formulate a document for public review, expected to be available in July.
For further information email SEQ Catchments' Fiona Bengtsson, or call her on 5465 4400.
Dishing the dirt on organic waste
The mountain of organic fertiliser produced right on their doorstep each year by the booming lot-feeding business is literally a mixed blessing for Darling Downs farmers. A survey of end-users of these animal or plant wastes by the Condamine Alliance shows while they are valued as a resource, most producers and end users, more than 80%, believe they can be applied with no risk to the environment.
In fact, over-application of nutrients contained in "recycled organics", especially high-strength effluents produced by abattoirs, feedlots and piggeries that are irrigated on small land areas, can have a severe impact on water quality and soil quality, says Condamine Alliance Chief Executive Officer Phil McCullough.
Problems occur mainly where non-composted products are applied. Contractors have only recently begun to compost and co-compost, with the biggest stumbling block for farmers being price.
The Condamine Alliance produced a question-and-answer sheet to address the most frequently asked questions about recycled organics and also assessed treatment methods, all of which are available for download from the Condamine Alliance website ("Enhancing Markets for Recycled Organics").
FSA Consulting has been contracted to show alternative methods for handling recycled organics. They will host a series of shed meetings around the Darling Downs in the next few months to demonstrate alternative methods for re-use, such as composting or evaporation and to establish an incentive program for producers and end-users.
For more information visit the Condamine Alliance website.
Getting information off paper and out to people
SEQ Catchments has been participating in three social and economic State-wide Investment Projects (SIPs). These projects are helping to bring social and economic impact assessment into the mainstream of regional NRM, while collecting social and economic data, doing social and economic research and trialling incentives to improve NRM.
The peri-urban incentives program (SE05) gained a greater understanding of the specific needs, interests, motivations and goals of land managers and residents in coastal peri-urban areas and developed a targeted suite of tools. For more details about the research and peri-urban incentives, visit the peri-urban incentives scheme page on the SEQ Catchments website.
Linking social with the environmental (SE03) explored networks and the willingness and ability of rural, peri-urban and urban communities to form partnerships to achieve local NRM objectives. The study revealed factors affecting community capacity, including networks, trust, responsibility, leadership, power, communication and awareness. For more information about the SE03 study, please email Jean Bray or phone 3816 9722.
Enhancing community engagement for NRM in the SEQ Western Catchments (Ag-SIP 18) looked at effective engagement processes for land managers. A suite of recommendations for community engagement approaches is now available via a fact sheet on the SEQ Catchments website.
The Department of Natural Resources and Water maintain a unit which provides support and assistance with the integration of social and economic research and information for improved NRM. For information, please email John Mackenzie.
For more details on these SIPs visit the regional nrm website.
Government updates
FarmBis training boosts farmer confidence
A recent survey of Australian farmers shows training builds confidence and perceptions about their business improves.
The Farm Business Improvement Program (FarmBis) was established in 1999 to improve business and NRM skills of Queensland’s primary producers. The program is a joint Australian and Queensland Governments initiative and is well known for subsidies it provides to producers meeting part of the cost of approved management-level learning activities.
More than 1200 farmers participating in a FarmBis supported learning activities were polled recently and the results showed 87% of participants felt more confident and self reliant in addressing the challenges facing their business and industry.
Nationally, 95% of respondents said they gained new skills or knowledge and 67% of participants thought incorporating what they learned from the course would have a significant benefit to their enterprise’s profitability and productivity.
For training information visit the FarmBis website or call the DPI&F call centre on 13 25 23.
Time bomb in the Darling downs
Some of Queensland's prime farming land is sitting on a weed time bomb, parthenium, which can destroy harvests and affect human health. Parthenium has spread south from the Central Highlands to Dalby, in the Darling Downs, the heart of one of Queensland's richest grain growing areas.
"Because of its ability to spread, the appearance on the Darling Downs of this weed is a bit unnerving," Biosecurity Queensland spokesman Peter Austin said.
Mr Austin who is the national co-ordinator for controlling the weed, said rainfall over southern Queensland in the past month is perfect timing for parthenium.
Each plant can produce over 10,000 seeds and Mr Austin said "parthenium is a time bomb and in the right conditions it explodes. An outbreak on a property can take up to 10 years of intensive effort to eradicate at significant cost."
Download a fact sheet from the NRW website to find out more about parthenium and if you suspect you have it, please contact Biosecurity Queensland on 3405 5537.
Irrigators apply for rebates on fixed water charges
Drought-affected Queensland irrigators will be able to submit an application for a rebate on fixed water charges from 7 March.
Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace said QRAA (formerly the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority) would start assessing applications for the three quarterly bills already paid by irrigators since 1 July 2006.
Mr Wallace said the scheme will run until 30 June 2008 and eligible irrigators could receive several payments over the life of the scheme. However to reduce 'red tape', irrigators only need to make a one application for the whole rebate period.
Under the scheme, eligible irrigators can receive up to $10 000 per year on invoices paid during the two year rebate period. To be eligible irrigators must be a customer of SunWater (or another water service provider) or a licence water holder of the Department of Natural Resources and Water. They must also be paying fixed water charges and meet the 20% or less low water availability threshold and have paid their water charges invoices from 1 July 2006.
The rebate will be calculated on the period announced as an allocation of 20% or less. In some cases, irrigators could receive a rebate of 100% of the fixed water charges due to the lack of available water.
The guidelines and application form will be on the QRAA website or on free call 1800 623 946.
Queensland climate change centre of excellence helps wine industry
The new Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence is helping Queensland's wine industry to deal with climate change.
Mr Wallace said one of the first projects of the new centre was to give advice to wine producers about the latest climate change science at recent meetings in Mt Tambourine, Stanthorpe, Kingaroy and Cairns. The number of Queensland wine producers has grown by 86% in the past four years and there are now more than 170 producers in 10 wine regions across the State. According to the Centre, annual average temperatures in Queensland are projected to increase by up to 2 degrees Celsius by 2030, while rainfall may be reduced by 15% over the same period.
The new Climate Change Centre of Excellence is the first centre of its kind in Australia, establishing Queensland as a leader in climate change issues.
The Climate Change Centre for Excellence, which will be temporarily based at Indooroopilly, is expected to be officially opened in the near future.
Visit the NRW website for more information.
Feral pigs are a high priority for QPWS
The Queensland Government takes the management of national parks and state forests seriously and is working closely with land managers to combat feral pigs and other pests.
Environment Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr said while pests would never be totally removed from the state's landscape, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) was making successful inroads into the problem.
"More than $4.5 million is being spent in the 2006/07 financial year to manage pests on the QPWS estate with an additional $5.5 million on fire management. Major programs are in place across the state and many of these are conducted co-operatively with rural communities, neighbours and other agencies."
Feral pig control programs are occurring in many national parks and seventeen pig traps are also available for loan (free) to park neighbours and more are being manufactured.
Anyone with concerns about feral pigs in parks or forests should contact their nearest QPWS office.
Rainman proves to be popular tool for drought
The on-going drought has pushed demand sky high for Rainman a climate management CD-based software package of rainfall information, designed to assist in the management of rainfall variability.
Rainman contains historical monthly and daily rainfall data for about 3800 locations and monthly and daily stream flows for 400 locations throughout Australia, plus monthly rainfall records for 9500 locations throughout the world.
What this means for farmers is they can calculate chances of monthly and seasonal rain, display historical data as tables or graphs, and forecast seasonal rain, dry periods and effective rain for their own location.
Rainman sells nationally to farmers, graziers, bankers, consultants, insurance companies, schools, universities and other government departments and comes in Standard, Educational and Professional editions, at a cost of $125 for the Rainman Standard edition (version 4).
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Senior Industry Development Officer Ian Partridge said "Rainman enables farmers and graziers to take ownership of their climate-related decisions by having access to all the relevant local information rather than a broad-brush regional forecast".
Mr Partridge provides technical and sales support for the product and can be contacted on 4688 1375, or by email.
Great expectations for Queensland's new great walks
Queensland's first round of spectacular Great Walks are on track to be up and running by the end of the year and concept planning has begun for the next round.
The Queensland Government has invested $16.5 million to establish a world-class system of Great Walks across Queensland and five of the six original walks costing $10 million - Fraser Island, Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Wet Tropics, Mackay Highlands and Whitsunday are now being enjoyed by visitors with the sixth, the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk to be finished by the end of the year.
For the second round a further $6.5 million is being invested for another four Great Walks in Cooloola, the Conondale Range, Carnarvon and the Whitsunday Islands.
The proposal for the Whitsunday Islands maritime walk involves sailing or boating between beautiful tropical islands, with a series of short walks to viewing spots from mooring points and campgrounds on the islands.
The Carnarvon walk will link Mt Moffatt to the Carnarvon Gorge; the Cooloola walk will link Noosa to Inskip Point running through Rainbow Beach; and the Conondale Range walk will include relatively easy or more challenging walks, with highlights including magnificent rainforests and spectacular waterfalls.
Visit the EPA website to learn more about the Great Walks of Queensland.
Reef Plan updates
Learn about the Great Barrier Reef online
People come from all over the world to visit the Great Barrier Reef which is the largest coral reef system in the world. It consists of about 2900 separate coral reefs and 940 islands and it is home to thousands of marine animals and plants.
Now you can visit and learn about the reef on line.Project-Net is a website created by the Australian Institute of Marine Science giving information about many different marine animals such as clownfish, sharks and sea turtles. You can also learn about issues like cyclones, climate change and the history of the Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has three websites including one designed as an interactive website for teachers and students. On the ReefED website teachers can click on the 'teaching units' link for curriculum ideas, while the 'GBR explorer' section provides information about the plant and animals of the Reef and maps and other facts are available in the 'landscapes section'.
The other Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority websites are ReefHQ and GBRMPA website.
Finally, there is a new website which focuses on land based issues and their effects on the Reef. Visit the Reef Plan website to learn what you can do to help protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Natural resources news
To drink or not to drink, that is the recycling question
The Queensland branch of the Australian Society of Soil Science Incorporated (ASSSI) is holding their annual student night on 22 March with the hot issue of drinking purified recycled water being the topic for the night. A presentation from Ted Gardner, an expert in the field, will kick of some debate. Ted leads the Department of Natural Resources and Water's (NRW) Water Cycle group at Indooroopilly and can be found wading into issues such as water renewal and practical water supply methods.
President Kristie Watling, based at NRW in Toowoomba, is eager to see as many interested dirtologists and non-dirtologists there on the night.
So if you are interested in hearing the dirt on a controversial but topical issue, drop on in and be part of a fluid debate on the practicalities of drinking purified recycled water.
- When: 22 March 2007, 6:00pm dinner with 7:00pm meeting and presentation.
- Where: The University of Queensland, St Lucia gathering for food and drinks at the fountain area in front of the Hartley-Teakle Building, meeting in Room 101, Seddon Building (building 82D).
- Cost: Free for students; $8 for members and visitors
- RSVP: By email to Iain Gibson by Monday 19 March (please include any special dietary requirements) or phone on 3896 9308.
QWaLC helping to keep it real
Queensland Water and Land Carers (QWaLC), as part of their membership services, has identified scholarship positions for primary producers to attend the Keep It Real conference in Hobart. Keep It Real, held on 6–10 August, comprises the 5th Environmental Management Systems in Agriculture Conference and the 5th National on Farm Food Safety and Quality Assurance Conference.
To help producers and industry support officers to attend, scholarship positions are available, covering conference registration and a significant contribution to travel and accommodation costs. Interested people are invited to submit an expression of interest, available from the conference website.
Industry bodies involved in organising the conference are Meat and Livestock Australia, Grains Council of Australia, Dairy Australia, Wine Federation of Australia, Horticulture Australia Ltd, Australian Wool Innovation and Tasmanian Quality Assured.
Get a job in NRM!
Are you interested in working with Queensland's regional natural resource management bodies? Then head to the Regional Groups' Collective website where current job opportunities are now available. Be sure to check back regularly to ensure you don't miss out on the job of a lifetime!
Here's a sample of what's on offer:
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM
Three vacancies:
- Administration Officer – Reception
- Financial Manager
- Accounts Clerk
All are fulltime positions, contracted until 30 June 2008 with potential for extension with the roll out of future government funding.
Full copies of the position descriptions with selection criteria and details of how to apply are available from the employment page of the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM website.
Applications close: 9:00 am on 19 March For further information contact Michelle Allen, Manager – Contracts on 4724 3544.
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM is an equal opportunity employer.
Thought for the week
Here on the edge of the twenty-first century, a fundamental new rule of business is that the Internet changes everything.
"Business @ The Speed Of Thought" by Bill Gates (1999)
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The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Community Partnerships, the Department of Natural Resources and Water, highlighting regional NRM activities around Queensland.
Last updated 09 January 2008