The Bugle - 1 June 2007
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- Torres Strait Islands’ Land and Sea Management Unit’s is making progress
- Coastal conference helps to shift sands
- Land managers keen to acquire BDTNRM’s satellite imagery
- Sustainable Land Use Planning in the Torres Straits
- TREAT to feature at Queensland rainforest forum
- Fitzroy land champions will feature at Mackay conference
- Taking a satellite's-eye view of Landcare
- Champions program for NRM begins in June
- International study to make native plants and animals count
- Saving turtles brings excellent reward
- Sunshine makes way for touring travellers
- New era for water in SEQ
- Water Police attend QPWS croc school
- New rural rents arrangements for category 1 landholders
- Super-computer to support climate change science
Regional NRM group stories
Torres Strait Islands’ Land and Sea Management Unit’s is making progress
A Land and Sea Management Unit has been in operation for the past 11 months in the Torres Strait Islands as a new group in the Torres Strait Regional Authority. In February of this year Vic McGrath joined the team as a Community Liaison Officer and Frank Loban as the Dugong and Turtle Project Liaison Officer. Ben Hanrahan has also now joined the team as the Land Management Field Officer in March 2007.
The Unit currently has 15 projects totalling $3.5 million underway within the region. An additional two Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) funded projects have recently been approved. These are a Land and Sea Training and Capacity Building Project and an Information Management Project.
The Unit has recently submitted a suite of proposals for the expenditure of remaining NHT funds up until June 2008 to the Joint Australian and Queensland Governments Steering Committee for approval. These include a Sustainable Land Use Planning Proposal; extension of the Coastal Erosion Impacts Project to include Lama (Yam) Island; and Extension of the core operating funding to June 2008 and the development of a Regional Investment Strategy for post-June 2008.
For more information about the Land and Sea Management Unit visit the TSRA website.
Coastal conference helps to shift sands
The theme for the inaugural Queensland Coastal Conference 2007 to be held in Bundaberg from 17-20 September, is ‘Shifting Sands' which reflects the need for a shift to coastal issues being addressed with an integrated approach, rather than as independent projects.
The Queensland Coastal Conference 2007 is the first state coastal conference to be held in Queensland and it hopes to attract over 200 delegates from within the state and beyond.
The conference program will feature a number of outstanding speakers, several concurrent sessions, open space sessions, workshops and poster presentations.
This is an ideal opportunity for coastal planners, engineers, managers, scholars and community groups to share ideas and workshop solutions to ensure the natural, cultural, economic and social values of Queensland's coastline are protected.
Online registrations are now open, for more information including registration and sponsorship opportunities, visit the conference website.
Land managers keen to acquire BDTNRM’s satellite imagery
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM (BDTNRM) is providing farmers with satellite imagery of their properties to encourage them to apply new technologies to monitor their land and their farm management strategies.
So far, BDTNRM Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) officers have distributed images to 170 property owners, covering 25% of the Burdekin Dry Tropics region’s 133 000 square kilometres.
BDTNRM hopes the availability of this mapping technology will help farmers to implement and achieve their NRM targets and monitoring changes on their properties.
If you would like more information about the BDTNRM property GIS imagery project please email Doug Willis or phone on 4724 3544.
Sustainable Land Use Planning in the Torres Straits
The Sustainable Land Use Planning project will support Island Councils to establish the impacts of development on the natural environment and plan for and use sustainable management processes for their island into the future.
The Sustainable Land Use Planning project will achieve this goal by providing communities and Councils with information at a locally relevant scale about a range of issues of concern.
These concerns include population, carrying capacity of the islands, existing residential development and infrastructure, threatened vegetation, erosion or inundation prone areas, water supply and waste management implications.
Information will be incorporated in maps or data layers for developing land-use plans which consider all of these concerns, as well as community and cultural priorities.
Regional ecosystem mapping of all the islands with terrestrial biodiversity values is a key component of the project. A call for expressions of interest for doing the regional ecosystem mapping component of the project will be circulated in the near future.
For more information about the Land and Sea Management Unit visit the TSRA website.
TREAT to feature at Queensland rainforest forum
Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands (TREAT) an Atherton based community group has been confirmed to present at the Queensland Rainforest Forum taking place from 25 to 27 June in Brisbane.
Registration for the two day forum is only $60 for community representatives and students and $120 for agencies or academics. Registration information is available by emailing Kerri Woodcock at Landcare Queensland or calling on 3211 4413.
Since 1997, TREAT has been replanting rainforest along Peterson Creek to establish a wildlife corridor between Lake Eacham Crater Lakes National Park and Curtain Fig National Park, which were previously isolated.
Barbara Lanskey, who will be speaking at the Forum on behalf of TREAT said “on this corridor, we have planted more than 50,000 trees, helping to restore habitat for animals such as tree kangaroos. More significantly, we’ve managed to engage the community in a critical wildlife corridor establishment project.”
“The Queensland Rainforest Forum is a fantastic opportunity for us to share our successes with other community groups around the state. I encourage other community rainforest enthusiasts to join us at the event.”
This event is an initiative of SEQ Catchments, Australian Government, Griffith University Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies, WWF and Landcare Queensland.
Fitzroy land champions will feature at Mackay conference
Land managers in the Fitzroy Basin will feature at the 2007 Queensland Landcare Conference to be held in Mackay 22 to 25 August.
Fitzroy Basin Association’s Nathan Johnston has been confirmed as a speaker at the 18th annual conference, to discuss the activities of some 180 land managers who have kept an estimated 75,000 tonnes of soil on paddocks and out of waterways.
“Landholders in the Fitzroy Basin are making a huge contribution to improving the health of our waterways and reducing the amount of soil reaching the reef,” Nathan said.
“With sustained effort by all parties over the next 10 years, four million tonnes of topsoil will be kept on farming country where it belongs.”
“That’s eight million ute loads of dirt,” Nathan said.
Nathan joins 35 speakers from across Queensland and further afield who will speak about how Landcare is making a difference on the ground.
Registration to attend the four day event is now open and further information about the program or registration costs is available from Landcare Queensland on 3211 4413 or emailing kerri@landcare.org.au.
Subsidies are available for local producers to attend the conference and further information is available from Margaret Lane on 4951 4327.
Taking a satellite's-eye view of Landcare
Barung Landcare is harnessing the power of the latest high resolution satellite imagery to meet the challenge of protecting and repairing the natural environment of the Blackall Range.
The satellite imagery was captured in 2006 and is capable of distinguishing ground features as small as dams, homes and sheds. Data ‘overlays’ can be added on top of the satellite images to provide information about cleared areas, remnant bushland, wildlife corridors, stream paths and erosion hot spots.
The information was provided to Barung Landcare group by SEQ Catchments as part of the Capturing the South East project. Barung Landcare manager Darryl Ebenezer said the new satellite imagery provided the clearest picture yet of the scale and impact of changes across the Blackall Range, the headwaters of Caloundra Shire’s major river systems.
“The new satellite images are particularly useful to illustrate to landholders the linkages between their properties and their neighbours and where they fit into the broader regional landscape,” Mr Ebenezer said.
SEQ Catchments CEO Simon Warner said “This project will help local organisations like Barung Landcare to make land and water resource planning decisions with the big picture in mind and ensure that individual projects contribute to achieving major overall regional objectives.”
Champions program for NRM begins in June
Anyone who is passionate about influencing and leading change, representing rural industries and driving sustainability within rural communities could be a Natural Resource Management Champion.
The inaugural NRM Champions program begins in June and aims to foster a group of 20 motivated people to embrace the challenges of change and sustainability faced by rural communities.
Four workshops will be held with the first at the Bunya Mountains from 4 to 7 June. The others will be held at St George from 9-12 July, Brisbane from 3-6 September and South Burnett from 13 to 16 November. A final project presentation will be held in Toowoomba in February, next year.
Potential NRM Champions should email Sandy Robertson at Queensland Murray Darling Committee or call on 4637 6270.
Story sourced from QFF.
International study to make native plants and animals count
South east Queensland will be part of an international effort to develop better ways of assessing the health of the terrestrial environment by measuring changes in the populations of plants and animals.
The Planned Program for Biodiversity Studies (PPBio) project was launched this week at Karawatha Forest. The project aims to develop a biodiversity assessment tool that local, national and international agencies can use to plan and manage development more effectively.
The project is a collaboration between SEQ Catchments, the community-based group responsible for managing the region’s natural resources, Griffith University’s Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies, Brisbane City Council, the University of Queensland and Brazil’s Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia.
The project will link long-term monitoring with conservation management in Australia, build on the groundwork established by the parent program in Brazil and contribute to global biodiversity assessment.
All data will be publicly available on the world wide web.
The establishment of the first PPBio grid in Karawatha Forest (Brisbane), will put SEQ Catchments and Griffith University at the forefront of ecological research and research collaborations. Plans are also underway to establish a PPBio grid in Nepal.
For further information regarding the PPBio project, email Kay Montgomery or call on 3816 9714.
Government updates
Saving turtles brings excellent reward
Minister for Natural Resource and Water Craig Wallace announced this week a project designed to protect Cape York's marine turtle population has won a regional excellence award.
The project was developed in response to concerns from a number of indigenous communities about the impact feral pigs were having on local turtle populations. Surveys at nesting sites showed predation rates of up to 100% with evidence that pigs were patrolling beaches each evening looking for nesting turtles.
A two-phase control project combining aerial shooting and follow-up baiting has removed 10,000 pigs from the area, including more than 5,000 pigs from Aurukun in seven days.
The project team worked closely with Indigenous rangers and traditional owners, which was a great benefit to everyone concerned. The rangers and traditional owners were able to provide detailed knowledge of the area and pig habitats and in return they were trained in survey and control techniques.
Responsibility for managing feral animal pests and weeds has now transferred to BioSecurity Queensland, which began operations on 1 March.
For the full media statement visit Queensland Government's media statements.
Sunshine makes way for touring travellers
Domestic tourism is accelerating with the launch of a new southern Queensland touring route.
Premier Peter Beattie launched the Great Sunshine Way touring route at the tourism trade show, the Australian Tourism Exchange 2007.
The drive tourism market is worth $4.2 billion each year to Queensland’s economy and the introduction of the Great Sunshine Way touring route linking the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast with country areas will encourage international visitors and generate more growth in an already lucrative market.
Southern Queensland boasts two World Heritage listed areas, some of the best beaches in the world, food and wine that are second to none and many surprises off the beaten track. This new route will provide an exciting opportunity for people with the time and desire to discover the real Queensland.
The Beattie Government is committed to the development of themed touring routes that maximise the thrill and adventure of discovery and this initiative is an early outcome of the $48 million Queensland Tourism Strategy 10 year plan for tourism.
For the full media statement visit Queensland Government's media statements.
New era for water in SEQ
A streamlined 21st century water management system for South East Queensland (SEQ) water was unveiled in Queensland Parliament.
The reform was recommended to Government by the Queensland Water Commission, which handed over its final report on urban water supply arrangements in SEQ to Government today.
Under the new streamlined structure, the State will assume control and operate the larger water assets that hold, manufacture (desalination and recycled) and distribute bulk water across the south east.
Councils will continue to have an important role in the retail and distribution end - jointly owning a single distribution entity that will be responsible for the domestic pipe network and pumping stations and three retail companies.
For most councils, this will significantly strengthen their balance sheet by removing their exposure to market and volume risk at the wholesale level and it will reduce their debt burdens.
A new statutory authority will be created as the SEQ Grid Manager. The Grid Manager will be responsible for the equitable distribution of water from the State-owned assets to the council-owned companies.
Councils have until November to put their views to the Queensland Water Commission on the structure of their proposed businesses.
For the full media statement visit Queensland Government's media statements.
Water Police attend QPWS croc school
Water Police officers will learn from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) crocodile management experts at a crocodile team leader training course in Cardwell.
QPWS crocodile experts regularly work with officers from the Water Police section of the Queensland Police Service, surveying for crocodiles and maintaining a watch while officers search for evidence in waterways. However, this is the first time Water Police officers have attended crocodile team leader training with the QPWS.
Six Police Officers will learn important skills to work safely in and on the water in croc country.
Additionally, several QPWS officers will also be attending the course. On completion of this training QPWS will have 21 staff qualified in crocodile restraint and capture at the team-leader level. Another 49 have been trained to a competent level in crocodile management, bringing the total number of QPWS staff with crocodile expertise to 70.
This training will ensure they have the best knowledge to approach and deal with any circumstances that arise involving crocodiles, to ensure community safety and security.
For the full media statement visit Queensland Government's media statements.
New rural rents arrangements for Category One landholders
New rural rent arrangements for Category One pastoral landholders in Queensland will ensure land managers will not be facing massive rent hikes of up to 5000%, which was possible under the old system.
Instead, under the Government’s reform package, future increases in pastoral lease rents will be capped at 20% per annum for the next decade.
At present the average weekly rent for grazing leases in Queensland is $15.50. The 20% increase in the first year will take it to $18.60. The Queensland Government will progressively be moving Category 1 rents towards 1.5% of the unimproved value of land. This will ensure that the community receives an equitable return on its asset.
Nearly 65% of Queensland is leased to rural landholders. It is State land owned by Queensland taxpayers. Even though many pastoral leases are still in drought, the pastoral lease sector has experienced very large valuation increases - hundreds of percent in some instances.
Over the past two years, the Beattie Government has frozen rent increases to assist landholders in the grip of the drought. As a result, Category 1 lessees have saved about $30 million in rent payments.
Rent arrangements for lessees in other categories, such as commercial and residential, will be addressed during the next 12 months.
For the full media statement visit Queensland Government's media statements.
Super-computer to support climate change science
A new state-of-the-art "super-computer" is being purchased to support the work of Queensland's climate change scientists and to replace the existing high-performance computer system, which is no longer up to the job ahead.
Climate change research requires substantial computing capacity and $3 million has been allocated towards the cost of replacing the existing technology located at the Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence at Indooroopilly.
It will give the centre's 44 scientists the necessary computing speed and power to research, predict and monitor climate change and to help plan for and adapt to the changing climatic conditions for our regions, communities, economies and environment. Studies overseas and in Australia have shown there are significant economic benefits to be gained by acting early in response to climate change.
The new computer system will be installed early in 2008.
For the full media statement visit Queensland Government's media statements.
Reef updates
Release team equipped and ready for whale migration
Preparations have been stepped up for this year's whale migration season with Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries officers undertaking pre-season training in marine animal release techniques at Rainbow Beach.
Due to the ever-increasing population of whales travelling along Queensland's coastline, it was crucial that Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers were kept up-to-date on response techniques to ensure caught animals had the best possible chance of survival.
Winter and early spring are the most common times of year for animals to become entangled in the shark control equipment as they head north to calve in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon and with this pre-emptive training, Marine Animal Release Teams will be ready to respond.
It is estimated that around 7000-plus whales undertake the annual east coast migration. Since 1990 just 32 have been caught in the shark control equipment with 28 of those released unharmed.
Members of the public who suspect entanglements should report them immediately to the DPI&F Shark Hotline on 1800 806 891.
For more information on the Shark Control Program visit the DPI&F fish website.
Internships available at Reef HQ
As part of its role of education center for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville is once again offering four internship positions to suitable applicants starting in February / March and August / September 2008.
Each internship position carries a supervised research project, as well as water quality and laboratory duties, that will be the core duties of the candidate. However, interns may also assist Reef HQ staff with animal husbandry responsibilities of all exhibit areas, including feeding, SCUBA diving, field trip assistance, maintenance of aquarium systems and other related routine duties.
This program is designed for individuals intending to undertake a technical or professional career in marine science, aquaculture, or a closely related discipline and provides a unique opportunity for work and study in a tropical setting. University credit is available to qualifying students.
Overseas applicants are encouraged to apply. For further details and instructions for applicants, go to Reef HQ.
The application deadline has been extended to 30 June.
Wetlands updates
Successful wetlands connection day
A Wetland Connections Open Day was held at Springers Lagoon thanks to a $5000 Community Natural Resource Awareness Activity grant.
The Fitzroy River and Coastal Catchments (FRCC) group are using the grant to establish a monitoring and maintenance program to care for the lagoon, a perennial wetland 2km east of Gracemere.
The group hopes to raise public awareness of the value of the waterhole as an environmental and recreational resource and to encourage residents and users to look after this top local spot.
Co-ordinated by FRCC, the day focused on learning about the nationally significant wetland while participating in hands-on activities such as planting trees, presentations and demonstrations.
FRCC business manager Michael McCabe said healthy coastal wetlands helped reduce sediment and excess nutrients flowing into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. During the dry season, Springers Lagoon provides a refuge for wetland plants, fish and other animals while in the wet season the lagoon connects with coastal flowing streams and salt water estuaries of the southern Fitzroy floodplain.
It's also important to increase community awareness of the natural and recreational value of wetlands, such as Springers Lagoon and the Wetland Connections day grant has helped achieve this.
Story courteous of the Rural Weekly
Natural resources news
Climate specialists in Brisbane
Some of Australia's leading climate specialists were in Brisbane last week for this year's Natural Resources Week conference.
Minister for Natural Resources and Water Craig Wallace said the Climate Change conference had speakers who were experts in their fields and climate change is one of the most significant issues facing us today.
Social commentator, university lecturer, writer and broadcaster Dr Keith Suter presented a look at how the issue of climate change could evolve over the coming years. He also looked at how current world attention on climate change and the environment compares to other times when the issue was in the spotlight.
Other presentations included Dr Bryson Bates, a Climate Science Leader with the CSIRO who focused on how future climate change could have a sizeable impact on our ability to balance water supply and demand.
The afternoon session featured a round table discussion by a panel of invited experts on the future it's up to us ending a highly successful day.
For the full media statement visit Queensland Government's media statements.
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 web site 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:
Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA) - two positions
Position: Catchment Field Officer - Boyne Calliope Sub Region
Salary: $48,950 - $59,641 based on knowledge & experience
Location: Calliope
Position: Catchment Field Officer - Boyne Calliope Sub Region
Salary: $48,950 - $59,641 based on knowledge & experience
Location: Preferably Dawson River Catchment, however negotiable with FBA
Thought for the week
“The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.”
American science fiction writer Frank Herbert (1920-1986)
We welcome your contributions and feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions for The Bugle please contact Carl Glen or Shona Strachan.
To view past issues of The Bugle visit the regional NRM web site.
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 05 May 2009