The Bugle - 04 April 2008
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories- Desert Channels Queensland hits the dirt
- $605 000 is a good incentive to improve water quality in the Lower Burdekin
- Spot the quoll at Myall Creek Day
- New maps and language to make fisheries regulations easier
- $10 million invested in Queensland's regional events
- $180 million to build the national reserve system
- Workshops to foster community involvement in monitoring for Reef WQIPs
- First Australian CReefs expedition underway
- Volunteers hit the shore
- Farmers warned rain has given life to noxious weed
- Coastcare and Borders unite in plastic bag fight
- Turtle group given funds for satellite research
- Warming world holds threats for Australian wildlife
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
Desert Channels Queensland hits the dirt
Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) is clocking up the kilometres as its on-ground staff follow the path of the sun and the rivers across its mighty region. Over 70 property visits must be made before the end of June this year to acquit more than 150 projects.
Steve Wilson, Dave Thompson, Brett Carlsson and Ron Beezley are regularly out of the office visiting landholders and inspecting and acquitting projects.
This not only fulfils government reporting requirements, it keeps the team in touch with grass-roots land managers while building and strengthening the relationships that are the foundation of DCQ's success.
For more information on the work of Desert Channels Queensland call 4658 0600.
$605 000 is a good incentive to improve water quality in the Lower Burdekin
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM is offering Burdekin cane growers and graziers a total of $605 000 in a unique incentive scheme designed to improve water quality on their properties.
The Lower Burdekin Water Quality Improvement Tender received 87 applications for the scheme inviting landholders to provide a description and cost of actions they would take to improve water quality. The Burdekin Sugar Experiment Station (BSES) and the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) assisted landholders with their tender applications. Thirty-three tenders, providing better water quality at the lowest cost, were selected.
The tender prices ranged from $1500 to $130 000, with total bids of nearly $2.2 million.
BDTNRM spokesperson Diana O'Donnell explained the scheme was similar to a grant - with one important difference.
"Instead of prescribing actions and offering fixed premiums to the landholders, we allowed them to tailor their submissions to suit their circumstances," Ms O'Donnell said.
Successful tenders pledged to construct recycle pits, change irrigation systems, purchase shielding sprayers, reduce the use of residual pesticide and fertiliser as well as adopt new grazing and cane management techniques.
The tender was offered to all cane growers in the Lower Burdekin and graziers in the Haughton River, Barratta Creek, Stones Creek and Landers Creek catchments.
Ms O'Donnell said it was important to improve the water quality of the region for the benefit of fresh water systems, rivers, wetlands and groundwater.
"It is also a key strategy to securing the health of the Great Barrier Reef and its multi billion dollar contribution to the regional economy through tourism, commercial fishing, and cultural and recreational activities," she said.
It is also hoped it will reduce nitrogen content by 125 tonnes, residual pesticide by 58 kg and 490 tonnes of sediment in the run-off, drainage and groundwater on the selected properties.
Spot the quoll at Myall Creek Day
Tiger quoll or spotted-tail quoll, the endangered and largest marsupial carnivore surviving on mainland Australia, will feature at next weekend's Myall Creek Day.
Lovers of Australia's unique wildlife will be able to get up close and personal to quolls and other rare and endangered species on 12 April, when Dalby holds its Myall Creek Festival. Among the other cute and cuddlies that will be on hand is rufus betong or 'mini-wallaby', courtesy of Geckoes Wildlife Presentations.
Myall Creek is an important wildlife corridor between the Condamine River and Bunya Mountains, said organiser Terry Ryan of the Friends of Myrall Creek group.
"There are many pressures on the creek because, as anyone who lives in Dalby will tell you, people use the creek walkway from dawn to dusk every day, while upstream you have cattle in the stream and other sources of pollution," Mr Ryan said.
"That's why we need to get the community involved in its restoration, improving water quality and so on, because it is only when the community and governments work together that solutions emerge to solve its problems."
Other highlights of the day include a birdwatching walk, carp fishing competition, native plant stall, weed management techniques, and community tree planting. The Myalla Boubaghan Yarning Circle of local Aboriginal women will be providing entertainment with a traditional flare.
Myall Creek Festival is organised by Friends of Myall Creek with funding and support from Dalby Regional Council, Condamine Alliance, Greening Australia and North East Downs Landcare. For more information about the festival contact Terry Ryan on 4669 8114.
Government updates
New maps and language to make fisheries regulations easier
Adhering to fisheries rules and regulations will be made much easier for Queenslanders with the introduction of the Fisheries Regulation 2008.
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said the revised legislation would feature clearer language and descriptions, incorporate the use of maps to demonstrate some regulated waters and would remove duplication of legislation that was part of the Fisheries Regulation 1995.
Mr Mulherin said no major changes to the actual rules had been applied, but rather changes were aimed at the wording and structure of the regulation.
"The new regulation achieves the same or similar fisheries resource management outcomes as the 1995 Regulation, but in a clearer, more consistent and less regulatory way," Mr Mulherin said.
"But I must emphasise that the proposed changes to fishing rules which have been outlined for the Inshore Fin Fish Fishery which is currently under review have not been incorporated in any way in to the new regulations.''
Modifications to the Fisheries Regulation 2008 include removing redundant or spent provisions, correcting any errors in past regulations and ensuring the regulation has appropriate regard to fundamental legislative principles. Certain changes to existing terminology have also been included within the new legislation such as:
- 'closed seasons' and 'closed waters' to 'regulated waters declarations'
- 'prohibited fishing methods' to 'regulated fishing method declarations'
- 'prohibited fishing apparatus' to 'regulated fishing apparatus declarations'.
For more information on the Fisheries Regulation 2008 visit the Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries website.
$10 million invested in Queensland's regional events
The Queensland Government has now invested more than $10 million in regional events through the Queensland Events Regional Development Program (QERDP), Premier Anna Bligh said this week.
The $10 million landmark was reached as the Premier announced the allocation of $950 000 for a further 38 events under the QERDP's latest - and 14th - funding round.
"Be it Toowoomba's Gospel Music Festival, Goomeri's Pumpkin Festival, the Croyden Poddy Dodgers or the Julia Creek Dunnart Festival - they have all been assisted by the great program," Ms Bligh said.
"The events funded through QERDP have proven their ability to boost local economies, bring communities together and raise the profile of their region throughout the state, country and, in some cases, across the world."
"Variety abounds. From the country's only reggae music festival and the moving Drumley Walk, a three-day pilgrimage through the traditional lands of the Yugambeh Aboriginal people, these events showcase the colour, character and history of our diverse state."
The Maryborough Technology Challenge, which sees high school students investigate alternative energy sources to power boats, cars, robots and miniature dragsters, has been awarded almost $50 000 per year over the next three years under the Significant Regional Event Scheme.
Queenslanders wanting information about QERDP and the application process can call the secretariat in Townsville on 1300 881 255 or visit the Queensland Events website.
Round 15 will close 1 August for projects held from 1 January 2009 up to and including 30 June 2010.
$180 million to build the national reserve system
Visiting the Namadgi National Park near Canberra, Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett this week announced a $180 million boost to Australia's National Reserve System, as part of the government's $2.25 billion Caring for our Country initiative.
"This new program has clear priorities, including targeting bioregions with low levels of protection. These include the sub-tropical savannah from Cape York to the Kimberley, the Mitchell grass country of north-west Queensland, and arid central Australia."
Mr Garrett said $180 million would be rolled out over the next five years, to help partners such as conservation groups, farmers, Indigenous communities and all levels of government to create new reserves and protected areas.
"The network of protected areas that forms the National Reserve System is Australia's safety net against climate change, helping to conserve our rich biodiversity.
Mr Garrett said the program would also work towards building stronger partnerships with local government, particularly in protecting remnant bushland in peri-urban areas such as western Sydney and south-east Queensland.
"Caring for our Country is about restoring the health of Australia's environment, helping to make it better-protected, better-managed and more resilient as we deal with the impacts of climate change."
For more on Caring for our Country visit the Australian Government's NRM website.
Reef updates
Workshops to foster community involvement in monitoring for Reef WQIPs
The Department of Natural Resources and Water's State Community Waterway Monitoring Team is running a series of workshops on community-based monitoring for water quality improvement plans (WQIPs) in Great Barrier Reef regions.
These workshops bring together a diverse range of participants, including WQIP coordinators, regional and sub-regional community monitoring coordinators and other regional NRM body and agency staff involved in waterway monitoring and NRM, to identify and develop opportunities for community participation in WQIP waterway monitoring activities.
The first workshop in the series was held in Townsville on 22 February and attracted a good range of participants despite the recent flooding and flurry of event monitoring activities. Coordinated by Toni Radcliffe and Amber Perry from NRW, key presentations were contributed by Jane Waterhouse from the Reef Water Quality Partnership, and Chris Manning from Townsville City Council. The Queensland Murray Darling Basin Committee's Paul Webb attended to share knowledge and experiences from his region with attendees and transfer learnings from the Burdekin back to the Murray Darling.
The workshop was well received, with participant feedback recording an increased understanding of how community-based monitoring programs can potentially contribute to the Reef WQIPs. Paul Webb's participation and case-study presentation were considered a key strength of the day, and the project team intends to facilitate further opportunities for cross-regional knowledge-sharing within this workshop series.
Over the next few months further workshops will be held in each of the remaining Reef WQIP regions – Wet Tropics, Burnett, Fitzroy and Mackay Whitsunday.
These workshops have been made possible through funding from the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
For more information contact Toni Radcliffe, project officer, on 3362 9384.
First Australian CReefs expedition underway
Knowledge of life on coral reefs will be boosted when a team of scientists led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) heads for Lizard Island, north of Cairns, for the first CReefs Australian expedition.
CReefs is the coral reef component of the Census of Marine Life, a global network of hundreds of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. The world's first comprehensive census will be released in 2010.
AIMS has assembled a team of 25 scientists and support staff drawn from AIMS and a group of Australia's natural history museums and herbaria to head to Lizard Island for the three-week survey. The expedition, led by AIMS researcher Dr Julian Caley, will systematically search waters around the island for species previously unknown to science.
"We can't protect what we don't know exists or know how well we are doing it without comprehensive knowledge that can serve as a baseline," Dr Caley said. "We hope this proejct can go some way to reversing this decline in capacity."
Specimens collected from the sites will be analysed by taxonomic experts who will describe and name new species, publishing their results in global, publicly available databases and scientific publications.
There will be similar expeditions later in the year to Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef off the coast of Western Australia.
For regular updates on the Lizard Island expedition visit the CReefs website.
Wetlands updates
Northern scientists stop acid in its tracks
When East Russell landholder Rebecca Breaden planned to re-establish a former wetland on her property to improve local biodiversity and water quality, she went to the right people for advice.
Ms Breaden has been working with the Russell Catchment coordinator, Andrea Bryan, from Terrain NRM and Department of Natural Resources and Water (NRW) scientists to re-establish a 7.3 hectare wetland on her old sugarcane farm near Babinda in Far North Queensland.
"We're hoping this wetland, which is on on existing floodplains, will provide benefits for the Great Barrier Reef by reducing the amount of nutrients and sediment getting into the river and flowing from there to the Reef," Ms Breaden said.
Mr Morrison and NRW scientists Jeremy Manders and Luisa Stephens visited the proposed wetlands site where they drilled two soil cores and conducted field peroxide tests. They also sent samples to NRW's Natural Resource Sciences in Brisbane for further analysis.
Mr Morrison found strong acid sulfate soils at a depth of only one metre saying "These were some of the strongest acid sulfate soils we've found. If they had been exposed to air, we would have needed up to 300 kilograms of lime per tonne of soil to neutralise the acid produced".
Mr Morrison said it was important for landholders and developers to get soils advice from experts before cutting drains or excavating soil in low-lying areas.
The 18-month project is funded by the federal government's Envirofund program and Rebecca with in-kind support from Terrain NRM and Russell Landcare and Catchment Group.
Natural resources news
Volunteers hit the shore
The Queens Beach foreshore in Bowen will be a better place to be thanks to the efforts of a group of volunteers last week.
Six overseas members of the Better Earth organisation joined forces with the Bowen Coastcare Group and Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM to rehabilitate an old coastal revegetation site that had become inundated with introduced grasses and other weeds.
The Better Earth team members came from Belgium, Holland, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom and enjoyed Bowen's hospitality, which included a barbecue lunch with community leaders last Sunday.
Better Earth is an award winning program that has been managed by Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) since 1982. Each year its volunteers plant more than a million trees, collect 1000 tonnes of native seed for revegetation and reforestation projects, and build more than 300 km of walking tracks and boardwalks.
Better Earth team leader Ross Gelling said by removing the non-native species from Queens Beach, which included guinea grass, panic grass, buffle grass and a host of others, the native grasses would have a chance to flourish and take hold of the area.
Local students were also due to visit the site yesterday afternoon to discuss the importance of the work and gain an appreciation of the value of volunteers.
Volunteering with CVA is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, meet new people and learn new skills, while making a difference to the environment. To get involved phone 1800 032 501 or visit the CVA website.
Farmers warned rain has given life to noxious weed
The National Parthenium Weed Management Group has warned that recent rain and flood events across Queensland have provided ideal germination conditions for parthenium weed.
National coordinator for parthenium weed Peter Austin advised landholders that due to the recent events, parthenium weed seedlings were not only likely to emerge in known areas, but may also appear in new areas.
"Parthenium weed is capable of spreading rapidly as the plant responds quickly to rain and has ability to flower within four weeks of germination," Mr Austin said. "Landholders and councils need to be aware that the next 4-6 weeks is the critical time to find and treat plants before they set seed."
Funding provided by the Australian Government has enabled the screening of a parthenium advertisement across major TV networks over the March/April period. The emphasis is on identification and reporting with the theme 'If you see parthenium report it'. Screening will occur in areas of New South Wales, the Northern Territory, and southern and western Queensland as it's important that people in these areas where parthenium has not yet established to be on the lookout for the plant.
"Landholders who find new infestations are urged to contact their local council," Mr Austin said.
For more information on parthenium weed contact your nearest local government office or visit the Weeds Australia website.
Coastcare and Borders unite in plastic bag fight
A new Coastcare and Borders Books initiative, launched in February, to reduce the number of plastic bags polluting Australia's beaches and oceans has already seen an average 70 per cent reduction in the number of customers accepting the bags when shopping with the booksellers.
Borders' managing director John Campradt is amazed at the early success of the scheme. "In the first stage of this initiative we were only expecting a 20 per cent reduction in the use of plastic bags instead of the average 70 per cent reduction we've been seeing," Mr Campradt said.
Borders customers now have a number of choices when they purchase a product. They can choose to either not have bag, or purchase a re-usable Borders black enviro bag or calico bag. Customers can still choose to have a plastic bag but they are charged 10 cents per bag.
Money from bag sales will be donated to fund Coastcare projects looking after marine animals injured by plastic, and to assist groups in their work cleaning up and restoring the Australian coastline.
Coastcare chief executive Brian Scarsbrick said, "There are over 2000 Coastcare groups all over Australia and one of the major problems many of them face is having to deal with discarded plastic bags on our beaches and in the ocean."
"Our initiative with Borders will help these groups tackle the menace of these plastic bags which not only pollute the environment but also kill marine creatures."
Turtle group given funds for satellite research
The Townsville-based Sea Turtle Foundation has been given almost $20 000 to fund a new satellite research project in order to learn more about the threatened species.
Australian Geographic presented the cheque to the foundation's representatives in Sydney last week.
The foundation's Sara Bell says the money will be used to fit up to six sea turtles with satellite transmitters.
"We'll be able to follow a nesting sea turtle as she does her journeys up and down the beach, many times over the season and then be able to see where she goes afterwards - whether she'll swim back to Papua New Guinea or Indonesia or the Solomon Islands," she said.
Story sourced from ABC Online
Warming world holds threats for Australian wildlife
Climate change is likely to transform many of Australia's natural landscapes, according to new study by CSIRO scientists.
Author of the report, Implications of Climate Change for the National Reserve System, Dr Michael Dunlop said climate change is forcing environmental scientists to rethink their approach.
"Traditionally, conservation has focussed on preventing change or restoring landscapes toward a pre-European state, but we now have to accept that change is inevitable, and it's happening quite fast," Dr Dunlop said. "Some animals and plants will be found in places where they've never been before, and other will disappear from areas where they were once common, and for many regions the look, sound, and smell of the landscapes we are familiar with will gradually change."
The report confirms that Australia's 9000 protected areas are critical for nature conservation in a warming world, but Dr Dunlop says new protected areas will also be needed.
National Park rangers and local conservationists will be on the front line in helping nature adapt to climate change, and Dr Dunlop warns they may be up against some new and worsening threats.
"For example, it will be harder to provide enough water at the right times to maintain wetlands; mangrove systems will be squeezed between urban areas and rising sea levels; and more frequent, intense fires may turn some forests to woodland, and some woodland to grasslands," he said.
AgForward workshop update
The AgForward team present a range of workshops to landholders, including GPS essentials, computer mapping, vegetation management, and AgForest's native forest field days.
Between March and June this year AgForward will conduct around 107 workshops throughout Queensland. Upcoming workshops include:
- 15 April: Cunnamulla - GPS essentials
- 15 April: Bowen - AgForests Field Day
- 15 April: Birdsville - Computer mapping workshop
- 16 April: Charleville - GPS essentials
- 16 April: Birdsville - GPS essentials
- 17 April: Augathella - GPS essentials
- 17 April: Mackay - AgForests Field Day
- 18 April: Windorah - Computer mapping workshop
To register for the workshops contact Bree Robertson on 3238 6039. To register for the AgForests Field Day contact Rohan Allen on 0408 769 918.
More information on these workshops can be found on the AgForward website (under 'Workshops').
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:
Regional body: South West NRM
Title: District project coordinator
Tenure: Full-time, 12 months from 1 July 2008, with possibility of extension
Location: Based within Cunnamulla Shire
Closing date: Thursday 24 April 2008
The purpose of the position is to:
- promote and represent the organisation and its mission to the community through providing advice and assistance to landholders concerning natural resource matters
- coordinate and manage the implementation of South West NRM projects in defined portions of the Nebine/Mungallala and Warrego catchments
- feed information and insights about natural resource matters from the community back to South West NRM and other public and private organisations.
For further information contact South West NRM's programs manager on 4654 7382 or visit the South West NRM website.
Thought for the week
A learning experience is one of those things that say, "You know that thing you just did? Don't do that."
Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
***
We welcome your contributions and feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions for The Bugle please contact Carl Glen, Shona Strachan or Aleisha Domrow.
View past issues of The Bugle.
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 22 January 2009