The Bugle - 30 May 2008
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories- Road to recovery for South West properties
- Life's a beach in Sarina
- Daniel hits the road, a long way from home
- The natural wonder of St Lawrence discovered
- Aligning to tackle climate change in Queensland's North-West
- Investing in little ways
- TSRA and Qld TAFE join forces
- Pasture success 'like winning Lotto'
- Project to boost conservation of endangered Quoll
- Places filling fast for the MBI training in Brisbane
- Minister inspects feral pig eradication program
- New fish habitats under protection
- Water purchase secures rights to 35 billion litres for the Murray-Darling
- Thorny karroo weed controlled on Darling Downs
- Working together – cross-cultural story takes out award
- SEQ's water warriors announced
- Strategy to improve the health of SEQ waterways launched
- Get set for Veg Futures 08
- Soils symposium seeks sustainable future
- CSIRO consolidates its agricultural research
- Fishing for clues on dugong numbers
- Call for nominations for outstanding restoration projects
- AgForward workshop update
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
Road to recovery for South West properties
Five properties in South West Queensland have put their pastures on the road to recovery.
'Glenvalley Station', 'Baroona', 'Bowalli', 'Kuballi' and 'Woodstock-Waratah' have been successful with their applications to South West Natural Resource Management's (South West NRM) Pasture Recovery Initiative.
The Pasture Recovery Initiative sees landholders paid to spell their pastures for a set amount of time.
Ric Newson, South West NRM's acting operations manager, said the initiative would give pasture a chance to recover and regenerate.
"Without the grazing pressure there, we’ll see the grass return to a more natural state," Mr Newson said.
The area marked for recovery totals 33 791 hectares being spelled for an average of 31 months.
Mr Newson said the initiative is an important step in achieving sustainable landscapes in South West Queensland.
"The different properties cover a variety of areas in the district and they’ll really benefit from the Pasture Recovery Initiative," Mr Newson said.
"It'll be interesting to see what effect taking away grazing pressure for a while will have on those different areas," he said.
Visit South West NRM's website for more on the Pasture Recovery Initiative.
Life's a beach in Sarina
Over 60 people from industry and community gathered at Grasstree Beach in Sarina for the launch of the Sarina Beach Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project earlier this month.
Mackay Whitsunday NRM Group was fortunate to have three Federal Ministers in attendance.
The Honourable Tony Burke, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry officially opened the project. Also present were Ms Kirsten Livermore, member for Capricornia, and Mr James Bidgood, member for Dawson.
Sarina Landcare Catchment Association and Mackay Whitsunday NRM Group also took the opportunity to have Minister Burke present Coastcare medals to those volunteers who have helped on with the project.
The Sarina Beach Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project is a three year project to rejuvenate the seven Sarina Beaches.
Mackay Whitsunday NRM Group aims to expand the project to include Mackay beaches and Whitsunday.
Daniel hits the road, a long way from home
Condamine Alliance has begun its annual survey of land management practices at more than 400 sites in the Condamine catchment, supported this year by the services of University of Southern Queensland student, Daniel Boitshoko.
Dan is from Botswana and will be returning home after he completes his Bachelor of Spatial Science, majoring in Geographic Information Systems, in June.
He has joined the Alliance's land management technical officer, George Lambert, on the 600 kilometre-long survey route over the past few weeks, assessing whether management changes have contributed to increased ground cover.
The current recommended practices (CRP) survey will continue as a key Alliance activity after it qualified for funding by the Australian Government's Caring for our Country program.
Condamine Alliance relies on its survey findings to measure the adoption of CRP in farming and grazing lands. It also provides the data from its surveys to key stakeholders including Landcare, industry, and state government agencies, outlining the risks facing natural resources in the catchment, based on the collection of CRP adoption information as a surrogate for resource condition.
Survey outcomes can then be incorporated at NRM planning and investment stages by key stakeholders and Condamine Alliance.
For more information contact Phil McCullough or George Lambert at the Alliance on 4620 0102. To read to full story visit the Condamine Alliance website.
The natural wonder of St Lawrence discovered
The internationally significant St Lawrence wetland got the star treatment it deserves at a community celebration last week.
Around 80 people took the chance to learn more about the Broadsound region's unique plants and animals at the St Lawrence Wetlands Discovery Day on Thursday 22 May.
The event was organised in partnership between the Fitzroy Basin Association Inc (FBA), Fitzroy River and Coastal Catchments Inc, and the Fitzroy Basin Elders Committee.
FBA coastal and marine coordinator Shane Westley said the event gave locals the chance to celebrate and explore the wetlands with tours, information displays, and a free BBQ lunch.
Tours included a visit to a fishway recently installed at the wetland by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, where Alana O'Brien explained how the structure improved upstream movement of migratory fish between marine and freshwater environments to breed.
Allan Briggs from Birds Australia Capricornia gave a presentation about bird life supported by the wetlands and people had the chance to do a bit of bird watching.
Roger Jaensch from Wetlands International Oceania spoke about wetland ecology, and John McCabe from the Environmental Protection Agency also gave a presentation. FBA water quality officer Rachel Bryan conducted a demonstration of water quality testing techniques.
The Mayor of Isaacs Regional Council, Cedric Marshall and the State Member for Mirani, Ted Malone, also attended and shared their local knowledge with the crowd.
For more information contact FBA's media and communications coordinator Jody McDonald on 4999 2816.
Aligning to tackle climate change in Queensland's North-West
Southern Gulf Catchments (SGC) in conjunction with the North Queensland Area Consultative Committee will hold a North West Climate Change Alliance forum on 17 June in Mount Isa.
The event will be attended by Betty Kiernan, State Member for Mount Isa, who will introduce Greg Withers, the CEO of the Office of Climate Change for the Queensland Government.
Mr Withers, the principal author of ClimateSmart 2050: Queensland's Climate Change Strategy 2007, will speak about climate change, its implications for the region and what communities can do in response.
The forum is open to all community members to increase understanding of the effects of climate change on their region and to allow residents and stakeholders to raise their concerns.
"The forum is for the many sectors of this community to come together to seek information and awareness, to discuss and plan initiatives, to set priorities and to act," explains SGC CEO Donald Coventry.
Mr Coventry said the forum is based on other successful models involving all aspects of the community and aims to build capacity and cohesion, not to act just as a lobby group.
"The need to both understand and plan for the short and long term changes will enable a unified and effective community response to this event," Mr Coventry said.
To learn more about attending the forum, please contact the SGC office on 4743 1888 or free call on 1800 676 242.
Investing in little ways
Today's children are tomorrow's leaders so Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) has been busy investing in its future.
This week's 'Under 8s Week' had a strong environmental theme and DCQ took the opportunity to interact with the youngsters at the Longreach Child Care Centre.
Ron Beezely DCQ's pest management officer took his boomerang and didgeridoo to demonstrate and talk to the children about Aboriginal culture.
DCQ resident 'nature boy', Steve Wilson (regional coordinator) took cane toads and a green tree frog to show the kids and discuss the differences between what belongs and what doesn't, while Jeff Poole, project officer and gardening guru, took his worm farm to show how the little creatures recycle scraps into rich compost for the benefit of home and garden.
Our children are our future, and DCQ's motto is 'investing in our future'.
For more information on the work of DCQ, call 4658 0600.
TSRA and Qld TAFE join forces
The Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) and Tropical North Queensland TAFE have joined forces to deliver training for aspiring Torres Strait business owners.
The two organisations have developed an eight-week small business course to provide participants with the know-how and skills to transform business ideas into reality.
Students learn the principles behind small business management and are also given the opportunity to prepare and submit a business plan to a TSRA business consultant.
The course involves training blocks at the Torres Strait and Cairns TAFE campuses. Through the course, participants can also apply for a business loan and mentoring with TSRA.
Tropical North Queensland TAFE Institute director Joann Pyne said four of the tailored small business courses would be delivered this year.
"It's a great program that provides practical training and outcomes for participants and is also a great example of organisations working together for communities," Ms Pyne said.
"The first program commenced in March and attracted a total of six students. The next program is scheduled for June and I encourage anyone with an interest in operating a small business to contact Torres Strait TAFE to find out more," she said.
Story sourced from the Cairns Post
Pasture success ‘like winning Lotto’
Bill and Lyn Dahlheimer manage the Tangalooma Brahman Stud on their 485 hectare property 'Campbell Camp', which is located south of the township of Brigalow on the banks of the Condamine River.
The property comprises undulating Brigalow Belah country and flooded Coolabah river flats, which in better seasons have supported an abundance of native pastures.
Following the heartbreak of seasons over the past few years, Bill and Lyn couldn't be happier with the success of their recently established pasture. They are strong advocates of the Brigalow-Jimbour Floodplain Group Pasture Plan and believe their pasture is a great advertisement for Landcare and Condamine Alliance.
"It's a great scheme," Bill said. "People have to be willing to participate and they’ll benefit from being part of Landcare. It provides subsidy on grass seed and equipment to use and hire.
"It's fabulous, it's like a dream come true and I didn't think I'd ever see grass like that again, it's like winning the Gold Lotto... you always think and expect that you'd see it on someone else's place."
For more information contact Nevin Olm from the Brigalow-Jimbour Floodplain Group on 4665 2206 or visit the Condamine Alliance website for the full story.
Project to boost conservation of endangered Quoll
They're small and furry, but little is known about the endangered Northern Quoll population.
A jointly funded project, to be launched this weekend, will provide a better picture of this largely overlooked marsupial, and encourage better appreciation of its benefits to the ecosystem.
With research showing community attitudes as being imperative to the conservation of Quoll populations, the Townsville City Council has joined with the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland and the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM group to fund the establishment of a Quoll Seekers Network (QSN) in Townsville which will add to the existing databank of information on the animal's habits.
Dr Scott Burnett, a lecturer in wildlife ecology from the University of the Sunshine Coast with many years of experience in Quoll research will coordinate the project which will run for three years, with the public encouraged to become involved
Dr Burnett will offer a Quoll presentation at the project launch on Saturday 31 May, followed by a survey techniques workshop for members of the public interested in joining the QSN. On Sunday 1 June, workshop participants will have the opportunity to put their newfound skills into practice as they join Dr Burnett on the Quoll Seekers Network's first Quoll survey in the Townsville region.
Members of the public interested in the project should contact Andrew Hannay at Townsville City Council on 0449 903 104.
Government updates
Places filling fast for the MBI training in Brisbane
Learn more about market-based instruments (MBIs) by attending one of 18 two-day workshops which will be conducted throughout Australia.
The first workshop held in Townsville (29-30 May) was very popular. If you missed this workshop you still have two opportunities in Queensland to learn more about MBIs.
Two workshops will be held in Brisbane; the first has a general MBI focus and will be held on the 5-6 June. The second will focus on peri-urban issues with designing MBIs and will be held on the 4-5 August.
Regional NRM groups and government staff with an interest in MBIs are invited to attend these free two-day workshops which aim to increase the capacity of government policymakers and regional NRM groups to use MBIs such as offsets, conservation tenders and cap-and-trade mechanisms as tools to assist in the management of natural resources.
The training will provide information on what MBI policy options are available and how to use them.
There will also be practical examples and hands-on activities that explore the design of MBIs. A number of products such as fact sheets, case studies, an online documents library, and support tools such as a decision support tool and a metric essentials tool will be shown, in addition to demonstrating the online MBI community developed for MBIs.
The workshop facilitators will help participants gain an understanding of how to use MBIs in their work and develop an online peer support group, using the Designer Carrots website, to enable participants to continue to gain support as they apply their learnings into their workplace.
The Designer Carrots website will host additional online training electives which participants will be able to access.
Up to 30 places are available at each workshop, so registering for the workshops is essential. To register visit the Designer Carrots website.
Minister inspects feral pig eradication program
Queensland Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation, Andrew McNamara, went on the trail with feral pig trappers during a visit to Ingham as part of Community Cabinet.
Mr McNamara took time out to meet local pig trappers and landholders to be briefed about the feral pig eradication program.
"The Environmental Protection Agency is spending $140 000 this year across the Wet Tropics on the control of feral pigs," Mr McNamara said.
"The work done in the Ingham area, where about 120 pigs have been removed this year, is a good example of the success of the program,” he said.
The focus of the program is on pig trapping activities on the EPA estate and on privately owned properties which adjoin protected areas.
"Managing feral animals and pest plants is a vital part of the EPA's management of parks, forests and other lands under its responsibility," Mr McNamara said.
Mr McNamara said that significant cooperation exists between the EPA, neighbouring landholders, local council and community organisations to target problem areas, and to develop and implement eradication programs.
New fish habitats under protection
Queensland fish and their habitats are even more secure with the announcement of two newly-declared Fish Habitat Areas.
Cleveland Bay in Townsville and the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, have been given protection as declared Fish Habitat Areas in recognition of their environmental and economic importance.
Declared Fish Habitat Areas offer protection to natural fish habitats from alteration and degradation associated with coastal development in the area. However, declared Fish Habitat Areas are still open to all forms of legal fishing and allow boating and community access.
With the addition of these two declarations, Queensland now has 73 declared Fish Habitat Areas providing protection for more than 880 000 hectares of high-quality fish habitat.
The Cleveland Bay declared Fish Habitat Area stretches from just south of the mouth of the Ross River and around to Cape Cleveland and includes parts of Bowling Green Bay National Park.
The Fitzroy River declared Fish Habitat Area includes part of the Fitzroy River estuary, Raglan Creek and the wetland systems surrounding North Curtis Island.
The declared Fish Habitat Areas will have no effect on any approved development projects, and there will be no further restrictions on existing commercial or recreational fishing activities.
Water purchase secures rights to 35 billion litres for the Murray-Darling
The Rudd Government's $50 million water buy-back will secure entitlements to 35 billion extra litres of water for Murray-Darling Basin rivers, Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator
Penny Wong, announced last week.
"The Rudd Government's $50 million water tender has been a success, attracting interest from willing sellers across the Murray-Darling Basin," Senator Wong said.
"Purchasing water entitlements is a crucial step toward improving river health," she said.
Senator Wong said the government was finalising purchases in seven of the Basin's 18 sub-catchments.
Water is categorised into a range of different products which are priced to recognise how often the water is likely to be available. 'High security' water is available more often than 'general security' water.
The water purchased will be a mixture of both 'high security' and 'general security' water. Around a quarter of the 35 billion litres will be 'high security' entitlements.
Thorny karroo weed controlled on Darling Downs
Southern Queensland landholders have been warned to watch for, and more importantly report, the invasive weed, karroo thorn (Acacia karroo), found on the Darling Downs.
Karroo thorn is an extremely spiny tree that can reach 12 metres in height and has large, double-pronged spikes up to 10 centimetres long.
Acacia karroo is a declared Class 1 pest under the Land Protection Act 2002 in Queensland and, if found, must be eradicated.
"This invasive plant is extremely drought tolerant and can grow in dense, impenetrable thickets that suppress grasses and small plants," Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries, Tim Mulherin, said.
"Mature plants can produce up to 19 000 seeds a year, which can last up to seven years, making this an extremely noxious weed with the ability to spread if not destroyed quickly."
Based on climatic conditions, karroo thorn would be suited to south-eastern Australia and southern Queensland and could be spread by animals, wind, water and humans.
Anyone suspecting a plant is karroo thorn, or any other invasive pest species, should contact DPI&F on 13 25 23 or their local council.
Visit the Queensland Government website for the full media release.
Reef updates
Action stops ghost net haunting the sea
A two-tonne ghost net was hauled out of the water near Milman Island off Cape York as part of a multi-agency retrieval operation.
It took five field officers from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), Customs and the Water Police approximately nine hours to retrieve the ghost net from Christmas Reef.
Ghost nets are fishing nets that are either lost accidentally, deliberately discarded, or simply abandoned at sea; they travel with the ocean current and can damage the environment and vessels.
Mick Bishop from GBRMPA praised the officers' action in retrieving the ghost net that was reported by a trawler operator after the net became entangled in his vessel.
"This is a great example of Australian and Queensland Government agencies working together to rid the marine environment of a damaging ghost net," he said.
Ghost nets posing a traffic or shipping hazard can be reported to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on 1800 641 792. Ghost nets found in the Marine Park can be reported to GBRMPA on 3830 4919 (24-hrs).
Visit the GBRMPA website for the full story.
Wetlands updates
Queensland wetlands workshops hit the road
The Queensland Wetlands Programme is running a series of free workshops around the state to provide government and local council representatives, conservation and industry groups with an opportunity to view the latest information and tools for managing wetlands.
The one-day workshops offer opportunities to consider local case studies, to network with wetland managers and a chance to provide feedback on current wetland management activities.
The workshop will be held around Queensland on the following dates:
- Brisbane – 2 June
- Cairns – 5 June
- Rockhampton – 10 June
- Mackay – 18 June
- Toowoomba – 23 June
- Townsville – 4 July
If you are interested in attending or for further information please email Angela Reed or call 3006 4621.
Natural resources news
Working together – cross-cultural story takes out award
Toowoomba Landcare Group has won a cash prize for its digital story submitted as part of the Landcare Queensland digital stories project Our Land: Your Story.
Funded through a Department of Natural Resources and Water (NRW) Community Awareness Grant, volunteers from five different community Landcare and catchment groups in Queensland participated in a Landcare PlaceStories training workshop held in March. During the Landcare PlaceStories workshop participants learnt how to create short digital stories to promote their activities which are hosted online.
Of the stories produced as a result of the Our Land: Your Story project, the groups were asked to submit their best story to be judged against a set of criteria, reflecting the theme of the NRW Community Awareness Grants, 'Working together – protecting, repairing and restoring the environment'.
Shakuntala Ram, NRW's Community Partnerships, senior project officer, assisted Landcare Queensland with the judging of the PlaceStories and extended her congratulations to the groups who submitted stories.
"The submitted stories were all of a very high standard; Toowoomba Landcare Group's story about its India Sister Catchment Project narrowly came out on top, meeting all of the judging criteria," said Ms Ram.
Ms Ram went on to say, "The India Sister Catchment Story was a great example of how a relatively small group, good at what it does, can expand beyond its own boundaries to share information and knowledge and broaden its horizons, these partnerships should be encouraged on not only a national scale, but also closer to home extending across state borders."
The India Sister Catchment story prepared by Toowoomba Landcare Group can be viewed on the Landcare PlaceStories website. Stories published by other groups participating in the Landcare PlaceStories project can also be viewed on the site.
If you would like to find out more about the Landcare PlaceStories project email Chloe Tanner at Landcare Queensland or telephone 3312 4413.
SEQ's water warriors announced
The 2008 Healthy Waterways Awards were announced last week recognising the achievements of organisations and individuals who improve the health of South East Queensland's waterways.
Amongst the winners of the evening, Bremer Catchment Association was recognised for its Peak Crossing Erosion Control Project winning the SEQ Catchments 'Rural Award'.
The Brisbane Airport Corporation 'Community Award' was won by CreekWATCH Acacia Ridge; a program that aims to change the way waterways are cared for in industrial areas.
Information on all the winners of the Healthy Waterways Awards winners and sponsors is available on the Healthy Waterways website.
Strategy to improve the health of SEQ waterways launched
The Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation, Andrew McNamara and Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman officially launched the SEQ Healthy Waterways Strategy 2007–2012 at the Healthy Waterways Awards last week.
An integrated set of action plans, the strategy is designed to maintain and improve the health of the waterways and catchments of South East Queensland.
The strategy was prepared by the SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership; incorporating Queensland Government agencies, all SEQ local councils, research organisations and a range of industry and community groups.
After two years of significant research, consultation, analysis and development, the partners of the SEQ Healthy Waterways Partnership will implement the 500 actions in the strategy between 2007 and 2012.
Professor Paul Greenfield, Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland and chair of the SEQ Healthy Waterways scientific expert panel, said the strategy addressed the impacts of an increasing population on the health of the SEQ waterways.
"The projected population increase to almost 4 million people in SEQ by 2026 could lead to increases of up to 50% in point source pollution from industry and wastewater treatment plants and an increase of up to 20% in diffuse sources of pollution such as sediment run off from rural and urban areas," he said.
"To ensure future development occurs without causing further declines, we must continue to identify and undertake actions to improve the health of degraded waterways and to protect areas of high ecological value.
"The strategy is the main driver for securing the health of our region's waterways. Unless significant action is undertaken, this unacceptable condition is as good as it gets for Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River," Prof Greenfield said.
Information on all parts of the strategy is available on the Healthy Waterways website.
Get set for Veg Futures 08
Greening Australia and Land & Water Australia invite you to Veg Futures 2008 – comprehensive, practical conference about the nation's most pressing challenges for vegetation management in regional and peri-urban landscapes.
Building on the success of Veg Futures 06 held in Albury, Veg Futures 08 will focus on the most pressing issues facing our unique natural landscapes: climate change, water conservation, management, and maintaining and promoting biodiversity within a native context.
Visit the Greening Australia website for more details or to register your interest in attending.
Soils symposium seeks sustainable future
The health of Queensland's soils and a new collaborative approach was the focus of a symposium held in Brisbane recently.
A range of sectors participated in the Soil Health Symposium, including Queensland regional NRM bodies, industry groups, state government agencies, Land & Water Australia (LWA), and the Bureau of Sugar Experimental Stations (BSES).
The symposium focused on three areas, including:
- an update and review of the progress on soil health projects
- industry farm management systems and NRM group soil health activities
- opportunities for the future.
Margie Milgate from Growcom said the group was particularly interested in progress being made by LWA on a soil health 'Knowledge Bank'.
"The LWA Knowledge Bank will be a national bank for holding information about soil health, with agreed messages from across industry, and with a user friendly framework to access information on key management principles and practices to maintain a healthy soil," Ms Milgate said.
A key outcome from the symposium was an action plan that included:
- establishment of a soil health working group to progress the soil health agenda at a national, state, industry and regional level
- agreement to the preparation of a concept paper based on work from the symposium on the agreed needs and opportunities
- development of a communication plan to keep all group members and other identified partners informed on progress.
CSIRO consolidates its agricultural research
CSIRO has decided to consolidate its agricultural research effort so it can continue to provide world class research to underpin the sustainable management of northern Australia's tropical and sub-tropical environments.
According to CSIRO Livestock Industries' chief, Dr Alan Bell, this will necessitate the closure of the Rockhampton's JM Rendel Laboratory and the transfer of its cattle research programs to build critical mass where there is an opportunity to share infrastructure with collaborators.
"Modern natural resource management requires a whole-of-system approach to gain sustainable solutions to the challenges of balancing the needs of rural industry with environmental considerations," Dr Bell said.
In recognition of the critical role that livestock play in the landscape of northern Australia, CSIRO has decided to integrate some of its Rockhampton-based animal science teams with their CSIRO colleagues based at the Davies Laboratory in Townsville.
The remaining science teams in Rockhampton whose work is focused on animal genetics and genomics will be moved to CSIRO Livestock Industries' Brisbane site to strengthen CSIRO's critical mass in this world class research.
However, CSIRO will continue its 55-year long commitment to providing research solutions to Central Queensland's cattle industry by continuing with its current research programs at the Belmont Research Station. CSIRO will continue to lease the 3800 hectare property located 32 kilometres north of Rockhampton for field experimentation.
"CSIRO has worked hard to address the viability issues that have hung over the Rendel Laboratory, particularly since one half of the scientific labs and associated office space were mothballed several years ago," he said.
"Unfortunately our strategies to attract new co-investment in CSIRO livestock science or to attract co-location from other Central Queensland research institutions have not been successful and it no longer was possible for CSIRO to continue supporting a non-sustainable site," Dr Bell said.
Fishing for clues on dugong numbers
Researchers hope a ground-breaking Australian study on wild dugongs will help shed light on why their numbers continue to dwindle.
The joint project, conducted by the University of Queensland and Sea World, allows scientists to examine live dugongs out of the water in a first for Australian biologists.
The five-day fact-finding mission on Moreton Bay, home to one of Australia's most dense dugong populations, saw several dugongs successfully captured and assessed.
After being tackled in the water by a team of up to four people, the animals were taken onboard a research boat to have blood, urine and even tear samples collected.
There are about 100 000 dugongs living in the wild, but they are increasingly affected by humans, and global dugong numbers are falling.
They're vulnerable because they like living in shallow coastal water and many get caught in fishing nets, while a smaller proportion get hit by boats.
In a positive sign for the Moreton Bay dugong population, all the females caught have been pregnant, proving the mammals were doing particularly well in that environment.
Call for nominations for outstanding restoration projects
The Ecological Management and Restoration (EMR) Journal and its parent organisation the Ecological Society of Australia is proud to announce a new partnership with Society for Ecological Restoration International (SERI).
The project is to find the 20 most outstanding on-ground ecosystem restoration projects in Australasia (land, water and atmosphere) and feature them via a weblink to SERI's Global Restoration Network (GRN) website in time for 2009's international conferences of SERI and the International Association for Ecology.
SERI is the world's oldest and most dynamic restoration organisation with high relevance to Australasia. Many projects in Australasia have also developed ideas and techniques of high relevance to the rest of the world.
The selected project managers will gain the right to tag their winning project with an EMR/GRN 2009 'badge' and will be encouraged to develop an online report (guided by EMR's committee) for hyperlinking to an interactive map on the GRN website by 2009.
Nomination forms are available by emailing Dr Tein McDonald, chair of the EMR journal's GRN Working Group.The closing date is 16 June 2008.
For more information on the GRN visit the SERI website.
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:
- 10 June: Crows Nest - AgForests field day
- 12 June: Warwick - AgForests field day
- 17 June: Camooweal - GPS essentials
- 17 June: Winton - Vegetation management workshop
- 18 June: Julia Creek - GPS essentials
- 18 June: Longreach - Vegetation management workshop
- 19 June: Hughenden - GPS essentials
- 24 June: Goondiwindi - AgForests field day
- 24 June: Normanton - Computer mapping workshop
- 25 June: Burketown - Computer mapping workshop
- 26 June: Bollon - AgForests field day
- 26 June: Cloncurry - 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').
AgForward will be taking a break from workshop delivery in July to finalise its schedule for the period August – December, so if you’d like to arrange workshops in your region please contact Bree in Brisbane on 3238 6039 or download our expression of interest form and fax it to Brisbane on 3236 3077.
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 or NRMjobs 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:
Organisation: Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA)
Title: Regional manager
Location: Mackay
Closing date: 2 June
In this role, key tasks will be to source and plan environmental and heritage projects in conjunction with relevant project partners and successfully manage the day-to-day activities of an office and field based teams. Building and maintaining strong business relationships with partner organisations to promote CVA as a key player in environmental projects is imperative in the role. Occasional travel will be required.
If you would like to make a positive difference to our environment and would enjoy managing various teams and projects please email your CV and a statement of address to the key selection criteria.
A full position description with key selection criteria can be located on the CVA website.
Thought for the week
And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.
Abraham Lincoln
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Last updated 30 May 2008