The Bugle - 01 August 2008
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories- New digital case studies for regional NRM
- Rollingstone students gather no moss
- Invasion of the little grass weed
- CYPDA to sign tourism hot spots
- Qld NRM groups receive boost for Indigenous heritage protection
- Fresh answers needed to wild dog problem
- Biodegradable mulch trials: progress in Bowen
- New funds support Queensland efforts for sustainable land management and more resilient ecosystems
- Review looks at the future of Queensland’s stock routes
- Training to prepare farmers for climate change
- NSW crosses the border for a mapping boost
- Technology tracks a history of the land
- New ways to manage grazing land
- Carp in their sights
- Endangered species using new Murray River snags
- AgForward workshop update
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
New digital case studies for regional NRM
You can now see and hear digital stories about achievements being made on the ground through regional NRM bodies and their many partners across Queensland in a flash.
The new Queensland regional NRM section of the PlaceStories website features projects, people and places in state-wide and regional contexts.
The first state-level digital story, Protecting and Expanding Queensland's Nature Reserves, is now live for public viewing on the PlaceStories website.
PlaceStories is hosted by Landcare Queensland in partnership with Feral Arts who are working with landcare groups and regional NRM bodies from across the state in developing a PlaceStories digital storytelling system customised to the specific needs of the NRM network.
Rollingstone students gather no moss
Forty-four children from Rollingstone State School lent a hand to rehabilitate a section of Rollingstone Creek on 25 July - National School's Tree Day.
The traditional owners of the Rollingstone Creek area, the Nywaigi people, are working on a project to rehabilitate the northern bank of Rollingstone Creek just downstream of the local highway. They have been working on the site over the past month, undertaking weed control and preparing the area for tree planting.
The local school children worked together with the Nywaigi team to plant 100 trees at the site. The Rollingstone and District Community Association's Family Support Worker Nathanael Knapp arranged for the school children to help out at the site and to also attend the planting day.
"This project is a worthwhile educational tool in recognition of the traditional owners of the Rollingstone area. Working in cohesion with the Nywaigi people on this community project can only serve to bridge the cultural gap and promote deeper understanding," Rollingstone State School's acting principal Judd Burgess said.
Spokesperson for the Nywaigi people, Nathaniel Surha, had this to say, "Rollingstone falls within the boundary of our ancestors, the Nywaigi people, who are recognised as the traditional owners for various parts of this region.
"We welcome the opportunity to deliver this project because it is a Caring for Country project and it has created work opportunities for three Nywaigi men, including elder Cedric Cassady and brothers Rocky and Leslie Seaton," Mr Surha said.
The Rollingstone rehabilitation project is being funded by Tide to Table - Burdekin Dry Tropics project, a joint project between OceanWatch Australia and Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM.
The area was identified as requiring rehabilitation to restore the fish habitat values of this section of Rollingstone Creek, by removing exotic grasses that have invaded the creek, cleaning up litter in the area and planting a fringe of vegetation along the creek.
Contact Tide to Table – Burdekin Dry Tropics project manager Carla Wegscheidl on 0431 777 483 for more information.
Invasion of the little grass weed
North Queensland graziers and land managers participated in a grader grass field day at Undara in North Queensland recently.
Grader grass (Themeda quadrivalvis) is an invasive exotic high biomass annual grass that is increasing its distribution in northern Australia.
The field day was the culmination of a two-year project funded by the Burdekin Dry Tropics, Northern Gulf and Southern Gulf Catchments NRM bodies.
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) organised the field day, where management techniques to control the pest weed were demonstrated.
Studies being undertaken by DPI&F weed experts is giving land managers an insight into the destructive potential of grader grass.
DPI&F Biosecurity Queensland project leader Dr Wayne Vogler said if grader grass was left unchecked, it could dominate large areas of northern Australia's savannah grasslands.
"Given an opportunity it can quickly out-compete native vegetation, and our studies show that it can re-establish after bushfire events by rapid seedling establishment following early wet season rainfall," he said.
This means that infestations can significantly impact the profitability of grazing enterprises by reducing the productive capacity of pastures, as well as severely degrade conservation areas.
Researchers have also explored the viability of various herbicide and cutting control measures as well as its nutritional value compared to native and introduced pasture grasses.
"Landholders wanting more information about the research can contact DPI&F Business Information Centre on 13 25 23 or their local government office," Dr Vogler said.
CYPDA sign tourism hot spots
Tourists visiting Cape York Peninsula will soon have much better guidance when it comes to exploring this famed wild and beautiful region.
The Queensland Government has announced funding of $150 000 for the Cape York Peninsula Signage Project.
The funding will go to the Cape York Peninsula Development Association (CYPDA).
This project will plan, design and erect appropriate tourism road signage throughout Cape York Peninsula and also meets a target of the Draft Cape York Peninsula Tourism Development Action Plan.
The signage will define the key drive tourism route and alternative drive tourism routes.
Funding has previously been provided to the CYPDA for initiatives including the establishment of a community bank, horticultural brand development and tourism database development.
Visit the CYPDA website for more on its work.
Qld NRM groups receive boost for Indigenous heritage protection
South West NRM and Queensland Murray-Darling Committee projects were among 49 recipients of federal funding for Indigenous heritage projects across Australia.
The funding announced earlier this month is part of the Indigenous Heritage Program. Projects in this round are spread across the country and share a common aim: to maintain and protect Indigenous heritage values as an important part of Australia's heritage.
South West NRM's Connecting and Caring - Stock Route Country and Culture project will conduct a cultural heritage survey leading to the development of a management plan for the future management of the stock route network in the Paroo and Murweh Shires.
Queensland Murray-Darling Committee's Wuurriyalay Winangay project will identify and protect cultural sites across southern inland Queensland. Traditional knowledge and skills will be passed to the next generation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in culturally appropriate ways.
A full list of the projects that have received 2008/09 Indigenous Heritage Program funding is available at the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website.
Fresh answers needed to wild dog problem
Wild dogs are an increasingly savage problem in western Queensland, and the methods used to deal with that problem need review, according to a local landcare group.
To start the dialogue the Upper Thomson Catchment Landcare Group and Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) have asked the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries' senior biosecurity zoologist Lee Allen to talk to interested community and landholders.
Mr Allen is one of Queensland's most experienced wild dog researchers and will present some of his recent findings on seasonal movements of wild dog.
Mr Allen said he believed wild dog predation was steadily worsening in the west, as fewer workers were employed on larger properties, and baits were used less frequently because they posed a risk to an increasing number of working dogs.
Wild dogs were one of the biggest issues facing western graziers at present, Upper Thomson Catchment Landcare president John Fischer said.
"It is an increasing problem, some properties would lose up to 600 sheep a year between shearing and crutching," he said.
"While the old ideas might not be wrong, it seems that what we are doing to fix the problem is not working. There are lots of arguments and opinions out there, so this will be an open forum to look at new approaches," Mr Fischer said.
The forum will be held at the Muttaburra RSL Hall on August 7 at 1pm. Lunch and afternoon tea will be provided, so for catering please RSVP to DCQ on 4652 7823 by 1 August.
For more information contact Mr Fisher on 4658 5640 or the group's secretary Sarah Jane Fysh on 4658 5616.
Biodegradable mulch trials: progress in Bowen
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries' (DPI&F) Bowen Research Station is currently trialling biodegradable mulch, which may solve an ongoing issue for the district's fruit and vegetable growers.
Polyethylene mulch is a staple in many trickle irrigation production systems, particularly in crops such as tomatoes, melons, capsicums and zucchini. The mulch helps growers reduce their water and fertiliser use, suppresses weeds, as well as delivering higher yields and a better product.
The disposal of the polyethylene mulch is an on-going issue. DPI&F researchers have trialled alternative mulches for a number of years. Up until now, all have failed due to varying factors, including prohibitive cost, failure to biodegrade or being unusable in a commercial context.
After two seasons of trialling at the research station, a biodegradable mulch, which originates from Italy but is manufactured in Australia is performing well.
The 12 micron product should be more price-competitive with the standard polyethylene mulch than the 15 or 20 micron product.
The trial is made possible with funding from the Bowen District Growers Association and Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM as part of the Queensland and Australian Governments' commitment to Reef Plan.
Government updates
New funds support Queensland efforts for sustainable land management and more resilient ecosystems
The Great Barrier Reef and Queensland's Burdekin Dry Tropics rangelands are among the beneficiaries of a $25.7 million Caring for our Country 2008-09 regional investment funding package announced this week.
The package will fund a range of activities across Queensland to further build on sustainable land management practices and maintain or rebuild resilient ecosystems.
The scope of projects is broad and ranges from protecting endangered species of plants and animals that help to sustain the ecosystems in which they live to rehabilitating selected habitats, controlling weeds and pests, and reducing sediment run-off into inland and coastal waterways.
In the Burdekin, for example, $2.6 million in funds will deliver improved land management practices on a regional-scale to reduce land degradation and soil erosion that currently spills more than 4.5 megatonnes of sediment into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon each year.
Farmers and graziers across Queensland will also benefit from a range of investments that aim to improve land management practices on an individual property and regional scale.
Landholders across regions and landscapes will be encouraged to develop individual property plans that could feed into larger scale regional plans. Such plans would then guide pest management, sustainable grazing land management, habitat protection and rehabilitation, soil conservation and salinity management activities now and in the future.
For more information visit the Australian Government's NRM website.
Review looks at the future of Queensland's stock routes
Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace has released a landmark review aimed at improving the management of the 'long paddock' – Queensland's 72 000km stock route network.
The report's recommendations include a user-pays model to properly fund local governments that manage stock routes.
The Improving the management and use of the stock route network report also recommends the stock route be divided into active and inactive routes, with differing levels of management. The Queensland Government is asking for public comment before it decides which recommendations it will and will not adopt.
The review was done by the Stock Route Assessment Panel, made up of groups which manage and use stock routes – the Local Government Association of Queensland, the Droving and Stock Routes Association, AgForce Queensland, and the Land Protection Council.
Mr Wallace said the biodiversity and environmental values of stock routes was a significant factor driving the need to protect and ensure their sustainability.
"The connectivity of stock routes provides corridors for native wildlife to relocate and adapt in response to climate change," Mr Wallace said.
A summary report of the proposals can be accessed on the Department of Natural Resources and Water website. Public comments on the review must be emailed to the department by 31 August.
Training to prepare farmers for climate change
Primary producers and industries will have access to specialised training to help them deal with the impacts of climate change under the new $26.5 million FarmReady fund.
The new FarmReady fund is part of the $130 million federal government's Farming Future initiative, which aims to ensure Australia's $38 billion agricultural industries are resilient into the future.
Over four years, FarmReady will focus on areas such as whole-farm planning, business and risk management and understanding the implications of climate change.
Primary producers will be able to apply for grants of up to $1500 each financial year to attend approved training courses, which will help to cover travel, accommodation and childcare costs.
Industry associations and farming and NRM groups will be able to apply for grants of up to $80 000 each financial year to help support their members in adapting to climate change.
The first courses are expected to begin in the next few months.
For more information visit the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry website.
Reef updates
Prime Minister visits Reef
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Minister for Climate Change and Water Senator Penny Wong, have been in Far North Queensland this week to inspect coral that's recovering from a bleaching event around the Low Isles, just off the coast near Port Douglas.
Marine scientists say the bleaching caused by rising sea temperatures is only a relatively recent phenomenon and its frequency and intensity is increasing.
Mr Rudd said his government is delivering on its election commitment to improve the quality of water entering the reef, which he says will combine with the recently announced carbon pollution reduction scheme.
"This represents a clear pathway forward for the nation, a clear pathway forward for those concerned about the preservation of this great Australian asset," the Prime Minister said.
Wetlands updates
WetlandLink goes national
Until now information on the WetlandLink website and the quarterly WetlandLink e-newsletter has been specifically relevant to landowners on the NSW coast with insights for wetland managers the world over, but that's about to change over the coming months.
As a result of recent changes in funding arrangements, WetlandLink is expanding and will now include wetland news from around Australia and selected international articles.
To keep up-to-date with events the WetlandLink e-newsletter will now be emailed monthly to subscribers
WetlandLink is provided by WetlandCare Australia and designed to bring together significant wetland news to assist landholders and NRM professionals to care for wetlands efficiently and effectively.
WetlandCare Australia welcomes articles for WetlandLink which can be forwarded by email to the WetlandLink coordinator Kate Heyward.
Visit the WetlandLink website for information on subscribing to the e-newsletter.
Natural resources news
NSW crosses the border for a mapping boost
The multiple award winning Queensland Spatial Imagery Capture Project is now attracting interest from New South Wales for its well received training services to land managers.
Spatial imagery staff from the Namoi Catchment Management Authority (CMA) travelled to Brisbane from Gunnedah last week to advance their skills in using geographical information system (GIS) and global positioning system technologies. Led by the Queensland Regional NRM Groups' Collective (the Collective), the training was extended to provide an interstate spatial imagery service for the first time.
The successes of the spatial imagery coordination and services provided to land managers in Queensland are looked upon as role model cases for interstate learning. Leith Hawkins, information manager from Namoi CMA was interested to see how NSW could benefit from Queensland's experience.
"We don't have an active GIS network in NSW like Queensland, so this training has been good for getting feedback on what we do and learning from others' experiences. This training is a stand out point for us in our work and has given us more practical information than in other courses."
Mr Hawkins was also interested in others in NSW to benefit from this knowledge.
"This is a good opportunity to see how this information could be applied in NSW," Mr Hawkins said.
The Collective coordinates the purchase of the largest single spatial imagery capture in Australia and provides training to regional NRM body staff and on-ground land managers to enhance the delivery of projects and programs.
The Queensland NRM Spatial Imagery Capture Project was developed from an identified need to coordinate the capture of NRM spatial imagery across Queensland, build capacity amongst the regional NRM bodies to understand and use spatial imagery, and strengthen coordination of spatial imagery information between the regional NRM bodies, stakeholders and government agencies.
For further information see the Collective's website.
Technology tracks a history of the land
Most successful grazing enterprises keep a close eye on the accounts to make sure there is sufficient cashflow, workers are paid and debtors minimised. Many would regard it as a necessary evil of every business.
The same strategic approach to land management is what can separate the successful grazing enterprises from those struggling season to season.
Until recently, the tools for decision-making have been limited to a grazier's intuition and memory of pasture condition transposed onto a static map or satellite image. What has been missing is the link between management actions and geographical information that tracks condition changes.
Years of scientific research by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F), the Department of Natural Resources and Water, CSIRO, universities, and other experts is delivering a more complete understanding of soil, grazing impacts, ground cover and water flows.
Through this work, technology has delivered land managers some useful tools to gather information to make better decisions about improving land condition, and this information is now more widely available through land monitoring projects funded by the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM and the Fitzroy Basin Association.
Satellites give us photographs of the same land for more than 30 years, providing a history of how the land reacts to the seasons and the impacts of grazing and weed spread. This unique perspective also can give land managers an opportunity to assess climate change impacts.
Smart graziers are realising how gathering this information can help them achieve greater efficiencies in their production systems. For example, destocking at the right time during prolonged dry spells will allow a speedier recovery in land condition.
Many are accessing training programs such as the Grazing Land Management Education package offered through a partnership between Meat and Livestock Australia and DPI&F, or taking advantage of DPI&F's extension services for access to this information.
DPI&F is enhancing its services to meet the need to package complex monitoring information into formats that demonstrate their business value to land managers, which will help them make decisions that improve productivity while maintaining or improving condition.
For more information contact Bob Karfs via the DPI&F Business Information Centre on 13 25 23.
New ways to manage grazing land
Landholders in the Upper Burdekin Rangelands have worked closely with a range of organisations to recognise and implement improved management practices through a variety of different approaches.
The Dalrymple Landcare Committee (DLC) has had a hand in many of these approaches and today is continuing to help landholders pave the way for best management adoption in its region.
Through the 20 year history of the group, over 55 projects have been funded through state and federal government initiatives such as the Natural Heritage Trust, National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, and National Landcare Programme.
The DLC continues to work towards improving best management practices in its region and has worked closely with landholders, research agencies, Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM, and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
Its Piloting Adoption of Grazing Best Management Practices for Improving Water Quality in the Burdekin Rangelands program received $403 638 as part of the recent federal landcare funding.
For further information contact John Nicholas of the Dalrymple Landcare Committee Inc on 4761 5170.
Carp in their sights
A collaborative project is targeting noxious carp in the south western Queensland section of the Murray-Darling Basin.
Headed by the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corp (SMEC) and CSIRO, the project is measuring the benefits of various practical methods of carp control to the health of river ecosystems.
The study, funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, will run for 30 months at two lagoons in the Macintyre catchment.
Megan Purvis, riverine technical officer for the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee, says carp have invaded a large section of southern Queensland's rivers, creeks and dams.
"The impacts they have on the cleanliness of the water and food sources can have really dire effects on habitat, vegetation and our native fish species," she says.
Dr Peter Gehrke, SMEC's natural resources manager, wants to identify the degree to which carp numbers can be reduced using simple methods.
"We also want to identify the environmental response to carp removal," he says.
The SMEC team removed about 350 carp from Rainbow Lagoon using net and electrofishing techniques.
Combined efforts from recreational anglers, SMEC and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries staff during the Goondiwindi Carp Cull resulted in the removal of more than 900 carp.
Story sourced from The Courier Mail
Endangered species using new Murray River snags
Scientists are excited that several native fish species, including the endangered trout cod, have been found thanks to new river snags between Hume Dam and Yarrawonga along the upper reaches of the Murray River.
The re-snagging project, which began in 2006, is funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) to replace logs and dead trees at strategic places in the river to act as habitat for fish to spawn, feed and to avoid predators.
The project has already seen more than 3000 large woody habitats (snags) placed in the river with about 1000 more to be placed in 2008-09.
The initial results are very exciting and further monitoring efforts in coming years will help refine exactly what role the new snags will play in the recovery of native fish populations in the river.
The project is a partnership between the MDBC, the Victorian North East Catchment Management Authority, NSW Department of Primary Industries, NSW Department of Water and Energy, and the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment.
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.
Upcoming workshops include:
- 12 August: Mossman - Computer mapping essentials
- 13 August: Atherton - Computer mapping essentials
- 14 August: Mt Garnet - Computer mapping essentials
- 19 August: Cunnamulla - GPS essentials
- 19 August: Taroom - AgForests essentials
- 20 August: Eulo - GPS essentials
- 21 August: Charleville - GPS essentials
- 21 August: Warwick - AgForests essentials
- 26 August: Belyando Crossing - GPS essentials
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 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:
Regional body: Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA)
Title: Senior natural resource management officer
Salary range: $80 270 - $90 798
Location: Thursday Island
Closing date: 15 August
This position offers an exciting opportunity to undertake challenging legal work within a small but busy and dynamic office to provide high quality legal advice and services to native title holders and claimants in the Torres Strait. The senior natural resource management officer will coordinate the implementation of eight Torres Strait Island Dugong and Marine Turtle Management Plans and facilitate a continuation of planning to Torres Strait Island communities.
For further information relating to this position please contact Damian Miley on 4069 2957. To obtain a copy of the selection criteria for this position email TSRA or visit the TSRA website and click on the employment link on the homepage.
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Thought for the week
Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I'll remember. Involve me and I'll understand.
Confucius
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Last updated 04 August 2008