The Bugle - 28 November 2008
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories- Qld regional NRM delivered in RGC annual report
- 1080 baiting program for feral pigs in Tully area
- New chair for Northern Territory NRM board
- Townsville beaches get a facelift
- BMRG funding launch and information session
- Dinner to honour local hero
- Queensland environment and landholders benefit from new funding
- National parks earn $4.43 billion for Queensland
- Fine for animal cruelty increasing to $100 000
- Gatton State School makes it a Waterwise double
- Grants encourage community to protect natural resources
- QRAA provides $275 million to producers and small business
- Pucker up for a kiss under the Aussie Christmas Bush
- Queensland Weed Symposium call for abstracts
- Fun family outings at Mon Repos
- Presentations from the National MBI Forum are now available
- Twenty video MBI interviews now available
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy in huge land buyout
- Coastcare calendar sets the scene for Coastcare week
- Science improving the ecological health of the Basin
- Indigenous values guide northern waters research
- AgForward workshop update
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
Qld regional NRM delivered in RGC annual report
The Qld Regional NRM Groups Collective’s 2008 Annual Report: delivering across the regions has been released. Regional bodies deliver NRM outcomes every day and this work has been presented in the report through another daily delivery mechanism, mailboxes. A range of charismatic mailboxes from around Toowoomba’s countryside were photographed and these pictures have been used to deliver information on the pages of this year’s annual report.
The Collective’s annual report highlights key achievements made in regional NRM over the 2007–08 financial year. The report features reflections of issues and actions faced by regional NRM bodies and their partners, a state map, regional bodies’ contact details, state achievements, state-wide and cross-regional stories and more.
See the annual report on the Collective’s website.
1080 baiting program for feral pigs in Tully area
A feral pig baiting program using 1080 baits will be undertaken in the Tully district from 1 December 2008.
The Tully Integrated Feral Pig Control Committee has proposed to run a co-ordinated 1080 poison baiting program across a number of properties to coincide with the end of the sugar cane harvesting season.
Bart Dryden, project manager for landscape rehabilitation with Terrain Natural Resource Management said that as laying 1080 poison baits is restricted by legislation, the committee will employ a local pig control contractor, Boar Busters, to help landholders identify targeted areas on their properties where baits can be laid.
The Committee have arranged for the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries staff to lay the baits as only authorised officers from the DPI&F, and Local Government can lay baits under Queensland legislation.
Assistance is also being provided by Tully Canegrowers and the Cassowary Coast Regional Council to identity hot spots to be targeted by the program.
Landholders can contact Tully Canegrowers on 4068 1077 or Paul Smith from Boar Busters on 0427 406 887 to register their interest to be part of the baiting program and to obtain information packs on the legal requirements for 1080 baiting.
New chair for Northern Territory NRM board
Kate Andrews has been appointed as the new chair of the Northern Territory’s NRM Board (NRMB).
Ms Andrews has worked in NRM for more than 20 years and presently works as a consultant in the field. She has held roles including Chief Executive Officer of a cross-border regional NRM body to business development officer for a national non-government organisation.
Ms Andrews takes over the role from Acting Chair Mike Clarke, who has filled the role since July 2008. The NRMB was established in order to implement a strategic approach to natural resource management through the Northern Territory Integrated NRM Plan and Regional Investment Strategy.
Townsville beaches get a facelift
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM has teamed up with Townsville City Council to improve their spectacular coastal areas. The beaches at Ollera and Surveyor Creeks and Rowes Bay benefitted from a restoration project worth close to one hundred thousand dollars.
Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM Coastal and Marine Coordinator Dr Rachel Allan said, “Investment in the restoration and repair of these areas is critical. They include the nursery grounds for the fish we love to catch, areas of critically endangered beach scrub and sites where endangered little terns nest.”
Ollera and Surveyor Creek beaches, located north of Balgal, are beautifully isolated, significant natural areas that are under threat from irresponsible camping and four wheel driving. Weed infestations, rubbish dumping and damage to native vegetation inspired the project.
Townsville City Council together with Greening Australia planted over 1000 native trees and removed many declared weeds, along with dumped rubbish, including building material, waste packaging, green waste and sheet metal.
Rowes Bay also underwent a conservation facelift. Beach Access Way 10 now has new bollarding to keep wayward pedestrians on course when trekking to the beach. The 100 per cent recycled material bollarding should ensure that dune erosion created from multiple walking paths is kept to a minimum.
For information about this project visit the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM website.
BMRG funding launch and information session
The Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) is holding funding launches and information sessions throughout the Burnett Mary Region over the coming months.
People with an interest in learning more about the new programs being run by Burnett Mary Regional Group and its Partners or that are curious about being eligible for funding should attend one of the information sessions and funding launches.
At each of the launches information will be provided about the Better Catchments, Healthy Habitats, SuperGraze and Reef Rescue programs.
The first event was held in Maryborough 10 November and the second event will be held in Gympie on 1 December at 10.30am. Other locations to be confirmed are Bundaberg and Miriam Vale.
If you would like to know more about these upcoming events please email Kate Lyons or call 4181 2999.
Dinner to honour local hero
As we mark the 90th anniversary of the Great War, we are reminded of the timeless epitaph ‘lest we forget’. Remembrance Day is the day we recall and honour those who served in the ‘war to end all wars’, and people from around the Desert Channels region have the opportunity to remember one particular hero at a gala dinner in Blackall on the 5 December.
Desert Channels Queensland, together with the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council, are proud to sponsor a memorial dinner to celebrate the life and achievements of local World War I hero, Lieutenant Edgar Towner VC, and to raise funds for a commemorative statue to be erected in Blackall’s Memorial Park.
Edgar Towner was born in Blackall and served in the AIF during World War I. He was one of seven war heroes to receive the Victoria Cross for 'most conspicuous bravery, initiative and devotion to duty” on 1 September 1918 at Mont St Quentin in France. After returning to civilian life in 1919, he took up ‘Kaloola’, a grazing property near Longreach.
The Blackall RSL, the Blackall State School, along with the State Government, are also supporting the dinner and project, together with interested individuals and organisations.
For bookings and purchase of tickets call 4657 4889.
Government updates
Queensland environment and landholders benefit from new funding
A project to reduce emissions and improve soil carbon is among 26 Queensland initiatives to share in more than $28.5 million under the Caring for our Country Open Grants which were announced last week.
The Open Grants funding is part of the $2.25 billion earmarked for the first five years of Caring for our Country, launched in July this year.
The projects, ranging from $80 000 to $400 000, with many of the organisations funded through this Open Grants scheme linking up.
The Bunya Biolink – Cooyar Creek riparian zone rehabilitation project, for example, sees Greening Australia join with Queensland government agencies, landholders and community groups to restore and protect Cooyar Creek. This creek is an important watercourse because it is one of the sources of Brisbane’s water supply and it is a critical habitat for the platypus and native White-tailed Water Rat.
Of the 137 Open Grants projects funded across Australia, 72 projects worth approximately $14.4 million specifically address sustainable farm practices and Landcare.
Farmers are particularly affected by damaging weeds so it was important to include weed management projects for example, the Fitzroy Basin Weed Management Strategy. This strategy builds upon past and present weed control projects in watercourses in the Capricorn and Central Highlands sub-regions of the Fitzroy Basin region. This project will focus on controlling four Weeds of National Significance including prickly acacia which has infested over 6.6 million hectares of land in Queensland.
Further information and a full listing of successful grants is available at NRM website.
National parks earn $4.43 billion for Queensland
A recent study which shows the state's national parks are creating more than $4.43 billion a year in tourism revenue has prompted renewed calls for more spending.
Recent figures released by the Sustainable Tourism Co-operative Research Centre showed expenditure by tourists visiting national parks comprised 28 per cent of total tourist spending.
Tourism and Transport Forum's Olivia Worth said she hoped the results would propel government and private-sector groups to spend more on infrastructure projects, such as walks and visitor centers, in national parks.
WWF protected areas policy manager Dr Martin Taylor said the figures showed national parks were an economic powerhouse rather than a money sink as some argued.
Dr Taylor said given Queensland accounted for 30 per cent of the national spend by park visitors, it was ironic it had the lowest proportion of its land area under national park status.
Only 4.8 per cent of Queensland is national park, it is the smallest percentage of any state or territory. The national average is 8.3 per cent.
In March, Premier Anna Bligh announced an increase of land designated as national parks from 7.6 million ha to 12 million ha by 2020.
Fine for animal cruelty increasing to $100 000
Primary Industry and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin has warned citizens that the maximum an individual can be fined for animal cruelty is increasing to $100 000.
Mr Mulherin recently addressed Parliament about the spate of cruelty cases in Queensland and assured the public that there are substantial penalties available under the Animal Care and Protection Act.
"As the Minister responsible for the Animal Care and Protection Act I want to assure people that there are substantial penalties for animal cruelty and they are about to increase,” he said.
From 1 January 2009 the maximum fine for cruelty to animals will jump $75 000 to $100 000 for an individual, and $375 000 to $500 000 for corporations. For breach of duty of care the maximum fine will increase from $22 500 to $30 000 for an individual, and from $112 500 to $150 000 for a corporation.
The maximum prison terms will remain at two years gaol time for cruelty and one year for breach of duty.
Read the full media release on the Queensland Government media statement website.
Gatton State School makes it a Waterwise double
The Department of Natural Resources and Water (NRW) Minister Craig Wallace has congratulated Gatton State School on winning its second consecutive Waterwise award at the Keep Australia Beautiful Green and Healthy Schools State Awards.
The award, part of the Waterwise Schools Program sponsored by NRW, was presented on the Minister's behalf by Member for Inala, Annastacia Palaszczuk at an awards ceremony at Parliament House in Brisbane.
The school has conducted a water audit and has implemented a water saving program that covers both internal and external water use.
The school has installed automatic timers on the outdoor watering systems, rainwater tanks, dual flush toilets and water efficient taps and showers. As a result, the school is now saving in excess of 1000 litres of town water every day.
Minister Wallace said saving water in the State's private and public schools can have a two-fold impact on reducing town water use through students taking the water saving messages home so parents and guardians learn from the same experiences.
Minister Wallace encouraged all school administrators to log on to the NRW website and check out what the Waterwise Program has on offer. They will find a raft of projects which schools and local councils can utilise.
Grants encourage community to protect natural resources
Community NRM groups across Queensland can apply for funding of up to $10 000 to highlight the value of the environment and the need to protect it.
Natural Resources Awareness Grants are offered to fund activities and projects which promote the importance of natural resources in our lives, while encouraging more Queenslanders to become involved in their protection.
Grants of up to $5000 are available to groups such as Landcare, Bushcare, Coastcare and Waterwatch, and up to $10 000 will be considered for projects where there is a genuine collaboration between two or more organisations.
The grants program is encouraging eligible groups to develop entertaining and educational projects that engage the community on natural resource issues.
The theme for this year's grants is Youth working together – protecting, repairing and restoring the environment.
Application forms and guidelines are available from the NRW website or by calling 3238 3165. Applications close on 19 December 2008.
QRAA provides $275 million to producers and small business
In 2007-08 the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority (QRAA), a Queensland Government statutory body, provided more than $275 million in financial assistance to over 14 000 Queensland producers, commercial fishers and small business operators.
Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin released the QRAA 2007-2008 Annual Report in State Parliament and said that it demonstrates the Queensland Government's commitment to strengthening rural communities and industries.
Highlights of the annual report include:
- assessment of more than 16 500 applications across all programs, an increase of 51.5 per cent from the 2006-07 financial year
- delivery of two new programs - the Special Disaster Flood Assistance Scheme and the Queensland Commercial Horse Small Business Emergency Assistance Scheme
- approval of $106.6 million under Exceptional Circumstances to assist primary producers and small business recover from drought
- approval of more than $31.4 million in Productivity Loan finance to 142 producers.
Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin said "In the coming year, we will continue to make further investments in rural and regional Queensland with QRAA having the ability to administer a wider range of programs to businesses and not-for-profit organisations outside of traditional markets."
A copy of the report can be viewed at QRAA website.
Pucker up for a kiss under the Aussie Christmas Bush
Holly, ivy, pine trees and mistletoe are all traditional symbols of Christmas perhaps, but it's time to start celebrating under another red and green flower, the Australian native Christmas Bush.
Christmas Bush is a great substitute for traditional Christmas plants because of its bright red showy flowers with green leaves and its seasonal availability from November through to January.
The 'Aussie Christmas Bush' was fast becoming a vital export crop for eastern Australia. Large volumes of Christmas Bush are selling in overseas markets such as Japan and North America.
In the face of Queensland's water crisis, Queensland scientists are working to improve the water efficiency of the Christmas Bush to enable growers to better manage their limited water supplies.
Scientists are using probes to investigate how water moves through the soil to see if it's reaching the deeper roots of the plant. The aim of this research is to speed up plant growth, improve yield (that is, improve the number of stems and the stem length) and enable growers to better manage their water resources for key Australian natives crops, including Christmas Bush.
The Christmas Bush has a long and colourful history in Australia. The Australian native, known as Ceratopetalum gummiferum, has been used as a Christmas decoration since at least the 19th century.
As early as 1882, boat loads of harvested Christmas Bush were being rowed to Sydney for sale in markets, while today it is almost exclusively sourced from native flower plantations.
To obtain your own Christmas Bush for this year's Christmas festivities, contact your local florist.
Reef updates
Reef fishing over Christmas holidays to go ahead
Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin has announced that he is following scientific advice and backing a recommendation to remove the coral reef fin fish closure that was planned for December - subject to the Governor's approval.
This year, the closures included 22 to 30 October, 21 to 29 November, with the third planned for 21 to 29 December. The closures apply to coral trout, cods and gropers, red emperors, parrotfishes, sweetlips, tropical snappers and sea perches, among others. Fisheries officers police these closures and fines of up to $75 000 apply to those caught fishing coral reef fin fish.
Through spring and summer large numbers of mature fish gather in certain locations in the Great Barrier Reef to spawn. Coral trout, the most valuable of the coral reef fin fish species, generally spawn coinciding with the new moon. This may make them easier targets for concentrated fishing and the closed seasons are used to protect them during these periods.
The Reef Management Advisory Committee has now recommended the removal of the December 2008 spawning closure as a recent independent scientific review of the closures has indicated that removing the closure in December will not impact on the sustainability of these fish stocks. The report found the biological effectiveness of closures was higher in October and November than in December.
A complete list of coral reef fin fish and Queensland's fishing regulations can be found on the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries website or by calling 13 25 23.
Monitoring water quality in the reef catchment
NRM groups, government agencies, and water monitoring organisations now have better information at their fingertips to help them care for the Great Barrier Reef and its catchments, with the release of two new reports.
The Water quality monitoring in Reef catchments (June 2008) report outlines what water quality monitoring programs occurred in the Great Barrier Reef (Reef) catchment during 2002-08.
The second report Water quality modelling for the Great Barrier Reef catchment and lagoon (June 2008) is a compilation of modelling activities undertaken in the Reef catchment during 2002-08.
The reports provide information to help groups work together, share data and experiences, and develop effective monitoring and modelling programs to better manage Queensland’s water quality. This information will also assist the management of the world heritage-listed Reef, and support water quality initiatives under the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan (Reef Plan).
The reports summarise significant monitoring programs underway in Reef catchments since 2002, including those that have since ceased or been temporarily suspended. Future monitoring strategies can build upon this previous work and incorporate critical historical data from these programs.
Both reports were developed by the Reef Water Quality Partnership with support from the Australian Government. The reports can be downloaded from the Regional NRM website. Hard copies can be requested by phoning 3896 9532.
Wetlands updates
Scientific experts to advise on water use for Murray-Darling Basin rivers and wetlands
A panel of scientific experts has been appointed to advise the federal government on the use of water purchased to restore the rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin.
The Environmental Water Scientific Advisory Committee will provide advice to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
Members have been appointed on the basis of their expertise across a range of scientific disciplines, including hydrology, river and floodplain ecology, wetland ecology, ecological risk assessment and the management of aquatic ecosystems.
The committee will provide expert advice on setting environmental watering priorities, monitoring the benefits of environmental flows, and identifying knowledge gaps.
Details about the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder are available on the Environment website.
Natural resources news
Queensland Weed Symposium call for abstracts
The 10th Queensland Weed Symposium will be held at Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon from the 26–29 July 2009. The Weeds Symposium provides delegates with an important forum to educate each other on and promote efficient, practical and safe control of weeds.
The event, held biennially, has become a key gathering attended by a variety of stakeholders including weed control officers, natural resource managers, researchers and government agencies. The symposium is a state-wide conference, with considerable regional, state and national relevance.
The theme for the 2009 conference is ‘Managing weeds in a climate of change’. The symposium will examine changes in weed management over the last two years in respect to the social, environmental, economic and technological advances. It will also look at the adoption of best management practice for more effective and efficient control and reduction of weed impacts.
A call for abstracts is currently open and closes on 14 December 2008. Abstracts may be submitted on the Weed Symposium Queensland website.
Fun family outings at Mon Repos
The turtles are back at Mon Repos Conservation Park near Bundaberg and night tours have resumed.
Mon Repos Ranger in Charge Cathy Gatley said night-time turtle watching tours from now until March are a great opportunity for the public to learn about turtle conservation.
“As people appreciate this amazing natural spectacle, they also realise how vulnerable these creatures are and what we need to do to protect them.
“Tours started 7 November and we’d hosted 1141 people by Monday. Last season about 30 000 people went on a turtle tour, 324 turtles nested, and thousands of hatchlings successfully emerged,” she said.
Loggerhead turtles make up 95 percent of the nesting mums on the 1.5km sandy beach, and lucky visitors may also see vulnerable flatback or green turtles nesting.
Ranger-guided tours operate seven nights a week from 7.00pm until late from November to late March, excluding 24, 25 and 31 December.
Visitor numbers are limited and bookings are essential. Bookings for turtle tours can be made online at book Bundaberg Region website or by calling 4153 8888. Tickets cost $4.95 for a child or senior and $9.35 for an adult. A family ticket for one or two parents and their children costs $22.20.
Presentations from the National MBI Forum are now available
Many of the PowerPoint presentations provided during the highly successful National MBI Forum held in Brisbane in late September are now available as downloadable PDFs on the Designer Carrots website. The presentations are on market-based instruments (MBI) topics from all over Australia in all areas of NRM.
If you attended the forum, these presentations will provide you with a useful recap or provide information on the sessions you missed.
If you did not attend the forum the program included presentation on:
- MBIs in the policy spectrum: keynote thoughts from around the country
- The five most important things learned from the Market Based Instruments Pilot Program (MBIPP) projects: A platform for several Pilot Program projects
- What’s happening in my neck of the woods: a platform for regional NRM groups, NGOs and other implementers
- Best-practice metrics: what are they and why do you need them?
- Getting the right people involved in MBIs: communication and participation
- Sharing the lessons: lessons from seed money projects funded by the MBI Capacity Building Program
- Issues, constraints and opportunities for MBIs in peri-urban Australia
- The cutting edge, what are the latest thinking, research and policy ideas?
- Monitoring and evaluation for MBIs
- Does Australia have the capacity to conduct successful MBIs?
- Lessons and issues from the MBI Capacity Building Program.
Although not all of the presentations are currently available, new presentations will be added in the near future.
Twenty video MBI interviews now available
Twenty video interviews conducted during the highly successful National Market-based Instruments (MBI) Forum in Brisbane in late September are now available on the Designer Carrots website.
The interviewees include people from all over Australia, working in all areas of NRM, from economists and scientists, to regional group project managers. These short video interviews provide an insight into a range of people's MBI experiences.
Each of the interviewees share their experience with MBIs and provide some useful ideas on how to use MBIs effectively. If you are planning to do an MBI or would like to learn how to incorporate MBIs into your programs, these interviews are a great way to get that information.
The 20 interviewees are: Nerilee Boshammer, Kathleen Broderick, Anthea Coggan, Mel Feldmuller, Mike Gooey, Greg Hales, Darryl Harvey, Donna Hazell, Claire Heath, Brett Janissen, Nicola Landsdell, Honorlea Massarella, Margie Milgate, Patrick O’Connor, Hugh Possingham, Rohan Sadler, Jennifer Stace, Vikki Uhlmann, Jill Windle, and Charlie Zammit.
Visit the Designer Carrots website to view the interviews.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy in huge land buyout
The Australian Wildlife Conservancy has bought two huge cattle stations totalling more than 837 000 ha.
The acquisitions are considered critically important because the stations abut national parks. The conservancy has bought the 170 000 ha Piccaninny Plains Station in the heart of Cape York and South Australian's 667 000ha Kalamurina Station which will link a vast area to the Simpson Desert National Park in Queensland's far southwest.
The 1665sq km Piccaninny Plains includes the Wenlock River, which has more fish species than any other waterway in Australia, the Archer River and a magnificent network of wetlands. It abuts the Mungkan Kandju National Park.
Kalamurina is a vast 6800sq km desert wilderness containing endangered species, including the marsupial ampurta and kultarr, about 160 bird species and habitat not protected in national parks.
Conservancy executive director Atticus Flemming said conservancy land was staffed and attention was paid to feral animal and fire control.
The conservancy tries to buy areas where species existed that were not otherwise protected in national parks. After that it aims for strategic buys that would link parks or fill in gaps, as occurred in this instance. Of the conservancy's 20 properties, seven are open to the public, including one in the Kimberley which hosts about 3000 campers a year.
"We always make sure we have infrastructure in place to make sure visitation is compatible," Mr Flemming said, "Eighty per cent of our staff are located at reserves."
The conservancy works with museums, universities and the CSIRO and gets its funds through public donations and, for some projects, the Federal Government.
Source from Courier Mail.
Coastcare calendar sets the scene for Coastcare week
Coastcare Week (1-7 December) is next week and there are a lot of events and activities organised by Coastcare groups around Australia.
These events include activities such as rubbish removal on dunes, tree planting events, guided walks and presentations.
People interesting in participating in these events can visit the Coastcare event calendar which will make it easy to find events located near by. People can also search the national Coastcare directory to find their nearest Coastcare group.
Science improving the ecological health of the Basin
Scientists and water managers from around the Murray-Darling Basin met in Sydney earlier this month to discuss how the health of ecosystems across the Basin will respond to future water availability in the context of a changing climate.
More than 100 researchers and water managers from states across the Murray-Darling Basin shared their knowledge on ecosystem modelling to help improve understanding of the water needs of the environment and to share best practice in managing environmental water allocations.
Co-organiser Ian Overton from CSIRO said researchers shared their approaches to modelling the environment to aid water managers in their task of restoring the environmental health of the Basin’s rivers, wetlands, and floodplains.
“Most importantly, these models are tools that can be used to investigate trade-offs between environmental, economic and social benefits from the future allocation of a shrinking water resource,” he said.
“Through this meeting we can share our approaches to data management, ecosystem modelling and the application of these models for the development of water management plans.”
“Determining environmental water requirements is critical to the new Basin Plan to be developed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority under the Commonwealth Water Act 2007,” Mr Overton said.
Indigenous values guide northern waters research
The value of rivers and wild food resources to Australia's Indigenous people is the focus of new research that will help transform water management in northern Australia.
Indigenous people in the north have a large stake in water resource planning and management based on their distinct cultures, ways of life and substantial land holdings. Yet their interests and values in water are poorly understood by decision makers.
CSIRO researcher Dr Sue Jackson says.“Our research will increase understanding of the importance of river systems to Indigenous people and help water planners and managers take Indigenous people’s water needs into consideration."
“Indigenous people will be able to sit at the table with other water users such as farmers and irrigators and have their water requirements factored into planning,” she said.
The Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK) funded research will record Indigenous people’s social and cultural knowledge relating to water and will survey them to quantify the economic benefit households derive from their use of aquatic plants and animals. Indigenous people will also be employed in the survey and monitoring components of the research and as advisors on river health.
The surveys will involve asking Indigenous people questions such as how many fish they’ve caught or bush cucumbers they’ve collected over the past few weeks and then comparing the cost of purchasing the same amount of food from the community store.
“In what is a ‘first’ for this kind of study, we’ll also be looking at what effect different water levels, or flow regimes, have on the patterns of resource use by Indigenous people," Dr Jackson said.
The research will focus on two catchments: the Daly River in the Northern Territory and the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
TRaCK receives major funding for its research through the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities initiative; the Australian Government’s Raising National Water Standards Program; Land and Water Australia and the Queensland Government’s Smart State Innovation Fund.
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.
AgForward and AgForce have launched AgEssentials. Participants who successfully complete an AgForward/AgForce workshop receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment. The skills from AgForward workshops can be used to gain a Certificate IV in Conservation and Land Management through the AgEssentials program.
Upcoming workshops include:
- 16 December: Rosevale - GPS essentials
- 16 December: Nebo - Computer mapping
- 16 December: Ivanhoe Downs - Complex PMAV Field Day
- 17 December: Boonah - GPS essentials
- 18 December: Esk - GPS essentials
- 18 December: Calliope - Computer mapping
To register for the workshops contact Bree Robertson on 3238 6039. To register for the AgForests Field Days 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/organisation: Terrain
Title: Landscape Rahabilitation Officer
Tenure: Full-time
Salary range: $50,000 - $65,000
Location: Douglas
Contact: Email Karen, call 4043 8000 or visit the Terrain NRM website to attain the relevant selection pack.
Closing date: COB Wednesday 3 December 2008.
Thought for the week
"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises."
Demmosthenes
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Last updated 05 December 2008