The Bugle - 30 January 2009
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories
- New case study on Placestory website
- Governor opens new QMDC facility in Roma
- Agricultural economist to focus on safe Fitzroy stocking rates
- DPI wraps up sustainable grazing project
- QMDC calls for new farmland classification
- Top marks on end of year report for Pumicestone water quality
- NRW Australia Day awards honour MBI “Designer Carrots” team leader
- Nomination of Wenlock Basin as a Wild River
- Eyes in the sky to find Wet Tropics rainforest invader
- Proserpine sugar mill leads by example
- State Government takes the lead in resource for managing natural resources
- Hunt on for Indigenous rangers in jobs program
- Reef Rescue Water Quality Improvement Grants for Terrain
- Reef Rescue begins in Wide Bay
- Mackay Whitsunday launches Reef Rescue
- Weather watch, a record year of extreme events
- Young farmers 'workshop' their way to top
- Winter maize a good alternative to sugar cane on the FNQ coast
- Gardeners respond to weed menace media alert
- Four passionate Queenslanders in the running for prestigious award
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
New case study on Placestory website
The Qld Regional NRM Groups Collective have added another new regional NRM movie clip to the PlaceStories website.
These clips show NRM projects across Queensland and only take a few minutes to watch. You can see overviews of projects across the state addressing the national NRM priorities, outlined through Caring for our Country.
The latest clip is on NRM in remote and northern Australia. You can also check out on this website impressive activities such as Indigenous groups controlling weeds and feral animals, protecting marine life from ghost nets, and getting school kids enthused about saving sawfish. These stories support the activities underway in each of the six Caring for our Country priorities:
- Nature reserves
- Biodiversity and natural icons
- Sustainable farm practices and landcare
- Coasts and aquatic habitats
- Community skills, knowledge and engagement
- NRM in remote and northern Australia.
Visit the PlaceStories website for these inspiring stories. For further details see the Chair’s Reports on the new Qld Regional NRM Groups Collective’s website.
Governor opens new QMDC facility in Roma
The Queensland Governor Ms Penelope Wensley AO opened the new Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) facility in Roma in late December 2008.
QMDC chief executive officer Geoff Penton said the new facility embodied the Queensland Governor’s interest in NRM and landcare matters.
The new Maranoa Balonne Landcare and Catchment Centre includes a resource library for students, teachers, landholders and environmentally conscious people from throughout the catchment.
Specific natural resources targeted by QMDC include land and soils, water, riverine, floodplains and wetlands, weeds and pest animal management, and vegetation and biodiversity.
“At the moment, this work includes invaluable partnerships with six local governments, more than 800 landholders, nine landcare groups, eight Traditional Owner groups, more than 20 schools and a number of research and industry groups to effect wide-scale sustainable natural resource management across the four million hectares of the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin,” Mr Penton said.
“QMDC also offers education and training programs to help increase the knowledge of regional communities to manage their natural resources sustainably and this includes providing field days, education forums and workshops to community members through resources provided by the Queensland and Australian Governments,” Mr Penton said.
For more information about QMDC please visit the QMDC website.
Agricultural economist to focus on safe Fitzroy stocking rates
Agricultural economist Megan Star was appointed on 1 December 2008 by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) at Rockhampton to undertake a 12-month economic modelling project funded through the Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA).
The task ahead is to estimate the economic and environmental tradeoffs of altering grazing intensity for a number of grazed land types in the Fitzroy Basin, and introduce strategies to restore land condition.
Well-documented stocking pressure and pasture utilisation rates can be modelled against recorded sediment run-off measurements from the various land types.
Ms Star said, "the objective is to provide Fitzroy Basin Association with information on the most economical and environmentally sustainable pasture utilisation rate for various land types.”
"This will allow them to implement further strategies to decrease the amount of sediment leaving grazing land," she said.
"Quantifying the economic impacts of restoring land condition will assist the FBA in developing strategies to protect the Fitzroy catchment´s rich cattle grazing resource, maintain long-term industry profitability, and contribute toward the protection of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon system from increasing sediment loads," Ms Star said.
For more information about FBA please visit the FBA website.
DPI&F wraps up sustainable grazing project
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) says 500 land managers across Queensland have learnt new grazing management skills, as part of a four-year project that is now wrapping up.
The sustainable grazing project involved workshops and information days to provide graziers with information on monitoring land condition and estimating pasture yield.
Principal scientist David Phelps says the land managers look after 29 million hectares of the state, and more workshops are likely to be delivered in the future. The federal government, for instance, is looking to deliver training in climate change as well as continued delivery of grazing land management.
Mr Phelps said the DPI&F project, was in partnership with Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ)and South West NRM and covered about 61 per cent of the state of Queensland.
Visit the DCQ website to learn more about the sustainable grazing project.
QMDC calls for new farmland classification
The Queensland Murray Darling Committee (QMDC) has written to the Deputy Premier Paul Lucas, asking him to set up a working group to define what premium agricultural land is.
The prospect was raised late last year in three meetings chaired by Mr Lucas in the state's key mining and resources areas.
It also follows media coverage of several farm groups in Southern Queensland who are objecting to coal mine proposals on their land.
QMDC's chief executive Geoff Penton says it's a complex issue but a new classification could solve part of the problem.
"The state government approval process of mining development has been dealt with on a site by site basis predominantly and we believe it's at the stage now, where from a total land use and regional impact of the energy sector, it really does need a re-think of how approvals come about," he said.
"I guess the implications are that if we're able to come up with some consensus on a new classification of premium agricultural land, how might that then be used from a policy and a mining approval sense," Mr Penton said.
For more information about QMDC please visit the QMDC website.
Top marks on end of year report for Pumicestone water quality
Freshwater streams in the Pumicestone catchment now have significantly better water quality thanks to work undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) in partnership with producers and local communities.
DPI&F sustainable production systems leader Brian Stockwell said the department had initiated a number of projects that had been successful in improving farm soil, water and nutrient management.
"Since 2005 we have been piloting a partnership approach with industry and the community in the Pumicestone area under the $9 million SEQ Healthy Country - FarmFLOW project," he said.
The 2008 Healthy Waterways Report Card shows that freshwater streams in that catchment have improved in four out of five water quality indicators.
The SEQ Healthy Country - FarmFLOW project assists producers in trialing new sustainable and profitable land management practices across the Pumicestone, Lockyer, Bremer, Logan/Albert, North Maroochy and Kin Kin catchments. Participants have attended a range of best management practice demonstrations, field days, training and workshops.
"Hundreds of producers had been involved in the project, which covers issues such as building soil organic matter, nutrient management, minimum tillage systems, grazing and weed management and water use efficiency,” Mr Stockwell said.
In a related project, DPI&F has also worked closely with industry groups and producers to develop new best practice manuals that reinforce the achievements to support the SEQ Healthy Country - FarmFLOW project. One of the new publications is the Strawberry best soil, water and nutrient management practices manual.
The manual will be a great resource for producers wanting to improve their farming systems so that soil and nutrients remain on farm and do not enter waterways. The manual is available upon request from the DPI&F Call Centre on 13 25 23.
The Healthy Country project is delivered in partnership with the Queensland Government, SEQ Catchments, Healthy Waterways and the South East Queensland Traditional Owners Alliance.
Government updates
NRW Australia Day awards honour MBI “Designer Carrots” team leader
Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace presented an Australia Day 2009 Achievement Medallion to Catchment Programs’ Claire Heath during a ceremony at Parliament House this week.
In her career Claire has played an active role in supporting NRM within the Department of Natural Resources and Water (NRW), and also through the work of Landcare and community-based NRM groups.
In 2007 she was appointed co-ordinator of a $1.2 million national Market Based Instruments Capacity Building Program which promoted the use of economic and market-like incentives to encourage better care for Australia's natural resources.
The objective of the program was to significantly expand the knowledge base and skill sets Australia-wide within governments, community-based NRM groups, and others natural resource managers in relation to market-based instruments (MBIs).
In recognition of the incentives concept which MBIs represent, the program was labelled “Designer Carrots” and distinctive branding based on a carrot logo, was developed along with fact sheets, case studies, a cutting-edge Web 2.0 website and twenty training workshops, to provide incentives for getting involved in MBIs.
The results of the project have been presented at national and international conferences and have been extremely well received and a NRM community of over 600 MBI practitioners has been established.
Mr Wallace said "These medallions are an initiative of the National Australia Day Council and part of the official Australia Day honours system. They are a fitting acknowledgement of the outstanding contribution of NRW staff and are testament to the efforts of these officers to the administration of this state."
Mr Wallace said the awards are due recognition of the hard work and dedication of the NRW state government employees. Department officers are often required to tackle difficult and confronting tasks and they do so with professionalism and integrity.
Nomination of Wenlock Basin as a Wild River
Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace announced in mid-December the proposed nomination of the Wenlock basin, located on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, as a Wild River area.
Mr Wallace said the Wenlock basin is recognised as having a high diversity of freshwater fish species and some of the largest breeding populations of estuarine crocodiles in Queensland.
“The proposed Wenlock Basin Wild River Area covers approximately 7435 square kilometres and encompasses the catchment of the Wenlock River and 13 major tributaries,” he said.
The proposed wild river area has near-natural water flows with no major weirs and minimal pollution and sediment movement have also ensured the water quality in the rivers and streams of the basin remain in very good condition.
Mr Wallace said the declaration of a wild river under the Wild Rivers Act 2005 does not preclude all future development in a wild river area.
Activities such as mining, grazing, fishing, eco-tourism, outstation development, and Indigenous cultural activities can all still occur. The Act simply ensures these activities do not adversely impact on the natural values present in a declared wild river area.
The Department of Natural Resources and Water’s Wild Rivers’ team will now commence community consultation regarding the proposal across the Wenlock basin. Submissions on the proposed Wenlock Basin wild river declaration proposal close on 29 May 2009.
Details can be found on the NRW website or by phoning 4039 8281 or 4039 8332.
Eyes in the sky to find Wet Tropics rainforest invader
Biosecurity Queensland officers have taken to the skies in the fight against one of the worst weeds to threaten the Wet Tropics.
Officers spent a week in December flying over rainforests from El Arish to the southern Atherton Tablelands, looking for signs of miconia (Miconia calvescens), a tree that can grow up to 15 metres.
Tropical Weed Eradication project coordinator Mick Jeffery said that miconia was detected in all locations surveyed, including El Arish, Nerada, Mungali and Bellenden Ker.
To control these plants, on ground search and control operations will now follow-up using global positioning systems (GPS) to help target campaigns to specific areas and reclaim native plant and animal habitat.
Four new infestations have recently been discovered in gardens in the Cairns and Cassowary Coast Regional Council areas.
Biosecurity Queensland and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries are also enlisting the assistance of Wet Tropics residents and visitors.
If you think you have seen this plant, call the DPI&F Business Information Centre on 13 25 23. More information on miconia is available on the DPI&F website.
Proserpine sugar mill leads by example
Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace and Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt have congratulated Proserpine Co-operative Sugar Mill for working with the Queensland Government to successfully develop and obtain approval for a Land and Water Management Plan which makes the best possible use of available water for irrigation.
Mill company secretary Ian McBean said “land and water management plans contribute to maximising on-farm and off-farm benefits in the short and long term by improving access to, and utilisation of, water for irrigation purposes.’’
Mr McBean said it was important for industry and other landholders to have these plans to help deliver off-farm benefits as part of responsible agriculture. The Mill has developed and introduced several incentive schemes designed to encourage the adoption of best practice at the farm level.
Minister Wallace said the management plans encouraged landholders to examine all aspects of their irrigation enterprise to determine where improvements could be made and to help minimise any negative off-site impacts.
“Irrigators are required to detail intended farm practices which help achieve efficient water use and avoid degradation of natural resources,’’ Mr Wallace said.
Property-based land and water management plans are required under the Water Act 2000 for all new or additional water allocations being used for irrigation in Queensland. The concept was first introduced in 1997 and is now well established in all areas of Queensland where water resource operations plans are in place.
Visit the NRW website for more information.
State Government takes the lead in providing an online resource for NRM
An interactive website for groups managing Australia’s precious natural resources is proving to be popular, with over 600 members.
Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace said the website was part of a joint government initiative to help assist land and water managers and policy makers to use economic tools to better care for Australia’s natural resources.
“The website created opportunities for groups and individuals involved in caring for and managing our natural environment to network and share information. The site has attracted triple the numbers we’d expected,” Mr Wallace said.
“The site is groundbreaking in many ways. It uses web 2.0 technology to enable individuals to create profiles and network, post blogs and forums, access bulletin boards, download a monthly newsletter and watch videos,” Mr Wallace said.
The website was developed as part of the national Market Based Instruments Capacity Building Program, innovatively called "Designer Carrots" and is managed by Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water.
Twenty new videos were posted onto the Designer Carrots website late last year. The short videos, filmed in 2008, are interviews from respected experts in market based instruments including executive director of Trust for Nature Mike Gooey, program manager of Western Australia’s Blackwood Basin Group Greg Hales and Professor of Mathematics and Ecology at the University of Queensland Hugh Possingham.
Hunt on for Indigenous rangers in jobs program
Eight Indigenous communities, ranging from the Western Desert lands in Western Australia to the Torres Strait Islands off Queensland, will receive $31.1 million over five years to create jobs for Indigenous people and conserve Australia's natural assets.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the projects would provide jobs and training for more than 80 Indigenous rangers, building on the 130 Indigenous ranger positions already created by the Rudd Government's environmental schemes.
The eight Working on Country projects were being funded under the Australian Government's $2.25 billion Caring for our Country scheme. Its goal is to have an environment that is healthy, better protected, well managed and resilient, and that provides essential ecosystem services in a changed climate.
Working on Country employs Indigenous people to provide environmental services. Their work helps to maintain, restore, protect and manage Australia's environment.
"Working on Country is part of our whole of government approach towards closing the gap for Indigenous Australians, and an investment that will bring long-term environmental benefits for the country as a whole," Mr Garrett said.
Visit the Caring for our Country website for more information.
Reef updates
Reef Rescue Water Quality Improvement Grants for Terrain
The Australian Government is injecting $23 million into a major Reef Rescue program as a key part of its Caring For Our Country program. The funds have been allocated across regional natural resource mangement groups and industry bodies along the Queensland coast.
The program will subsidise land based activities that help to improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Terrain NRM and its industry partners have secured $6.8 million for the region over 2008 - 09.
The program is being delivered via Terrain in partnership with industry groups. The Reef Rescue funds include support for Water Quality Improvement Grants for land managers to fund activities that further reduce nutrient, sediment and pesticide loads to the reef.
Program information and funding guidelines for the Water Quality Improvement Grants are now available on the Terrain website.
Reef Rescue begins in Wide Bay
Queensland's first reef rescue projects have been approved.
The $200 million dollar federal government package will begin soon and run for five years as it helps landholders reduce runoff, improve water quality and increase the productivity and sustainability of their businesses.
The Burnett Mary Regional Group is coordinating the program in the Wide Bay Burnett region where the first projects for graziers will be starting soon.
Program manager Mark Caswell says the grants are worth up to $9000 for individual farming businesses.
"Quite often the grazing projects will be about protecting streams on farms from potential bank erosion - so fencing to exclude cattle from sensitive areas," he said.
"Associated with that is off-stream watering points so the cattle are perhaps doing a little bit better with cleaner water away from those creeks," Mr Caswell said.
For more information please visit the Burnett Mary Regional Group website.
Mackay Whitsunday launches Reef Rescue
The Federal Government’s Reef Rescue program was officially launched for the Mackay Whitsunday region in the presence of five federal and state members of parliament and the agricultural industry.
Member for Capricornia Kirsten Livermore and Member for Dawson James Bidgood, presented the $5.8 million cheque to Reef Catchments.
Reef Catchments CEO Rob Cocco said, “what this means for the Mackay Whitsunday region is that $5.8 million is now available to the region in 2008 - 09 to accelerate landholder adoption of best management practices. Approximately 80 per cent of the total funds are to be for ground landholder /industry use, while the remaining 20 per cent is for extension provision and program management."
“Over the next five years, subject to ongoing funding support being of a sufficient amount, the Mackay Whitsunday region will seek to involve 50 per cent of the regions’ land holders in the Reef Rescue initiative.
Reef Catchments Chair Royce Bishop said “Reef Rescue has the potential to achieve outstanding results in water quality improvements by working with agricultural bodies within the region to improve farm management practice. These improved practices in managing nutrient and pesticide use will improve the quality of water entering the reef lagoon, and hopefullly give more resilience to the reef. This resilience may help the reef survive the challenges it faces in the future, including cyclones, storm surges, climate variability and I suspect many others.”
For more information please visit the Reef Catchments website.
Wetlands updates
Celebrating World Wetlands Day 2009
"Upstream - Downstream, wetlands connect us all"
World Wetlands Day is an annual celebration to mark the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971.
On this day each year it is hoped people will be provided with an opportunity to look at local wetlands and their interconnections with the environment.
Wetlands can provide many benefits such as wildlife habitats, filters and recreation areas. But our activities in the river basin can affect them. Both the things we do and don’t do - like not fixing oil leaking from a car or the chemicals we use on our gardens - can wash into creeks and rivers during storms and greatly affect wetlands.
To help people find World Wetlands Day events, there is a list on the Wetland Wiki. This year’s celebrations include artistry, making music, brekkie with the birds, wetland walks and talks, canoeing, rush planting and much more.
There are events listed for Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. If you are organising an event please add it to the website by creating an account and logging on to the wiki, or by emailing the WetlandLink Coordinator.
Natural resources news
Weather watch, a record year of extreme events
The World Meteorological Organisation reports Australian temperatures as hotter than average in 2008, summing up the year as one marked by extreme weather events.
They included floods, severe and persistent droughts, snowstorms, heatwaves, cold waves and the shrinking of the Arctic sea ice to its second-lowest level on record.
The year ranked as the 10th-warmest on record for the planet with temperatures about one-third of a degree above average, despite the normally cooling impact of a La Nina event.
Australia's temperatures were 0.37 degrees above average, making last year the 15th-warmest on record for the nation since 1910, even with La Nina bringing flooding rains to Queensland and NSW.
Young farmers 'workshop' their way to top
A recent survey has found that obtaining information on land and grazing management through training workshops is a key priority for young Queensland farmers.
The 50 young producers surveyed at the Young Beef Producer´s Forum held recently at Roma gave the thumbs up to grazing land management and beef productivity workshops, conducted by the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F).
DPI&F grazing systems extension officer Jane Hamilton said the survey had found that the highest priority for young farmers was for land and grazing management information.
"The respondents also rated highly key learnings gained from attending workshops and forums on herd productivity, business management, herd husbandry and animal health, family communications and farm succession planning," Ms Hamilton said.
"Apart from training workshops, other preferred methods of interaction with the department were field days, using e-tools, including email, departmental webpages, ´webinars´, and through SMS instant messaging," she said.
The DPI&F young beef industry clients´ survey revealed that one-on-one consultation and advice also rated highly as a key interaction with the department.
"The survey was clear in that young farmers felt people were able to conduct their business with the department more easily through a variety of extension methods," she said.
"Some of the farmers called for increases in, and more streamlined knowledge delivery on, beef and land management and easier access to web-based information such as prime notes," she said.
"More than 70% of the young farmers surveyed work on their own or family-operated farms, while the remainder work off-farm in agribusiness banking, consulting or are studying," Ms Hamilton said.
More information is available on the DPI&F website.
Winter maize a good alternative to sugar cane on the FNQ coast
Results from recent trials will help far north Queensland cane growers weigh up the pros and cons of planting maize as a profitable winter crop in 2009. The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) is working with the sugar cane industry to look at various options to diversify and maize shows some promise.
DPI&F senior agronomist Derek Sparkes said many growers in the wet tropics were considering other crop options because of the high costs and low returns for their cane this year.
Mr Sparkes said maize prices this year were high and there is a ready local market on the Atherton Tablelands.
To identify the best agronomic practices for maize, a trial involving nine maize varieties were planted on the Brooks family´s farm at Silkwood in June 2008. Yields averaged around 2.5t/ha and when the results were analysed, there was no statistical difference between most of the varieties.
Mr Sparkes said another crop at Feluga near Tully was planted at a more optimal time in May and yields were about 5.5t/ha with parts of the paddock reaching a promising 7.5t/ha.
"Prices before the harvest were about $310 a tonne, but were reported to be as high as $350," he said.
"Unfortunately, when the trial was harvested the price had dropped to $275, but farmers are familiar with these fluctuations," Mr Sparkes said.
Mr Sparkes said a second trial was planted in July, since maize can handle some rain around harvest time without too much damage. If this trial is successful, maize in the future could be planted after a summer legume manure crop. This would improve the soil and provide free nitrogen to grow the maize crop.
"Of course, the final yield and price would determine profitability," Mr Sparkes said.
Gardeners respond to weed menace media alert
Five down and 16 to go in the on-going quest to track down and destroy the 21 exotic weed Mexican feather grass plants inadvertently sold through Emerald nursery outlets last year.
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Biosecurity Queensland officers have welcomed the calls from Central Highlands residents to locate the missing Mexican feather grass (MFG) plants.
Biosecurity Queensland senior land protection officer Stephen Downey said that DPI&F officers working in cooperation with the Central Highlands Regional Council had removed the Class 1 declared weed from the gardens.
Mexican feather grass (Nasella tenuissima) was mislabelled and sold through Queensland nursery and landscape outlets as Stipa capriccio as early as January 2008.
"This wiry green tussock grass with pale coloured feathery seed heads grows to 70cm high and produces masses of seed," Mr Downey said.
"Because it is drought proof and frost tolerant it poses a real threat as an environmental time bomb capable of displacing native grasses on a massive scale," Mr Downey said.
If any Central Highlands residents believe they may have spotted this weed, they should not pull it out themselves but rather contact Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.
Four passionate Queenslanders in the running for prestigious award
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin has announced the four Queensland finalists vying for the prestigious 2009 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation's (RIRDC) Rural Women's Award.
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries coordinates this award in Queensland as part of its commitment to supporting and promoting the work of innovators in agriculture.
The finalists are sheep and cattle producer Wendy Agar from Charleville; cattle producer and photographer Carly Burnham from Monto; Smithfield Feedlot co-owner Barb Madden; and sugar grower and Isis Canegrowers' rural water-use efficiency extension officer Sandra Webb.
The winner of the Queensland RIRDC Rural Women's Award will receive a $10 000 bursary designed to assist in developing her skills and leadership potential in primary industries.
Last year's Queensland and Australian winner, Ros Smerdon - an avocado and custard-apple grower from the Glasshouse Mountains - used her bursary to undertake a study tour to South Africa where she researched new value-adding opportunities for avocado growers.
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 NRM jobs 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: Queensland Murray Darling Committee Inc
Title: Vegetation Technical Officer
Tenure: 12 Months Full Time
Salary range: $42,000 to $55,000
Location: Roma
Contact: Email Cameron O'Neil or phone: 4620 4600
Closing date: COB Monday, 9 February 2009
Thought for the week
Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need.
Voltaire
We welcome your contributions and feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions for The Bugle please contact Carl Glen or Alison Cox.
The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Catchment Programs, the Department of Natural Resources and Water, highlighting regional NRM activities around Queensland.
Last updated 05 February 2009