Border Rivers-Maranoa Balonne NRM region
2006
Find out about natural resource management projects funded in part by the Queensland Government.
If you would like any of the 2004 or 2005 stories sent to you, email the regional NRM communications team.
Featured projects in the Border Rivers-Maranoa Balonne NRM region.
Surat anglers bust carp
As the sun sets on another hot January day, the South-West Queensland Balonne River's carp population was counting its losses...more
Stanthorpe's love for wildflowers blooms
The Stanthorpe area is well known for its natural beauty, fertile environment, and prolific wildflowers...more
Educating for the future
Creating a butterfly garden, designing and building a frog habitat pond, monitoring the health of a river, saving a threatened species; this doesn’t sound like school!...more
New system saves water
It may not have been a change that John Turrisi wanted to make, but with a dry run of years and insufficient water in the dams, converting from overhead sprinklers to subsurface drip irrigation was a change he says he had to make...more
Five years of research to pay off for wool growers
After five years of conservation monitoring, research and mapping, wool growers in Queensland's Traprock region have found a way to integrate biodiversity management with increasing levels of production ... more
"Our land is more than just a bit of dirt"
The Urquhart family, of Moonie, were one of several landholders who successfully applied for funding through QMDC's Bush Tender... more
SCP successfully delivering on-ground results
The Queensland Murray-Darling Committee, in conjunction with Landcare coordinators throughout the region, has been providing technical and financial support to landholders to help them assess on-ground problems and come up with their own solutions... more
2007
Kitchen tables & roads travelled
Puddy (Nita) Chandler has spent her entire life living on the land... read more
Saving Mitchell's soil
Erosion and degradation of waterways from soil run off has been an ongoing challenge for land managers in much of Australia’s prime grazing areas. In fact, in the Maranoa River catchment, near Mitchell, an estimated average of 30,000 tonnes of soil is washed down streams and waterways every year. With additions from inflows and depositions on floodplains, an average of 41,000 tonnes of sediment will be exported into the Balonne River system at Beardmore Dam (near St. George), annually.Read more
Ghost Net prize winner shares skills
Recently the Carpentaria Ghost Nets Programme hosted Chantal Cordey last year's Design for a Sea Change competition winner to share her skills in weaving at Yirrkala in the Northern Territory. Read more...
NRM: its about people!
The Australian and Queensland Governments have been supporting the efforts of Landcare, and other grass roots natural resource management groups, for over five years, now, through funding programs like the Natural Heritage Trust, National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, and the National Landcare Programme. Read more...
Connecting with communities
Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) said "The youth of today will be responsible for our natural resources tomorrow and there has never been a more important time to ensure the next generation has the knowledge and is inspired to tackle these challenges in a sustainable way." Read more...
Cyber learning for land managers
Access to information can often be a battle for land managers, particularly when they're trying to stay up-to-date with the most sustainable land management practices. Read more...
Forum examines solutions to global warming
Roma community member have gained new skills and perspectives through the 2007 Discovering Landcare Forum. A number of workshops and guest speaker events were held over two days to inform and build the capacity of the local community for environmental, social and economic sustainability ... more
Get paid to manage remnant vegetation
Landholders in the southern Brigalow Belt can now access stewardship funding from the Australian Government to help them protect or improve high quality remnant native vegetation on their properties...more
Pasture cropping saving soils through drought
Scott Proud and Jennifer Schwennesen, organic beef producers near Surat in Queensland, have been using pasture cropping practices to secure the longevity of their property, and rehabilitate and conserve their soil...more
Pipeclay Creek and Weir River get funding boost
A group of 12 farmers in the Pipeclay Creek area, north of Goondiwindi, have received an unprecedented $250 000 grant from the Australian Government’s Community Water Grants scheme to improve the water quality in the Pipeclay Creek and Weir River...more
2008
Communities bust carp in southern Queensland
Fisher men, women and children across southern Queensland will have the chance to attack European Carp this year, with the Regional Carp Busters competition series ... more
Thallon get carp busting
Six fishing clubs have joined forces with the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee, to coordinate one of the biggest community awareness programs for European Carp in the Murray-Darling Basin ... more
Black dog forum all tied up
Over 270 people attended the Tie up the Black Dog Forum, which was held at Bassett Park in Roma last week to raise awareness about mental health issues in the bush... more
Great turnout for Dumaresq Valley field day
Soil, biodiversity and water were on the agenda at a field day held at 'Emu Plains', Texas, last month...more
Farmers get a taste for grazing management
Seventeen landholders from the Goondiwindi district got a taste for Grazing Land Management (GLM) principles at a recent field day...more
Halting the decline of river health
Data from the Murray-Darling Basin Commission's State of the Rivers Audit has found the Condamine-Balonne and Border Rivers catchments to be in moderate health... more
Studying an icon: the Murray cod
Anglers from along the New South Wales/Queensland border, east of Goondiwindi, have been studying the optimal stocking rates for the Murray cod, which is listed as vulnerable under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act... more
Soil pits fill gaps for Mitchell landholders
Fifteen landholders from around the Mitchell district attended a Soil Characterisation field day held by Queensland Government and NRM organisation staff recently...more
Kids discover fun at the forum
Over 300 students from across southern Queensland converged on the Goondiwindi Cultural Centre last week for the annual Discovering Landcare Forum...more
Scaly workshop for Myall Park Botanic Garden
A reptile identification workshop was hosted at the Myall Park Botanic Garden on 4 October to launch a new threatened species toolkit...more
Trapping knowledge for wild dog and fox control
A one-day workshop on wild dog and fox trapping was held by the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) and Biosecurity Queensland in Roma on 3 November...more
Anglers clean up in Dirranbandi for National Water Week
More than 130 people attended the 2008 Regional Carp Buster Series final in Dirranbandi on 18 and 19 October. The event was part of National Water Week celebrations, and saw 161 European Carp removed from the Balonne River...more
2009
Identifying priority flora on the Granite Belt
The Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) has secured a Caring for our Country grant to develop an up-to-date, accurate record of priority flora species sites in the Stanthorpe Granite Belt region...more
Protecting box gum grassy woodlands
More than 60 landholders in the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee ( QMDC) area have expressed an interest in taking part in the Environmental Stewardship Program targeting the Box-Gum Grassy Woodland area... more
Exploring the pasture options
The pasture boost provided by recent rain across many of Queensland ’s grazing areas should be treated with caution, according to Queensland Murray-Darling Committee ( QMDC) Grazing Lands Coordinator Sid Cook...more
Governor opens new QMDC Roma office
Queensland Governor Ms Penelope Wensley AO made her first official trip to Roma on Friday 19 December 2008 to open the new Queensland Murray-Darling Committee ( QMDC) facility, which will house not only 13 staff, but also support Landcare co-ordinators across the catchment and provide up-to-date resources for the entire community...more
Landholders needed to tackle thorny weed problem
Landholders west of Goondiwindi may have had a surprise visitor on their doorsteps as work continues on tackling a thorny problem for the area, harrisia cactus...more
School leaders learn how to go green
Setting up worm farms and chicken pens to help use food wastes are just two of the ideas some innovative students have come up with to help their Queensland Murray-Darling Basin schools become more environmentally sustainable...more
Carp Busted at Thallon
Anglers from across the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin will enter the Carp Busters Series 2009, all hoping for their share of the prize money...more
Parthenium control ramping up
Fifteen landholders across the Maranoa-Balonne and Borders Rivers areas will soon be ramping up their fight against a weed that costs farmers and graziers across the state $22 million annually, with some help from the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC)...more
QMDC promotes large scale water use efficiency
The Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) has released an independent technical report outlining the wins for agriculture, regional communities and the environment available through large scale water use efficiency measures...more
QMDC holds member meeting in St George
Natural resource management work ranging from tackling pest and weed issues through to improving on-farm water efficiency are all part of the Queensland Murray-Darling Committee’s operations in the St George area...more
Success for Surat Carp Buster event
There are now more than 130 less carp in the Balonne River and more than 200 anglers and their families are better informed about how to maintain riparian health and encourage native fish populations after the latest 2009 Carp Buster Series fishing event in Surat...more
Field trip showcases value of catchment-wide NRM
The value of landscape scale natural resource management was the key message delivered to more than 20 university students during a tour of the Goondiwindi region last week...more
Anglers haul in a mixed bag at Goondiwindi competition
The importance of continuing efforts to control riverine pests was highlighted at the Goondiwindi leg of the Carp Buster 2009 fishing competition on 25 and 26 April...more
Run, Rabbit, Run controlling rabbit populations
The rabbits around Stanthorpe are in for a tough time as a project targeting their homes aims to reduce the pest animals’ impact on valuable crops and pastures...more
Success for Ballandean students on climate change quest
Ballandean State School students are combining fun and learning as they work to lower the carbon footprint of their school and community...more
Students build skills in property management
It was a day out in the fresh air with a purpose for high school agriculture and geography students from across southern Queensland on 26 May...more
Last updated 31 July 2009