Woodland Birds Disappearing

A recent study by ecologists Professor Ralph Mac Nally (Director of the Australian Centre
for Biodiversity at Monash University), suggests that woodland birds are disappearing in large numbers across north central Victoria : http://www.victorianaturally.org.au/documents/FactSheet/Fact_sheet_Bird_crashes_final_17nov09smaller_1.pdf .

The extended dry, clearing of remnant habitat and poor management of remnant habitats are thought to be the main causes.

I would imagine that similar results would be found here in the south west of Victoria, where longitudinal studies might reflect even more significant losses.

Revegetation in fertile areas and good management of remnant habitats seem to be the keys to offsetting the decline.

2010 : International Year of Biodiversity

The United Nations has declared 2010, The International Year of Biodiversity.

Check out :
http://www.cbd.int/2010/welcome/
http://www.cbd.int/
http://www.countdown2010.net/
http://www.countdown2010.net/year-biodiversity/action-plan-for-iyb
http://www.countdown2010.net/biodiversity/the-2010-biodiversity-target
http://www.countdown2010.net/byse/

See an article on the The Red List, which lists 17,000 species on the verge of extinction :
http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1645&category=Environment

The Red List here :
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IUCN_Red_List .

Kick Start Your Reserve Coach Tour

On December the 3rd, Basalt to Bay will be hosting the Kick Start Your Researve Coach Tour.

The aim of the tour is to bring local corporates together with members of the Kick Start Your Reserve initiative, to profile the achievements of individual groups and the benefits of the initiative to local communities.

The coach tour is by invite only and it is anticipated that a diverse range of people will be on board, including representatives from 5 reserve groups, local indigenous represenatatives, staff from the Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Basalt to Bay members, local corporate groups and other relevant parties.

The first stop on the tour is Tozer Reserve near Warrnambool, followed by a visit to Yatmerone Reserve in Penshurst, then Hawkesdale Common, a BBQ lunch at Apex Park in Hawkesdale and finishing the tour with a visit to Hawkesdale's Racecourse Reserve. A follow up trip is anticipated for the middle of next year.

Thanks to the Glenelg Hopkins CMA for providing adminstrative support for the trip and the Department of Planning and Community Development for sponsoring the day.

Western District Tree Muster Project A Great Success

The Western District Tree Muster Project has been a great success this year with over 100, 000 trees planted along the coast and inland.

Basalt to Bay Landcare Network recieved $62,000 from Mobile Muster via Landcare Australia this year to plant 31,000 trees. As a result we engaged 12 landholders to plant seedlings (15, 265) and 11 landholders to direct seed 18.755 ha (approximately 85,000 trees).

Direct Seeding projects were delivered in Caramut, Mortlake, Woolsthorpe and Toolong North, while seedling projects were delivered in Toolong North, Purnim, Mepunga, Woolsthorp, Killarney, Port Fairy, Rosebrook, Wangoom, Warrnambool and Hawkesdale.

3 public sites were involved, including Hopkins Falls, Tozer Reserve and Hawkesdale Common.
Students from 4 schools helped plant some 6,000 trees during 4 community planting days. Several community groups were also involved in planting days, including the Warrnambool Motorcycle Club and Hopkins Moyne Landcare Network.

Trees were planted in some areas, where little native vegetation is found such as at Lake Gillear between Allansford and Mepunga.

A big thanks to Mobile Muster and Landcare Australia for getting behind this project. And thanks to all the volunteers who assisted us in transforming the landscape. And finally, thanks to all the Landholders who who participated in the project. Job well done !

For further information about Mobile Muster see their website at :
http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/ .

RACV Funding for the Port Fairy-Warrnambool Rail Trail

Basalt to Bay Landcare Network has been successfull in an application to RACV's Community Foundation.

Basalt to Bay lodged an application for $9,999 to begin Rail Trail Habitat Restoration at the area just opposite Glaxo on the Princess Highway in Port Fairy.


The funding will be used to eradicate weeds, plant some 5,000 seedlings and direct seed an area running paralell to the rail trail.

It is anticipated that a community planting day will be held in 2010 with local community volunteers, community groups and school children from Port Fairy Consolidated School and Saint Patricks Primary School. The Rail Trail Committee will erect signage to acknowledge the contribution that RACV has made.

This is a great start to restoring habitat along the rail trail. With some 20 km out of a possible 26 km availible for restoration, much work remains to be done. But this project will mark the first milestone.

RACV's committment makes it clear that they keen to support local environmental projects that make a lasting difference to rural communities. So thanks RACV, we look forward to attending the presentation and starting work on the project. Thanks to Peter Haydon, Manager of the RACV Community Foundation, for his encouragement in applying for the grant.

Tozer Reserve and Jemena

Last Friday was an awesome day at Tozer Reserve with about 90 kids from Warrnambool Primary School, all really enthusiatic and excited about being there.

The kids were really focussed and worked very hard to plant 2,500 shrubs, grasses and trees in the lower paddock. This time we had the kids concentrate on back filling the upper area that we direct seeded this time last year - mainly with grasses and shrubs but they also filled in some areas we missed last year around the rocky outcrops and one of the drainage lines at the bottom of the paddock.

Overall they did an excellent job. Tim Bligh and myself were extremely impressed, when we walked around after and saw how well they had planted and staked the guards. They really listened to our introduction at the beginning.

So thanks kids and teachers and parents - a job well done !!!

Tanya Johnson from the local branch of Jemena came out later to lend a hand and she's keen to come out again next Thursday, when we hope to continue planting with students from Warrnambool College.

Thanks to Jemena for the funding and demonstrating such a strong committment to supporting local environmental projects. We anticipate that Jemana funded works at Tozer Reserve will be completed in the next 10 months with further tree planting, the development of a walking track/driveway, additional weed maintenance, fixing of fences, flora and fauna mapping with volunteers and the development of signage for the walking track.

Press Release : Local Jemena branch supports vital growth at Community Reserve

The local branch of national company Jemena is supporting Basalt to Bay Landcare group activities to restore native vegetation at Tozer Reserve.

Leading national utility infrastructure services company Jemena – as part of their community partnership program with Landcare Australia – will fund the planting of 4,500 trees, shrubs and native grasses, as well as helping to improve walking tracks and vehicle access to the reserve.

Located on Wangoom Road, the Tozer Reserve provides hands-on educational experience for students through local school environmental programs. Tozer Reserve is jointly owned by Warrnambool Primary School, Warrnambool College and Brauer College.

Warrnambool Primary School Principal Peter Ocatel said “Children love coming out to Tozer Reserve and are always surprised by the changes in the vegetation once they visit”.

The 20 hectare site was formerly a pine plantation and grazing block but is now home to many rare native orchards, shrubs and frogs.

Confirming the significance of flora within the reserve, Basalt to Bay Chairman Tim Bligh said “While there are small amounts of coastal scrub around Warrnambool, there is no other grassy woodland with the scale and diversity of Tozer within the Warrnambool City Council boundary.”

Jemena’s partnership with Landcare through their Vital Service, Vital Planet community partnership program reflects their ongoing focus to provide local support for environmental initiatives.

On Friday October 9^th, 90 students from Warrnambool Primary School, along with volunteers from the Basalt to Bay Landcare Network planted 2,500 ghrasses, shrubs and trees.

Basalt to Bay Coordinator Richard Hudson said that “The contribution that Jemena has made to Tozer Reserve really helps improve the site’s educational potential.”

Successfull Direct Seeding Demonstration at Demo Dairy

Yesterday saw a successfull direct seeding demonstration at Demo Dairy with the boys from Direct Seed - Bill O'Shea and Ricky Mansbridge.

About 25 people, inlcuding students and farmers braved the cold for the demonstration, which was part of Demo Dairy's monthly farm walk. The day began with an introduction to direct seeding from Bill and a short speel about B2B from me. We then jumped on a bus to the site and watched Ricky and Bill using the Mouldboard technique (see their webpage for details of the technique). People seemed pretty enthusiastic about seeing just how easy this form of direct seeding is.


Thanks to Landcare Australia, The Department of Planning & Community Development & Mobile Muster for the funding to run the day and Louise Shelba and Marni Barber from Demo Dairy for all their support in getting it up and running.

Next year we'll target a demonstration to the southern region and another one up in the northern region of the B2B area.


If you reckon that your area could benefit from a demonstration day next year, contact me on the mobile 0458 268 119 or by email : richardb2b@gmail.com . You can learn more about Direct Seed via www.directseed.com.au, Mouldboarding via http://www.directseed.com.au/html/whatis.html and Demo Dairy via www.demodairy.org.au .

Jemena gets Behind Basalt to Bay Landcare Network

Basalt to Bay has recently learned that it was successfull in an application to Landcare Australia, for the energy infrastructure group Jemena (http://www.jemena.com.au/) to fund our Rejuvinating Tozer Reserve project. Jemena will provide $30,000 towards the project and local staff, who will participate in on ground works at the start of October.

Funds will be used towards :

• Coordination
• Fencing
• Weed work
• 6,132 seedlings
• Creating a track with flora/fauna signage
• Mapping equipment & mapping conultation
• Training of volunteers
  
• Jemena sponsored coach tour of environmental works across the catchment (to be held in February 2010).

A big thank you to Francis Jeon-Ellis from Landcare Australia for facilitating our application and Jemena for sponsoring this project. We look forward to engaging with Jemena in this project and to a fruitfull relationship with them.

National Landcare Week

This week marks National Landcare Week - a celebration of two decades of the Landcare movement.

Basalt to Bay will be celebrating this week with planting days in Toolong (involving local members of the B2B network and local TAFE students) and a planting day at Hawkesdale Common (involving students from Hawkesdale Common, local members of the B2B network, HADDAC and members of the Hawkesdale Community).

Basalt to Bay Landcare Network would like to thank all our members for the fantastic work they have done in this past year and all of our supporters. A special thanks to :

• Tim Bligh, Jane O'Beirne, Karen Wales, Bruce Mirtschin, Waye Bryce & Don McTaggert
• Kristie King
  
• The Glenelg Hopkins CMA, especially Margie Finnigan, Mary Johnson, Tania Parker, David Nichols and Tony Lithgo
  
• Demo Dairy
• Brenton Barsch
• Marty Gent, Matthew Ebden and Bernadette Northeast
• Students from Port Fairy Consolidated Primary School, Hawkesdale College, Warrnambool Primary School and Brauer College
• The Warrnambool Motorcycle Club
  
• Mobile Muster
• Jemena
  
• Landcare Australia, especially Francis Jeon-Ellis, Alison Raymond and Shivani Jayasighe
  
• The Department of Community Development
• Rosse Colliver and his Landcare Network Readiness Forum
• The Department of Sustainability and Environment
• Mark Doueal and the Department of Primary Indistries
• Karen Foster from o2 Media
• Tim Umney of Umney Media
  
• Dean Suckling from Agri-Doo and Heytsbury Landcare Network.

In further news, in a few weeks time we will be sending out invites for our Kick Start Your Reserve Coach Tour and our local Landcare forum, Landcare : Past, Present and Future.
Stay tuned.

More Dung Beetle Workshops

John Feehan will be down here for some more Dung Beetle Workshops.
John will be at Allansford on the 7th September and Glenormiston on 8th September.
Flyers can be found here :

http://www.dungbeetles.net.au/Invite%20ACME%20BEETLES%20Aug%2009.pdf
http://www.dungbeetles.net.au/Invite%20Glenny%20BEETLES%20Aug%2009.pdf .

Successfull Planting Day at Lake Gillear

Last Saturday 22nd August saw Basalt to Bay Landcare Network join forces with Warrnambool Motorcycle Club at Lake Gillear, some 6 km south of Allansford.

The Warrnambool Motorcycle Club has their club premises and motorcross track on the site. The site is part of a much larger area that has been largely neglected by landholders since white settlement. In an effort to begin restoring native vegetation to the area, the WMC has planted a 1000 native trees and shrubs along one part of their fence line and along the drainage line leading to the lake.



It was inspiring to see some 20 people from the club and 3 of us working together to help transform the landscape. I didn't hear anybody complain about the difficult conditions or the weather and infact I heard numerous comments about what a difference it would make.

Plants such as Wooly Tea Tree, Prickly Moses and Manna Gums will now be part of the landscape. Creating habitat for birds, frogs, lizards and insects, enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the area and improving water quality in the lake. It is anticipated that this might mark the beginning of further work around the lake and inspire other local landholders to do the same.

Lake Gillear is part of the Western District Tree Muster project, which is sponsored by Mobile Muster via Landcare Australia.

To learn more about WMC, visit : http://warrnamboolmotorcycleclub.com/
To learn more about Mobile Muster visit : http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/ .

Best Practice in Direct Seeding Demonstration

With local contractor Bill O’Shea

Bill O’Shea will be presenting a direct seeding demonstration on site at Demo Dairy,
as part of the monthly farm tour.

During this demonstration, Bill will talk about :

• Best practice in direct seeding in dairy & coastal zones in the south west
• Site suitability
• Selecting appropriate seed
• Appropriate planting & soil conditions
• Overcoming challenges & difficult soils
• Growth rates
• Benefits of shelter belts & revegetation

WHERE : DEMO DAIRY
(1/2 WAY BETWEEN GARVOC & TERANG ON THE PRINCES HIGHWAY)
WHEN : 10:30 AM -12:30 PM ON WEDNESDAY 7TH OCTOBER, 2009.

To reserve your place, RSVP Margie Finnigan at the Glenelg Hopkins CMA on
55 626 104 by or for further information call Richard Hudson on 0458 268 119.
Sponsored by Basalt to Bay Landcare Network (http://www.basalttobay.org.au/ &
http://b2bln.blogspot.com/), Department of Planning & Community Development & Demo Dairy (http://www.demodairy.org.au/joomla15/)
& Bill O’Shea of Direct Seed (http://www.directseed.com.au/index.html) .

Planting Day at 'The Common' Hawkesdale

Sunday 13th September at 1 pm

The Common has finally been given back to the Hawkesdale Community.

Our plan is to make it into a native reserve with a walking track. We are seeking volunteers to plant out the area with indigenous plants. A planting day has been organised on September 13th. If you are able to help please let one of the following know. Barbeque to follow planting.

Bruce Mirtschin 55607213 email murch@westvic.com.au
Frank Huglin 55607232
Julie Boss at the Post Office

Funding for the trees has been supplied by Mobile Muster, C/O Landcare Australia through Basalt to Bay and Hopkins Moyne Landcare Network.

Cheers,

Bruce.

Succesfull Dung Beetle Session

Yesterday the 4th leg of John Feehan's Dung Beetle Road Show, kicked off with a morning session in Macarthur and then an afternoon session in Koroit. Apparently there was a turnout of about 40 people in Macartur, including about 20 local high school students. The Koroit session had a turnout of about 30 people, which was about twice what we expected.

John gave an entertaining and informative presentation that engaged everyone and planted the seeds for a strong regional interest in the use of Dung Beetles. John noted that Dung Beetles made a powerfull addition to sustainability. He suggested that key benefits to releasing Dung Beetles include :

• Up to or greater than a 30 % reduction in fertilizer application
• Cyclical turnover & aeration of top soil
• A reduction in visible dung
• An increase in soil Carbon, Phosphorous and Nitrogen
• A reduction in sedimentation, run off & point source nutrification for waterways which results in a reduction in algal blooms and water turbidity
• A reduction in bush fly larvae and bush flies (almost total eradication where Dung Beetle colonies were established)
• A reduction in other dung borne parasites
• Providing habitat & food supply for earthworms
• A reduction in the effect of soil acidity & salinity by promoting deeper grass root penetration
• An increase in rain water penetration & retention of ground water.

All in all John put forth a fairly convincing argument for the use of Dung Beetles as part of a suit of sustainability practices.

John suggested that farmers wishing to purchase Dung Beetles, first collect some on their own property so that he can identify them and allocate the right beetles to the right climate and location. For further information about how to do this contact John at Soilcam on 02 6248 0376.

Thanks to Fort Dodge and Agri-Doo for bringing John down for us and to the Department of Planning & Community Development for funding to run the day.

The road show continues, with the next session in Timboon today, Cobdon and Simpson tomorrow and Apollo Bay on Friday. Check out http://www.dungbeetles.net.au/index.html for further information about the roadshow.

South West Victoria Dung Beetle Project

Dean Suckling from local agricultural consultancy Agri-Doo has set up the South West Dung Beetle project, in collaboration with Heytsbury Landcare Network and Rod Evans of Fort Dodge. Further information can be found on their website here : http://www.dungbeetles.net.au/index.html .

Just a reminder that the Dung Beetle Information Session with John Feehan, will be held at Koroit next Tuesday 11th August between 1-3 pm. See blog entry below for further details.

South West Environmental Volunteerism Initiative

10 months ago I met with Matthew Ebden (lecturer from the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin Uni) and Emily Lee-Ack (South West Volunteerism Initiative) to discuss an idea that we had for an environmental volunteering project. It turns out that Matthew and I had had similar ideas for some time.

The aim of the project will be to connect participants in local Welfare and Community Service Groups (such as Aspire, Brophy's, Community Connections, Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative, Correctional Services, MPower & WRAD) to on ground environmental works. Individual groups will be matched to specific public sites, that we hope will provide them with a sense of connection and stewardship. Groups will be offered a suit of environmental options, including revegetation, weed mapping, seed collecting, bird search, frog search, flora and fauna mapping. In essence project participants will become knowledge makers and play a critical role in building local environmental knowldge and raising awareness of local environmental issues. In addition we anticipate their will be significant social, psychological, spiritual and physical health benefits for all those involved in on ground projects.

I am pleased to announce that after many meetings between myself, Matthew, Bernadette Northeast (Emily's replacement) and Marty Gent (Greenhouse Officer for the South West Sustainability Partnership), this project is almost ready to be launched. Next Friday we will meet with members of what we hope will form the groups steering committee. Bernadette is currently looking for funding for a project officer and who we hope to have employed by the end of the year. We have tentatively called the project Feel Blue, Touch Green but the name has yet to be finalized.

Thus far the environmental aspects of the project will involve Basalt to Bay Landcare Network and Heytsbury Landcare Network but it is anticipated that additional local environmental groups will also come on board.

This is a significant regional project and we believe that it is the first of it's kind nationally.
Stay tuned for more in the local media. For further information please contact myself, Matthew or Bernadette.



Richard : richardb2b@gmail.com
Matthew : matthew.ebden@deakin.edu.au
Bernadette : bnortheast@comconnect.com.au

Further information will be posted in time on our blog http://swevi.wordpress.com/and Ning site : http://southwestevi.ning.com/

Western District Tree Muster Update

The final stage of planning for on ground works in the Western District Tree Muster project are now taking place. Thus far we are on track to deliver some 100,000 trees, including 18.76 ha of direct seeding and 14,730 of seedlings.

Port Fairy Consolidated Primary School will be involved in plantings on 4 sites, Hawkesdale College will be planting on 1 site, while Warrnambool College, Brauer College and Jamieson Street Primary School will be involved in planting at Tozer Reserve.

We also hope that participants from the Mens Health Group at Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative will be involved in plantings at Hopkins Falls and Tozer Reserve.

4 Public Sites will be involved in the project including : Hawkesdale Common, Tozer Reserve, Hopkins Falls and Lake Gillear. These public sites make great projects for involving a broad range of community groups and should be good for generating local interest in revegetation works.

Thansk to Mobile Muster (http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/) and Landcare Australia (http://www.landcareonline.com/)for the funding for this project.

NATIONAL TREE DAY GROWS TO NEW HEIGHTS

Organiser of National Tree Day, Planet Ark, is calling on Warrnambool, Killarney and Port Fairy residents to join the pursuit to plant the campaign’s 15 millionth native seedling.

To achieve this significant milestone, Planet Ark is urging all local residents to get growing on National Tree Day on Sunday 2 August and on Schools Tree Day on Friday 31 July.

Entering its 14th year, National Tree Day, has to-date seen more than 13.4 million native trees and shrubs planted around Australia.

“Aside from the benefits to the environment, growing native plants and shrubs is a great way for the people to make a positive contribution to their local community,” said John Amor, local Coastcare facilitator who is helping to co ordinate 4 local plantings. “With the 15 millionth seedling expected to be planted since the campaign began, this year’s National Tree Day is sure to be an historic one”.

National Tree Day is Australia’s largest community tree-planting event, each year mobilising more than 300,000 volunteers to plant native trees and shrubs at local tree-planting sites. Planet Ark is urging individuals, schools, community groups and businesses to come together and get growing for the future.

Local National Tree Day events are taking place at the Granny’s grave area in Warrnambool, east of the Killarney Boat ramp, Griffiths Island Port Fairy and north of Warrnambool as part of the on going Koaladoors Project on Sunday the 2nd of August. Activites start from 9.30

National Tree Day is organised by Planet Ark in partnership with Toyota and Its Dealer network which provide on-the- ground support at local and community tree-planting sites Australia wide.

For further information, contact: John Amor 55619988 or 0429 976 189 john.amor@dse.vic.gov.au

Michelle Cook Emma Franklin
p. 02 8484 7209 | m. 0414 702 697 p. 02 8484 7200 | m. 0413 695 759

michelle@planetark.org emma@planetark.org

Dung Beetle Information Session

With national expert John Feehan

Koroit Football & Netball Club, Victoria Park - Koroit

Tuesday 11th August 1-3 pm.

John Feehan, operates Soilcam dung beetle consultancy out of Canberra, where he coordinates the largest and most efficient collection and redistribution of dung beetles in the world.

John has worked for 26 years with CSIRO’s dung beetle program & is recognised as the national dung beetle guru.

During this talk John will talk about :

• The benefits of dung beetles in restoring soil nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorous) & soil structure
• Dung beetles & farm sustainability
• Different types of dung beetle species (including both autumn and winter active species) for specific regions

To quote John : “Half a litre of cow pat is probably equivalent to a good double handful of super phosphate”

To reserve your place, RSVP Margie Finnigan at Glenelg Hopkins CMA on 55 626 104 or for further information call Richard Hudson on 0458 268 119.

Proudly sponsored by Fort Dodge (makers of Cydectin), Basalt to Bay Landcare Network and Dean Suckling from Agri-Doo.

The End of Suburbia

Port Fairy Film Society are tonight showing The End of Suburbia - A film which looks at the results of a consumption driven society and it's impact on soil, society and the soul.

Check out their blog http://portfairyfilms.blogspot.com/, for more information.

Smart Living Community Forum

Thursday 16 July, 7-9pm

Southern Way, 181 Fairy St, Warrnambool

You are invited to attend a forum to explore the ways in which our community can respond to the challenges of climate change and peak oil.

The aim of the forum is to work together to develop projects that will help our community to become socially, economically and environmentally sustainable in the face of climate change and peak oil.

The forum will include a short introduction followed by a facilitated discussion and workshop.

By sharing our skills and resources we will be able to work together to strengthen our community and find solutions for a happy and healthy future for the Warrnambool Region.

Please call Marty to confirm your attendance:
(03) 55648881 or 0428141599

Network Update

Things are a bit frantic here at the moment. Lots of balls in the air but plenty of good
results !!!

I'm currently in the process of organizing planting days for the Western District Tree Muster Project. It looks like we'll have some 26 on ground projects, which will involve some 6-7 school groups, 3 community groups and 2 corporate group volunteers invloved in planting some 100,000 trees (about 15,000 seedlings and the remainder through direct seeding).

We're also exploring some new ways to get our Kickstart Your Reserve Initiative off the ground (see Feb blog entry). We hope that this will evolve into a large part of what we do. We'll be having a Kickstart Your Reserve coach tour in September to help generate interest in the initiative - more details closer to the date. We just missed out on a submission to DSE for a Capacity Building Coordinator to oversee the project and faciliatte 10 on ground projects. There were 14 submissions and we came in 3rd but with plenty of encouragement to make the project happen. we're also in the process of looking for funding to help revegetate the first stage of the Warnambool-Port fairy Rail Trail. I'll keep you posted if we are successfull.

The stategic plan and website are about 2 weeks off being complete. We will also have our Annual Report Card availible on the website for download.

The website will also have availible for download, a shelter belt brochure and a Basalt to Bay brochure aimed at farmers.

In terms of Revamping Landcare capacity building events, we have 2 direct seeding field days coming up in August and also in August we'll be assiting Heytsbury Landcare Network to deliver a Dung Beetle workshop in Koroit with John Feehan (International Dung Beetle Expert).

Although personally I'm not a fan of the man made climate change model, I think we really need to look carefully at how we can change the way we live. Paul Gilding had some interesting things to say about this subject on Background Briefing recently :
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/

And lastly, the results of Caring For Our Country funding applications should be out shortly. It will be interesting to see if some of the larger projects in our region have been successfull in getting up - particuarly the Outback to Ocean project and Kanawinka project.

Network Update

Well, things have been busy here at the network. We've almost completed our strategic plan for the next 6 years and will be having our final planning day in the next fortnight. The plan will be availible as a download on our website. Talking of which, Tim Umney of Umney Media has just completed our new website (www.basalttobay.org.au) and I hope to finalise content and have it up and running by the end of the month. Feel free to give us your feedback on what's good and what's not. I reckon Tim has done an awesome job on the site - so thanks Tim !

Thanks also to David Nichols from the Glenelg Hopkins CMA, for his ongoing support for the network and the $9,000 from the GHCMA to complete our strategic plan and website.

I am also pleased to announce that we were succcessfull in recieving $3,308 from the Victorian Volunteer Small Grants scheme for our Revamping Landcare in Gunditjmarra Country project, which will assist towards the provision of Landcare based training activities later in the year. Thanks to the Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development and the Minister for Community Development.

Landcare Network Readiness Project Forum 1

Landcare Coordinators/Facilitators from all around Victoria met in Castlemaine on Tuesday the 28th April, to explore the concept of forming a Landcare network. The forum was organised and facilitated by Ross Colliver from the Landcare & Community Engagement Unit of DSE. Around 35 people turned out from a wide range of groups - some departmental, some community.

Key themes to emerge from the forum included :

• The benefits of forming a network
• Challenges to forming a network
• How to engage stakeholders in forming a network
• Different regions have different styles of network
• There is 'no one model fits all' approach for networks
• Communication & relationships are the keys to successfull networks
• With current funding scarcity, only well organised networks will survive.

From the days dialogue, it seems that the picture of a succfull network, is one that :

• Has a clear structure & function
• Has a steering committee or board with clear roles
• Has good communication with individual Landcare groups
• Respects individual Landcare group autonomy, while looking at the big picture
• Has multiple funding sources
• Has a well thought out strategic plan, that has considered the views of the network and Landcare groups
• Has a proactive coordinator and good communication between staff and the board.

The event was a great opportunity to network with other people in a similar situation.

The forum will meet again in July and August.

Carbon Smart & Glenelg Hopkins CMA

The Glenelg Hopkins CMA & Carbon Smart officially launched their carbon pool partnership in Hamilton yesterday. The new program will see the CMA helping to facilitate Carbon Smart partnerships with land holders in the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment.

Minimum requirements to be eligible for the scheme are 10 ha of native (local providence)/biodiverse reveg planted after 1st January 1990 (min height 2m). Carbon Smart can also fund reveg works. All participants must have their projects pass a comprehensive assessment and sign up to leaving the carbon (trees) on site for 130 years. Participants recieve an annual 60 % of the total sale price of their carbon.

Matthew Reddy (Manager of Carbon Smart) said that the program will target larger holdings first, then move towards smaller holdings later. Matthew also suggested that the Glenelg Hopkins area was the only area of 56 regions in the state to take up the program. Which means that all Victorian corporate sponsorships for Carbon Smart will come into our region, until such time as other regions come on board.

Further information about Carbon Smart can be found on their website http://www.carbonsmart.com.au/or by contacting the GHCMA on 55712526.

Landcare Support

Basalt to Bay Landcare Network and Glenelg Hopkins CMA, will be co-hosting a series of activities later in the year, aimed at revamping interest in Landcare and supporting current 'Landcarers' in our region.

Activities are set to include shelter belt tours, designing the landscape bbq's, direct seeding field days and 1 or 2 catchment tours looking a wide spectrum of environmental works in the B2B area. Thus far areas to be included in shelter belt tours and bbq's include the Moyne area (around Port fairy, Rosebrook, Toolong & Killarney), the Merri catcment area (Purnim, Warrnamboo & Dennington) and Mortlake area (Mortlake, Woorndoo, Caramut & surrounds)

I hope to post further details in the next month or so, once we have confirmed some additional details. Publicity (inlcuding flyers) will be distributed about 6-7 weeks prior to each event.

Seminar for farmers in Moorabool Shire

Even though it's a long way, there is a seminar that maybe of interest to local land holders.
The flyer I've been sent says :

“WILL OUR RAIN RETURN?
WHAT HELP CAN WE GET?”

4.00 p.m. – 8.30 p.m. Wednesday March 11, 2009
Mechanics Hall, 143 Inglis Street, Ballan.

Four speakers from 4.00-6.00 pm on drought assistance:
What can a Rural Financial Counsellor do for you? (Brian Gardiner)
Assistance available to farmers through Centrelink (Janine Ryan)
Availability of stock water from Shire stand pipes (Andrew Bainbridge)
Bores as source of stock water (Elissa McNamara, South’n Rur. Water)

Dr Harvey Stern, Bureau of Meteorology, at 7 pm on
“What has happened to our rain?”

Prof David Karoly, Earth Science, Melb Uni, 7.30-8.30 pm
“Why has our rainfall declined? What is the likely future trend?”

Ring or leave message for John on 0428 354 635: State number of people, name(s), phone number and which parts you will attend. OR: E mail same details to John at: .

Further information is availible from the South West Climate Change Forum website at : http://www.swccf.com.au/ .

Feds release the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme

Yesterday I went to a televised information session of the federal governments Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. It's quite an extensive scheme, that will impact on most of us through additional down stream costs incurred by the goods and services that we use. The bottom line is this :

• The CPRS is a cap & trade system
• The government will cap the no. of permits
• 70 % of permits will be auctioned off, 25 % will go to trade exposed sectors that are emissions intensive and 5-6 % will go towards the electricity adjustment scheme
• The scheme will target the 1000 highest emitters, who represent 75 % of all emissions
• The feds are committed to reducing Australia's emissions by 5 % (unconditionally, even if there is no international agreement on set reductions) and up to 15 (if there is an international agreement on emissions reductions)
• Incentives and financial support will be offered to offset additional costs but this will be reduced over time
  
• The Australian Climate Change Regulatory Authority will be established in 2010
• Business will be encouraged to favour clean energies or more efficient energy practices
• Agriculture (which represents 16 % of emissions) will not be included until 2015 (with the final decision to be made in 2013)
• revegetation of the native environment is seen as a viable means to offset costs through the aquisition of carbon credits
  

Further information can be found via the Department of Climate Change here :

http://www.climatechange.gov.au/index.html
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/emissionstrading/index.html

DPI & South West Climate Change Forum will host an information session on Emission Trading Schemes and Carbon Calculators on Monday 2nd March 2009 1.00-3.00pm at DemoDairy (7161 Princes Hwy, Terang). Further information is availible from the SWCCF website http://www.swccf.com.au/ .

Is Landcare in Trouble ?

Stock and Land have an interesting article this week on the future of Landcare after the release of the federal governments stimulus package. The issues raised are the very same one's we're dealing with. How will Landcare survive in the face of fading volunteerism and a lack of government support. The article cam be found here : http://sl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/general/the-future-of-landcare-in-doubt/1438841.aspx . If you have any thoughts on this, kick start a discussion of the issue here : http://b2blcn.ning.com/forum/topics/the-survival-of-landcare . It would be great to know what you think.

A shift in thinking about Australian Climate

Australian scientists have developed a new model for understanding Australian climate, which goes beyond the El Nino/La Nina model. An article on the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) can be found here : http://sl.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/agribusiness-and-general/general/major-change-in-climate-thinking/1424667.aspx?src=enews .

Fire Information

For anyone interested in Fire, I heard Stephen Pyne on ABC Radio the other day - some consider him the world expert on the history and management of fire. He's written a couple of great books Burning Bush (1991) and The Still Burning Bush (2006) and is an expert on the Australian situation. Check out his website at : http://www.public.asu.edu/~spyne/ .

Bushfire lessons for Landcare

The recent Victorian Bushfires present many valuable lessons for Landcare. The two that really stand out are good weed management plan (to avoid the accumulation of inaccessible and high fire risk areas) and careful revegetation planning (especially near houses). I guess for a lot of communities as well, all the work they have done has gone up in smoke. Lets hope that there's a lot of regeneration. If Bushfires and Landcare work are an issue of concern that you would like B2B to explore with DSE/CFA/CMA/DPI, please contact me (richardb2b@gmail.com or mobile 0458 268 119) and I'll see if we can organise some kind of information/planning day.

Bushfire Condolences !

On behalf of all of the members of the Basalt to Bay Landcare Network I would like to offer my heart felt condolences to all of the families of people affected by the recent Victorian Bushfires.

I also offer my condolences to those families who have previously been affected by bushfires. For many of you recent events will have awoken the trauma that you have suffered.

I also would like to offer my praise to all the emergency service workers (including police, ambulance, doctors, pilots, CFA members, counsellors, etc.) and the many members of local communities who have shown great courage and compassion in assisting their fellow human beings. Great work !

Lets hope the 2008-2009 Victorian fire season is finished.

Warrnambool Coastcare/Landcare Group Little Penguin Monitoring

The last WCLG Middle Island penguin count was held on 29th January and turned up a count of 20 penguins. This number, which is about half that recorded at the previous count, indicates that most of the adult birds that bred this year are now out at sea fattening up for moult following the fledging of chicks. If you would like to be added to the mailing list or attend a count please contact Kristie via email at kristieking14@yahoo.com.au.

Kickstart Your Reserve !!!

Basalt to Bay Landcare Network is now calling for expressions of interest from groups in the Hopkins Moyne Catchment, who have a natural reserve that they would like to revamp.

Groups might include Landcare Groups, School Groups, Community Groups and shires. The aim of this initiative is to restore native habitat in the Hopkins Moyne catchment, through revegetation, remnant protection and weed management. Reserves must have high biodiversity potential and the potential to become an assett to the wider community.

Reserves will not be eligible if they have access to other sources of funding, such as funds from the Department of Sustainability or that are being actively managed by a local shire. Reserves set up on private land will also be considered. Once a list of appropriate projects has been compiled, Basalt to Bay will seek corporate sponsorship to provide funding for individual projects.

Expressions should be no more than a page and include the name of the reserve, size, title of the project, location of the project, information about any current mangement plans or lack of plans, reasons for the project, community groups likely to be involved in works, community benefits &/or spinoffs and also costsings for plants/direct seeding, weed treatment, contracting and fencing and any known flora/fauna or threatened species. Seedlings would be subsidized at $1.50 per plant(including guards and sticks), while fencing would be subsidized at $4/m. Please also include a photo of the site and if possible an aerial or satellite image of the site (Google Earth will do an ok job).

Townships which fit under the Basalt to Bay umbrella include : Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Orford, Yambuk, Koroit, Allansford, Hawkesdale, Kirkstall, Mortlake, Caramut, Glenthompson, Penshurst, Dunkeld, Woolsthorpe, Bushfield, Panmure, Ellerslie, Emu Creek. Other areas within our boundary may also be included. Expressions for this year close on the 30th April, 2009. It is not expected that project funding will be availible until late this year. For further information please contact myself, Richard Hudson on 0458 268 119 (Thursday or Friday) or email me at richardb2b@gmail.com. Expressions of interest can be emailed or sent to me C/O Glenelg Hopkins CMA, 241 Lava Street, Warrnambool, 3280.

CMA Waterways Funding Availible NOW !!!

Hi Folks - please note that the Glenelg Hopkins CMA now has funds availible for
waterway protection projects. This includes protection or enhancement works
on all natural forms of springs, gullies, wetlands, creeks and rivers. Funds are available for fencing and revegetation works, and all projects need to be completed by Spring this year, 2009.

If you are considering fencing only, Basalt to Bay maybe able to fund revegetation in 2010-2012.

Please call or email Tania Parker, to discuss any projects you have in mind.

Mobile: 0428 506 699
Email: t.parker@ghcma.vic.gov.au

Corporate Sponsorship Plan

I am currently at work on a coporate sponsorship plan with previosuly mentioned corporates. I hope to meet with Alison Raymond (Business Development Manager of Landcare Australia - Melbourne), late in February to finalize the plan. Updates to follow.

If anyone in the network has any other potential corporate sponsors in mind, please let me know.

Western District Tree Muster Article

Hey guys - The Warrnambool Standard will be publishing an article on the Western District Tree Muster Project, this coming Saturday. This should be a good start to our publicity campaign for the year.

January Penguin Count

At their last Middle Island Little Penguin count on January 14, Warrnambool Coastcare / Landcare Group volunteers recorded 42 penguins coming ashore after dusk. This drop in the number of dusk arrivals (compared to 80 at the count beforehand) is associated with the fledgling of chicks which no longer need to be fed by their parents. A big thank you to all who attended. If you would like to be placed on the Middle Island Little Penguin Monitoring mailing list or attend a count, please email kristieking14@yahoo.com.au.

Let's do it !

Well, I'm back on the job after a brief 2 week holiday; that included : loadza kayaking, an encounter with a dead sperm whale (see pic below), hanging out with my son and plenty of time doing just nothing at all.

Said whale was seen at Discovery Bay in Nelson last Friday/Saturday and turned out to be a Sperm Whale that I measured at 19.3 m (63 ft). My first thoughts were that it was a female Sperm Whale (due to the genitalia that were flapping around - no big doodles here) and that it had been hit by the oil rig that could be seen on the horizon. Peter Gill (of Blue Whale Study) says that it was a male and that it probably died of natural causes. It was sad to see such a beutifull creature dead but a privaledge to see it none the less.

Today Brenton, Tim and myself went to Hamilton to hear more about Caring for Our Country (CFOC) and the Victorian Investment Framework (VIF). Although we were originally considering a medium sized bid ($2.5 m), I doubt that we will now pursue this path. Although we have not made any final decisions, it's likely that we will be throwing our hat into the CMA ring, to see if there are any other potential applicants for a medium sized CFOC application and also to determine where an application for VIF funds might fit in. As part of Basalt to Bay's suite of funding options, over the next few months I will be :

• Exploring the possibility of developing corporate partnerships with Origin Energy, Acciona Energia, Pacific Hydro, Santos, Hot Rock Limited geothermal group and Glaxo Smith Kline
• Compiling a list of relevant social, community and environmental funding for local Landcare Groups and developing projects with LCG's to target specific funds
• Exploring several community based fund raising ideas.

Be sure to keep up to date with what happens.

Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Update - Middle Island penguin Monitoring

Hello and welcome to 2009! I trust everyone had a fantastic Christmas
and New Years.

We certainly had a nice surprise at our last count on December 16,
during which we counted 80 Little Penguins. This is the highest number
of arrivals recorded on the island since 2001/2002, suggesting that
the colony is indeed bouncing back after severe fox predation in
recent years. A big thank you to everyone who attended the count.

Our next count will be held on Wednesday January 14th, meeting at 8:30
pm at Stingray Bay car park. If you'd like to attend, please let me
know via email or phone (0355623851) before the day. Due to safety
issues we can't accept latecomers after the group has crossed to the
island.

Please note my new email address - kristieking14@yahoo.com.au; also,
if you've had a change of email or would like to be removed from this
mailing list, please let me know. Thanks.

Cheers,

Kristie.

Holidays

Well I'm finally in holiday mode (yeahh baby !!!) . I'm at home in Port Fairy for the week and then next week I'm heading back to my farm in central Victoria, to visit my favourite mountains and a few old red gums that I've been missing. See you in a fortnight. Happy holidays !!!

Mobile Muster Confirmed.

As of this afternoon, I can confirm that Basalt to Bay is the happy recipient of $62,000 from Mobile Muster (http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/)(via Landcare Australia) for the Western District Tree Muster project. More details to follow.

Beware of Reindeers (Achtung, Achtung !!!)

Here's a Christmas Story to warm the cockles of your backside.

After following She Who Must Be Obeyed's orders and setting up some Christmas lights on the roof, I decided it was time to move the reindeer from the front yard to a place with a view. Said reindeer was very happy with his new view on the roof. Then about 2 days later after arriving home in the rain, Mistress of the House, tells me that I'd better get up on the roof and get the reindeer down, as it looks like the wind might blow it into the neighbours window. So wearily I staggers up onto the roof, being carefull in my bare feet not to slip - stepping like Santa on Christmas night. I find myself at the top of the roof and only have to go another 6 or 7 feet, when holy Sugar Honey Ice Tea, I'm on my ass and sliding fast. My ass hits every bolt on the way down and then my feet land in the gutter. I just manage to hold my balance and stop myself from crashing down on my head. My ass is torn, my hands are cut and the reindeers bloody fine. So I grab a few extra lights and shove them up his proverbial and hang the rest over his eyes. Not to be outdone, the roof looks back at me, still wet and treacherous. So I try to climb but I can't, I just keep slipping back. Meanwhile, cars keep coming past and I thank god that most of them are tourists and try hard to look dignified. Anyway I rip off my shirt dry the roof, scaddaddle up and over and make my way down. My True Love asks me if I'm ok and I wimper 'I don't think so'.

I clean myself up and limp in for dinner. When I got home, all I wanted was a bath - so much for wishfull thinking ! Said Beloved can tell that I'm hurting and offers me a frozen sausage to sit on. But having torn my self a new pucker string, there's no way I'm gonna stick a frozen sausage up where the sun don't shine. I settle for a bag of frozen peas instead.

For 3 weeks, she stares at my gaping wound, dabbing ointment and bandaging my buttocks. She tells me that I should have had stitches but my dignity just doesn't extend to being the laughing stock of doctors. My feet tingled for a few days and passing wind came with thorns. But I'm all mended now and much the wiser. The reindeer is still up there and the bloody bastard can stay till winter for all I care. At least I lived to tell the tale. The reindeer's headed for the scrap heap !