Conservation 5 Day Breaks

Make the most of your holidays and volunteer with us

South West Region

What’s on for Autumn 2010!

To book on these projects shown below, contact our South West Office on

(03) 5551 3331, email jlee@conservationvolunteers.com.au

For more information contact us or book online at www.conservationvolunteers.com.au

Project Cost: 5 day Conservation Breaks cost $208 ($120 for students) which includes all meals, accommodation and project related transport. Some concessions are available. $50 deposit required upon booking and recommended at least 2 weeks prior to the project. Cancellation fees may apply.

Note that all projects are free of charge unless you need food and accommodation

The Points Arboretum Grassland Restoration Project 1 of 2

Dates: 26^th April – 30th April

Project type: Better Earth

Description: Join this volunteer project in the Great South West. The Points Arboretum holds Australia's registered Eucalyptus collection. You can find 1,200 different species of plant at the park including 500 different Eucalypt species. Our job for the week will help maintain the park for future generations. The main task will be to protect native grassland species by removing scrub.

On this project we will also have a tour of the Aboretum, visit the Eucalyptus Discovery Centre and stop at Wannon Falls.

Grange Burn working Bee

Dates: 03^rd May – 07^th May

Project type: Better Earth

Description: Come and join our project in the great south west. The Grange Burn River runs though the town of Hamilton on the far side of the Grampians on its way to the larger Wannon river system. We will be working on a section from Lake Hamilton for about 2 km removing woody weeds.

This will be a great project for anyone interested in waterway restoration, ID of woody weeds or anyone looking to have good fun and get fit whilst helping our natual environment.

Other activities in the South West

We run conservation activities every week in the South west region. Activities include weed work, tree planting, radio tracking, fencing, bird box creation, tree banding, wetland work, hide creation and beach clean ups. All of our work takes us to some of the most beautiful locations in our great south west. An ideal place to make some new friends!

Basalt to Bay NING

Hey Folks just to let you know Basalt to Bay Landcare Network has a NING online social network page here : http://b2blcn.ning.com/?xg_source=badge . NING is an online social community where you can start blogs and discussions about issues relevant to you, post and watch videos on topics that interest you, talk live to people or share photos and stories. It has the potential to be an invaluable resource to Landcare, helping to link people over vast distances.

We allready have a few members and I've posted about 30 videos across a range of Landcare issues, that are well worth watching.

Check it out and feel free to join !

Cheers,

Richard.

Seminar on Soil Carbon and Pasture Cropping

PRESS RELEASE: SEMINAR ON SOIL CARBON AND PASTURE CROPPING
To be held at Glenormiston College on Thursday 22 April from 10 am till 3.30 pm
Entry Free, with a free lunch, but bookings essential for catering purposes:

The speakers at the Soil Seminar will be Dr. Christine Jones and Colin Seis, the pasture cropping expert.

Dr. Christine Jones has led the way on Soil Carbon Sequestration. This is really exciting science, as farmers will need this knowledge in the near future. We are facing a time when fertilizers derived from fossil fuels will be much more expensive. We will need the science of soil carbon sequestration in order to build up soil fertility and water holding capacity. At some time in the near future we may also need to be able to offset penalties for animals that emit greenhouse gases. Raising the carbon in soils and taking it from the atmosphere could help reduce the greenhouse effect. This would not only benefit the planet, but also could benefit farmers by allowing them to use the soil as a carbon offset.

Colin Seis is the leading exponent of pasture cropping: Pasture cropping is the combining of cropping and grazing into one land management system where each one benefits the other. The potential for profit and environmental health in being able to do this is enormous and a lot of landholders in many regions of Australia are showing this to be the case.

Please contact me if you need further information.
Cheers,
Gillian Blair tel: 55 676 273

New Section : Resource Update - Update 1

Hey Folks how are you all ? Well I hope !
I thought that rather than sending out volumous amounts of emails to the network I would do a fortnightly update of resource links (groups/programs/events and so on) that have come my way.

So here's the first update.

New links you might find usefull include :

• Australian Landcare Framework : http://www.landcarefacilitator.com.au/public/content/ViewCategory.aspx?id=48
• National Landcare Facilitator Project : http://www.landcarefacilitator.com.au/public/content/ViewCategory.aspx?id=52
• Agri-Doo : Nutrient management & soil health : http://www.agridoo.com.au/
• Network South West Consulting : Communications, community engagement, consulting & design workhttp://www.networksw.com.au/
• Soils Health Group : http://www.networksw.com.au/index.php/soils-project
• Conservation Volunteers : http://www.conservationvolunteers.com.au/ (SW Regional Manger Jonathon Lee : 55513331)
• O2 media : Public Relations and Marketinghttp://www.o2media.com.au/
• Volunteers @ Warrnambool : http://www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp?Page_Id=634&p=1
• Victorian Environment Friends Network : http://home.vicnet.net.au/~friends/index.html
• Environmental Farmers Network : http://www.environmentalfarmersnetwork.net.au/
• South West Victoria Brolga Research Project : http://victorianbrolgastudy.com.au/
• Brolgas at BIRD : http://bird.net.au/bird/index.php?title=Brolga
• Brolga Breeding Habitat Threats : http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/birding-aus/2003-03/msg00142.html
• Brolga Fact Sheet : http://brg.cma.nsw.gov.au/uploads///Factsheet10_Brolga.pdf
• List of generations and how they communicate : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_generations#List_of_generations

And 1 you should all know :

• The Victorian Landcare Gateway : http://www.landcarevic.net.au/

AGM and Recruitment Drive

Basalt to Bay Landcare Network will be hosting it's annual AGM and recruitment drive on Thursday April 29th between 7-9 pm, at the Port Fairy Yacht Club on the banks of the Moyne River.

As part of our AGM we will be looking for new volunteer members to join our steering committe and our member groups.

To make the event more interesting we'll have 2 speakers for the evening. Peter Forster will be talking about carbon credits and The Environmental Farmers Network. We also hope to have Inka Veltheim - PHD student from the Univesity of Ballarat, talk about the South West Brolga Research Project.

Dinner will be supplied. Numbers are limited, so you'll need to get in fast. To register your interest contact me Richard Hudson on 0458 268 119 or email richardb2b@gmail.com .

Thanks to the Department of Planning and Community Development for sponsoring the evening and Glenelg Hopkins CMA for Landcare related materials.

Successfull Landcare Forum

Last Thursday 25th March, the network held what we hope to be our annual Landcare forum in Port Fairy.

About 15 people from key groups in the region & interested farmers participated in exploring the past, present & future of Landcare in our region. Participants heard 3 presentations on :

• Challenges & Trends in Landcare
• Environmental Volunteerism
• The Impact of Climate Change on Farming in the Region.

They also participated in exploring the challenges currently facing Landcare in our region & potential solutions to these issues.

All in all it was a great day. Lots of opportunities for networking and for finding new ways forward for individual groups. Key issues to arise out of the day include :

• How to sustain Landcare in the face of funding uncertainty
  
• How to recruit more young people into Landcare
• How to use local volunteer groups to support Landcare groups & Landcare projects
• New roles for Landcare in food, energy, water, carbon & improving human health.

Lots of ideas arose out of the days explorations and discussions and it is anticipated that these will make a usefull contribution to rejuvinating Landcare in our region.

Presentations from the forum, will be availible on the website in the next fortnight here : http://www.basalttobay.org.au/ . We hope that this is the first of many annnual Landcare forums for Basalt to Bay. We anticipate that the next forum will be held in September 2011.

Thanks to our sponsors the Glenelg Hopkins CMA and the Department of Planning & Community Development.

Social Network at Ning

Hey Folks - I've just been updating our online social network at Ning. Feel free to join and start a blog, start a discussion about local environmental issues or watch a video about environmental/Landcare issues.

http://b2blcn.ning.com/

Basalt to Bay Capacity Building Activities for 2010

Basalt to Bay Landcare Network will be hosting a series of capacity building activities this year beginning with our Landcare Forum in March. Other activities planned for the year include :

• Birds on Farms workshop (Yambuk 7-5-10 & Mortlake 21-5-10)
• Wetlands workshop (Caramut 13-8-10 & Allansford 27-8-10)
• Coastal weed identification and eradication workshop (Yambuk 10-9-10)
• Direct seeding demonstration (Orford 8-10-10)
• Direct seeding demonstration (Mortlake 14-10-10)
• Coastal weed identification and eradication workshop (Warrnambool 15-10-10)
• Healing the soil with native pastures (Location to be announced 22-10-10)
• Jemina sponsored coach tour of environmental projects in the Basalt to Bay region (date to be announced).

Flyers will be sent out nearer the time and further details will be posted here as each activity approaches. If you'd like to register interest in an upcoming event, send me Richard an email at richardb2b@gmail.com .

Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Group - Dairy for March

Hey Folks, here's the March Calender for the Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Group from Don McTaggart.

Feb 28^th : Meet at the Flume @ 10.00 am and move to Harris St @ 11.00 am for site inspections, discussions and work plan ideas for the remainder of this year. With your input we hope to make decisions where to plant trees and do maintenance this year and hopefully come up with a good management plan. Our overall aim is to return to the Flume for NTD (Aug 1^st) and finish off the unplanted area of the Harris on Merri site. That’s where you can help by coming along with offers of help, support and ideas.

March 1^st : This will be the last Penguin Monitoring Count for 2009 – 2010 Breeding Season. Contact: kristieking14@yahoo.com.au; Meet at 7.45pm.

Also we will soon be holding a reward BBQ with Certificate of Volunteerism given to those who monitored during this season. Date to be decided.

March 2^nd : March General Meeting held at 3 WAY Community Radio Rooms, Hyland St. @ 7.30 pm. Everybody welcome.

March 7^th : Clean Up Australia Day is on the Long Weekend (7^th). If you are not going away and can make it there will be two signon places endorsed by our Group:-.

Viaduct Rd near the amenities block and at the Levy’s Point car park. 10.00 -12.00, bring the Family.

Landcare in the Basalt to Bay Region: Past, Present & Future

Basalt to Bay Landcare Network will be hosting a regional Landcare forum for it's member groups and non member community NRM groups in our region.

When : 9:30-4 pm Thursday 25th March, 2010
Where : Port Fairy Yacht Club, Club House - 1 Griffiths Street, Port Fairy
Why : Basalt to Bay Landcare Network are hosting this forum for landcare members and other community based NRM groups who are in our region, to recognise the challenges facing Landcare and provide some solutions to addressing these challenges.

The aim of the forum is for you to network, recognise past achievements, and understand the current state of affairs for the Landcare movement and to work out what the B2BLN can do help your group achieve your goals.

The intention is that by the end of the day

• You have some ideas and pathways to follow up to achieve desired outcomes for your members and the environment
• You have a better support network and access to resources to achieve your goals
• That B2BLN has stronger ties and involvement with local group
  

The forum is by invite only. Invites will officially be sent out by the end of today. Prospective participants will be contacted by a member of the Basalt to Bay steering committee in the next week, to discuss the forum in greater detail and to guage your interest in attending.

I would strongly encourage prospective participants to attend the forum, as this will be a unique opportunity to learn more about the achievements of Landcare, the current state of Landcare in our region and where it's headed in the future.

Waratah Fencing & Weed Control Field Day

Where : Peter Kampman's property, 'Camwin Park' 1240 Ellerslie-Panmure Road, Framlingham.

When : Wednesday 24th February, 2010.

Practical demonstrations

will include:

• Strainer Assemblies – Do’s & don’ts
• Stocktite®, barb & plainwire fence erection
• The Waratah accessoryrange
• Handy hints to save youtime & money
• Spray options for weed control—Tim Bligh
• Mechanical woody weed removal—Phillip King

Featuring an exclusive fencing demonstration by Neville Prince (pictured), spray options and equipment with Tim Bligh, and a demonstration of weed mulching with Phillip King.

- This FREE event is part of the Framlingham and

Lower Mt Emu Creek Restoration Project 2009-2010.

- This project is supported by Glenelg Hopkins CMA,

through funding from the Victorian Government

Registrations essential:

Tania Parker

Landscape Project Coordinator

Glenelg Hopkins CMA

P: 03 5599 2333

M: 0428 506 699

Tim Bligh

Warrnambool Pest Control

M: 0410 529 834

Phillip King

M: 0415 675 596

Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Group - Dairy for February

The following Dairy for WCLCG is from Don McTaggart (group leader) :

Listed below, along with some other community activities, is a February list for you to participate in if you wish.

Feb 10 GHCMA Community Forum on Land and Diversity White Paper, Pt. Fairy, 9.30 -12.30 Ph 5551 3363 to register (Four members from W’bool going so far)

15 Penguin Monitoring Contact Kristie kristieking14@yahoo.com.au to secure your place.

15 Newly formed SW Surfriders Foundation will be holding a second meeting @ 7.30 pm. Ph Tom 0407 908 982 for the venue or watch the media.

16 Stenciling of CBD Stormwater Drain Lids. Lisette, Dave Marty & Kate are organizing teams from Volunteers@Warrnambool between 3 -5pm, Good luck

16 Friends of Swan Reserve Formation Meeting. Everybody welcome

19 – 21 Sustainable Living Festival, Federation Square., Melbourne. Special Landcare Display.

21 Whale Boat Races. Hopkins River, all day. Some WCLG members participating amongst the 21 local and 7 American teams.

24 Field Naturalist Group Meeting 7.30 @ CWA Hall Keepler St.. Dave Williams is Guest speaker on the Middle Island Maremmas.

28 WCLG to meet at Flume @ 10.00 am and move to Harris St @ 11.00 am for site inspections, discussions and work plan ideas for remainder of this year. With your input we hope to make decisions where to plant trees and do maintenance this year and hopefully come up with a good management plan. Our aim is to return to the Flume for NTD and finish off the unplanted area of the Harris on Merri site. That’s where you can help by coming along with offers of help, support and ideas.

March 2^nd is the next Meeting and Clean Up Australia Day is on the Long Weekend (7^th)

Only 3 Penguin monitoring trips left (March 1,16 & 29)