|
Issue 22: October 2009 Welcome to the October edition of Catchment News, the newsletter of the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA). Previous editions of this newsletter are available on the CMA website. To subscribe to Catchment News or make changes to your subscription details please send an email to hcr@cma.nsw.gov.au. Click here to view large text format | Click here for print-friendly version What's happening around the catchments?
Water bugs (or aquatic macroinvertebrates), when found in our lakes, creeks and rivers, are a great indicator of stream health as some can only be found in exceptionally clean water, while others are very resilient and can be found almost anywhere. In 1994, what is thought to be the first detailed survey of aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Hunter catchment was undertaken at 42 sites from the Goulburn River to Wollombi Brook. Since that initial survey, other macroinvertebrate studies have been undertaken, including the nationwide AUSRIVAS program and sampling for State of the Catchment reporting, and while recent sampling has been undertaken at some of the Hunter sites assessed in 1994, the majority of these sites have not been revisited since the baseline survey was conducted. This month, the CMA's Rod Hardwick, who was actually responsible for the 1994 survey, will revisit all 42 sites, sampling aquatic macroinvertebrates and gathering the data required to draw a comparison with the 1994 results. By evaluating the current macroinvertebrate status against the historical records, it will be possible to determine whether stream health in the Hunter catchment has improved, remained unchanged, or degraded in the 15 years since 1994. The findings may also help to assess whether factors such as changing land use and investment in CMA activities can be attributed to any of the changes observed. If you'd like to learn more about the macroinvertebrates living in your local waterways, you can get involved in the Spring Water Bug Survey happening throughout October. See Dates for the calendar for information on dates and locations.
One of the earliest land grants in the Upper Hunter, Belltrees Station has been owned and run by the White family for over 175 years. Henry Luke White, born in 1860 and known in the family as H.L., was a keen amateur ornithologist and oologist (that's the branch of zoology that relates to bird eggs). His extensive collections of 8500 bird skins and over 200 egg clutches were donated to the National Museum of Victoria in Melbourne in the early 1900s. Today the property is managed by brothers Peter and Antony White and their families. In recent years Peter White has spent time investigating, on behalf of his family, the best way of protecting the unique environment at Belltrees, which includes a substantial area of Hunter River frontage and large areas of the regionally significant Grassy Box Woodland. In 2008 Peter was successful in establishing a Property Vegetation Plan for the property, which meant receiving financial assistance to implement a plan that would include fencing off areas of native vegetation, including 237 hectares of Grassy Box Woodland, and fencing off river frontage from stock access. As part of the VegWatch program, the CMA is conducting a bird walk through Grassy Box Woodland areas at Belltrees Station on the morning of Sunday 15 November. See Dates for the calendar below for more details or contact CMA Catchment Officer Lorna Adlem on 4930 1030.
Organic Matters has been operating for just over a decade and specialises in growing hardy, local provenance native plants for environmental repair projects across the Central Coast. It's hard to believe but Organic Matters owner Mark Snodgrass has been able to produce 75,000 indigenous and native plants from his average-sized suburban block at Buff Point on the Central Coast, using barely a drop of town water. Since getting permission from Wyong Shire Council to set up a home nursery business, Mark has been driven by a desire to establish a nursery that has the smallest possible impact on the environment. Water harvesting and recycling have been key components of Mark's plan and have taken him from just one water tank, to four tanks, several pumps, four digital irrigation controllers, hundreds of metres of pipes, and two small wetland areas. The investment in infrastructure has been considerable, but Mark says it has allowed him to capture around 60,000 litres of water each year, most of which is recycled through the nursery two or three times. And since developing and implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) with the CMA, additional improvements have been made to the system to allow the nursery to recycle an additional 50,000 litres of water per year. This is good news for the local environment as nutrient-laden water that can contribute to algae blooms is not being added to the local waterways. For more information contact Organic Matters on 4390 2087 or the CMA on 4324 3844.
Another garden escapee has been spotted marching across the Tuncurry dunes in the Great Lakes area. An outbreak of the poisonous weed Glory Lily (or Flame Lily) was discovered near the Tuncurry Caravan Park and Great Lakes Council has been keen to take a proactive approach. With its bright orange flower and glossy green leaves the Glory Lily is a popular garden plant, but with huge choko-like seed pods that explode, it can quickly get away. All parts of the plant are also highly toxic if eaten and both humans and livestock can be badly affected from ingesting it. Great Lakes Council is trialling chemical control methods at its nursery but has been removing it by hand in the meantime. The council has received funding from the CMA to target Glory Lily and other weeds that threaten the health of our fragile dune systems, like Morning Glory. The Tuncurry outbreak of Glory Lily is now largely under control and Great Lakes Council is looking forward to seeing the native seed stock from the existing canopy and some additional strategic planting kick start the regeneration process. Many of the weeds found in our coastal areas are garden escapees. Seeds can be spread by birds and the wind, but one of the main causes is illegal dumping of green waste in bushland and road reserves. A booklet on garden escapees and other weeds is available from Great Lakes Council on 6591 7222, and remember to report weed outbreaks to your local council weeds officer.
Gresford District Landcare group celebrated another productive year at their annual field day and dinner on 3 October. This year's field day was held at Kooragang Wetlands, where participants were given a tour and explanation of the site rehabilitation and sustainable farming practices that are implemented as part of the CMA's Kooragang Wetlands Rehabilitation Project. The field day was followed by a dinner at the Beatty Hotel in Gresford, where guest speaker and well-known journalist David Mason-Jones provided a presentation on cattle and the carbon cycle. Gresford District Landcare has been active since 1993 and currently has around 16 members. In recent months the group has held a number of field days on local environmental issues, including management of riparian areas, controlling invasive weeds like giant reed, and regenerating local native vegetation. If you're interested in learning more about the activities of Gresford District Landcare, contact Penny Kater on 4938 9365.
Could you recognise the call of the Glossy Black Cockatoo or the Stuttering Barred Frog? Do you know which is the largest owl found in Australasia? Thanks to a partnership between the CMA and the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW), residents of the Central Coast may still have the chance to answer these questions. Works to improve the habitat for these, and other threatened, vulnerable and endangered animal species found on the Central Coast, have recently been completed on 36 hectares across seven of the region's Nature Reserves and National Parks. In particular Weeds of National Significance, including lantana, blackberry, bridal creeper and bitou bush, have been removed. These weeds not only impact of the quality of Endangered Ecological Communities found in the reserves and parks-including Lowland Rainforest, Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest, Coastal Saltmarsh and Lower Hunter Spotted Gum-Ironbark Forest-but they also reduce roosting, foraging, hunting and nesting opportunities for native animal species. The weeding works provide a boost to the efforts of dedicated volunteer groups, who work tirelessly throughout our region. If you'd like to join one of these groups, or find out more, please contact Deb Holloman or John Eaton at the National Parks and Wildlife Service on phone 4320 4224 or 4972 9003.
Since 2007 the CMA has been working in partnership with the Murrurundi community, the Land and Property Management Authority (formerly the Department of Lands), Upper Hunter Shire Council and Turning the Pages Incorporated to improve the health of the Upper Pages River, from the top of Murrurundi to Cameron's Gorge. Throughout September and October the CMA is conducting workshops with students from Murrurundi and Blandford Primary Schools on the science of the Pages River. On 24 September Murrurundi PS students participated in classroom and outdoor activities around the topics of food webs and fauna habitat along the Pages River. Special guest Greg Newling from the Hunter Bird Observers Club led bird watching sessions by the river, while the Waterwatch team took groups through a water bug survey to assess the health of the stream. On 29 September Murrurundi PS students planted over 100 trees along the riverbank at Lions Park, with the assistance of staff from the CMA and the Land and Property Management Authority. It's the second year Murrurundi PS students have participated in the workshops, which have been held in the lead up to the annual Turning the Pages River Day (see Dates for the calendar below).
The CMA, the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association (HVWIA), and E-par Pty Ltd have joined forces to develop an Environmental Management System (EMS) for the viticulture industry. An EMS provides a valuable management tool for planning, implementing and monitoring all aspects of the business; helping identify practices that may adversely impact on natural resources and some alternative solutions. The EMS process also helps identify the good practices producers already have in place and refinements that could be made. The benefits of an EMS from a business point of view include greater risk awareness, lower insurance premiums, improved marketing opportunities, prioritisation of actions and investment, and improved efficiencies in water, energy and waste. An EMS is voluntary, flexible and encourages activity beyond compliance. A series of workshops on developing the EMS system was held recently in the Lower Hunter and involved 20 Hunter Valley wine growers and winemakers. The workshops were funded by the CMA and facilitated by E-par Pty Ltd, an Australian company that has also developed industry-specific EMS programs for the golfing, landscaping and horse racing industries. Examples of practices that could result from the introduction of an EMS for producers include introducing greater varietal mixes, reconsidering row orientation, improving inter-row cultivation techniques, improved cultural practices, re-use of waste from fermentation processes and adopting moisture retention techniques such as mulching. As well as developing an EMS to guide the future sustainability of the industry the HVWIA has also been involved in a major climate change study funded by Hunter Councils. This study will be launched on Friday 16 October, and participants of the launch will have the chance to discuss their EMS experiences. For more information on the EMS program contact the CMA's Geoff LeMessurier on 6551 8994. Taking on the African Olive invasion in Maitland African Olive was originally introduced into Australia as a hedging plant and as vigorous rootstock for the edible common table olive. It is now declared a noxious weed in parts of Sydney and, alongside Lantana, is the worst environmental weed in the Hunter in terms of the impact it has on biodiversity, because of the way it dominates native vegetation communities and shades out other species. The CMA has been working with Maitland and Singleton councils, and the Upper Hunter Weeds Authority, on treating and controlling some of the biggest African Olive infestations in the Hunter Valley. Maitland City Council, with support from the CMA, has undertaken various control trials and worked on containing outlying infestations in the Maitland Local Government Area. Some preliminary results of these trials will be presented at a free field day on a private property at Rosebrook on Saturday 14 November. The field day will be jointly run by the CMA and Maitland City Council and will feature special guest speaker Dr Peter Cuneo from Mt Annan Botanic Gardens, who will share his extensive knowledge and research on the ecology of African Olive, particularly in south-west Sydney, where it was originally introduced. Maitland landholders are invited to come along to the field day to find out about the trials and how they can tackle African Olive on their own properties (see Dates for the calendar below). Those interested in attending the field day should contact CMA Catchment Officer Lorna Adlem on 4930 1030.
Entries are now open for the WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition 2010. WetlandCare Australia (WCA) is a national not-for-profit, non-government science-based organisation, with a mission to support the community in the protection and repair of Australia's wetlands. WetlandCare are inviting members of the community to submit artworks and photographs exploring the theme of Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change. Entries close Friday 4 December 2009. Entry forms are available from WetlandCare Australia website or by calling WetlandCare Australia on 02 6681 6169. Dates for the calendar14 October - Annual Lakelands Carp Catch Now in its ninth year, the Lakelands Carp Catch includes prizes, giveaways, displays and activities for the whole family. Run as a partnership between Warners Bay Landcare and Lake Macquarie City Council, the carp catch will run from 8.30 am-11.30 am at Lakelands Community Hall, Ambleside Circuit, Lakelands. For more information contact Karen Mason at Lake Macquarie City Council on 4921 0259, or Graham Dunlop from Warners Bay Landcare on 4948 7099. 15 October - Nominations close for the 2010 RIRDC Rural Women's Award See details under Support available for natural resource management activities. 16 October - Nominations close for the Nature Conservation Council Awards close See details under Support available for natural resource management activities. 18 October - KWRP planting day Join the Koora Gang volunteers for their regular planting at 9.30 am on Ash Island. Lunch will be provided. Contact Tiffany on 4964 9308 for details. 19-22 October - Spring Water Bug Survey Starting on Monday the Waterwatch team will be conducting water bug surveys on the Allyn River in the morning and the Williams River in the afternoon; on Tuesday they'll be in Port Stephens surveying estuarine invertebrates at Bagnalls Beach in the morning and at Kingfisher Reserve, Corlette in the afternoon; on Wednesday morning they'll be sampling at Ellalong Lagoon at Paxton; and on Thursday you'll catch them at Booragul in the morning and at Caves Beach in the afternoon. To register your interest contact Hunter-Central Rivers Waterwatch Coordinator, Ingrid Berthold, on 4930 1030 or email Ingrid.Berthold@cma.nsw.gov.au before 5.00 pm on Friday 16 October. Go to the Bug Survey website to find out what's involved in the surveys. There's also an aquatic macroinvertebrate ID chart now available on the CMA website. 23 October - Pasture Topdressing Field Day Industry & Investment NSW (Primary Industries) is conducting two pasture fertiliser topdressing trials at the Tocal Dairy, with support from the Hunter Dairy Development Group and five commercial suppliers. For further information call the Industry & Investment (DPI) Advisory Office at the Tocal Agricultural Centre on 4939 8940. 31 October - World Environment Day Awards Night Dinner Join the Nature Conservation Council of NSW in celebrating the extraordinary efforts of conservationists and environmental activists across the state. The Nature Conservation Council Awards recognise the efforts of the grassroots environment movement and importantly celebrate the enormous work, passion and commitment that goes into not only the big victories, but also the tiny wins, the setbacks and the outright losses. This year, the World Environment Day Awards night dinner will be held in the Gallery Function Centre at University of Technology, Sydney. The guest speaker will be renowned conservation biologist and water bird surveyor Richard Kingsford. For details contact NCC on (02) 9279 2466. 14 November - African Olive Field Day in Rosebrook Maitland landholders are invited to come along to this field day to find out about trials conducted by Maitland Council on the control of Afrcian Olive and to find out how they can tackle African Olive on their own properties. The day will be jointly run by the CMA and Maitland City Council and will feature special guest speaker Dr Peter Cuneo from Mt Annan Botanic Gardens, who will share his extensive knowledge and research on the ecology of African Olive, particularly in south-west Sydney, where it was originally introduced. Those interested in attending should contact CMA Catchment Officer Lorna Adlem on 4930 1030. 15 November - Bird walk at Belltrees Station As part of the VegWatch program, the CMA is conducting a bird walk through Grassy Box Woodland areas at Belltrees Station on the morning of Sunday 15 November. Special guests from the Hunter Bird Observers Club will guide the walks, while CMA staff will be there to point out plants of interest along the way. After the walk, participants will hear from students of Belltrees Primary School, who'll give a presentation on some of the things they've learnt about their VegWatch site through their participation in the CMA's VegWatch program. This is a free event and morning tea and lunch will be provided. To register or find out more contact CMA Catchment Officer Lorna Adlem on 4930 1030. 15 November - Planting day at KWRP Join the Koora Gang volunteers for their regular planting at 9.30 am on Ash Island. Lunch will be provided. Contact Tiffany on 4964 9308 for details. 19 November - Turning the Pages River Day in Murrurundi Coordinated by Turning the Pages Incorporated, the Turning the Pages project began in 2007 with the aim of bringing local communities together, through art and science, to celebrate the significance of the Pages River, a major tributary of the Hunter River. The River Day is the culmination of a series of activities happening throughout Spring, including art and science workshops and tree plantings with the local schools and community. For more details on the River Day, contact Linda Russell at the CMA's Muswellbrook office on 6542 4423. Support available for natural resource management activitiesIntegrating learning and land management In 2009-10 the CMA is offering subsidised training as part of its Integrated Land Management Program. As part of the program, landholders in priority areas will pay just $100 to undertake 2.5-3 day courses in sustainable land management. The courses have been targeted to specific issues and priority areas within the region as follows:
To register your interest in these courses, send an email containing your name, course and location preference, property address, enterprise type, email and phone number to Anna Ferguson at anna.ferguson@cma.nsw.gov.au. Caring for our Country - Community Action Grants Eligible community groups can apply for grants from $5,000 to $20,000 (GST exclusive) to take action to help protect and conserve Australia's environment. Eligible projects must involve volunteers and communities in activities which work towards achieving outcomes in the Caring for our Country national priority areas of Biodiversity and Natural Icons, Coastal Environments and Critical Aquatic Habitats, and Sustainable Farm Practices and be completed within 18 months or less. Applications for a Community Action Grant will be open from 1 October 2009 - 22 October 2009. More information is available on the Caring for our Country - Community Action Grants website. RIRDC New South Wales Rural Women’s Award The Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award recognises and encourages rural women and their contribution to agriculture, primary industries, resource development and rural Australia. The Award provides a $10,000 bursary for the NSW winner and the opportunity for the winner and the runner-up to participate in further leadership and development training. The Award is open to all women involved in primary industries or natural resource management, whether you work in broad-acre farming, intensive livestock, cropping, horticulture, fish, forestry or related service industries. Applications open annually on 1 August and close on 15 October. Contact the NSW Rural Women’s Network for an application package on 02 6391 3620 or email rural.women@industry.nsw.gov.au and see www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/rwn www.ruralwomensaward.gov.au Nature Conservation Council Awards Nominations are now open for the Nature Conservation Council Awards. Categories include awards for the most outstanding environmental effort of an individual, the most outstanding new campaign, the Rising Star Award, the Nature Conservation Council Member Group Award, the most inspiring climate action initiative and the Allen Strom Hall of Fame. For details and nomination forms go to the Nature Conservation Council of NSW website. Nominations close 16 October 2009. 2009 Habitat Action Grants Grants of up to $30,000 are available for projects that will improve fish habitat in NSW and enhance recreational fishing. Projects from, involving or supported by recreational fishers will receive preference. Criteria and application forms are available on the DPI website. Applications close on 16 October 2009. The Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority
|
The
Big Bug Survey
Bird
watching at Belltrees
Water
saving in Wyong
Bringing
Glory Lily under control
Greening
Gresford
Weeding
to help save local species
Turning
the Pages
Growing
sustainably in the Hunter Valley
Capturing
the beauty of our wetlands