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Issue 21: September 2009 Welcome to the September 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?
On 13 August the CMA Board spent the day inspecting CMA-funded projects in Gosford and Wyong. One of the sites they visited was the 23 hectare RTA site bounded by Ourimbah Creek and the F3 freeway. Palm Grove Ourimbah Creek Landcare group has been working on the site for the past eight years, with support from Wyong Shire Council. Palm Grove Ourimbah Creek Landcare is made up of around 14 members, with a committed band of volunteers meeting at the site twice a week. The group has been planting indigenous species and enhancing the natural regeneration of the unique subtropical rainforest of the Ourimbah Creek floodplain. The site is home to a range of threatened flora and fauna including: Melaleuca biconvexa and Syzygium paniculatum, Giant Barred Frog and Powerful Owl, bringing even greater significance to the work being achieved. The site is also an important wildlife corridor, linking significant forested reserves to the north and south of Ourimbah Creek. When the group first started work, the site was a cleared paddock heavily grazed by cattle. With the exclusion of stock, the native species began to regenerate but so did the weeds. The control of privet has been an ongoing challenge for the group but the combined expertise of the group's members and sheer perseverance have been the keys to controlling its spread. The group has received assistance from the CMA to enhance native vegetation on 4.2 hectares including a wetland site, and to regenerate the riparian corridor along Ourimbah Creek, which has been identified as a priority through regional RiverstylesTM mapping. Work on the site is contributing to the implementation of the Ourimbah Creek Rivercare Plan and the plan of management developed by the group and Wyong Shire Council. Several areas of vegetation at the site have been established as monitoring plots, as part of a long-term monitoring program being undertaken by DECCW and the CMA to monitor vegetation condition change. Photo courtesy of John Baker and the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
A collaborative research project is uncovering the mysteries of marine life along the NSW coast. The Northern Rivers, Hunter-Central Rivers and Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authorities have joined forces with the Department of Environment and Climate Change and the Department of Industry and Investment (Fisheries) to undertake extensive mapping of marine habitats along the coast of NSW. Two workshops were held in Sydney and Port Stephens in August to present the new information to marine scientists, educators and other marine stakeholders. The project is being coordinated by the Hunter-Central Rivers CMA with funding from the NSW and Australian Governments and has taken almost two years to complete. Various techniques and technologies have been employed to create a picture of the varied marine habitats, from deep water sponge gardens three nautical miles off the coast, to mangroves, seagrass and saltmarsh in the tidal waters of our estuaries. This has been comibined with information collated from earlier projects to produce a comprehensive set of digital maps of marine habitats along our coast. Shallow-water habitats, such as near-shore reefs and seagrass meadows, have been captured with aerial photography and hydro-acoustic echo sounders, which measure the time it takes for a SONAR pulse or 'ping' to bounce off the seafloor, were used to create a three-dimensional image of the seabed. The project aims to fill a substantial gap in the current knowledge of marine habitats and the biodiversity they support. Products of the project include a complete set of digital maps of NSW waters and a spectacular series of images of the seafloor, which shed light on marine habitats that have never been seen before. The maps are already proving to be useful to marine scientists and agencies in prioritising the introduction of seagrass friendly moorings in our estuaries, and conducting baseline monitoring around the sinking of the decommissioned HMAS Adelaide off the coast of Terrigal. Photo courtesy of NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water.
Since the first floodgate on Ironbark Creek was opened in December 2008, a team of consultants has been closely monitoring the impacts of increased tidal inundation in Hexham Swamp. The team got together on 21 August to discuss the impacts of opening the first gate over the past 6 months, in accordance with the Operations Environmental Management Plan for the Hexham Swamp Rehabilitation Project. Researchers presented their results of the 6 months of monitoring and discussed targets for Stage 2. Researchers reported on a number of environmental factors including wetland hydraulics, water quality, creek bank condition, vegetation, water birds, frogs, fish, crabs, worms, and mosquitoes. The above average rainfall in the 6 month reporting period increased freshwater flows into the swamp and this had an effect on groundwater, inundation levels and water quality during this period. It was found that effects of tidal flows into the swamp generally did not result in higher water levels as the water flowed out rapidly on the turning tide, and no significant changes were reported for vegetation, fish, macrobenthic invertebrates and mosquitoes. All of the findings were found to be within the parameters of expected outcomes, and the team has recommended that the project proceed to the next stage of opening another floodgate. In order for this to occur the NSW Department of Planning must give its approval, which is expected by the end of 2009. The research team will continue to closely monitor the swamp as it is returned to natural estuarine conditions. Photo courtesy of Bio-Analysis Pty. Ltd.
On 18 August students from Merriwa Central Primary School spent the day at Merriwa Common, as part of their participation in the CMA's new monitoring program VegWatch, which is being trialed this year in the Upper Hunter. One of the things the Merriwa Central students reported at their Autumn VegWatch session in May was that their site at Merriwa Common was home not only to some lovely big ironbarks, grey gums and wattles, but also to a prickly pest named tiger pear. The students complained of getting pricked by these nasties as they completed their activities, so for their Winter session they were given the chance to have their revenge. The Upper Hunter Weeds Authority (UHWA) is currently undertaking a biological control program targeting tiger pear. Through the program, tiger pear is being collected from sites in the Upper Hunter and is being inoculated with the cochineal mealy bug, Dactylopius austrinus. The bugs draw the sap from the tiger pear, leaving it dried out and unable to reproduce. The UHWA provided cages and long-handled tongs and CMA staff supervised and assisted as the students eagerly collected the prickly pests, locking them into their cages for transporting to the UHWA office. The students will return to Merriwa Common in Spring and again in Summer to complete their seasonal observations. In Autumn 2010 they'll give their site its annual health check, including an assessment of the trees, understorey and groundcover vegetation, weeds and other pests, insects and potential habitat for native fauna. If it has worsened the students will be encouraged to identify possible impacts and solutions for improving management of the site in the future.
The Great Lakes Underwater Group (GLUG) is a group of volunteers who carry out regular dives in the coastal waters of the Great Lakes, keeping an eye out for interesting species and collecting information to assist their conservation. On their last dive at Seal Rocks in July, they observed more than 30 Humpback Whales, a huge pod of dolphins and a green sea turtle; they've even seen the odd seal from the boat. The group, which receives support from Great Lakes Council, has secured funding from the Australian Government's Caring for Our Country (CFOC) Community Coastcare grants to fund a talk by Susan Crocetti from the National Parks and Wildlife Service as part of the fascinating Marine Discovery Series. In her role as Operations Officer for the NPWS northern branch, Susan has been involved in rescuing animals like whales from getting stranded, trapped in rivers and lakes and tangled in nets and ropes. At the Marine Discovery presentation at the Cape Hawke Surf Life Saving Club in Forster on 23 September, Susan will talk about the animals to look out for along our coastline, including whales, dolphins and turtles, their behaviours, and what we can do if we see a sick or injured animal on the beach. See Dates for the calendar (below) for details. Photo courtesy of Scott Hindmarch, Great Lakes Underwater Group.
The NSW Compost Leadership Awards are presented annually to recognise leadership and innovation within the recycled organics industry, with awards being judged by a cross-section of government and industry experts. The Hunter-Central Rivers CMA was the proud winner this year of the Compost Leadership Award for the 'most innovative use of compost in local government operations,' in recognition of the CMA's use of recycled organic green waste to improve soil fertility in rehabilitating and revegetating eroded gullies in the upper Hunter Valley. Recycled organics were used in the treatment of eroded gullies at Jerrys Plains, including a deep gully on a site at Anglo Coal's Plashett property. Soil works were undertaken to fill and reshape the area around the gully, which was 65 metres long and 13 metres deep. The area was then fenced off, treated with gypsum and compost material, and finally sown with grass seeds. Previous attempts at revegetating the site had been unsuccessful but the use of recycled green waste helped improve the viability of the soil and the grass growing on the site is now 4 foot high. The same approach has been equally successful on projects in other parts of the Upper Hunter, including the remediation of a severely eroded gully at Doughboy Hollow near Singleton. The CMA's Upper Hunter Catchment Officer Steve Eccles received the award on behalf of the CMA at the 2009 Compost Ball held in Orange in May. Photo courtesy of the Waste Management Association of Australia.
For the past 8 weeks the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation project has had a special visitor from the other side of the world. Heloise Doucet from Chartrettes (50 km south-east of Paris) is completing an internship at the project to contribute towards a degree in biological engineering. Since she arrived in early July she has been involved in a diverse range of activities including water quality monitoring, bird surveys, salt marsh studies, planning meetings, volunteer planting days, educational tours and field days, community events, and more. Heloise will return to France in mid September and the team at KWRP and the CMA would like to thank her very much for the fantastic contribution she has made to the team over the past two months. We wish her well in her future endeavours and hope that she will visit us again before too long.
Native fish species such as Australian Bass and Mullet need to migrate between different types of habitat to feed and reproduce. Man-made barriers such as road crossings, weirs and floodgates affect the ability of fish to complete these essential lifecycle processes. At one local site at Locketts Crossing on the Coolongolook River, fish were being prevented from swimming upstream because of a big drop on the downstream side of the causeway and a shallow flow across the causeway. To rectify this a fishway, or fish ladder, has been built at the crossing as part of the Bringing Back the Fish project, which is being managed by Industry and Investment NSW - Fisheries. The fishway incorporates a box culvert and a series of low gradient pools and rock ridges to allow fish to swim from the estuary into the upper reaches of the river, while keeping the upstream pool in place. The fishway at Locketts Crossing will restore fish passage to 65 km of instream habitat in the Coolongolook River. Funding for the Bringing Back the Fish project was provided by the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust, Caring for our Country, the Hunter-Central Rivers CMA and Great Lakes Council. For more information contact Conservation Management Officer Jenny Fredrickson at Port Stephens Fisheries Institute on 4916 3834 or email Jenny.Fredrickson@industry.nsw.gov.au.
The understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal culture and heritage is much broader than the investigation and recording of archeological sites; it relates to an understanding that Aboriginal people have a commitment to care for Country and should have a responsible role in managing natural resources. A new publication available from the CMA and developed by the Hunter-Central Rivers Aboriginal Cultural & Environmental Network (ACEN) - CMA Partnership Committee, provides an introduction to Aboriginal culturally significant landscapes in the Hunter-Central Rivers Region and explains some of the factors that are part of an assessment of Aboriginal cultural significance when undertaking natural resource work. For a copy of this free publication contact the CMA's Catchment Officer, Aboriginal Communities, Craig Aspinall on 4930 1030. Photo courtesy of Tocal Agricultural Centre.
On 25 August, 60 year 10 students from St Peters campus of All Saints College in Maitland rolled up their sleeves for a day on the tools at the CMA's Kooragang Wetland Rehabiliation Project on Ash Island. They were there to undertake some practical environmental activities to contribute towards completion of the School Certificate. With expert supervision and support from the KWRP team, the students got stuck into the tasks they were given, planting 100 trees, shrubs and grasses to create habitat and a shady pathway for visitors, removing the spiky Juncus acutus from low lying areas, and removing rubbish from mangrove areas. There are a range of educational opportunities at Kooragang Wetlands for school groups to participate in. For more information, contact KWRP Marketing and Public Relations Officer, Tiffany Jeffery, on 4964 9308 or go to www.hcr.cma.nsw.gov.au/kooragang.
North Coast farmers showed why the grass is greener on the coast at the 24th Annual Grassland Society of NSW Conference held in Taree on 5-6 August. Almost 300 delegates attended the conference, which showcased the achievements of a number of local producers. This was the first time that the Grassland’s Conference was held on the coast. Innovations in dairy and beef production under high rainfall systems were featured and the impacts and implications of climate change on pastures were discussed by leading research scientists from Australia and New Zealand. The Conference was a collaboration of Mid Coast Dairy Advancement Group, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the Grasslands Society of NSW committee, and was sponsored by the CMA. DPI announced the winners of their 2009 NSW Hay and Silage Feed Quality Competition at the conference and congratulations go to Vacy dairy farmer and CMA grant recipient David Williams who won the award for best silage. If you'd like to learn more about the local producers featured through the conference, a series of videos have been uploaded to the DPI website. Surveying local wildlife Earlier this year the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water launched the 2009 Wildlife Biodiversity Survey, which is an internet-based community survey designed to collect information on current and past distributions of particular fauna in NSW. Residents of NSW are being encouraged to participate in the survey and contribute their valuable local knowledge and observations of species such as koalas, kangaroos, flying foxes, feral cats, emus, bush stone curlews, barking owls, cane toads and wombats. You can preview the survey before you begin or just go ahead and complete the 2009 Wildlife Biodiversity Survey. Dates for the calendar5 September - Touring threatened species habitat in the Lower Hunter Celebrate Threatened Species Day and Biodiversity Month by joining a self-drive tour of the Lower Hunter. Stopping at a number of sites between Kurri Kurri and Branxton, this tour, hosted by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, will give you the chance to learn about threatened plants, endangered ecological communities and threatened animals of the Lower Hunter. To register contact Tricia Hogbin or Mick Roderick on 4908 6828 or email: tricia.hogbin@environment.nsw.gov.au or mick.roderick@environment.nsw.gov.au. 6 September - Awabakal wildflower walk At this time of year the wildflowers of the Awabakal coastal heath are a sight to behold against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. Join members of the Hunter Branch of the National Parks Association for a leisurely walk and learn from local experts about the plants and ecology of this special place. All members of the public and all ages are welcome. Meet in the car park at the far end of Ocean Street, Dudley at 10.00 am. The walk will conclude around 12.30 pm. Bring a hat and something to drink. For more information phone John Simpson 0400 882 897, Maree McCarthy 0410 405 815 or Greg Giles 4961 1105 (AH). 7 September - Our Landscapes, Our Future Commissioner of the NSW Natural Resources Commission, Scientific Advisor to the Board of Landcare Australia, and past Chief of CSIRO Land and Water, Dr John Williams will deliver an evening lecture at Newcastle City Hall as part of the Hunter Valley Research Foundation's Lecture Series 2009: Democracy and a Civil Society. Bookings are essential, free tickets are available by calling 4969 4566, online at www.stickytickets.com.au/2015 or at www.hvrf.com.au. 9-11 September - 2009 NSW Landcare Catchment Management Forum The 2009 NSW Landcare Catchment Management Forum is being held this year at The Glasshouse in Port Macquarie. The Forum will be held in conjunction with the 2009 NSW State Landcare Awards gala dinner, recognising outstanding contributions to Landcare and land management across NSW. This year's Forum will also acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of the past 20 years of Landcare. For information on the forum and the awards go to: http://www.hastings.nsw.gov.au/www/html/2587-event-details.asp?intEvent ID=4655 11 September - Jilliby Creek presentation of Waterwatch kit Residents of the Jilliby Creek Catchment are invited to come along and find out how they can get involved in monitoring the health of their local creek. The Jilliby/Dooralong Waterwatch group will be presented with their brand new Waterwatch kit, which is being donated to the group by the CMA, to allow the group to conduct regular monitoring. The presentation will take place at the hall at 369 Little Jilliby Road and morning tea will be provided. To RSVP phone Sam on 4349 4757 or email waterwatch@cen.org.au. 12 September - Trees in Newcastle turns 20 Trees In Newcastle (TIN) is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. TIN is having a combined Open Day with the Newcastle Community Arts Centre (NCAC) under the banner 'A Growing Community.' Local organisations, including the CMA, will be there to help TIN celebrate this important milestone. The Open Day will run from 12 noon to 4.00 pm at 252 Parry Street, Newcastle West, and will include: botanical illustration classes, TIN tours featuring 20 years of planting, a plant sale, portrait painting, bushcraft and recycle-art for kids, stenciling-shed painting, planting of NCAC gardens, hands-on displays, caricatures, games: pot-toss, BBQ, prizes and lucky draws, open gallery and artist studios. Call 4969 1500 to RSVP. 20 September - Planting at Kooragang Wetlands 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. 23 September - Marine Discovery Series Susan Crocetti from the National Parks and Wildlife Service will be giving a talk about the animals to look out for along our coastline, including whales, dolphins and turtles, their behaviours, and what we can do if we see a sick or injured animal on the beach. The talk is part of the Marine Discovery Series and will take place at Cape Hawke Surf Life Saving Club in Forster from 6.00 pm and is free of charge. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information contact Isabelle Strachan at Great Lakes Council on 6591 7301. 25 September - Fireweed and Pasture Management Field Day The Department of Primary Industries - Agriculture have been conducting some trials on the management of fireweed. They're holding a field day at the Tocal Agricultural College to pass on what they've learnt to local landholders. For further information phone DPI Advisory Office on 4939 8940. 11 October - Flood walk and talk of Central Maitland Join local historian Peter Bogan for an historic tour of Central Maitland featuring the history of flooding in the area. Peter's tours have been extremely popular so book early to avoid disappointment. Tours will run from 9.00-11.00 am finishing with morning tea and 1.00-3.00 pm followed by afternoon tea. The cost is $10 per person. Contact the CMA's Flood Education Officer, Amanda Hyde on 4930 1030 to reserve your place. Support available for natural resource management activitiesSupport for community networks The CMA is offering financial support to community networks involved in natural resource management throughout the Hunter-Central Rivers Region in 2009/10. The CMA has allocated $137,000 from the Australian Government's Caring for our Country (CFOC), the NSW Government's Catchment Action NSW (CANSW), and Hunter Catchment Contributions (HCC) programs. A maximum of $10,000 is available per organisation for community support and capacity building actions delivering outputs for one or more of the Management Targets in the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Action Plan (CAP). Go to www.hcr.cma.nsw.gov.au or contact the CMA's Community Engagement Facilitator, John Wilson, on 4938 4959 or 0418 633 626, for full details on guidelines and funding priorities for these programs. Applications close Friday 25 September 2009. 2009 Habitat Action Grants now open 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
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Recovering
rainforest at Ourimbah Creek
Discovering the depths of our marine habitat 
High
rains but no high tides in Hexham Swamp
VegWatchers
help tackle a prickly pest
Watching
out for whales, dolphins and turtles
Compost
kudos
International
intern at Kooragang Wetlands
Caution
Fish Crossing
Understanding Aboriginal culturally significant landscapes
An education in wetland ecology 
Why
the grass is greener on the coast