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A message from the Regional

Landcare Facilitator

Hi everyone, Welcome to the June edition of the North Central chat – can you believe we’re half way through the year already! We are hoping to have some news regarding the upcoming community grants very soon. As mentioned last month, this year the North Central CMA is administering community grants from both the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme and the Victorian Government’s Victorian Landcare Grants. We plan to deliver the grants in one streamlined process, however we are just waiting on funding announcements from the Victorian Government. This year, individuals, community groups and Landcare networks are all able to apply for grants to undertake a range of on-ground works and community capacity-building activities. Grants will also be available for group maintenance or start-up costs. Environment and sustainable agriculture projects are eligible for funding. For example, community planting days, threatened species protection, pest animal and weed control, innovative farm trials, community training and field days, If you or your group has a project idea, I encourage you start planning. Think about the project aims, activities, costs, location(s) and potential partners. The earlier you can start planning the project, the much easier it will be to complete the application. Once the grants are announced notification will be sent to all groups and information will be available on the North Central CMA website.

The Serpentine Creek at Bears Lagoon after the rain last week.

In other news, this will sadly be my last newsletter. After four and half years working as the Regional Landcare Facilitator at the North Central CMA, I’ve taken a job at the Goulburn Broken CMA in order to be closer to family. It has been a pleasure working with so many inspiring and innovative farmers and Landcarers during my time at the CMA. I’ll still be working as a Regional Landcare Facilitator so I hope our paths cross path in the future. Kind Regards,

Ashley Rogers Regional Landcare Facilitator North Central Catchment Management Authority Phone: 03 5448 7124 Email: ashley.rogers@nccma.vic.gov.au

This month’s contents:

News 2

Waterwatch update 6

Events 11

Courses and resources 13

Funding 15

June 2015

Keeping you up to date with all the Landcare and

Waterwatch news

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Weed of the month…

News…

Vale Joan Kirner, former Victorian Premier and Landcare pioneer

Landcare Victoria has paid tribute to the significant contribution the Honourable Joan Kirner AC made in bringing communities together to tackle local environmental issues. In the 1980s Joan Kirner (then Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands) joined forces with Heather Mitchell (then president of Victorian Farmers Federation) to develop an integrated program that would reverse the degradation of farmland, public land and our waterways. Landcare was launched by Joan and Heather on 25 November 1986 at Winjallock, near St Arnaud, making the connection between rural

communities and the government to help resolve the significant challenges facing farmers. It's thanks to her vision, her belief in community action and her early stewardship of Landcare, that it grew into the phenomenon of today. There are now more than 600 Landcare groups and networks operating around Victoria and over 5000 groups in Australia, as well as extending to more than 20 countries worldwide. "When people ask me if I enjoyed being in politics I'd have to say that ... I'm just so proud of Landcare. And it shows that, across political lines, you can get things done - if you believe in community, and if you believe in the future," she said.

Joan Kirner (right) and Heather Mitchell at Landcare's 10th anniversary celebrations at Winjallock, in 1996. Photo: Victorian Landcare Gateway. The Mother of Landcare, Joan's engagement with, and her interest in, Landcare continued right throughout her life. After reading the latest Aboriginal Landcare feature issue of the Victorian Landcare and Catchment Management magazine, Joan wrote (at the end of April) to the editor to express her delight. “As an early participant in the creation of Landcare, I felt that I had to write and tell you how delighted I am with the program, its longevity, results and the new initiative in Indigenous Landcare. My former colleague, the late Heather Mitchell would be delighted too! Please pass on my congratulations to all landcarers.” An inspiration to many, Joan Kirner's legacy of Landcare will continue to drive community and environmental action around the world.

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Vale Phillip Toyne, former Australian Conservation Foundation Executive Director

Sadly earlier this month, Phillip Toyne passed away after a long battle with cancer. Like Joan, Phillip was instrumental in the early success of Landcare. Phillip was instrumental in taking Landcare to the national level during the late 1980s, along with the late Rick Farley of the National Farmers Federation. Together, they developed a national program for Landcare, which they took to then-Prime Minister Bob Hawke. The result was the A$340m Decade of Landcare. 25 years later, Phillip was part of the 2014 National Landcare Conference held in Melbourne, celebrating the success of the Landcare movement. He was a part of a panel session reflecting on the history of Landcare and its achievements. A video of the panel session is available at: http://www.landcareonline.com.au/nationalconference. Andrew Campbell, the first National Landcare Facilitator, has written a tribute to his friend of 30 years, available at: https://theconversation.com/phillip-toyne-cared-for-land-carers-black-and-white-43235?

Andrew Campbell and Phillip Toyne in 1991 at the launch of ‘Planning for Sustainable Farming’. Photo: Andrew Campbell.

Wheel cactus warriors spreading the word, not Cactus

The Tarrangower Cactus Control Group (TCCG) held an enlightening workshop and field trip in

mid-May, specifically for government land management organisations. The group’s main goals were to warn other regions in Victoria wheel cactus is spreading like a ‘triffid’, and to share knowledge and experience in trying to eradicate the cactus from their immediate environment.

Ian Grenda explaining the herbicide injection technique. Photo: Lee Mead. Presentations highlighted the serious threats the noxious weed poses to the natural flora and fauna and farming economy, the difficulties in destroying it, and the adverse effect non-complying land owners have on eradication efforts. The group revealed some very encouraging before and after photographs of a local property — where the owners have consistently injected the plants for many years — which prove it is possible to eliminate a wheel cactus infestation. A field trip was also included which demonstrated the promising results of a small trial comparing the use of the herbicides glyphosate and daconate. Thanks to all the hardworking TCCG committee members for organising and presenting a very informative workshop, especially to the group’s President, Ian Grenda, who the following day also drove all the way to Towong to give a similar presentation to land managers and owners in north east Victoria. The most important take-home message for attendees at both workshops was the best way to stop the spread of wheel cactus is to destroy the plant before it grows large enough to flower and bear fruit. This prevents further dispersal of the seeds by birds and foxes. If you’d like to learn how to most effectively kill wheel cactus plants, join the group at its monthly community field days, or contact group

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committee members via their website www.cactuswarriors.org. Field days are held on the last Sunday of the month on different public and private properties. Activities always begin at 10.30am and end with a free barbecue and friendly chat. Everyone is most welcome.

Harcourt orchadist among seven of the best in the running for RIRDC Rural Women’s Award Seven women who embody the Aussie can-do attitude and have a commitment to the rural industries and communities in which they work are now in the running to take out the 2015 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award. Women play a vital role in rural businesses, industries and communities and the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award aims to both acknowledge and boost their contribution. Each of the seven finalists – one from each state and the Northern Territory – will deliver a project as part of the award process that will benefit rural people and rural industries. Each of the women will receive a $10,000 bursary to help complete their project, with the national winner receiving an additional $10,000. The RIRDC Rural Women’s Award also provides the state winners with personal and professional development opportunities, including access to a network of award alumni mentors and an Australian Institute of Company Directors course. The national winner will be announced on 9 September at the 2015 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award National Celebratory Dinner, to be held at Parliament House in Canberra. The 2015 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award state winners are:

• New South Wales – Cindy Cassidy

• Northern Territory – Dr Sally Isberg

• Queensland – Sherrill Stivano • South Australia – Sarah Powell

• Tasmania – Carol Bracken

• Victoria – Katie Finlay • Western Australia – Tress Walmsley

Victorian winner Katie Finlay is from our region. Katie is a third generation organic orchardist from Harcourt. Katie’s project aims to encourage more farmers’ markets, holding them weekly and using Facebook as the tool to build ‘strong communities’ around farmers and each market.

Ultimately her project aims to give farmers better control of their markets by fostering strong relationships between farmers and consumers.

Katie Findlay, Victorian Rural Woman of Year. Photo: Helen Taylor. For more information about the award and profiles of each of the finalists can be found at www.rirdc.gov.au/rural-women's-award.

New guidelines released for riparian fencing in flood‐prone areas Fencing to manage livestock access to waterways is a key tool in riparian management programs. The major floods in Victoria in 2010, 2011 and 2012 resulted in significant damage to, or loss of, fences installed close to rivers and creeks. This raised issues about the type, design, construction and location of fences on active floodplains, and about the usefulness of funding riparian works such as fencing on floodplains that can be damaged during floods. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in collaboration with CMAs and other stakeholders have developed new guidelines to help CMAs and land managers choose the best techniques for siting, designing and constructing fences in flood-prone areas. This will help ensure maximum benefit is gained from the significant government and private resources applied to riparian fencing. These guidelines help choose fencing for a riparian area by:

• providing a key to identify the type of floodplain

• explaining the range of fencing options for that type of floodplain

• giving the information needed to decide on the most suitable fencing option (or options) for the site.

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The guidelines also detail three strategies for minimising floodwater and debris damage to fencing:

• avoiding flood impact • making the fencing flood-resistant

• making the fencing resilient to flooding. Choosing the right strategy for a site requires striking a balance between capital, recurrent and repair costs and what is appropriate for different land uses. The guidelines give readers the information to help make their own decisions.

An example of what can happen to a riparian fence when placed too close to the channel. Photo: North East CMA.

To view the guidelines please visit:

http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/water/rivers-estuaries-and-wetlands/implementation-and-monitoring/flood-prone-fencing-guidelines.

Get your cameras ready. The 2015 Feral Photos Competition launches soon

The Invasive Animals CRC has held an annual photography competition since 2011. The competition encourages people to get out there and see what is happening in their environment and to get creative about how they can capture photographic evidence of pest animals and the damage they cause.

More than 400 entries were received in 2014. A selection of these can be viewed at

www.pestsmart.org.au/feral-photos-2014/. This year’s competition will open for entries on July 1 and run until the end of September. Terms and conditions and information on submitting entries will be available soon on the PestSmart website.

Reuse, Revegetate and Re-educate

Does your group use forestry tube species in revegetation projects? Are you looking for a way to value-add to your waste product? It’s tree-planting time again across the north central region and the Northern Bendigo Landcare Group will happily take those used

forestry tubes off your hands. Each August, we work with local primary schools to propagate whirrakee wattle seedlings, a species virtually endemic to the Wellsford, Kamarooka and Whipstick forests surrounding Huntly. These seedlings are used in revegetation projects and distributed among the community to raise awareness of our indigenous flora. If you can help, please contact Brian Howlett: b.howlett@yahoo.com.au and we will arrange pick up.

Local primary school students are involved in protecting the endemic whirrakee wattle, right from propagating the seedlings to planting them in the forests surrounding Huntly. Photo: Nicole Howie.

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Hi everyone, It’s been another busy month here in the Waterwatch team, with presentations to our Natural Resource Management Committee, training for the River Detectives website and planning a whole bunch of exciting activities for the next financial year. In this edition of the North Central chat I have included an update of the development of the North Central Waterwatch Support Plan, we say farewell to a member of our team, and we provide you with an update of our River Detectives program. Also featuring in the edition are the results from Victorian Waterwatch’s Saltwatch Week Salinity Snapshot. Over the coming months I will be working on case studies with the community exploring monitoring programs and using data to tell a story. I will continue to work on the development of the Biodiversity App in partnership with Goulburn Broken CMA and North East CMA, and I am very excited to announce Nicole has almost completed the River Detectives website. More about that last one later. There are some really exciting events coming up for our community volunteers, school groups and the broader community to get involved in over the coming months. We are currently planning:

• River Detectives website launch (TBC) • Train-the-Trainer events - late July-early

August (TBC)

• Annual Quality Assurance and Quality Control events – mid September (TBC)

• National Water Week events – 18-24 October

• Stories of Change – October • Community Volunteer monitor site visits –

November

I look forward to seeing you at one or two events over the next couple of months. In the meantime stay warm and happy reading,

Cass Cass Davis Regional Waterwatch Coordinator North Central Catchment Management Authority PO Box 18 Huntly, VIC 3551 Phone: 03 5448 7124 Email: cass.davis@nccma.vic.gov.au

North Central Waterwatch Support Plan – final draft Over the past 12 months, I have been working on the development of the North Central Waterwatch Support Plan. The intention of the plan is to develop activities that would help me to provide better support to our volunteers, maintaining support to schools wanting to take up the River Detectives program and to continue to provide awareness-raising activities to the community. We started the plan by developing surveys to ask our community, stakeholder and the organisation what they valued and saw as important components of the program. After a lot of discussion, feedback and some workshops, we were able to narrow down our activities. A key theme identified through the review was our activities need to align with our regional catchment and waterway strategies. This would include aligning our volunteer-monitored waterways with the region’s priority waterways and increasing the number of people participating in our environmental education program. The North Central Waterwatch program will focus on four main areas as part of the plan’s actions, these projects were rated highest priorities for the program, they are:

• Project management

• Community volunteer monitoring

• Environmental education • Community engagement.

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Our vision: Over the next five years, North Central Waterwatch will aim to increase the knowledge and skills of the community and will support them to become custodians of their local waterways. The program will facilitate the transfer of data collected by the community to help inform waterway management decisions. North Central Waterwatch will do this through implanting the following SMART goals:

• 20 new individuals or groups engaged in river and wetland health monitoring activities by 30 June 2020

• 60 community monitors improving their knowledge and skills by 30 June 2020

• 50% of sites monitored will align with priority waterways, to increase the opportunity to provide reliable and relevant waterway condition data to waterway managers by 30 June 2020

• 50 teachers improving their knowledge and skills in river and wetland health management by 30 June 2020

• 3,600 students participating in environmental educational programs by 30 June 2020

• 400 community members supported to increase their awareness and understanding of rivers and wetlands by 30 June 2018

• 600 youth gaining knowledge and skills in water related issues by 30 June 2020

• 3,500 community members supported to increase their knowledge of natural resource management by 30 June 2020.

The final version of the plan will be available on the North Central Catchment Management Authority’s Waterwatch webpage in early July. I look forward to sharing this plan with you. If you would like any further information, please call me on 03 5440 1863.

River Detectives update A key component of the new River Detectives program model has been the development of an environmental education website to support teachers, facilitators and volunteers implement the program in their schools, educational facilities and youth groups. The aim of the user-friendly website is to provide quality, practical, engaging, multi-age, cross-curricular lesson plans and resources to help teachers inspire their students to know, understand, appreciate and care for their local waterway. The three core areas of the River Detectives program are; Water Science, Salinity Snapshot and Macroinvertebrates. Along with additional areas of Urban Stormwater, Flora and Fauna, Indigenous Culture and Waterways and Catchments, these topics are aimed at promoting an understanding of waterways as integral features of a healthy ecosystem and healthy community. The website will house a variety of resources including photos, videos, fact sheets, posters, newsletters, links to other websites, maps, excursion/incursion suggestions, as well as contacts to Landcare groups, other organisations and the network of the 34 (and growing) participating groups. North Central Waterwatch will keep in touch regularly with participating groups via the conversation area on the website. This can also be used to foster collaborations between facilitators who are encouraged to share resources, ideas and water-quality results. The River Detectives website is close to completion, so keep an eye out for it in the coming weeks and months! Thanks to all River Detectives for their patience. The website is a work in progress and will evolve in response to user feedback, but I am pleased with how it’s looking and I have thoroughly enjoyed putting it together. A sneak preview of the Welcome page is shown on the following page.

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A sneak peek at the new River Detectives website’s welcome page. As my time with Waterwatch draws to a close I’d like to thank all the enthusiastic students and passionate teachers/volunteers/colleagues I have worked with over the past three years in my various roles. I really believe in the power of engaging young people with the local environment and giving them skills/knowledge to become active, responsible citizens. The River Detectives program is a wonderful vehicle to inspire, educate, entertain and connect people along waterways and across catchments in the north central region. Schools are the hub of a community and their students are our future environmental custodians. We should never underestimate the power of a program like River Detectives and its potential to

change attitudes and behaviours. It might be as simple as a child making a concerted effort to pick up their rubbish, it might be a conversation they have with their family about things they have enjoyed learning, or it could be that the program resonates with them and in future years they are drawn to live near a waterway, join a Landcare group or even follow a career in natural resource management. Anything’s possible! Nicole Howie

Education Facilitator

Phone: (03) 5440 1892 Email: nicole.howie@nccma.vic.gov.au Time to say a sad a goodbye Over the past six months, Nicole Howie has well and truly become a part of the Waterwatch team. In January 2015, Nicole was employed as the education facilitator for the North Central Waterwatch program. Nicole’s main role was to implement the new model for the River Detectives program, develop the River Detectives interactive website and deliver eight Train-the-Trainer sessions across the region.

Nicole has done an amazing amount of work. She has engaged teachers, volunteers and community groups to participate in the program, has coordinated and delivered the new Train-the-Trainer model, has had input into the Landcare and Waterwatch monthly newsletter and has even made a couple of appearances on local radio.

Nicole explains water quality sampling to school students. Nicole has taken a dream and turned it into a reality. Working closely with Gozer Company, Nicole has taken the vision for the River Detective website and turned it into wonderful fun, informative and interactive portal. Nicole’s commitment to the environment and education is an inspiration. She is a very passionate person

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and I am very lucky to have had Nicole in my team!

Nicole finishes with the program on the 30 June 2015. We all wish her the very best for her future adventures.

A Salinity Snapshot - more about salinity Salinity, or Electrical Conductivity as it is measured, refers to the movement and concentration of salt through the landscape. It is a natural component of our soils and water tables caused by concentration of salt from rain. About 10 million years ago, giant inland seas retreated, leaving sediments containing large quantities of salt. In a healthy catchment, salinity rarely becomes a problem. Why monitor salinity? Plants and animals need low levels of salt to help them grow but all organisms have set tolerance levels. Salinity levels can affects the diversity of flora and fauna found within a waterway. It can also affect many areas of everyday life in rural and urban areas. Salinity problems are increasing in severity across our region. What causes salinity to change? Salinity occurs when deep-rooted vegetation is removed from the landscape, allowing larger volumes of rainfall to reach the water table. This rain collects salt particles from the soil profile as it seeps down, adding saline water to the water table. As groundwater rises it carries large amounts of salt that were previously stored underground. Higher rainfall and irrigation can exacerbate the problem, causing salt to rise to the surface and enter waterways. What are the environmental impacts? High levels of salinity can severely limit the growth and diversity of vegetation, reduce the capacity and productivity of land, degrade habitats, decrease fauna health and diversity, affect water quality, reduce the value of water, contribute to erosion and damage infrastructure. Managing salinity levels: Planting deep-rooted native trees in high recharge areas (where rainfall is entering groundwater) can help to lower the water table. Improved land-management practices, efficient watering, monitoring salinity levels in the ground and from surface water can all also manage salinity effectively. How to measure salinity: Salty water conducts electricity and is measured using an Electrical Conductivity (EC) Meter which measures electricity flow between two electrodes. Many different units can be used to record salinity,

however micro-Siemens per centimetre (µs/cm) is most widely used and accepted. The acceptable level of salinity in freshwater, for healthy aquatic plants and animals, is <500 µs/cm. Anything lower is classed as Excellent and any higher falls into the category of Poor to Degraded.

Salinity Excellent Good Poor – degraded

Upper/Lower Catchment

<500 µs/cm

500-2500

µs/cm

> 2500 µs/cm

Students using an Electrical Conductivity (EC) Meter to measure salinity levels in a water sample.

A Salinity Snapshot – our results A Salinity Snapshot is an annual event hosted by Waterwatch Victoria. The aim of the program is to facilitate an event across the state during a week in May, where people collect a sample of water and test the salt content. This year, more than 100 sites were tested for salinity across the state. Testing indicated the results were mostly inside the Good range. Six sites recorded as Very High levels and all were within the north central region. In the north central region we asked a range of people to register their interest in capturing a snapshot of salinity from their local waterways, we had more than 30 people register, from landholders to Landcare members and primary school students. Refer to the map on the following page for results for the north central region. For statewide results check out the data here: http://www.vic.waterwatch.org.au/monitoring-and-day/1010/.

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Waterbird of the month…

Events 1,000 volunteers needed to plant 40,000 trees in one day! On Saturday 11 July 2015, 1000 volunteers will descend from across Victoria to plant 40,000 indigenous trees and shrubs in North Harcourt. The project, which is a combined effort of the Harcourt Valley, North Harcourt and Barkers

Creek Landcare groups, is a unique opportunity to help create and restore a large area of habitat in just a few hours. The groups have put an enormous amount of effort into ensuring the day will run smoothly and effectively – now they just need the people power to make it happen. Threatened woodland birds such as the brown treecreeper need large well-connected patches of bush to thrive. The 40,000 plants will help create and connect wildlife corridors in the Mount Alexander North priority zone; which is one of Connecting Country’s 11 woodland bird priority zones. When: Saturday 11 July 2015 Time: 9.30 am to 1.00 pm Where: Harcourt, Victoria RSVP: Participants are advised to register in

advance, however you can still sign up on the day. To join and take part in this incredible habitat renewal project sign up at: http://40000trees.eventbrite.com.

The 10th annual waterbug workshop

The Waterbug Company is running another waterbug workshop. The 10th anniversary workshop is set to be the same as all the others, but it will be their last. The workshops have been designed to give participants skills to identify waterbugs (macroinvertebrates) to Order and Family Level.

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During the workshops, participants will learn skills to use taxonomic keys to help identify waterbugs and will explore a range of common families from the easiest to the hardest to identify. Participants will be encouraged to bring their own material to identify, which ensures the knowledge they take home is relevant to them and not just based on a random set of animals the boys have found in Tom's farm dam the week before.

When: Wednesday 1 July - Friday 3 July 2015 (the course is three full days)

Where: Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne,

Victoria Cost: $550 (incl GST) RSVP: To register for the workshop head to

www.waterbug.net/workshop.html.

National Carbon Farming Conference and Expo 2015 Millions of dollars have already changed hands as a result of carbon farming, with farmers as beneficiaries. Farmers who increase soil carbon or reduce emissions now have the option of several methods under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) to potentially earn carbon credits and receive payment from the Australian Government or other markets. Does your farm have the potential to include more than one method when registering a project? How do methods work? Who is implementing them? What are the results? Find out the answers to these questions at the eighth annual Carbon Farming Conference and Expo at Albury, New South Wales. Experts will be presenting in all areas from policy to practice. This is the only holistic education in one place. From the half-day field day to the Advanced Industry workshop, you go home knowing what you want to do, and how to do it. When: Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 July 2015 Where: Albury, New South Wales For further information including costs, venues and the detailed agenda head to www.carbonfarmingconference.com.au.

GRDC Grains Research Update - Moama

The Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) Grains Research Update – Moama will provide quality information on topical and practical issues relevant to the productivity and profitability of grain enterprises. When: Thursday 30 July 2015 Time: 10.00 am to 3.00 pm Where: Moama Bowling Club, 6 Shaw Street,

Moama, New South Wales Cost: $40 per person, $30 per additional

person from the same business. Morning tea, lunch and proceedings booklet are included.

RSVP: To register for this event or for further

information: http://www.grdc.com.au/Media-Centre/Events/2015/07/GRDC-Grains-Research-Update-

Moama#sthash.b3ca03dp.dpuf.

The GRDC updates are a great opportunity to hear the latest research developments and current issues facing growers in the paddock. Photo: Greg Barber.

Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests: 2015 bushwalks Join the Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests on the third Sunday of the month for bushwalks through the magnificent box-ironbark forests. When: Third Sunday of the month. Time: 9.30 am to mid-afternoon. Where: Meet outside the Castlemaine Continuing

Education building, 30 Templeton Street, Castlemaine. The group carpools to the

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start of the walk. Cost: Free, bring your own water, morning tea

and lunch. For more information call Bronwyn Silver on 5475 1089 or Julie Hurley on 5472 5082.

Details on walk locations are listed below. Columbine Creek – Sunday 19 July This walk was going to be led by Doug Ralph so it will mooch through a few of Doug’s favourite spots, including Sanger’s Hut and Ray Bradfield’s Flumes. Like Doug, the group will indulge in a bit of off track walking, so there’ll be sections a little rough underfoot. Tarilta Gorge (and Upper Loddon State Forest) – Sunday 16 August The circuit walk begins at the junction of the Goldfields Track and Porcupine Ridge Road. Approximately 2 km down the Goldfields Track it descends to a wide green valley leading to Tarilta Creek. After many stream crossings north it turns into a glorious long and wide valley leading back to the Goldfields Track and the start point.

Fryers Ridge – Sunday 20 September

A walk in the on the eastern side of Fryers Ridge in the Wattle Track, Telecom track area through some perhaps fairly typical/unspectacular bushland. For most of the way the walk will be on reasonably smooth tracks but may also follow some trail bike trails for part of the way and may pass directly through bushland for short sections. Morgans Track – Sunday 18 October

Come for a pleasant walk off-track with local ecologists to see a stunning display of spring wildflowers and learn a little about their ecology. Or just stop and smell the ‘better than roses’. The group also hosts activities for primary school children and youth:

1. Nature walk and activity for early Primary school kids – Sunday 30 August. Meet at the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens Tea Rooms at 10am. Contact Naomi Raftery on 0422 585 585.

2. Youth bushwalk - Sunday 6 September. Meet at the Continuing Education Building at 9.30am. The walk will be local and at least 5km. Lunch is included. Contact Nioka on 5472 4609.

Planning for Nutrients workshop

Come along to a free workshop to learn how you can make better strategic use of fertilisers using Fert$mart nutrient planning, as well as more effectively using effluent nutrients to save you money.

The workshop will cover:

• Fert$mart nutrient planning as an important tool to understand your farm's nutrient levels and fertiliser requirements

• The selection of farm-management zones in soil testing to improve the impact of fertilisers on particular areas of your farm

• Effluent as a key source of nutrients that can offset fertiliser costs.

Guest speakers include agronomist Don Cook, who will present on the Fert$mart program, and Dairy Australia Consultant Scott Birchall, who will discuss the value of nutrients found in effluent. Representatives from the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources and Goulburn Murray Water will also be presenting on nutrient management at the workshop. When: Wednesday 5 August 2015 Time: 6pm– 9pm (roast dinner provided) Where: Gunbower Hotel, Murray Valley

Highway, Gunbower, Victoria. RSVP: Is essential to the North Central CMA

by 5pm Monday 3 August by emailing info@nccma.vic.gov.au or call 03 5448 7124.

This workshop is supported by funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Programme, hosted by the North Central CMA, in partnership with Murray Dairy and Dairy Australia.

Courses and resources

Nuffield Australia farming scholarships closing soon Just weeks remain for primary producers across Australia to apply for a 2016 Nuffield Australia scholarship and access some amazing opportunities.

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A $30,000 bursary is provided to successful applicants to study a topic of interest to themselves and of benefit to industry over a two-year period, which includes the six-week Global Focus Program with fellow scholars, followed by a further 10 weeks of individual travel and research. Applications for the 2016 scholarship program will close on 30 June 2015, for travel in 2016, with successful applicants to be announced at the Nuffield Australia National Conference at Albury in September. Nathan Free, of Lake Boga in the north west of the North Central CMA region, received a Nuffield scholarship last year and is currently travelling overseas. Nathan is studying variety selection and soil amendments during conversion from conventional to certified organic farming.

Lake Boga horticulturalist Nathan Free won a Nuffield scholoarship in 2015. Photo: Stock and Land. As managing director of Alkira Organics, Nathan is responsible for vegetable production, packaging, marketing and dispatch at his family’s certified organic horticultural production business. The 350-hectare property comprises organic stone fruit and organic vegetables. Nathan believes there is large potential for the organic industry to develop, but the more demanding crops and the ability to achieve higher yields is holding the industry back. ‘I intend to identify which varieties of vegetables are working well using organic production methods on an international scale,’ he said. ‘In addition, I hope to tap into knowledge around the world regarding soil amendments that can bridge the gap during the conversion to organic as well as building the organic matter in soils.’

Up to 20 scholarships will be offered by Nuffield Australia, sponsored by a range of Australia’s leading primary sector organisations. For more information and selection guidelines please visit www.nuffield.com.au or call 03 5480 0755.

18th Box Ironbark Ecology Course

Are you interested in gaining a general understanding of ecological processes and principles? The 18th Box Ironbark Ecology Course involves five absorbing days of field studies in the heart of box ironbark country. Registrations are now open. Topics covered in the course include:

• Distribution and history of the ecosystem including indigenous use and post settlement impacts

• Introductory sessions on geomorphology, soils, fauna and vegetation communities

• Flora and fauna of the region - how to read the landscape, search for and identify the plants, reptiles, birds, mammals and invertebrates that inhabit box ronbark communities

• Detailed study of ecological interactions between landscape, soils, plants and animals and implications for management

• Survey skills and property assessment. Course presenters include:

• Cathy Botta, a soil scientist and educator who works with communities in agricultural landscapes

• Andrea Canzano, an entomologist with experience in insect conservation and invertebrate biodiversity assessment in Victoria

• Garry Cheers, an experienced naturalist who lives and works in box ironbark country

• Paul Foreman, a botanist and forester who has a particular interest in box ironbark, grasslands and grassy woodlands ecosystem flora, and private land conservation

• Lindy Lumsden, a wildlife biologist who has a special interest in box ironbark ecosystem fauna. Her passion is bats, their ecology and introducing them to people

• David Meagher, an environmental scientist with a special interest in the ecology of mosses and liverworts of south eastern Australia

• Neville Rosengren, who has surveyed the geomorphology and geology of conservation sites in most parts of Victoria.

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• Kate Stothers, a landholder in the box ironbark region and particularly interested in people and conservation and;

• Lance Williams, an ecologist with 30 years’ experience in fauna survey, assessment and management.

When: Monday 5 to Friday 9 October 2015 Where: Nagambie Lakes Leisure Resort,

Nagambie, Victoria Cost: $1,600 (excl GST), which includes

shared accommodation, meals, transport, instruction and course notes.

The course is limited to 30 participants. Further details, including course notes, will be mailed out to registered participants closer to the date. For further information, or to register your interest, call Kate Stothers at the Euroa Arboretum on 0458 680 990, email kate.stothers@euroaarboretum.com.au or visiting the website www.euroaarboretum.com.au. The course is supported by the Norman Wettenhall Foundation, the Australian Government, the Goulburn Broken CMA, the North Central CMA, the City of Greater Bendigo and the Conservation Management Network.

Box ironbark forest in the Whipstick State Park, near Woodvale, Victoria. Photo: Geoff Park, VicVeg Online.

Graduate Certificate in Climate Change for Primary Industries

There are two major challenges in tackling the issues of climate change: understanding the science and being able to communicate that understanding. This graduate certificate ideally positions graduates to advise policy, regional managers, land managers, farmers and industry on

appropriate strategies to cope with a changing climate, including carbon farming, mitigation, sequestration and adaptation. Taught by internationally renowned academics, the course provides an applied understanding of the many factors underpinning climate change risk for agricultural production and land management, including awareness of methods for carbon farming, sustainable food and fibre production and their markets. To achieve the Graduate Certificate in Climate Changes for Primary Industries, successfully complete four subjects, with each subject comprising five days intensive coursework delivery. Assessments are designed to adapt to students' individual field of practice with about 120 hours commitment each subject over a year. Subjects include:

1. Climate Variability and Climate Change with Professor David Karoly and Professor Ian Simmonds

2. Greenhouse Gases from Agriculture with Professor Richard Eckard and Associate Professor Stefan Arndt

3. Climate Changes and Agricultural Adaption with Professor Snow Barlow

4. Climate and Economic Strategy with Professor Bill Malcolm.

When: Beginning January 2016 Where: All five-day intensive workshops are

delivered at the University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus.

Cost: 2015 fee $11,680. FEE-Help is available. Note: this fee is subject to an annual increase, 2016 fees will be published in October, 2015.

Funding

Yates Junior Landcare Grants now open

Yates and Junior Landcare continue to encourage schools to get creative in the garden. Following the success of the inaugural Yates Junior Landcare Creative Gardening Grants last year, Yates is again proud to award 25 grants of up to $1,000 each to schools and youth groups who can show innovative ways of creating a garden in their school or community. Grants will be awarded to the most innovative, sustainable and environmentally conscious

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entries. So get out of the garden bed, be inventive, imaginative, create and educate! For some inspiration, why not check out the fantastic project ideas from last year’s recipients. This program is open to schools, community and youth groups (of school age) such as:

• Schools including preschools, kindergartens, primary and high schools across Australia

• Youth groups including Scouts, Girl Guides and other community organisations that involve and support young people as a key component of their activities and services

• Landcare, Coastcare and environmental groups that work in partnership with a local school

• All grants awarded will go to the school or partnering Landcare or environmental group.

. For further information or to apply go to www.juniorlandcare.com.au. Applications close 3 July 2015

Yates Junior Landcare Grants encourage school students to learn where there food comes from and get creative in the garden.

Small grants available through the Victorian Gorse Taskforce The Victorian Gorse Taskforce with the support of the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources is seeking project proposals from community-based organisations. The Victorian Gorse Taskforce will consider funding projects that can demonstrate delivery of the goals of the Victorian Gorse Control Strategy and a community-led commitment to long-term gorse control. The small grants program in 2015-16 can provide up to $5,000 (excl GST) to support community-led projects. For further information head to:

http://www.vicgorsetaskforce.com.au/news/com

munity_small_grants_program_201516.

Applications close 7 August 2015.

Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour Grants Program

The Restoring Community War Memorials and Avenues of Honour Grants Program supports communities in Victoria to ensure local war memorials, honour rolls and avenues of honour are restored to their original condition or improved to reflect the service history of the local community. Any Victorian ex-service organisation, local council, school or community group is eligible to apply. Grants up to $20,000 per project are available and applications can be lodge at any time. For more information go to: http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/index.php/veterans/veterans-grants/commemorative-grants-restoring-war-memorials-and-avenues-of-honour

Shire of Campaspe Community Grants Program

The next round of applications for Council’s Community Grants program open in August. Applications can be made in the following categories: Assistance, Events, Environment, Recreation, Heritage and Culture. The Environment category is open to all community groups for projects that will improve the natural environment. Past projects include revegetation activities (planting with indigenous species), fencing off of remnant vegetation, conducting field surveys for squirrel gliders, production of brochures and guides and community education days. Application forms will be available at www.campaspe.vic.gov.au or from customer service centres at Echuca, Rochester, Tongala, Kyabram and Rushworth. If you need assistance with completing the application form, contact Allison on 1300 666 535. Entries will close mid-September 2015.

The North Central Chat is made available thanks to funding from the Australian and Victoria

governments.