Coorong Tatiara Local Action Plan Newsletter Autumn... · 2014-05-02 · Coorong Tatiara Local...

Coorong Tatiara LAP Newsletter 1 Autumn 2013

Coorong Tatiara Local Action Plan Newsletter Sustainability, Agriculture & the Environment

Autumn 2013

Mundulla Yellows Forum

A forum to discuss alternative approaches to dealing with Mundulla Yellows in eucalypts will be held at the Bordertown Civic Centre on Monday 13

th May, com-

mencing at 7:00pm. Incorporated into the evening’s program will be the launch of the recently completed Local Action Plan (LAP) for the Tatiara District Council, see opposite.

Mundulla Yellows continues to be an ongoing problem af-fecting various species of eucalypts. Research has concen-trated on a contagious agent such as a virus, however a specific cause is yet to be established. Matt Daniel and Gerhard Grasser of Tree Preservation Australia have been examining the problem from an alternative perspective and will be presenting their findings at the forum. Similar tree die-back syndromes have been identified in other regions of Australia along with reports from overseas. Local tree symp-toms will be compared with those observed elsewhere in a search for an explanation.

The Tatiara LAP is sponsoring Tree Preservation Australia for a brief visit to evaluate the Mundulla Yellows syndrome and discuss their views, what investigations need to be done, and what the potential solutions could entail. They can discuss tree preservation and “re-treeing” in our land-scape more generally in order to rebuild a healthier environ-ment. Be ready with your questions.

RSVP by Thursday the 9th of May 2013. Registration

& further information can be obtained from Graham Gates on 0427 572330 or [email protected]

Tatiara Local Action Plan

Launch “Natural Resources of the Tatiara”

The Plan for the Tatiara, commissioned by Tatiara District Council, has now been adopted and will be publically re-leased at the forum. The plan provides a comprehensive overview of the natural resource management and sustainable agricultural issues of the district. This Plan identifies a range of practical on-ground actions that would contribute to:

Maintaining and improving upon a sustainable agricultural base for the district,

Increasing perennial vegetation and annual surface cover,

Using groundwater resources within their capacity,

Limiting groundwater rise and salinity effects,

Improving water use efficiency in both dryland and irri-gated enterprises,

Enhancing remnant vegetation and other biodiversity as-sets,

Protecting soil from erosion,

Increasing soil carbon and minimise greenhouse emis-sions,

Managing watercourses and wetlands,

Controlling pest plants and animals,

Balancing land use with land class capability,

Encouraging ecologically sustainable development.

The plan will be presented by Adrian Barber, Chair of the Tatiara LAP Committee & Graham Gates, Program Man-ager Coorong & Tatiara LAP

The Plan will be launched by Anna Hooper, SA Rural Woman of the Year, of Cape Jaffa Wines.


One day training course for seed collectors at Tailem Bend

On Tuesday April 9th a one day training course for seed collectors was held at the Coorong District Council‟s Tailem Bend Boardroom. The course was facilitated by the Coorong District LAP, and was delivered by Greening Australia‟s Dave Warren.

Greening Australia‟s Florabank recognises and shares the best available knowledge from research and practice in native species seed management and supports a professional and informed seed sector, encouraging quality and choice for buyers of native Australian seed. Florabank delivers training for seed professionals, and works to assist the native seed industry to grow and develop as a national peak body advocate.

Participants included a group of local indigenous Conservation and Land Management Trainees, a Direct Seeding Contractor, Manager of Melaleuca Nursery (Meningie), Revegetation Project Officers and other local native seed collector/grower enthusiasts. A broad range of topics were covered. Firstly, Dave discussed the importance of understanding the seed supply process, including seed availability, seed supply and biodiversity, regional strategies, planning ahead as a collector, and increasing the efficiency of seed use.

Dave then discussed provenance in detail, the patterns of variation of different plant species, the purpose of planting projects including local vs. introduced, matching provenance to sites, and the impacts of introducing hybrids/weedy species into revegetation sites.

Topics discussed in detail were; planning seed collection including timing/maturity, types of seed, permits, record keeping, codes of practice, seed extraction/cleaning, seed purity/dormancy, seed testing techniques, ideal seed storage, and maximising seed viability and production.

A large variety of un-cleaned native seed species were used to discuss seed cleaning/processing techniques as well as seed viability testing methods for different types of seed. The day was wrapped up with a visit to the field, where participants looked at the different techniques used to identify a native plant and what the ideal seed collection methods are for those particular varieties.

For more information contact Samantha Blight on M: 0447 900 001 E: [email protected]

This workshop was funded through the Australian

Government’s Clean Energy Future Biodiversity Fund.

Milestone for Narrung Wetland Monitoring Group

The Narrung Wet-land Monitoring Group has offi-cially spent the last ten years car-rying out wetland monitoring activi-ties in conjunction with the SA MDB NRM Board (now Department of Environment Wa-ter and Natural R e s o u r c e s , DEWNR). The group consists of members of the Narrung Progress Association who selflessly volunteer their time and are commit-ted to monitoring and restoring the ecological health of the Lower Lakes region.

The group take measurements of a range of water chemistry parameters including salinity of the groundwater and surface water, turbidity (cloudiness of the water), dissolved oxygen levels in the water, pH and temperature. With the assistance of Kate Mason (Lower Murray Wetlands Officer) the group undertake fish surveys by counting and identifying what they

find in fyke nets which have been set and left overnight. In conjunction with Jason Nichol from SARDI the group con-duct moni-toring of the veg e ta t ion

within and surrounding the wetlands.

The monitoring work conducted by the volun-teers is invaluable as it provides wetland scien-tists with reliable ongoing data which is crucial to underpinning important wetland manage-ment decisions. For more information contact Kate Mason on 8532 9100.

L to R Front: Lorraine & John Rowe, Kate Mason, Mel Tucker, Margaret

Mrongovius. L to R Back: Robert

Mrongovius, Charles Andre.

Jo & Charles, Dawn and Kate emptying the fyke net.


Cross Border Rabbit Control Project update

The purpose of the “Strategic biodiversity corridor en-hancement” project is to protect and enhance the re-maining native vegetation in the border and roadside corridors and also to protect agricultural production. The rabbit densities in the project area (along the Bor-der Track, South of Ngarkat CP and North of Border-town) are the highest in the district, causing significant impacts to the native vegetation and crops.

Best practice rabbit management is based on coordi-nated landscape scale ripping programs that targets the destruction of warrens across an area wide enough to prevent re-infestation. Long term rabbit con-trol relies on the accurate and timely application of the correct control techniques. Whilst native vegetation does pose a challenge for rabbit control, ripping can be successfully implemented amongst native vegeta-tion with minimal disturbance and rabbit control is not an excuse for vegetation clearance. This project aims to demonstrate the benefits of best practice rabbit con-

trol in a native vegetation setting. The first round of rabbit control activities on the cross border project has been completed and landholders are to be congratulated for their efforts to date. Over 40km of the state border and more than 50km of ad-joining roadsides have been effectively treated. The participation of the 20 adjoining private landholders is essential to the success of the project and their coop-eration to date has been outstanding.

Mid-way inspections have confirmed that rabbit and warren numbers have been significantly reduced through the combination of baiting and ripping imple-mented to date. However, warren re-opening rates across the project area are higher than desirable and require follow up. Rabbit warrens can re-open if the population was not sufficiently reduced prior to ripping

or mechanical ripping was not followed up manually with fumigants.

Project staff and participating landholders have imple-mented their follow up control efforts across the pro-ject area in preparation for the final deadline which was the April 15th All rabbit and vegetation monitoring will be repeated at the conclusion of the project and results will be reported in June.

For baiting to have maximum impact it is essential that the bait trail be placed where rabbits are active and feeding. It is also important that enough bait be distrib-uted to „feed‟ all the rabbits present. Multiple passes adjacent to areas where rabbits are living (native vegetation, roadsides) is recommended. It is also a necessity to follow all directions for use which require three free feeds and notifying neighbours.

Ripping is most effective if conducted as per recog-nised specifications to ensure the depth, width, length and placement of rip lines are applied effectively to destroy warrens. The earth should be twice ripped to a distance of 4m beyond each warren entrance. Rip lines should not be more than 50cm apart and not less than 50cm deep. Two rip lines at right angles to each other should be made on all warrens. Each ripped rab-bit warren site is to be track rolled and leveled to dis-courage the attention of surface rabbits. Ripping activi-ties may pose a threat to aboriginal cultural heritage sites and native vegetation and advice on the relevant protocols should be sought.

The benefits of this project can be expanded by other landholders completing their own rabbit control pro-grams. A small window in this season remains for all landholders to complete their best practice rabbit con-trol. Contact your local Natural Resources, South East Authorised Officer for advice. Special thanks to the Coorong and Tatiara LAPs for their support of this im-portant project.

For more information contact Justine Drew on P: 87 629 100 E: [email protected]


WHEN: Wednesday 15 May 2013 from 1:00pm - 6:00pm

WHERE: A bus will leave from and return to the Meningie Football

Club, Narrung Road, Meningie. This tour will visit land-

holders who have taken different approaches to

address the rapidly rising input cost of mains water.

WHY: The rising cost of mains water continues to have a significant impact on

primary production.

WHAT ELSE: A post tour trade display, BBQ and drinks.

What you will see

A working ‘Saltfree’ Desalination Unit and water storage.

Effective shandying techniques.

The Alpha Group Water Leak Detection System.

The pros and cons of using wedge holes.

Remote monitoring equipment - capable of monitoring flow

rate, volume, salinity levels, and leak detection.

Piping water from Lake Albert to properties inland.

Trade displays and expertise

Trade displays and industry experts on hand will cover:

The condition of the local groundwater resource.

Desalination.

Leak detection & leak finding equipment. It is estimated 20%

of purchased water is lost through on farm leaks!

Soil moisture monitoring, weather stations, crop disease

modelling, and yield prediction for calculating fertiliser

requirements.

Please register for this event by Tuesday the 7th of May Registration and further information about this tour can be

obtained from Tracey Strugnell on:

0427 750 050 or [email protected]

Registration is essential for catering purposes,

and to secure your seat on the bus.

Water Security Tour


Messina is an exciting new annual pasture legume for winter-wet saltland across southern Australia. Messina‟s combined tolerance to salinity and waterlogging surpasses that of all commercial legumes and ensures it will make a significant contribution to increasing the productivity of saltland. The SARDI pasture research team, based at Struan, supported via the Future Farm Industries CRC, is in the final stages of the „Messina Project‟, which is scheduled for completion June 30th 2013. The three year „Messina Project‟ (commencing in 2010) has investigated 21 messina accessions at three field sites in the Upper South East of South Australia and at a number of locations in Western Australia. Attributes of messina assessed in South Australia include maturity, seasonal production, regeneration, seed production, feeding value and plant chemical analysis.

Messina has performed exceptionally well, with third year dry matter (kg/ha) (Table 1) results indicating that its greatest contribution will occur where salinity levels are too high for balansa clover and burr medic and where inundation is a limitation for burr medic and sweet clover. In another assessment the total dry matter for a messina stand, including companion salt-tolerant grasses was 6500 kg/ha, which was four times more productive than the „over-the-fence‟ grass pasture dry matter of 1600 kg/ha.

Table 1. Average third year dry matter (kg/ha) of the top messina accession across the three upper South East sites (multi-site ANOVA) compared to the

control commercial spec ies . Autumn t o p s o i l ( 0 - 1 0 c m ) sal inity was an average 10 ECe dS/m (high salinity). Two of the three s i tes e x p e r i e n c e d inundation.

Photo 1.Messina growing on saline winter-wet soil in the Upper South East.

To ensure the successful uptake of messina in the South East, an application for funding to develop an agronomic package for messina has been submitted to the South East Natural Resource Management Board, through the federally funded Caring for our Country initiative. In addition an animal duty of care must be completed, and a project submission has been submitted to the FFI CRC for funding.

The future for messina is very exciting. A final cultivar will be selected in the coming months, and a commercial seed company engaged soon there after. It is envisaged that a limited cultivar release to farmers could be as early as 2015.

For further information please contact SARDI‟s

senior pasture research scientist,

Amanda Bonython. P: (08) 8762 9194

Messina Update

Winter 2012

(3rd year)

dry matter kg/

ha

Spring 2012(3rd

year)

dry matter kg/

ha

Messina 612 2826

Frontier Balansa

clover

269 924

Scimitar burr medic 223 1200

Jota sweet clover 21 553

l.s.d (P=0.05) 231 1191

SARDI's South East Pastures Group is looking for a number of future messina trial sites. The trial work would not begin until 2014. The sites would need to be easily accessed with staff coming and going throughout a proposed 4 year period. Producers might be asked to help work up the site, fence and possibly graze the site when necessary. The site would need to be flat, have moderate to high top soil salinity levels and experience winter inundation (typically puccinellia country). If you would be interested in being a volunteer and having a messina trial site on your property please contact; Amanda Bonython, on P: 8762 9194

E: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Dr Rebecca Tonkin of Rural Solutions SA presented these workshops through the „Soil Smart‟ project with the support of Caring for our Country funding. The theme for the day was ‘Do you understand your most valuable asset? Your soil.’

At both locations four very different soil types and soil pits were looked at, all within one paddock, demonstrating just how much soils can vary within a small area. A full soil analysis was carried out for each soil pit, examining each horizon down to a depth of around 1.5 metres.

At the Coomandook Soil Pit Day four different soil types were examined;

1. Deep sand over calcrete.

2. Shallow sandy loam over highly calcareous clay.

3. Sandy loam over well structured clay, calcare-ous at depth.

4. Non-wetting sand over mixed sandy clay and calcrete rubble.

At the Narrung Soil Pit Day four different soil types were examined; 1. Deep sand.

2. Brown sandy loam over sand with calcrete and sandy clay at depth.

3. Brown loam over calcrete.

4. Deep black cracking clay over sand, rubble and orange clay with the (saline) water table at 1.5m.

The main areas of interest at both days were: Where are the plant roots going in the soil pro-

file, and where are they not going? It was dis-cussed whether this was due to lack of moisture or a complete lack of nutrients in many cases. Other limiting factors such as pH and toxicity were also discussed. There was interest around the new „DGT Phosphorus‟ soil test. See box below.

The often huge variation in soil types across short distances, effects on crop yield, and how this can be managed economically.

The poor nutrient holding capability and fragility of sandy soils.

Managing water logging and high salinity levels on the black cracking clays at Narrung.

Feedback forms highlighted topics which partici-pants were keen to obtain more information on. Such as:

The impact of soil pH, Potassium and other nu-trients in limiting crop yield.

Management of non-wetting sands without us-ing clay.

Improving crop nutrition.

Improving the water use efficiency of crops.

Green manure crops.

The Coorong Tatiara LAP would like to thank the following for making these days possible:

Dr Rebecca Tonkin for her excellent technical presentations on these two days.

Steve Murray for allowing the Coomandook Soil Pit Day to be held on his property.

David Cooper for arranging the digging of pits and allowing the Narrung Soil Pit Day to be held on his property.

And the valued support of the Coomandook Ag Bureau, Coomandook Area School, and the Raukkan Community.

For further information about these Soil Pit Days and the Soil Smart program please contact Dr Re-becca Tonkin, Rural Solutions SA on 0427 273 891 or [email protected]

Coomandook Ag Bureau & Narrung Soil Pit Days

Rebecca Tonkin in the soil pit presenting at the Coomandook

Soil Pit Day in March.

Phosphorus DGT Soil Analysis Test Diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) tech-nology has been successfully applied to as-sess phosphorus availability in many Aus-tralian agricultural soils where conventional methods were unreliable in defining a phos-phorus pool that correlated with crop phos-phorus uptake and the response to fertilis-ers. For a fact sheet on the DGT test, see http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/dgt-phosphorus

mailto:[email protected]

http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/dgt-phosphorus

http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/dgt-phosphorus


Cypress Pine (Callitris gracilis) Needles: Small, dark green, in whorls of three.

Cones: Globular, woody cone, slightly wrinkled, 2.5-3cm di-ameter, with slightly scattered warts, solitary or clustered, containing many seeds.

The cones remains open on the trees for many years.

Grow to Bushy stunted tree or straight erect tree, 5-15m high

Bark: Persistent to the small branches, dark grey in coloured and irregularly fissured.

Seeds: Brown in colour, ovoid with 2 broad wings, about 6-8mm wide.

Southern cypress-pine grows in

well drained deep sandy to

sandy loam soils associated

with woodlands and mallee

open scrub on shallow lime-

stone soils. It often forms

woodlands with other species

such as eucalypts.

Cypress timber and products have been widely

used by Aborigines and constitute an important

part of Australia's forestry heritage. Its timber has

been used historically for fence posts and build-

ings due to its natural resistance to termites. It is

an important habitat plants that provides nesting

sites and food for native bird species including

Major Mitchell Cockatoos and Galahs.

Aleppo Pines vs Native Pines

Aleppo pine, (Pinus halopensis) is a fast-growing tree introduced from the Mediterranean. Aleppo pine is

now common throughout South Australia, as it has been widely planted for windbreaks because it is fast

growing and drought tolerant. It is now classed as a Declared weed in South Australia, However, because it

is so invasive, it is important to keep Aleppo pine out of native vegetation or to recognise and destroy new

infestations before they become established. The most effective course of control is physically removing

them. It is important to be able to distinguish the difference between the invasive species and the Native

Species - Callitris. Several species of Callitris grow across the local area, but all have similar identification

features to Callitris gracilis described below.

Aleppo Pine (Pinus halopensis) Needles: Needles are bright green, often curved or twisted and held together in pairs and are 6-10cm long.

Cones: are 5-11cm long, 2.5 to 4cm wide and held on long stalks hanging downwards.

Grow to around 20m in height and branch above the base.

Bark: Scaly, dark grey on outside and red-brown in-side.

Seeds: about 6mm long with a wing 25mm long.

Adapted to dry, rocky limestone soils but will grow in other well drained soils. It is drought tolerant and per-sist in low rainfall areas.

Aleppo pine is an aggres-

sive invader of cleared

roadsides and native vege-

tation. It will compete with

established vegetation and

will eventually dominate the

area if left unchecked. The

seeds in the cone of the

Aleppo pine have a wing

which aids in wind dispersal. A mature Aleppo pine is

capable of producing as many as 17,000 seeds with a

90% germination rate – these seeds can remain vi-

able for 20-50 years.

For information on removing Aleppo Pines, please

contact the CTLAP Team on P: 85 723 611


Volunteer Profile

Henry Angas

Henry Angas has been a member of the Coorong District Local Action Plan Committee since 1999.

Henry served as a member on the Coorong District Soil Conservation Board until 2005, when the Soil Boards were merged into the new Natural Resources Management Boards.

Henry has been Chairman of the LAP Committee since 2006. He will soon be stepping down from that role and retiring from the Coorong Committee.

Henry continues to be an important member of the LAP Water Security Committee and helped to instigate the hugely successful Water Security Forum at Tintinara in February 2012. He will also be sharing his experience at the Water Security Tour advertised on page 4 of this newsletter.

Highlights of his time on the Committee include: Securing over $2.5m of Caring for Our Country funding

for on-ground works. Overseeing the expansion of the Coorong District LAP

to cover the Tatiara Council area. The formation of the Tatiara LAP Committee.

Receiving $2.25m from the Clean Energy Biodiversity Fund for projects over the next 5 years.

Production of a fully revised Coorong Local Action Plan.

We sincerely thank Henry for his valuable time, guidance, and commitment to the LAP Committee and wish him all the success in the future.

Coorong Committee

Henry Angas

(Chairman)

John Barrie

Lester Cattle

Allan Piggott

Steve Murray

Ken Strother

Gordon Stopp

Judy Zacker

Cr Andrew Dawes

Jim Quinn

Tatiara Committee

Adrian Barber

(Chairman)

Anna Smart

David Altus

Cr Robert Mock

Miles Hannemann

Tony Hedges

Josie Jackson

John Matthews

Trevor Thomas

Rocky Callisto

This newsletter is proudly sponsored by the following organisations:

LAP Project Officer

Graham Gates

M: 0427 572 330


Lakes Revegetation officer

Ken Strother

M: 0419 049 208


LAP Implementation Officers

Samantha Blight

M: 0447 900 001


Tracey Strugnell

M: 0427 750 050


Tintinara Office

37 Becker Tce Tintinara

PO Box 399

Tailem Bend SA 5260

P: (08)85 723 611

F: (08)87 572 222

www.coorong.sa.gov.au

www.tatiara.sa.gov.au

Coorong Tatiara Local Action Plan Officers

Coorong Tatiara Local Action Plan Newsletter Autumn... · 2014-05-02 · Coorong Tatiara Local...

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