Murray-Darling Basin Commission – June 2005 E-letter No 43

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In this issue:

1. Australia celebrates World Environment Day
2. Winners of inaugural Namoi Landcare Awards announced
3. $2.9 million for 27 new landcare projects nationwide
4. Applications for 2005-06 Landcare funding open
5. Native seed forum to push longterm strategies
6. Ongoing commitment to rural R&D ensured
7. New look, new data for Australian Water Association website
8. New natural resource officer for Mudgee
9. New local Lachlan CMA office at Forbes
10. Local schools guard South Australian waterways
11. New book tells history of Lakes Albert and Alexandrina
12. Nat Water Commissioners view South Aust locations
13. Caring for the Coliban catchment

Australia celebrates World Environment Day
Individuals, community groups, businesses and governments around Australia will mark World Environment Day on 5 June through a bewildering array of activities, festivals and other events.

The “Day” is one of the major ways the United Nations aims to stimulate to worldwide awareness of the environment. It also aims to give a human face to environmental issues and to empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development, say the organisers.

This year the theme is “Green Cities” and the slogan is “Plan for the Planet!” with the main international celebrations being held in San Francisco, California.

In Canberra, celebrations will extend over the June 4-5 weekend with an “environment expo”, an environment benefit dinner, “green design” seminar, and other activities.

Sydney will launch Planet Ark's 10th National Tree Day in Australia which has so far seen more than 7.5 million trees planted at over 15,000 sites across Australia.

Elsewhere in New South Wales, the Upper Gwydir Landcare Association and the Gwydir Shire Council are organising an exhibition to raise community awareness and understanding of local environmental issues with displays and stalls, guest speakers and video presentations on "Permaculture", "Water Wise" "Urban Landcare" and "Sustainable Agriculture."

Melbourne will see the presentation of this year's Victoria World Environment Day Awards which promote the “Think Global, Act Local” theme.  The Awards recognise businesses, individuals, communities and school groups whose work serves to protect, manage or restore the environment.

Adelaide Shopping Centre and Zero Waste South Australia will carry out the “We're Parting with Plastic” project to highlight the need for the community to look at alternatives to using plastic shopping bags.

Near Perth, the Environment Subcommittee of the United Nations Association in Australia will encourage an “international tree planting” on the banks of Henley Brook - a significant tributary of the Swan River.

Brisbane's Ferny Hills “Glen Planters” will again carry out their annual planting of up to 800 native trees and shrubs in the lowland area of the glen.

And the prize for the most distinctive celebration would have to go to Queensland's Bedourie State School on the edge of the Simpson Desert (population 120, student population 14).

The school and the townsfolk will mark the day by continuing to build a football oval.  The project includes a complex network of underground irrigation systems using bore water from the Great Artesian Basin - which is directly below the school.

For more information on World Environment Day got http://www.wed2005.org/
 

Winners of inaugural Namoi Landcare Awards announced
Farmers, producer groups, councils, schools, Landcare groups and individuals who have shown excellence or innovation in environmental work have been recognised in the inaugural Namoi Catchment Landcare Awards.

Winners were announced at a dinner at the Gunnedah Services Club on Friday, 27 May.

Regional Facilitator with the Namoi Catchment Management Authority Penny Slater, said “the Landcare Awards are an important way of recognising the valuable contributions of individuals and groups in caring for the land and helping to protect fragile resources, waterways and native animals and birds”.

Thirty one entries from across the Namoi Valley were received. The winners are:

• Individual - Hans Allgayer, Gunnedah
• Rivercare - Robyn Watson, Boggabri
• Nature Conservation - Baids McIntyre, Goonoo Goonoo
• Indigenous - Red Chief Aboriginal Land Council, Gunnedah
• Community Group - Gunnedah Urban Landcare Group, Gunnedah
• Research - DIPNR Environmental Plantings Team, Gunnedah Resource Centre
• Local Govt Community Partnerships - Liverpool Plains Shire Council, Quirindi
• Catchment - Upper Timbumburi Landcare Group, Duri
• Primary Producer - Andrew and Belinda Davidson, Somerton
• Education - Judy Lee and Don Tunningley, Gunnedah TAFE

For more information go to http://www.namoi.cma.nsw.gov.au/news.html
 

$2.9 million for 27 new landcare projects nationwide
Landcare groups across Australia will share in nearly $2.9 million from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program (NLP) for 27 new projects, announced on 24 May.

Announcing the new funding Agriculture Minister Mr Warren Truss said these projects were in addition to the 206 across Australia - worth almost $25 million - already funded in 2004-05 under the National Landcare Program's Community Support component.

The latest projects include:

• $125,000 to help implement a continuous improvement approach to land management in Queensland's Fitzroy Basin. The project will involve the cooperation of two separate landcare groups.
• $21,000 to improve cereal cropping, grazing practices and soil and water management - especially water-use efficiency and saline recharge - in north central Victoria.
• $200,000 to demonstrate sustainable management practices covering irrigation and nutrient use in the agriculture sector in the south west of Western Australia. The project all also help farmers develop nutrient and irrigation management plans tailored to meet the specific needs of their properties.
• $223,898 for local farmer groups to boost productivity, and reduce soil and water degradation in Tasmania's north and north west.

"The National Landcare Program has been so successful because it's about finding local solutions to local problems, as evidenced by the 206 projects already funded this financial year," he said.

"Today's extra $2.9 million in funding, and the additional 27 projects it will support, clearly demonstrates the Howard/Anderson Government's unwavering commitment to landcare and protecting Australia's precious natural resource base."

For details of the program, visit  www.daff.gov.au/landcare
 

Applications for 2005-06 Landcare funding open
Applications are open for the Community Support component of the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.

Community Support funds local and regional landcare activities, which include promoting sustainable farming practices, rehabilitation of catchments and salinity management and erosion control.

Funding must be matched by the recipient.

For funding in 2005-06, new projects will need to be developed and submitted on the new project application form to the relevant regional organisation in each state and territory by COB 22 July 2005.

For application forms and more infromation go to www.landcare.gov.au/nlpcommunitysupport, call 1800 657 220 or email nlpcommunitysupport@daff.gov.au

Native seed forum to push longterm strategies
A one-day forum to be held in Wagga on 3 June will support the long term strategic planning of native seed supply needs especially in the Murrumbidgee catchment.

The “Murrumbidgee Native Seed Forum” is funded through the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority, Greening Australia (NSW) and Greening Australia Ltd (GAL) - Exchange program.

The forum will help explain how groups can meet the Catchment Blueprint targets and other identified NRM targets.

Organisers say the forum is driven by the lack of seed availability and the diversity of knowledge and understanding of seed supply activities and issues.

The forum hope to:

• Identify gaps in the seed supply chain and ideas to address the gaps
• Develop an understanding of the seed provenance science and its applicability at the regional and local scale
• Develop partnerships to assist the Murrumbidgee CMA meet vegetation restoration priorities
• Identify priorities for further research and/or assessment of seed supply issues.
• Develop seed demand/ supply co-ordination for the Murrumbidgee region

• NRM program managers & facilitators within the Murrumbidgee, Lachlan, and Murray catchments
• CMA staff and Board members especially the Murrumbidgee catchment
• Landcare and NRM community groups
• Regional NRM stakeholders, eg, Murrumbidgee Irrigation, local government, NPWS;
• Nursery operators and seed collectors; and others.

Ongoing commitment to rural R&D ensured
The Australian Government's May Budget promised to ensure continued funding for rural research and development.

Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Richard Colbeck commented after the Budget that in 2005-06, the Australian Government in partnership with the 14 rural research and development corporations and companies (RDCs) was forecast to spend $438 million on research and development.

"With declining terms of trade for most industries, improved productivity of the rural sector is critical if rural industries are to remain viable and internationally competitive," Senator Colbeck said.

He said rural R&D had been a significant factor in ensuring growth and that Australia's RDC model is recognised as world's best practice..

"It provides Australian farmers with the information and skills they need to improve their productivity and management of our natural resources. Our international trade depends heavily on Australia maintaining its 'clean and green' image, comparative disease free status and rigorous quarantine program.

"The RDCs are a unique and successful partnership between the Australian Government and industry. They deliver significant benefits and underpin profitable, competitive and sustainable rural industries and prosperous regional communities.

“Our joint investment has helped promote internationally competitive industries built on
sustainable management of the natural resource base,” he said.

For more information go to www.psmaff.gov.au/releases/05/05017c.html
 

New look, new data for Australian Water Association website
The Australian Water Association has a new look website with updated sections on the Water Education Network, information about new publications and contact details for branches around Australia.

The new look site includes lots of information about the sustainable management of water, including a comprehensive list of downloadable fact sheets.

It also has a list of links to special interest groups of AWA. The groups provide a forum for members to be able to tailor the information they receive as part of their membership package.

Water watchers will be interested in the events pages and calendar of upcoming meetings, conferences and forums.

To view the site go to www.awa.asn.au/
 

New natural resource officer for Mudgee
Central West Catchment Management Authority (CW CMA), has a new Natural Resource Officer providing community support for the Upper Macquarie, area covering Mudgee, Rylstone, Bathurst and Orange.

Hayley Skehan took up her new position in April. She was previously the Willow Control Officer for the Cudgegong Catchment Committee.

In that capacity she gained valuable local insight and worked closely with landholders along the Cudgegong River and Lawsons Creek helping them develop and implemt  various willow management projects.

CW CMA General Manager, Tim Ferraro said he was very pleased to welcome Hayley to the CW CMA team.  “Her local knowledge and valuable experience coupled with a strong interest in natural resource management will be a great asset to the CW CMA and Upper Macquarie.”

Hayley  said she was looking forward to building on her work with the local community and landholders to identify local environmental issues and develop projects that will work towards improving the health and state of the catchment's natural resources.

For more information contact: Lynne Hawkes on 0428 600701
 

New local Lachlan CMA office at Forbes
A new Lachlan Catchment Management Authority office opened for business in Forbes, NSW recently.

The new office has a strong community focus and welcomes local community members to have a look at the new premises and meet the Board members and Staff.

The CMA is governed by seven Board members including local community members Mary Ewing and Dennis Moxey.

The opening of the new office also marked the launch of Round Two of the Incentive Funding, open to all community members.

The incentive funding is part of the CMA's responsibility to deliver State and Australian government funding for natural resource management to the community.

The Lachlan CMA has already allocated the first round of their Incentive Funding based on their natural resource management program areas including Water Quality, Vegetation and Biodiversity, Soil Management and Perennial Species for Salinity Management.

For more information contact Kathleen Mann (02) 6862 1255, 0428 284252 or visit the website at www.lachlan.cma.nsw.gov.au
 

Local schools guard South Australian waterways
More than 150 primary school students from Murray Bridge in South Australia recently donned rubber gloves and picked up brooms to sweep the streets in aid of National Gutter Guardians Month.

Gutter Guardians is an initiative of Waterwatch South Australia that encourages students to rake the footpaths, street gutters and paved areas around their schools to prevent tonnes of unwanted pollution from entering waterways.

Each class was delegated a 50m stretch of road around their respective schools and collected more than 259kg of leaves, silt and rubbish in various areas.

River Murray Catchment Water Management Board Environmental Engineer Ms Sarah Evans said, "When large volumes of organic matter enters our waterways it begins to decompose which has the negative effect of raising nutrient levels, potentially leading to algal blooms.

"The decomposition also consumes virtually all the dissolved oxygen in the water which may create stagnant conditions that can suffocate some aquatic life. And with leaves tending to clog up stormwater drains, choking the natural flow of creeks and rivers, it's important that we collect leaf litter too" she said.

The Gutter Guardians program aims to help students learn more about the River Murray and how to help care for it.

For more information on the Gutter Guardians program, contact Pippa Kerby on 08 8532 3573 or visit the Waterwatch SA website: www.sa.waterwatch.org.au
 

New book tells history of Lakes Albert and Alexandrina
A new book acknowledges the many historical events that have helped shape the social, environmental and cultural aspects of Lakes, Albert and Alexandrina.

The River Murray Catchment Water Management Board in partnership with the Goolwa to Wellington Local Action Planning Group developed the book – “A Fresh History of the Lakes”.

Board Chairman Mr David Wotton said the book not only tells the story of the lakes, but also tells the history of the communities that have lived in the area post European settlement.

"The book is a wonderful resource for students, visitors and locals who are keen to trace the many phases of the Lakes."

Author Terry Sim said the debate surrounding the pre-European conditions of the Lakes was not surprising.

"The impacts of development in the Murray-Darling Basin were apparent within the first generation of European settlers, so many people's memories and family histories are of a river that was already altered."

The book reviews the 'three lives' of the lakes from the 1800s through to 1935, when the barrages were constructed, through a wide array of quotes, articles and historical data.

Launching the book, South Australian Minister for the River Murray, Hon Karlene Maywald said the book  was “a really interesting read and provides a historical basis for discussion about future management of the Lakes."

"We now have a factual reference point in the debate over the differences between the pre-European and post settlement condition of the Lakes.

For more information contact the River Murray Catchment Water Management Board Phone on 08 8582 4477.
 

Nat Water Commissioners view South Aust locations
The National Water Commission (NWC) held the second of a number of meetings it is to  hold in locations across Australia affected by water reform at Mount Lofty, South Australia in early May.

Chairman Mr Ken Matthews said commissioners took the opportunity to view at first hand  key water management issues in the Mount Lofty catchment area and urban water management issues in Adelaide.

“Combining meetings with site visits like the Mount Lofty Ranges ensures Commissioners gain a first hand understanding of the water resource and management problems in key locations across the country,” he said.

The second Commission meeting also focused on immediate priorities for the NWC including guidance on implementation plans for the commitments by State, Territory and Australian Governments under the National Water Initiative.

The Commission also discussed the development of a framework for the 2005 National Competition Policy assessments by the NWC. Guidance on the implementation plans will be publicly released shortly.

The Commissioners identified a number of key areas which they consider will be critical to water reform over the next three years including:

• water accounting and measurement;
• water access entitlements;
• water trading;
• a knowledge strategy;
• groundwater management;
• urban water reform;
• the need for improved quality; and
• consistency of  socio-economic impact studies and, when necessary, adjustment assessment.

Caring for the Coliban catchment
The Coliban catchment, from Trentham to Sutton Grange, will be the focus of a partnership effort to ensure that its unique environmental values are protected and improved for future generations.

The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA), Coliban Water and Greening Australia have joined forces to develop a Coliban Catchment Action Plan, which will provide a vision for the future management of the catchment's natural environment.

According to North Central CMA Riverine Officer, Brad Drust, interested community members are encouraged to participate in developing the Plan through two workshops to be held in late May.

“The type of input we are seeking from the Coliban community includes local knowledge about natural resource values and threats, the success of previous environmental works and suggestions for future natural resource management options,” Brad explained.

The Catchment Action Plan will set a shared vision for the future of the environment in the Coliban catchment, capture recommendations from the local community, and pull together all existing environmental management plans.

For more information go to www.nccma.vic.gov.au/newsDetail.asp?ID=100

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