NRM South : Events : Events Calendar Feed

Introduction to pasture cropping

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:41:39 EST

You are invited to attend a training course (free of charge) on pasture cropping - an innovative land management technique where cropping and grazing are combined into a single technique and each enterprise enhances the other economically and environmentally. This practical, down-to-earth course is an excellent opportunity for you to learn how to use pasture cropping and no-kill cropping to increase profitability.

Pasture cropping and no-kill cropping involve the planting of an annual crop into an existing perennial pasture (native or introduced). These systems enable low-risk / cost cropping while maintaining and enhancing perennial pastures for grazing livestock and provide added grazing to fill that winter feed gap.

Venue: Huntington Tavern Hotel, Kempton
Date: 14 & 15 February 2012
Time: 8.45 for 9.00 am to 5.00 pm
Catering: All meals, morning and afternoon teas provided

More info & registration: Danielle Bonnington – Training Coordinator, Advanced Pasture Cropping Co. Ph/Fax (02) 6848 5900 or danielle@pasturecropping.com

The Tasmanian Fungi Festival

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:35:32 EST

The Tasmanian Fungi Festival is a unique gathering of people who are passionate about fungi jointly organised by Fungimap and NRM South. Fungi are a fascinating group of organisms that are often overlooked but play a vital role in our natural world. They also have a long history of human use in food production, agriculture and medicine.

The Festival opens on Thursday 26 April with the Fungi Conservation and Management Symposium that continues through to Friday 27 and concludes with a site visit Friday afternoon. Following the Symposium on the evening of Friday 27 April, a debate entitled ‘Eating wild fungi: Fun or foolhardy?’ will be held with a three course dinner. Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 April will have a variety of workshops and forays covering a broad range of fungi topics.

Early bird registrations for the Symposium close March 2.

For the program and registration form visit Fungimap’s website.

20 years!

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:55:32 EST

20 years of Coastcare at Southern Beaches

Jack’s Flat was the perfect place for a celebration by the Southern Beaches Landcare/Coastcare Inc group on the 14^th of May. The group enthusiastically commemorated 20 years of community achievements with music, art activities, food, kite flying and displays.

Gwen Egg, a founding member of the group, said “SBL/C has been caring for the local coastal environment for 20 years now and we have been looking after Jack’s Flat for 11 years.”

Jack’s Flat has been a patch dear to the hearts of SBL/C volunteers. Over the past 11 years the group has removed weeds, restored native vegetation, cleaned up the waterway and advocated for the area’s protection with their local council, resulting in this important riparian area being declared a reserve.

Southern Beaches Landcare/Coastcare works in the community to care for coast and country, especially beaches. It involves a keen team of volunteers in regular meetings and working bees to look after the coast from Lewisham, Dodges Ferry, Carlton, Carlton River, Park Beach and Primrose Sands – an area collectively referred to as the ‘Southern Beaches’.

The group is currently completing a project to restore habitat and put up signs to protect values on Spectacle Island, just offshore from the local beaches. They’re also working on Carlton Bluff at Primrose Sands, removing serrated tussock and rehabilitating the area. An upcoming project in partnership with SCAT will rehabilitate sand dunes at Carlton Beach.

NRM South congratulates Southern Beaches Landcare/Coastcare members for their dedication and hard work over the past 20 years and we look forward to many more successful years ahead.

If you’d like more information about the Southern Beaches Landcare/Coastcare group please email: southernbeacheslandcoastcare@gmail.com

This story is from the NRM South Winter 2011 newsletter. Click here to read this and other NRM South newsletters.

Tasman Island

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:34:27 EST

All go on Tasman Island!

The Friends of Tasman Island are a fantastically active Wildcare Group...... here’s a summary of some of what they have been up to recently ….

Two volunteer working bees have been held on the island since February, coordinated by tireless group members Chris Creese and Erika Shankley. Erika’s report from the Easter working bee details a long list of successful works undertaken. These included installing a new water tank at Quarters 3, renovation of and then reconnecting the electrical circuits to the oil store and Quarters 1 and 2, mowing and brushcutting and weeding.

As part of this working bee the local Rotary Club also ran their annual Tasman Island Open Day. 50 visitors visited the island throughout the day, shuttled back and forth from Safety Cove by helicopter. On the island, lighthouse tours were conducted by Lyndon O’Grady of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and Chris Creese from FoTI, while John Cook related some of his stories from the ‘old days’.

There have also been regular visits to the island this year by the Feral Cat Eradication Project team and apparently there is now possibly only one cat left on the island! This project has been a co-operative effort between Wildcare Inc (through the Wildcare Gift Fund), PWS and DPIPWE.

FoTI has also been busy on the fundraising scene. The Lighthouse Cookbook and 2011 Lighthouse Calendar projects (see promotion in this magazine) in partnership with the Friends of Deal Island continue to provide a valuable source of funds. Add to this a successful raffle and continuing success with grant applications and it’s pretty clear why the balance sheets look so healthy.

This story is from the Wildcare Inc newsletter 'Wildtimes' Issue 38. Click here to read this and other issues of Wildtimes.

Maatsuyker Island

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:48:41 EST

Botanising on the edge

(Photo courtesty Marina Campbell)

For the vast majority of us the rugged landscape of Maatsuyker Island will only ever be seen on the pages of a book or on a computer screen. Yet despite its isolated and at times treacherous location a group of dedicated and passionate volunteers have been working hard to maintain the island’s natural and cultural heritage.

The Friends of Maatsuyker Island have been visiting the island since 2004 to carry out weed management to control the highly invasive weeds Hebe elliptica, Blackberry and Montbretia that threaten the burrowing seabird habitats.

“It is rewarding to see the positive impact of the annual follow-up to areas that were completely invested with Hebe elliptica and Blackberry,” said Friends of Maatsuyker Island Secretary, Marina Campbell. “Now we are seeing the return of native vegetation and are excited to witness the short-tailed shearwater burrows being occupied again.”

One of the real challenges faced by the group has been funding transportation of the eager volunteers to and from the island by helicopter.

“Helicopter transport is the most significant component of working bee costs,” Marina said.

Friends of Matsuyker Island was one of 20 community groups to receive a NRM South Naturally Inspired grant in 2010, which assisted the group to meet some of their transportation cost.

This story is from the NRM South Winter 2011 newsletter. Click here to read this and other NRM South newsletters.