spring 2014 newsletter - granite borders landcare inc...seb’s bobcat & tipper hire 5 tonne...
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Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
1
Spring 2014
Newsletter
Tenterfield Preschool visit the Community Gardens for National Tree Day. Details on page 11.
Mariette van den Berg
returns to Tenterfield. Details on page 4.
Spring Wildflower Walks
are on again. Details are on page 10.
The beautifully crafted new sign for Tenterfield Park. Details on page 6.
Jerry Coleby-Williams will be visiting the Granite Belt in early December.
Details on page 2.
Michael Sommerlad entertains his audience at a recent BLOG event.
Details on page 5.
WildDog Scan workshop at the Landcare office in July. Detail on page 9.
Blue Finger Orchid .
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
2
Mole Station Native Nursery
Frost Hardy Farm Trees
“We provide trees and shrubs for
revegetation, shelter belts and farm forestry.
Seed is collected locally whenever possible”
Mole Station Tenterfield NSW 2372
Sarah & David Caldwell
Ph. 02 6737 5429 Fax 02 6737 5443
Email [email protected]
Jerry Coleby-Williams
visits the Granite Belt
Granite Borders Landcare is pleased to
announce that renowned horticulturalist and
Gardening Australia presenter, Jerry Coleby
-Williams, will be visiting Tenterfield and
Stanthorpe in December. A number of
events are planned for Friday 5th
December and Saturday 6th December,
including a special dinner presentation at
the Queensland College of Wine Tourism in
Stanthorpe on the Saturday evening.
Jerry is an inspiration speaker and advocate
of sustainable living, and his property ’Bellis’
in Wynnum, Brisbane, is evidence of what we
can all achieve on an average suburban block.
The details for this series of events is still
being finalised but it will be an entertaining
weekend and definitely not one to miss!
More information on Jerry can be found at
http://jerry-coleby-williams.net/
Available from Granite
Borders Landcare office,
Martin St Tenterfield
Latest edition available now from the Landcare office
New Eucalypt publication by Rare Wildflower Consortium
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
3
MELLING MECHANICAL Proprietors: Geoff & Elizabeth
Melling
For all your professional car, motorbike and truck repairs.
Registration checks, Tyre Supply; fitment & alignment, Air-conditioning,
Servicing and Repairs. On all makes & models
444 Rouse Street P (02) 6736 3555 Tenterfield NSW 2372 F (02) 6736 4451
In this issue…
GBLC launches new website
Horse Property Planning Workshop
BLOG Activity Guide
Tenterfield Naturalists update
Welcome to the Stanthorpe
Permaculture Group
Tenterfield Preschool visits the
Tenterfield Community Gardens
Jerry Coleby-Williams visits the
Granite Belt in December
GBLC & NTLLS Project update
Spring Wildflower Walks
WildDog Scan introduction
MynaScan coming to Tenterfield
Editors note
Welcome to the spring edition of the
Granite Borders Landcare newsletter. This
edition features Landcare group updates,
project information, interesting events to
attend and an update on the collaborative
pilot project between GBLC and the
Northern Tablelands Local Land Services.
The new website for Granite Borders
Landcare is finally up and running. It is a
more user-friendly site for the community
to access the latest NRM information.
Details can be found on page 4.
GBLC welcomes our newest Landcare group,
Stanthorpe Permaculture, under our
umbrella. A range of events have already
been held and more details are on page 7.
GBLC is hosting Mariette van den Berg for
a workshop on horse property planning and
nutrition for horses. It is being held on
Saturday 13th September at the Landcare
office and will involve detailed property
planning for participants. Details on page 4.
There is also information on WildDogScan
and MynaScan for those of you interested
in monitoring feral animal movements and
how GBLC is using this facility to keep the
community informed and actively involved.
And finally, the children from Tenterfield
Preschool celebrated National Tree Day
with a visit to the Tenterfield Community
Gardens to plant a variety of fruit trees.
It was a great day and a summary is
included on page 11.
Remember to keep the articles coming in
and happy reading!
Granite Borders Landcare
Staff Contact Details
Elizabeth Melling Office Manager
(02) 6736 3500
Amanda Craig Project Manager
0438 894 556
Mark Thomas Schools & Urban Landcare
0404 892 696
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
4
GBLC Launches New Website!
It’s been a while in the making but Granite
Borders Landcare now have a new website up and
running. With a more user-friendly interface the
website provides information on GBLC history,
events, funding, Landcare groups, staff contacts,
membership details and relevant publications,
including past newsletters.
It also provides links to interesting NRM
websites, including Landcare Australia, Northern
Tablelands LLS and other Landcare networks on
the Tablelands. The website is still in its infancy
and will continue to evolve in the coming months
to reflect the needs of our community. To view
the new website please go to
www.graniteborderslandcare.com.au and see
what you think.
Your feedback is important to the staff and
committee at GBLC so if you have any comments
on how to improve the website, or if there is an
event coming up that you would like us to
promote please use the Contact Us tab and leave
a message.
Equine Property Planning &
Nutrition Workshop
Equine expert, Mariette van den Berg, is
returning to Tenterfield to host another equine
workshop, focusing on property planning and
equine nutrition. This workshop is being held at
the Landcare office to facilitate the mapping
component of this workshop. Each participant
will receive a map of their property with
‘layering’ and suggestions on improved property
management.
It is important to RSVP by Friday 5th
September to ensure staff have enough time to
create a map of your property prior to the
workshop. You will need to provide your Lot & DP
number for an A3 map to be generated.
This will be an exciting and educational
workshop for anyone with horses on their
property or interested in horse management.
Contact the Landcare office to reserve your
spot or for more information.
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
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Border Landcare Organic Group
Activities start with Morning Tea at 10am EST or 11am Daylight Saving Time unless otherwise
advised. 10.30 – 11am BLOG business, ‘housekeeping’ etc. Talk starts at 11am sharp with lunch about
12.30pm. Remember to bring a hat, a chair and a plate to share (either morning tea or lunch) as well
as a cup, plate & cutlery.
September 27 (Saturday)
Shane Gregg invites us to his place at Maryland to look at organic cabbages, his solar farm and
discuss the “Soil Energy” work that Dr Patrick MacManaway has done there.
October 10/11 (Friday/Saturday)
Gardenfest at Stanthorpe Civic Centre. BLOG will have a stall. We are looking for plants/seeds to
sell and volunteers to work the stall.
October 18 (Saturday)
Graeme Sait, a popular international speaker on health, soil and nutrition and many other things will
be our guest. Venue to be confirmed.
November 22 (Saturday)
An Introduction to Cold Climate Permaculture The Gilmour’s will explain how they set up and maintain
their permaculture garden. Their garden was started 16 years ago and now is providing a large
variety of native and introduced fruit and nuts, as well as herbs and spices. 528 Donnelly’s Castle
Road.
Contacts
Rex Maddocks 02 6736 4259 Douglas Fox 07 4685 3130 John & Julie Lindsay 07 4681 2729
Anne & Kevin Jones 07 4685 3379 Mary Baillie & Glen French 07 4681 4662
For further information visit www.granitenet.com.au/groups/environment/blog
Poultry guru Michael Sommerlad ran a well-attended
question and answer session at the Tenterfield Uniting
Church Hall on Saturday 31st May. Fifty people turned up to
hear the answers to their questions which ranged from
“How do you get rid of scaly leg and red mites?” and “How
do you introduce new chickens to an existing flock?” not to
mention “Why do cattle like to eat emu droppings?”
More information on Michael Sommerlad is available on his
website http://www.poultryworks.com.au/
Seb’s Bobcat & Tipper Hire 5 tonne Excavator with Power Tilt - Bobcat Hire - 4-in-1 bucket
Yard & Site Clean-up - House & Shed site preparation
Posthole Digging - Irrigation Trenching - Rock Breaker & Ripper
Gravel & Roadbase - Mushroom Compost
Seb Puglisi - PO Box 418 Tenterfield NSW 2372
Mob. 0409 200 625 - Ph. 02 6736 3260
Email. [email protected]
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
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Tenterfield Naturalists Update
Tired after walking the dog? Just want to sit a while and listen
to birds? Or looking for somewhere peaceful but close to home
for a picnic? Tenterfield Park has a lovely new picnic table
sitting in dappled eucalypt shade near the Derby Street
entrance. A friend of the park thought a picnic table would be a
useful and attractive feature in the lower park. Deciding action
was better than words our kind donor commissioned the
outdoor furniture, which has been crafted from local
stringybark by Tenterfield’s Michael Wish. From the table you
can explore several kilometres of paths, maintained by the
Tenterfield Naturalists Club, within through the grassy
woodlands.
Pictured left: Helen Moriarty, Harold Charles, Neil Fordyce,
John Donnelly, Janet White, Bridget Beagle enjoying lunch at
the new table.
Curry’s Gap Walk - Saturday 16th August
Tenterfield Naturalists celebrated the first showers for many weeks with a ramble through
Curry’s Gap State Conservation Area. Little was blooming but there were cheery yellow
splashes of Fern-leaved wattle Acacia filicifolia and scattered Acacia pruinosa, A. venulosa and A. floribunda. A nectar-laden Urn heath Melichrus urceolatus provided a welcome feed
for a pair of Silvereyes and a Yellow-faced Honeyeater. In the railway cutting some purple
Hardenbergia violacea tumbled over the steep slab sides. We marvelled at the many shapes,
colours and habitats of the lichens; flat, crusty or feathery on rock, earth and timber and
all plumped up from the rain. Despite a long dry spell the insectivorous sundew, Drosera burmanni, was common. On what has it been surviving? A pleasant surprise, given the history
of disturbance, was the scarcity of woody weeds - just a few individuals of privet,
Pyracantha and Berberis were seen. The flora highlight was the blue finger orchid Caladenia caerulea (Below centre). Anyone know what creature excavated this burrow (below right)?
Our next excursion is on Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th September to Red Rocks,
between Grafton and Coffs Harbour, to see the wildflowers. Contact the Landcare
office for more information.
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
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Stanthorpe Permaculture Group
As the youngest group under the umbrella of Granite Borders Landcare we welcome the
Stanthorpe Permaculture Group (SPG) to our network. Under the guidance of SPG’s leader,
Dylan Graves, a range of interesting activities have already been held. Below is a taste of
what has been achieved so far.
Since starting our group in February this year, we have had monthly gatherings. These take
place at different properties so that we can all learn about what works well, get ideas, and
be inspired. Often there is a hands-on demonstration and practise of something useful such
as creating garden beds, making a portable hoop structure, pruning grape vines, and so on.
Good chat and shared lunch follows.
After meeting many people interested in learning more about Permaculture we decided to
organise a Permaculture Design Certificate Course which started on 13th of July. Fourteen
students have enrolled and attend 2 or 3 Sundays a month until late November. Students
are enthusiastic and working well together. Practical activities add further development to
the amazing community garden.
For more information visit http://www.sugarloafpermaculture.net/permaculture-group
Clockwise from right:
Completed veggie
garden at permablitz,
pruning grapes at
workshop, lasagne
garden in progress,
portable multi-
function hoop
structure in progress
and lighting rocket
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
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Collaborative Pilot Project
between NTLLS & GBLC
The Northern Tablelands Local Land Services and Granite Borders Landcare are embarking on a joint
project addressing strategic River and Stream Restoration and Rehabilitation for High Priority
Sub-catchments in the ‘Granite Country’.
This project will deliver new and improved knowledge on high priority areas for river and stream
restoration and rehabilitation through conducting an extensive audit of areas of concern – based on
methodologies used to determine priority areas initially. This will result in updated spatial data on
river and stream priority areas for the ‘Granite Country’ and consolidate the implementation
structure that supports the delivery of this project in meeting CAP targets and build a platform for
future projects.
This project will establish organised & enthusiastic sub catchment Groups, actively engaged in
protective management and building resilience for their riparian zones where river and stream health
and function will be improved. The project will also increase public awareness and build community
capacity of knowledge and understanding of the riparian ecosystem’s contributions toward
maintaining and improving landscape health. On ground works in priority areas for river & stream
restoration, rehabilitation and protection will also be conducted.
This project will engage landholders, that have very high or high priority river and stream
restoration and rehabilitation areas as deemed through both the NR CMA and BRG CMA CAP’s, in a
planning process to define issues and assist in on ground works that will lead to improved management
of the riparian areas. The project will be implemented at a sub catchment level to ensure the
investment is of public benefit in that the project contributes to the condition and value of the
waterways in terms of improved channel stability and water quality, enhanced biodiversity and
in-stream ecological systems.
From CAP priority area maps, landholders in three sub catchments will be engaged in stream and
river restoration and rehabilitation. Granite Borders Landcare in partnership with NT LLS will
undertake ground-truthing of areas, to include factors such as works carried out since original
mapping, where the assessment of the areas can then allow for site specific recommendations &
costing’s to be generated. A landholder Expression of Interest process will be undertaken followed
by an assessment panel prioritising where financial investment will be undertaken. Assistance to
landholders will include property planning education, fencing materials, alternative watering points
and seedlings for revegetation. Public awareness on the activities and outcomes of the project will be
through media releases, newsletters, website and radio. Community engagement events will also be
held and evaluated by participants.
This project will involve 100 landholders engaged in planning process., 3 sub-catchment plans will be
developed (8 sub-groups) covering 400 Ha ( 101.75Km) classified as Very High Priority Restoration / Rehabilitation and 439 Ha ( 44.56Km) classified as High Priority Restoration / Rehabilitation. There
will also be 3 extension activities conducted by GBLC.
This Project is supported by the Australian Government under the current Caring for our Country
Program (to be changed to National Landcare Program) and from the NSW Government Catchment
Action Program.
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
9
WildDog Scan Development
Workshop in Tenterfield
Granite Borders Landcare held a two day
WildDog Scan Development Workshop on July 15
& 16 in Stanthorpe and Tenterfield as part of an
existing Landcare project, Coordinated
Strategic Cross-border Wild Dog Control
Implementation.
WildDog Scan project leader, Peter West,
developed the capacity for groups, such as the
Tenterfield Wild Dog Control Group (TWDCG) to
input data into the system and allow landholders
to be aware of wild dog movements. This
workshop involved landholders and government
employees involved in wild dog control within
both NSW and QLD.
For further information on the project and how
you can get involved, please contact Mandy Craig
on (02) 6736 3500 or call in to the Landcare
office in Martin St, Tenterfield.
MynaScan in Tenterfield
The success of GBLC’s Indian Myna project is
being taken to the next level, with data
collected being loaded on to the national
MynaScan website. A Tenterfield Group is being
created so that the community can observe the
occurrence of Indian Mynas in the district and
get involved in controlling this invasive species.
To date the Indian Myna project has euthanized
over 600 birds, benefiting the local natural
environment and our native birds. For more
information contact the Landcare office on
(02) 6736 3500.
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
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Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
11
WFI: Community & the Environment WFI (previously Wesfarmers Federation Insurance) recognises it’s corporate responsibility towards both the environment and the community in it’s various roles as insurer, investor, employer and consumer.
Importantly WFI contribute 7% of the value of every insurance policy held by a local Landcare member to Granite Borders Landcare Committee! Please support your local Landcare Network by supporting your local WFI and be sure to tell them you are a Landcare member!
Contact David de Ferranti for more information – Phone 0267 221 755 Mobile 0412 328 911 [email protected]
Good People to know.
Tree Planting with Tenterfield Preschool
Children from Tenterfield Preschool ventured to the Tenterfield Community Gardens to help plant a
variety of fruit trees in celebration of National Tree Day. Kids were taught the importance of trees
in our daily lives, from providing us food and shelter to supporting habitat for animals, as well as
giving us somewhere to play and build treehouses!
Everyone was involved in planting, feeding and watering the trees, including apple, pear, apricot, plum,
nectarine and almond trees. The children then had a chance to look around the Gardens to see what
else grows through the winter in Tenterfield. It is immensely satisfying to see the joy and interest
that these events generate in our youngest members of our community, and hopefully it creates a
lifelong passion for the world around them.
Granite Borders Landcare Newsletter—Issue 87—Spring 2014
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Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent those of GBLC or its employees. While every effort is made to publish accurate information, GBLC and its employees do not accept responsibility for statements made or opinions expressed in this newsletter
Newsletter of the Granite Borders Landcare Committee Incorporated
Supported by
Upcoming Events
Sunday 31st August: Wildflower Walk, Passchendaele State Forest, Southern Section
Monday 1st to Sunday 7th September: Landcare Week celebrations
Friday 12th September: GBLC General Committee Meeting, Lyra’s View Café, QLD
Saturday 13th September: Equine Property Planning & Nutrition workshop with Mariette van
den Berg, Tenterfield
Wednesday 17th—Friday 19th September: National Landcare Conference, Melbourne
Sunday 21st September: Wildflower Walk, Passendaele State Forest, Northern Section
Saturday 27th September: BLOG field day, Shane Gregg’s property, Maryland
Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th September: Tenterfield Naturalists Field Trip, Red Rocks
Friday 10th & Saturday 11th October: Gardenfest, Stanthorpe Civic Centre
Saturday 18th October: BLOG field day, Graeme Sait presentation
Sunday 26th October: Wildflower Walk, Girraween National Park, The Junction Track
Saturday 22nd November: BLOG field day, Gilmour’s property, 528 Donnelly’s Castle Rd
Friday 5th—Sunday 7th December: Jerry Coleby-Williams, Tenterfield & Stanthorpe
Granite Borders Landcare Committee
PO Box 400
Tenterfield NSW 2372
www.graniteborderslandcare.com.au
Landcare Week 1st - 7th September 2014