eNews #39

• 9th November - Black Gully Festival 2024
• 10th November - AURG November Working Bee
• 13th November - The Unbreakable Farmer Workshop - Resilience, Persistence & Determination
• 13th November - Annual General Meeting
• 13th November - Member Muster
• 19th-20th November - Mental Health First Aid (Armidale)

The Glen Innes Natural Resources Advisory Committee (GLENRAC) is proud to announce its 35th Anniversary, celebrating three and a half decades of dedicated service to the Glen Innes region.

Since its inception in June 1989, GLENRAC has been committed to fostering sustainable natural resource management and enhancing the well-being of our local community.

To commemorate this significant milestone of connection, conservation, and community, GLENRAC invites everyone to a special dinner event on Friday, November 1st, 2024 being held at the Glen Innes and District Services Club from 6:00 p.m.

As a valued Southern New England Landcare member, you’re invited to the Armidale Volunteer Referral Service’s lunch celebrating International Volunteer Day (IVD) 2024, on Wednesday, 4 December.

This event is a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of your volunteers.

To ensure you receive a personal invitation, please contact Janet Hodge or call 02 6772 9123 to register your interest. 

When Catherine Wright and Andrew Menzies purchased their Spring Camp property near Armidale, NSW, they didn’t anticipate becoming protectors of a rare native species: Grevillea beadleana, or Beadle's grevillea.

This endangered plant thrives only in select regions like the Northern Tablelands, making Spring Camp one of few sanctuaries for it.

Facing droughts in 2019, Catherine and Andrew went to extraordinary lengths to preserve their grevilleas, even hand-watering with scarce dam water.

In partnership with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, they now manage part of the property’s biodiversity, supporting the unique flora and fauna that call it home.

Thanks to their efforts, the grevillea is thriving again, attracting a rich ecosystem of pollinating birds.

Their story exemplifies conservation in action, ensuring this rare beauty remains for future generations.

To read the full article, please click here.

Photo credit: ABC New England North West: Brigitte Murphy 

Wallamara, a 2000-hectare property in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, was purchased 26 years ago by three friends who saw the chance to protect freehold land near a national park and remnant koala habitat.

The property, managed by The Wilderness Company of Australia and its 18 family unit holders, now has 1600 hectares under an in-perpetuity conservation agreement with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, aimed at restoring koala habitat and supporting other native species.

This effort aligns with the NSW Koala Strategy’s goal to double koala populations by 2050, preserving essential habitat amid growing threats like habitat loss, disease, and climate change.

To read the full article please click here. 

Photo credit: Nviro Media

 The Bats in Backyards project is signalling for hero citizen scientists to help uncover secrets of the night.

Following another successful year, the Bats in Backyards project once again needs help to survey for threatened micro-bats.

Volunteer farmers, urban dwellers, anyone with the smallest area of outside space are needed in Armidale, Collarenebri, Mungindi/Weemelah, Narrabri, Nyngan, Pillar Valley, Wellington and Western Sydney areas.

Is there a financial return – not just an environmental benefit – for farmers from building biodiversity?

Emerging and existing opportunities to boost farm business bottom lines by improving biodiversity will be explained in an upcoming Landcare Agriculture webinar.

This free webinar on Biodiversity in Agriculture: Maximising Opportunities for Your Business, on 6 November, 2024, at 1pm (AEDT - NSW) will provide participants with a greater understanding of biodiversity, natural capital accounting systems and emerging environmental market opportunities and is part of an ongoing series to build knowledge about natural capital accounting and biodiversity.

UNE SRI / National Ag Day

Join us on Friday, November 15, 2024, for an unforgettable event on National Agriculture Day as we explore the future of sustainable livestock production in New England!

This day-long event brings together researchers, innovators, producers, and industry experts to discuss one big question: What does it take to make a Net Zero Steak?

We'll cover cutting-edge solutions in genetics, methane reduction strategies, pasture management, and more, all aimed at creating a more sustainable future for agriculture.

Expect to hear from guest speakers, industry leaders, and researchers pushing the boundaries in the field, plus a Wild Ideas Panel that will inspire you with bold, innovative approaches to achieving sustainability goals.

Plus, you’ll get a chance to savor a BBQ lunch from MLA Chef Sam Burke and UNE’s Pete McGilchrist.

Permaculture is a design framework based on patterns and relationships found in nature.

Developed in Australia, it offers a collection of ‘thinking tools’ that is useful in the garden, on the farm, and more generally in life.

In these four workshops, we will apply permaculture principles (and related approaches such as regenerative agriculture and agroecology) to our gardens, farms, our common spaces, and our homes.

You are welcome join in one, two, three or all four sessions.

 Fast facts

• 2-day event, run entirely online
• More than 25 speakers from Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia
• Topics include: monitoring population trends, foraging habitat and feed trees, artificial nesting, habitat conservation in agricultural landscapes, Flossy ID, citizen science, habitat mapping, technology in the field, and recovery planning.
• People can opt in and out of any session
• All sessions recorded and made available online exclusively to people who register for six months before being made public

Register here.

Northern Tablelands Local Land Services are excited to announce a unique opportunity to gain insights into the supply chain with an upcoming tour in conjunction with Bindaree Food Group.

Join us on Wednesday, 20th November for a comprehensive look into market dynamics and production feedback.

Event Highlights:

• Tour: Explore Myola Feedlot and Inverell Processing Plant for an in-depth understanding of how specification affects market destinations and how feedback from feedlots and processors can inform on-farm breeding decisions.
• Networking Dinner: Connect with industry representatives over dinner, followed by insightful presentations at the Tattersalls Hotel, Inverell.

Cost: The tour and dinner are partially subsidized by LLS, with a participant fee of $100 payable upon registration.

Limited Spots Available: Due to high interest, spots are limited.

If we cannot accommodate all interested participants, we will consider running a second tour in early 2025.

To express interest, please complete the EOI form.

For further information, please contact Tahnee Manton on 0438 600 473