A series of events to empower Southern New England communities has just completed successfully.
The eight events supported landholders affected by the devastating drought and bushfires with information and access to service providers such as animal welfare, pests and weeds, community wellbeing and mental health, where the service providers came to their local district.
The Armidale community currently has the opportunity to give feedback on the Armidale Regional Council’s draft Koala Management Strategy.
The purpose of this strategy is to encourage the conservation, management and rehabilitation of areas of natural vegetation that provide habitat for koalas to support a permanent free-living population over their present range in Armidale local government area (LGA).
Land managers across the Northern Tablelands Local Land Services region have been invited to apply for long-term access to a number of Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs).
Helen Ward, from the Northern Tablelands Local Land Services TSR team, said producers can now submit an application for a Management Agreement Permit, which will provide them with certainty of TSR access for years to come.
Image: The Travelling Stock Reserve Management Agreement Permits will give confidence to livestock producers to make long-term business decisions.
It has been 29 years since the Taylor family at Kentucky hosted more than 6000 participants at ‘Treefest’, a field day to showcase current understanding and techniques in broadscale tree planting of the time, in response to widespread New England Dieback. To mark the anniversary, Michael Taylor, son of Treefest’s original hosts Jon and Vicki Taylor, has partnered with Southern New England Landcare to co-host Silvopasture 2021.
In March 2021, more than 100 conservation, farming and land management organisations came together to release the report, Working with Nature.
This report outlines how thousands of workers can be employed to deliver practical conservation and land management work across the country - delivering targeted economic recovery support to regional communities while leaving lasting benefits for the environment, tourism, farm businesses and local communities.
Landcare NSW added its community voices to this 100-strong coalition, calling for Federal Government investment in a land management and environmental stimulus package post-COVID19.
Koalas in the Spotlight was held at University of New England's Newholme field laboratory on the evening of March 19th, 2021 and attended by 40+ people.
Newholme is a research property at Mount Duval and is a well-known koala corridor.
The 2021 New England and North West Landcare Awards have been run and won.
Southern New England Landcare is thrilled to announce that one of our longstanding members, Mr Gordon Williams, was presented with the New England Region Individual Landcarer Award. Congratulations Gordon!
Image: 2021 Award winners - Gordon Williams is top row, third from the right.
Here is a recent media release, dated 9 March 2021, by Northern Tablelands Local Land Services District Vet, Dr Andrew Biddle, to help producers manage Barber’s Pole Worm in their sheep flocks.
The recent rain and warm weather have provided ideal conditions for a barber’s pole worm explosion in our region and it is important that producers know how to monitor, test and treat them. Click this link to download the full article, "Warm weather the perfect storm for Barber’s Pole Worm".
Image: NTLLS District Vet, Dr Andrew Biddle conducts a worm egg count under the microscope.
SNEL's Des Andersen's koala interview with Michael Pearce
Interview date: 21 January 2021
Project/Research Title: Bush Blocks – Living with Koalas and Australian Wildlife
Description of Project: To provide a case study that explores the relationship of rural residential living for people, wildlife and the environment.
"We didn’t expect to what extent there is an abundance of wildlife. We’ve helped Koalas in dry times by providing water buckets at the base of these trees. You really feel part of nature by helping animals when they’re under stress."
Read the full interview with Michael here.
Landcare Australia has honoured our much loved & admired Patron and Australia’s first National Soils Advocate, Major General the Hon. Michael Jeffery, who sadly passed away on Friday 18 December, 2020. Click here for press release
As soil advocate, he met with thousands of farmers, scientists, indigenous groups, policy makers, politicians, consultants, students & community groups. "I believe there are substantial benefits for all Australians from a more focused and integrated approach to the health of our soil. A regenerated agricultural landscape will ensure the whole community will be healthier in terms of the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink."
Two events, held in the latter half of 2020, supported 70+ local farmers to better understand landscape rehydration.
Workshops by David Hardwick and Damon Telfer, and Stuart Andrews in September and October respectively, promoted key messages that supporting diverse and healthy perennial plant communities, restores hydration to farms.
If you are a landholder managing a few acres or more, this opportunity could be for you.
The Northern Tablelands Koala Partnership project is offering landholders an opportunity to secure direct funding for Koala habitat development and Koala habitat conservation. Funding is available for planting Koala specific vegetation including primary feed trees and habitat trees. This will help increase Koala and wildlife corridors in our local area. Funding will also be available to fence, improve and conserve existing habitat through livestock exclusion and weed management.
You are invited to participate in an important survey being conducted by the Australian National University and the Charles Darwin University which closes on 14th February 2021.
The survey primarily addresses post-wildfire management actions that are implemented for fauna. The preferred target audience includes practitioners and conservation managers from within government, non-government organisations, and private organisations, working on public or private land; particularly for those involved with the planning, implementing and monitoring of post-wildfire management actions for fauna conservation and recovery.
Three new members have been appointed to the board of the Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) to help drive conservation outcomes on private land across NSW, including CEO of Southern New England Landcare, Ms Karen Zirkler.
Environment Minister Matt Kean said the new board members will bring a wealth of skills and experience to the board.
A very productive Regional Stakeholder Forum, held on Tuesday 15 December 2020, has assisted the Northern Tablelands Koala Partnership Project to forge ahead.
Representatives from Local Councils, Local Aboriginal Land Councils, lead State Government agencies, the University of New England and community organisations from across the region were invited to contribute, resulting in a wide range of interests tabled for discussion.
Activities such as energy efficiency and waste reduction, environmental monitoring, education and/or rehabilitation, regeneration works are important contributors to the overall state of the environment.
As such Council invites submissions from individuals or organisations like community groups, schools, and businesses outlining their environmental activities and achievements during 2016 - 2020 for inclusion in the State of the Environment Report.
Closing Date: Friday, 26 February 2021, by 5pm.
For their last meeting of 2020 on Wednesday, 9th December, members of Southern New England Landcare's Save the Regent Honeyeater Group met up at Sue and Peter Metcalfe’s place on Dumaresq Dam Road to learn some native seed collection techniques.
Wishing all our wonderful Members, Friends, Landcarers, Rivercarers, Collaborators and Partners all the very best for a safe, healthy and happy Christmas from the whole team at Southern New England Landcare!
Our office in Armidale will be closed for the Christmas period from Friday 18th December 2020, and re-open on Tuesday 12th January 2021.
Image: A juvenile koala decorates a pine tree at the Zirkler residence near Kentucky in readiness for Santa's visit! Photo by Karen Zirkler with artwork by Alex Hunter.
Here’s are delightful and encouraging report from Candice Larkin, updating us on the results of the Regent Honeyeater nest spotted near Severn River.
The Armidale Tree Group nursery is short of Acacia (wattle) seed. If you have access to fruiting wattle trees/shrubs in your yard, would you be able to collect some and drop it into the nursery? It would greatly appreciated.
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