hindmarsh landcare network annual report 2011-2012

Hindmarsh Landcare NetworkAnnual Report 2011-2012

growing the future together

2 Hindmarsh Landcare Network | Annual Report 2011-2012

Contact: PH: 0429 006 936 | Email: [email protected]

Hindmarsh Landcare Network IncAnnual Report 2011-2012

AcknowledgmentsHindmarsh Landcare Network is deeply appreciative for the support of its Partners and Supporters. We’d also like to thank David Fletcher, Brett Wheaton, Bernie Fox, Greg Butler and Jess Gardner for the use of their photos in the production of this report, and John Sampson, for his work in producing this report with the aid of many Hindmarsh Landcare Network helpers.

growing the future together 3

I feel somewhat embarrassed writing this report, given I’ve been away so much, but I have the

Board and Executive to thank for carrying the extra workload in my absence. This report is for the period of March to October, as we were very late with last year’s AGM. I hope this gets us back on track.

I am pleased to announce that Hindmarsh Landcare Network will take on a more public profile in the future with the opening of our new office in Nelson Street, Nhill. The office will have a comfortable and professional fit-out for staff, and will make it much easier for members of the public to find us. All are welcome so drop by for a chat with both Phill and Katy – let us know what your needs and concerns are so we can help you.

Project Hindmarsh remains the flagship project for our network, and 2012 marks the fifteenth consecutive year of our Hindmarsh planting weekend. To mark the occasion we have launched a new Hindmarsh Landcare Network website (www.hindmarshlandcare.org.au), which includes a section on the history of the project, showing all sites planted since 1997.

Original and current photos of selected sites highlight the magnificent landscape change that has taken place over time, with some of the early sites now home to trees six metres high and still growing. These trees will no doubt go a long way towards providing new habitat for our native plants and animals. I would encourage everyone to take a small plane ride and look at our region from the air – you will be truly amazed at our progress, as I have been.

We hope to make further improvements to the Project Hindmarsh section of our website over the next 12 months that will look at the ways in which the project has significantly contributed to the environmental health and sustainability of the Wimmera region.

I’m sure that all who view the new website will be suitably impressed, and that it will encourage both interest and investment in this magnificent project.

This year we welcomed 250 people to the Project Hindmarsh planting weekend, many of whom have been with the project since its inception. The 2012 planting weekend was an outstanding success, and we give these volunteers our heartfelt thanks. Without their continued support we could not succeed.

Thank you also to our sponsors who generously give their support, and care as much about the standard of the project as we do. In this regard, we especially thank Geoff Handbury and the ACE Radio Network for their ongoing funding of the planting

Darryl L Argall AM Chairperson

weekend, we value this committed support most highly.

Thanks also to our volunteers, staff and caterers for your wonderful assistance. To the Project Hindmarsh work group who laboured all year to bring the planning and activities together, I offer a huge ‘thank you’. As volunteers you have given up much time and put in a most concerted effort. To all of those involved with the planning and delivery of Project Hindmarsh, a great job, well done, and be proud of what you have achieved.

The Wimmera Catchment Management Authority (WCMA) provides Hindmarsh Landcare Network with general support, as well as support and funding for specific projects we run. This year they helped us with the Project Hindmarsh planting weekend through a media campaign and site preparation.

They also contributed staff and expertise, tools, maps, plant delivery arrangements, and direct seeded the sites prior to the weekend. They helped pay for the hiring of national award-winning photograper David Fletcher, who has provided many of the the beautiful photos used in this report.

For WCMA assistance with projects, whether financially or in-kind, we especially thank David Brennan, Joel Boyd and Paul Skeen for their help with the website, Rae Talbot for her help organising site selection and works for the Project Hindmarsh planting weekend, and Ray Zippel for his help prior to and during the planting weekend.

The focus of Hindmarsh Landcare Network is progressively turning towards sustainable agriculture, a particularly important direction given the many challenges our farming community faces.

We intend to provide interesting and creative ways to connect our farmers with the latest science and technology, helping them make informed choices about farm management and farm enterprises.

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

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Events, programs and projects have been and will continue to be brought to the attention of our farmers. This year for example, a Soil Structure project was run to help farmers better understand which soils they have and what they can do to ensure crop productivity.

A series of Chemical User courses was delivered, aimed at getting our members involved with pest plant and animal control programs. A workshop was also given to show farmers how they can benefit from the Federal Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative. Sustainable agriculture is a key area for us and we will continue to focus on it.

Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) is an independent crop research organisation whose main aim is to improve the sustainability and prosperity of farmers and agricultural communities. This year they gave our network much support by speaking at our AGM, running cropping trials and paddock walks in the district, and providing a bus that took our members to BCG’s annual field day.

On behalf of Hindmarsh Landcare Network I extend my warmest thanks for the value BCG has added to our program and we look forward to a continuing involvement.

Over recent years we have also developed a close association with the City of Port Phillip in Melbourne, and have at times exchanged resources and volunteers on a number of projects. This year, we were fortunate to have many volunteers join us at the planting weekend, including students from Presentation College. I would like to thank the City of Port Phillip for their involvement and hope to see our friendship flourish long into the future.

I would also like to thank all of the sponsors and supporters who have helped make this year such a success. To the federal and state governments: thank you for providing the majority of funding for our projects. To the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Ryan Smith, thank you for supporting and attending the Project Hindmarsh planting weekend.

We are also indebted to the Hindmarsh Shire Council for its continued financial support, willingness to help by having the mayor on our Board, and for providing access to other senior officers and staff when required.

We also thank the Victorian National Parks Association, VicRoads, Landcare Australia, Greening Australia, and all other partners and sponsors who helped us throughout the year.

I would lastly like to thank my fellow Board

RAINBOW CONNECTION: Autumn rains arrived just in time for our crops this year.

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members and the Executive. Your commitment is highly valued by our community.

Finally, I would like to look to the future. It is becoming increasingly difficult for our small band of volunteers to manage the ever-expanding needs of the Hindmarsh Landcare Network. It is a magnificent organisation doing incredible work in natural resource management and sustainable agriculture, but we need more people from the community to help us with this work. We must remain relevant to our Landcare groups and their members, and it is these people I am reaching out to. Join our network and help make a difference!

Yours Sincerely,Darryl L Argall AMChairperson, Hindmarsh Landcare Network

SAFE HANDS: Sixty people have been through the Hindmarsh Landcare Network’s chemical handling courses this year, story p14.

Hindmarsh Landcare Network Board Members• Darryl argall – Chair• brett wheaton – Immediate Past Chair

& Treasurer• Sue hayman-Fox – Secretary• VaneSSa DrenDel (part year)• bernie Fox• ChriS linDorFF• roSS mCDonalD (part year)• Phil PreSton• traCey PreSton• Sharon williamS

ex officio: • wimmera CMA – Joel Boyd • Greening Australia – Jess Gardner • hindmarsh Shire Council – Cliff unger


This year Project Hindmarsh reached a huge milestone, celebrating its fifteenth planting year.

This wonderful achievement is a great testament to the passion and commitment shown by all involved in the project, which continues to connect the people of Victoria and the local environment.

Fifteen years is a long time to run any annual event, and yet we still find people returning to Hindmarsh, to tell their stories, roll up their sleeves, and be part of the action.

This year’s planting was no exception, with many friends, some old, some new, returning to the Little Desert Nature Lodge on the Friday afternoon ready for a big weekend.

As usual on Friday night the nature lodge hosted a fabulous dinner, and this year it was followed by a night walk for those who wanted to get a glimpse of the local nocturnal animals. Then we all settled down for the night, welcoming sleep despite the windy weather.

A rather beautiful (albeit cold) and sunny morning greeted us on Saturday, as did the clang and clutter of cutlery and plates, the aroma of bacon, eggs, porridge and toast. The normal rush ensued – getting everyone ready, into buses and cars, then out

to the sites by 9am is always something to behold.

This year Saturday was given over to plantings at Tarranyurk, Dimboola North and Locheil, and on Sunday we planted at Miram South. All of the sites had been prepared midweek, and so plants, tools, tents and toilets were ready to go as soon as the volunteers arrived. Our site leaders, team leaders and landholders greeted this year’s volunteers, then promptly assigned them planting and support tasks.

Billy-tea and coffee for smoko, fresh rolls and fruit for lunch kept planters fuelled throughout the day, which, by the time the sun set, saw more than 15,000 plants go into the ground. Reports are that a good time was had by all. Many thanks to our SES friends for keeping a safe and watchful eye over us.

As usual it was back to camp for a freshen-up, a drink or two around the campfire and then dinner. This year the soup followed by a roast was a real treat, thanks to our caterers who worked so hard preparing 250 delicious meals to sate the hunger of our guests.

Paul Skeen kicked off the evening’s entertainment with a talk about our new website and historical site map, a copy of which was distributed to all present.

Our long-standing partnership with the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) was further strengthened with the release of its ‘Caught on

PROJECT HINDMARSH – 15 YEARS ON

FIRESIDE: Macy Fuller from Yaapeet keeps warm during a cold Saturday night at the Little Desert Nature Lodge after a full day’s planting.

by brett wheaton

A dream to ‘fill in the gaps’ now so much bigger Project Hindmarsh started in 1998 with the aim of ‘filling in the gaps’ along 2000 kilometres of road linking the wimmera’s big and little deserts with native trees, shrubs and grasses.

we achieved this goal in 2001, when volunteers reconnected habitat between the two parks for the first time in more than 100 years.

In the 10 years since, we’ve worked on private land to reconnect habitat and increase biodiversity across large tracts of the region.

Project Hindmarsh is now a nationally recognised landscape-scale rehabilitation effort, and has achieved change on a scale of which we can all be very proud.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Nicola Stevens with her two children, Abby and Archie, at the Clarke planting site this year.


Camera’ project, and Matt Ruchel, the association’s executive director, spoke about the organisation and the roles it plays within the Victorian community.

We also celebrated VNPA’s 60th anniversary and the fifteenth year of their involvement in Project Hindmarsh with the cutting of a ‘super’ sponge cake.

Sunday began with a hearty breakfast then we split the crowd into two groups – some travelled to McDonald’s farm at Miram South to plant 3000 trees, while a busload toured the region looking at past plantings.

After lunch, we said goodbye to our guests for another year, thanking them for all the hard work they put in. All in all it was a terrific effort, with more than 60 hectares of land planted out with 18,000 indigenous plants.

Again, we wish to thank our volunteers, sponsors, caterers and staff for this huge effort. Without this support we would not be able to achieve such fantastic results.


The three Saturday planting sites at this year’s Project Hindmarsh planting weekend were

carefully presented by Rae Talbot using the wimmera Catchment management authority’s Expression of Interest Process, from which the Project Hindmarsh work group made their selection.

Project hindmarsh also ties in with the wimmera Cma’s landscape Scale Conservation Project.

Here’s why the sites were selected and what we achieved at each site over the 2012 planting weekend:

SITES FOR SORE EYES

CLARk SITE (RED GROUP), LOCHIEL: Three corridors were planted using 6000 indigenous trees, shrubs and grasses of Riverine Chenopod and Shallow Sands Woodland. The site was chosen for its size and proximity to the Wimmera River, the links it will provide to existing remnant vegetation, and for its ability to help shelter and protect fragile soils.

LEHMANN SITE (GREEN GROUP), DIMBOOLA NORTH: Approximately 9.2 hectares were revegetated with 5240 indigenous Plains Savannah plants. The site was chosen for its size and connectivity to the Wimmera River, and will now provide a useful buffer between the road, adjacent farm land and house. The site’s owner also plans to enhance the planted area by incorporating an organic bush foods garden in the future.

STARICk SITE (YELLOW GROUP), TARRANYURk: A corridor was established using 4500 Salt Paper Bark plants on the edge of a natural saline wetland. This

corridor will differentiate the wetland from nearby cropping land and prevent the spread of the saline area by increasing water uptake and transpiration by

the trees and shrubs we planted. The site was chosen because of the unique and intact vegetation already present, its connectivity to the Wimmera River,

and for its large size.


Five years ago while sitting around a fire on a cold night during Project Hindmarsh’s tenth anniversary I was fortunate enough to become immersed in a conversation with brett wheaton and max Skeen about the future direction of the project.

At the time I was a humble volunteer with an interest in the weekend, and an enthusiasm to help out. One of the things we spoke about was the ability (or lack of it) for people to follow the fortunes of the sites they have helped plant over the years.

Naturally the conversation turned to how a website could be the perfect platform for such a facility, and so, armed with a little bit of knowledge in web design, I went away and started developing a website.

The first few drafts were very rough but over the next five years they were refined and tweaked to meet the Hindmarsh Landcare Network’s requirements.

In the interim, I landed a job at the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority, giving me access to information on past plantings and other resources I needed to finish the website in time for Project Hindmarsh’s 15th anniversary.

by Paul Skeen Sites map onlineAlong with the release of its new website the Hindmarsh Landcare Network has joined forces with the wimmera Cma to produce a map that details all past Project Hindmarsh planting works and sites.

The map shows when each site was planted and provides detailed information about eight key sites.

you can view the full map on our website. Even more information will be available soon through an interactive map.

CLOSING THE GAPS: The new map shows just how much ground we’ve planted over 15 years of Project Hindmarsh planting weekends.

MAPPING OUR PAST AND FUTURE

The result is a platform for both the Hindmarsh Landcare Network and Project Hindmarsh that highlights activities, partnerships and achievements of both the network and event.

The website is still young, but will eventually cover all past planting sites and other relevant information. Check it out at www.hindmarshlandcare.org.au


FOCUSED: Cameraman Lynton Brown catches state environment minister Ryan Smith chatting with Vanessa Drendel at this year’s Project Hindmarsh.

The end product will be a DVD we plan to give to all of the people who helped us celebrate this momentous occasion – volunteers, landholders and organisers – as a way of thanking them for their efforts.

We will also put some of the footage up on the new Hindmarsh Landcare Network website.

Paul Skeen from Spatial Ecology created the historical plantings site map, which was printed with help from the Wimmera CMA and distributed to volunteers who attended this year’s celebratory planting weekend.

The map has also been published on our website.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Project Hindmarsh CitiPower, Powercor and Landcare

Australia generously gave us $10,000 to help build web-based and printable versions of a map detailing the progress of plantings since the project began.

The money was also used to produce a DVD documenting our 15th anniversary, and to hire a bus for tours of past planting sites during the Project Hindmarsh weekend.

Lynton Brown Visual Productions from Horsham were the mob behind the camera, and footage recorded during the planting weekend is now in the editing room.

LIGHTS, ACTION, CAMERA!


HANDY TIPS: Our new brochures are filled with tips on how to increase local wildlife habitat.

Trees, a lifestyle choiceOur new brochures highlight the benefits of planting trees: increased productivity, adding value to your property, providing a sense of wellbeing, and contributing to a happier, healthier natural environment.

To pick up your set drop by our new office in nelson Street.

At Hindmarsh Landcare Network we’re always looking for ways to interest and engage

current and new members.

And recently, we developed a series of brochures that do exactly that, while also showing people how they can improve local biodiversity and promote sustainable agriculture.

The brochures cover many topics including turning unproductive areas into valuable habitat, planting woodlots for fuel, and creating wildlife ponds.

They also include a handy, waterproof ‘revegetation planner’ to help you map out and cost your planting projects.

The brochures were produced with funds obtained through the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s Victorian Volunteer Action Program.

We would like to thank Latrobe Catchment Landcare Network for their help in providing a large proportion of the ideas and information used in the brochures.

STOCK UP ON OUR NEW BROCHURES


Biochar is an emerging technology that is proving to be an effective way of improving

soil structure and function, increasing crop yields, and helping to ameliorate the effects of climate change.

This solid, carbon-rich material is a stable form of charcoal produced when natural organic materials such as woodchips, manure and waste from crops are heated in a high temperature, low oxygen process known as pyrolysis.

It has a wide range of benefits including improving soil, protecting and remediating soils from environmental pollutants, and as an avenue for greenhouse gas mitigation.

Wheat cropping studies from WA and South Australia suggest it could also reduce the need for fertiliser while maintaining crop productivity, improve the uptake of nutrients and water, and increase soil moisture, especially during dry spells.

Realising that Victoria was in desperate need of similar studies we applied for, and received, grant money for a series of biochar trials in the Hindmarsh region.

Thanks to Landcare Australia and Woolworths we can now fund trials that will help gauge the effectiveness of biochar on wheat crops in the Wimmera.

Working on three separate properties we’ll apply both high and low levels of biochar to test sites and measure whether or not application rates have an impact on yields and soil properties.

The sites will also test how Wimmera soils respond to biochar over time, and we’ll measure wheat yields at the end of the cropping season.

It’s an exciting project for the Hindmarsh Landcare Network and we’re now looking for interested landholders.

Preparations for the trials start in February, and we look forward to seeing the first set of results.

WIMMERA SET FOR BIOCHAR TRIALS

ENRICHED: A wheat crop with biochar incorporated into the soil. Photo: Greg Butler, SANTFA

CARBON RICH: Our new soil trials will use biochar made from sawdust.

by Phillip Falcke


TEAM EFFORT: Shaun Smith helps Aiden Drendel plant out the Nhill trailer exchange.

Inspiration close to homeAiden Drendel and his family have a long history with the Hindmarsh Landcare Network.

They have been enthusiastic volunteers at our planting weekends for many years and have planted trees on their family farm as well.

aiden says it’s these plantings that first inspired him to enlist the aid of his class mates in a project that would benefit Nhill and its natural environment.

“My mum has been taking me out planting trees for years, so this was an easy project to organise,” he says.

Aiden also lists local naturalist Clive Crouch as an inspiration.

“I never used to think much about trees and the environment, but after spending time with Clive I’ve started seeing the value in planting native plants on our farms and in our towns.”

In late august, fifteen nhill College students donned bright yellow vests and dirtied their

hands planting trees at the Nhill trailer exchange.

Ross McDonald and Phill Falcke were on hand to ensure the students knew how to use their planting tools and to make sure the day didn’t end in a mud fight!

In no time flat they had planted and watered 250 trees as part of a project dreamed up by 18-year-old Aiden Drendel for his Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning.

The newly-planted trees should benefit from good sub-soil moisture currently at the site, and be well established before the onset of summer.

Hindmarsh Landcare Network would like to thank Aiden, his classmates, and the supervising teachers for their hard work, as well as Nhill Secondary College for letting the students take part in this worthy project.

NHILL COLLEGE PITCHES IN


working with farm chemicals is not something to take lightly, especially when they’re the

sort used to control pest animals and weeds.

So when we helped organise AgVet and 1080 chemical handling courses in July and August at Lorquon, Jeparit and Winiam Hall it was great to see so many familiar faces.

Sixty people have now been taught the value of safe chemical handling and application through the three-day courses, a boost to local skills that should lead to greater involvement in regional Landcare pest plant and animal management programs.

The courses gave people a greater understanding of state and federal laws governing chemical use and labelling, management of hazardous spray drift, integrated pest management, the risks involved in handling dangerous chemicals, and the handling of 1080 baits to control pest animals.

Those who completed the course now have an Agricultural Chemical User’s Permit (ACUP) with 1080 endorsement from the Department of Primary Industries. A fourth, half day 1080-only course (for those already possessing their ACUP) was held in late August to further boost chemical handling skills in the region.

Everyone was greatly impressed by the trainer, Lance Mason, who demonstrated an outstanding ability to make the course material relevant to the lives of Wimmera farmers.

Using practical training and engaging, real-world examples, Lance generated plenty of discussion about chemical and on-farm safety.

With this boost to the number of locals now carrying ACUP and 1080 permits we hope Landcare groups will see greater community support for their pest plant and animal management programs, which are so important for controlling invasive species such as rabbits and weeds in our region.

Funding for the AgVet courses was made possible by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority. The training was provided by Wimmera Hub.

WARNING! DANGEROUS CHEMICALS. HANDLE WITH CARE – GET THE DRIFT?by Phillip Falcke

Sticking 16 farmers in a bus for a couple of hours with members of the Hindmarsh

Landcare Network is a great way of making sure that by the end of the trip everybody’s business is, well, everybody’s business!

And that’s exactly what we did in September when we boarded a bus for the annual Birchip Cropping Group Main Field Day.

Sponsored by the Birchip Cropping Group the bus trip turned out to be a great way of learning about the latest methods and technology being used in farming, and for all of us to have a good old natter.

The field day itself had something for everybody, and covered topics ranging from canola and wheat varieties to lamb meat production, the latest no-till methods, tree planting and farm sustainability.

Everyone was impressed by the quality of the research being presented at the field day, and there were a few sighing with relief at just how easy the research was to understand.

We’d like to thank the Birchip Cropping Group for their generous provision of a bus for the day, and we’re now looking forward to planning next year’s trip.

ALL ABOARD FOR BIRCHIP FIELD DAY

CLASS ACT: Course participants perform a spray calibration, using water on a dummy spray rig.


SHOW TIME: Landholder Roy Dickenson shows off his soil trial plot.

What’s on trialThe sites we visited use different techniques and consist of vastly different soil types:

1. yanac: growing perennial pastures, including native grasses, on deep sands where increasing year round soil cover will reduce wind erosion and increase organic matter.

2. broughton: adding compost to broad-acre cropping paddocks with controlled traffic and varied row spacing.

3. telopea Downs: this site has largely shallow sands on top of a clay base. Does compost and manure application increase productivity and organic matter?

4. Kaniva: testing the effectiveness of a cropping system that retains stubble to increase organic matter in soils in deep, self-mulching clays.

Farmers strapped on their boots in September to dig deep into the science behind soil trials

taking place across our region.

The all-day affair was a follow-up to February’s soil pit tour, giving everyone a chance to peer deep into the Wimmera’s different soil structures and profiles.

Both tours are part of the Sustainable Farm Trials project, a partnership between the Hindmarsh Landcare Network, Wimmera Catchment Management Authority and the Department of Primary Industries.

The free northern plains tour gave farmers a chance to assess just how far the trials have come in terms of improving paddock health, and also gave them an opportunity to get expert tips on how to run their own on-farm trials.

And although we don’t expect to see large shifts in soil health at the trial sites immediately the tour revealed that a number of small but important changes are already taking place.

FARMERS LEARN SOILS AIN’T SOILSBy Katy Marriott


BRIGHT SPARk: Our new Landcare facilitator Katy Marriott is all sparkles at Project Hindmarsh’s 15th anniversary.

ALL SMILES: Hindmarsh Landcare Network’s new Landcare officer Phillip Falcke ready to plant some local native species.

Although Katy marriott and Phillip Falcke have been with us since Febuary we’ve kept them

so busy that any idea they had of enjoying a bit of ‘settling in’ time was given up long ago.

We nabbed Katy, our Regional Landcare Facilitator, through the Federal Government’s Regional Landcare Facilitator scheme. Katy also holds the local Landcare facilitator position for Kaniva and Telopea Downs, which is hosted by the Hindmarsh Landcare Network.

The position Phillip holds as our full-time Landcare Officer is supported by the State Government through the Victorian Local Landcare Facilitator Initiative.

Katy has been doing a great job covering the northern Wimmera, and has squeezed as much work into her part-time position as is humanly possible.

She’s been a great support to local Landcare groups and other Landcare facilitators across the northern West Wimmera, Hindmarsh and Yarriambiack Shires, and has kept busy bringing us up to speed on the Carbon Farming Initiative, the highlight being the Carbon Farming Roadshow held earlier in the year.

Katy has also helped local Landcare groups find funding for rabbit control and tree planting, and loved organising a community afternoon tea to celebrate International Day for Rural Women.

Phillip has been no less busy and carries the weighty responsibilities of developing and implementing existing and new projects, keeping local Landcare groups motivated, and helping out with administration duties.

He names his top five jobs this year as planning and writing a series of Landcare brochures, running chemical handling courses, helping the Project

Hindmarsh work group run the planting weekend, hosting the Birchip Cropping Group Main Field Day bus trip, and to cap it all off landing grant money for our new biochar trials.

Phillip also gets a kick out of helping Hindmarsh Landcare Network and Landcare groups find grant money for projects such as pest control and threatened species planting projects.

And despite missing out on a settling in period both are ready to shift back into top gear for the coming financial year.

STRAIGHT DOWN TO BUSINESS


STAGE IS SET: A volunteer installs wildlife monitoring equipment in the Wombat State Forest as part of the Victorian National Parks Association’s Caught on Camera project.

Caught on camerawe’ll use motion sensing cameras at a range of Project Hindmarsh planting sites and areas of high-quality remnant native vegetation to monitor for the presence of mammals.

we hope the project will answer these questions:

• what are the benefits of re-planting for native mammals in the wimmera?

• what mammals are utilising planted sites and which mammal species are present in remnant native vegetation?

• how well are we providing habitat in remnant native vegetation, using small mammals as an indicator?

To celebrate 15 years of Project Hindmarsh and 60 since the formation of the Victorian

National Parks Association our two organisations are developing a new community-based monitoring wildlife project for the west wimmera.

The project will be run through the VNPA’s NatureWatch program, and includes as a partner Trust for Nature. Research organisation the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research will help design the science underpinning the project.

VNPA’s NatureWatch program has been running a ‘Caught on Camera’ fauna monitoring project in the Wombat State Forest and Bunyip State Park for the past year now and it has been such a great success we’re looking forward to running a similar project in the Wimmera.

Everyone involved in the project, VNPA, Trust for Nature and the Hindmarsh Landcare Network, can’t wait to see how this project evolves over the coming year!

by Caitlin griffith, naturewatch Coordinator

VNPA MONITORING PROJECT SET TO GO


On behalf of the Victorian State landcare team, wimmera Catchment management authority,

and the wider wimmera landcare community, I congratulate Hindmarsh Landcare Network volunteers, board members, staff and other supporters on your achievements this financial year.

It’s been terrific to watch the northern Wimmera community welcome new faces into the fold through the Victorian Local Landcare Facilitator Initiative. We’ve been very fortunate in attracting our new facilitators, Katy Marriott and Phillip Falcke, who have opened up plenty of scope for Hindmarsh groups and volunteers wanting to bring new Landcare investment into the area.

Phillip has been employed through the State Government’s Victorian Local Landcare Facilitator’s Initiative, and Katy through the Commonwealth Regional Landcare Facilitator program.

There is much to be done in our community and every group has a role to play, so it is significant that the Victorian Government recently recommitted to supporting Landcare groups and networks through the development of the Victorian Landcare Program Strategic Plan.

This plan rightly recognises Landcare’s ability to produce major social and economic benefits for individuals and the communities in which they live, as well as hard fought environmental gains.

And I’d also like to thank everyone for letting me be part of Project Hindmarsh’s 15th anniversary celebrations, the numbers speak for themselves – more than 4000 planting weekend volunteers have contributed at least 45,000 hours to the project.

Factor in event planning and preparation and the volunteer contribution to Project Hindmarsh is the equivalent of well over $1.5 million.

Your new website positions you well to document and share your achievements with potential sponsors and investors, and to help you recruit willing volunteers in the future.

It will be an excellent tool for supporting and communicating with your local community, and for telling their stories.

Thank you for your efforts and congratulations to all involved in the Landcare movement through the Hindmarsh Landcare Network this financial year.

– Joel Boyd is the Wimmera CMA’s Regional Landcare Coordinator

Joel Boyd Regional Landcare Coordinator

WIMMERA CMA COORDINATOR’S REPORT

Illustration: Rob Youl


WETLAND WONDER: The Nhill trailer exchange now boasts a lush, thriving wetland.

Driving west out of Nhill towards Adelaide our local trailer exchange looms larger than life.

This plot of land has been under our ministrations since 2011, when the Hindmarsh Landcare Network first started revegetation work on the degraded site.

Now, just one year on and with the aid of Winslow Infrastructure as partners, we can report great progress.

The little bit of summer rain we had followed by a relatively wet winter has done wonders for the wetlands we planted at this site, and the area is now alive with aquatic and semi-aquatic plant species.

As it matures the wetland should develop into prime habitat for the Growling Grass Frog, a threatened species in Victoria.

On the down side earlier tree plantings have been less successful, with only half surviving the summer months.

But our spirits were lifted in August when Nhill Secondary College replanted about 200 Black Box and Buloke trees, and we are confident that with good spring rains they will come good.

In May the Nhill Vintage Club joined the act, planting

THRIVING WETLANDSrye grass that came up nicely after the winter rains.

Greening Australia played a key part by seeding native grasses, and will carry out weed maintenance until July next year.

As well as the four hectares of native grass sown last year another two hectares were seeded on the western side of the exchange. Some of these areas have germinated well, but others, including ‘the mound’, have stumbled a bit through poor seed germination and weed control.

We’ll continue to work with Greening Australia and Winslow Infrastructure to come up with a solution, and look forward to seeing these areas become fully revegetated over the next five years.

After just one year it’s really satisfying to be able to say that our first venture into a commercial enterprise has been a success. The work proved much tougher than expected, and so a really big thank you must go out to everyone who helped get this project off the ground.

Your hard work has produced a wetland that absorbs pollution, a treatment pond that catches water runoff, and landscaped native vegetation and grasses.


The members of the Board of Management have determined that the Association is not

a reporting entity and that this special purpose financial report should be prepared in accordance with the audit report of the financial statements.

In the opinion of the members of the Board the financial report:

1. Presents a true and fair view of the financial position of Hindmarsh Landcare Network Inc. as at 30 June 2012 and its performance for the year ended on that date.

2. At the date of this statement there are reasonable grounds to believe that Hindmarsh Landcare

Network Inc.will be able to pay its debts as and when they fall due.

This statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the Board and is signed for and on behalf of the Board by:

Darryl ArgallChairperson

Brett WheatonTreasurer

Dated this 14th day of Sep 2012

AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

HLN INCOME TYPES 2011/2012

20%

70%

4%3%3%

Administration contributions

Grants & projects

Sundry income

Donations & sponsorship

Interest


INCOME STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2012 2012 2011

REVENUE $ $

Administration Contributions 13,322 9,250

Donations & Sponsorship 72,121 68,000

Grants & Projects 252,878 147,794

GVESHO Grant* 4,000 0

Interest 11,223 10,079

Membership Fees 20 560

Total Income 363,902 243,962

EXPENDITURE

Employment Related 50,460 25,000

Insurances 1,102 280

Office & Administration 63,480 18,117

Projects, Activities & Education 157,671 155,933

Total Expenses 272,712 199,330

OPERATING SURPLUS (DEFICIT) 91,191 44,632

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30 JUNE 2012 2012 2011

ASSETS $ $

Cash 57,240 73,925

Investments 261,131 180,000

Receivables 63,686 0

Fixed Assets at Written Down Value 0 0

TOTAL ASSETS 382,057 253,925

LIABILITIES

Creditors 43,457 401

GST Liabilities 568 1,217

Payroll Liabilities 6,430 0

Provisions (NOTE 1) 97,945 0

TOTAL LIABILITIES 148,400 1,618

NET ASSETS 233,657 252,307

ASSOCIATION FUNDS

Accumulated Funds Start of Year 252,306 207,675

Grants, Sponsorships & Donations received in advance -109,840 0

Surplus (Deficit) for Year 91,191 44,631

TOTAL ASSOCIATION FUNDS 233,657 252,306

NOTE 1: PROVISIONS AS AT 30 JUNE 2012 2012 2011

$ $

Grants, Sponsorships & Donations received in advance 75,128 0

Staff Leave 1,677 0

Specific Purpose Moneys 21,140 0

TOTAL PROVISIONS 97,945 0

* Australian Government’s Grants to Voluntary Environment, Sustainability and Heritage Organisations program.

growing the future together

Hindmarsh Landcare Network

hindmarsh landcare network annual report 2011-2012

Documents

project hindmarsh section

magnificent project

flagship project

new website

ace radio network

new office

new habitat

planting darryl