Check out whats been happening.....

NEW SKILLSET GREEN ARMY TEAM COMMENCED (14/6/2017)
FIRST FORBES BUSHRANGERS PLANTING - GUM SWAMP (17/6/2017)
CENTRAL WEST LACHLAN LANDCARE COMMITTEE MEETING - FORBES (21/6/2017)
SOIL PITS AND KITS FIELD DAY - COOKAMIDGERA (23/6/2017)

.........and whats coming up in July
NEXT CWLL MEETING - PARKES (19/7/2017)
ECO DAY FOR STAGE 3 REPS - PARKES & FORBES SHIRE SCHOOLS (28/7/2017)
FORBES NATIONAL TREE DAY (29/7/2017)
PARKES NATIONAL TREE DAY (30/7/2017)

Other info you might be interested in....
SOIL C QUEST WIN
LACHLAN VALLEY BRANCH OF NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION WALKS
PARKES SOLAR FARM PANEL INSTALLATION CEREMONY
SOIL C QUEST PROJECT AND CROWD FUNDING LAUNCH AT NSW CONFERENCE
REGIONAL STRATEGIC WEED MANAGEMENT PLANS LAUNCHED
PARKES ASTRO FEST (15 & 16/7/2017)
MUDGEE SMALL FARM FIELD DAY

THIRD AND FINAL SKILLSET GREEN ARMY TEAM COMMENCED
Our third and final Skillset Green Army Team commenced on 14 June and after finalising their induction training, first aid and CENTROC WHS training they were straight into planting , which has been a challenge with no recent significant rain. They have already planted over 1,000 trees and shrubs and will be continuing this work, weed management and new projects in the month ahead.

We are also excited about a new local partnership which will increase the skills and capacity of our participants. We are looking forward to sharing this with you once we are ready to commence. Find out more about our Team in the local papers this week.

FIRST FORBES BUSHRANGERS PLANTING AT GUM SWAMP

We were fortunate to have a good turnout for our first Forbes Landcare Bushrangers planting event on Saturday morning (17/6/2017) at Gum Swamp. It was great to have a range of ages, with 17 people giving up their time to contribute to the Painted Snipe Project and working to improve the habitat at Gum Swamp.

The Painted Snipe Project is possible with funding through the National Landcare Programme, provided by the Central West Local Land Services in partnership with Forbes Shire Council and the Central West Councils Environment and Waterways Alliance. With partnership and volunteers we can achieve so much more and we value their contribution to this project and much work that has been completed in the past.

Work at the site doesn't just finish with the plantings as follow up weed control will be required over many years. We will be holding another planting event when the level of the water is reduced.

CENTRAL WEST LACHLAN LANDCARE MEETING IN FORBES (21/6/2017)

At our last meeting in Forbes, we were fortunate to have Chris Sweeney in attendance. Chris has a mixed farm at Forbes, with winter cropping, lamb and wood production. He was also previously a Director with the former Rural Lands Protection Board and Chairman of the Livestock Health and Pest Authority. Chris has been elected as a Board member for the Central West Local Land Services Board. He is one of 34 elected board members for 11 boards over NSW. These people will join 44 people who have already been appointed over the NSW. The two remaining positions in the Central West Region were filled by Jenny Bradley from Armatree and Donald Scheib from Coonamble.

The CWLLS Board are fortunate to have Chris as a Board member with his wealth of knowledge on rural issues. We wish Chris well as he undertakes this new role and appreciate his contribution from our neck of the woods.

POSITIVE RESULTS FOR SOIL PITS & KITS WORKSHOP - COOKAMIDGERA

I was fortunate to be part of the Soil Pits and Kits Workshop at Cookamidgera on Friday (23/6/2017). All participants came away from the workshop with a wealth of knowledge. Nothing beats getting hands on with soil. You can read until the cows come home, but unless you are handling the soil and talking about it, you just don’t benefit fully from the information until you get your hands dirty.

We were fortunate to have a wealth of knowledge in Ian Packer, with support from Stephen Pereira from Central West Local Land Services, who work like a well-oiled machine.

As well as learning how to interpret the numbers fed back from soil samples, attendees came away with a fantastic resource folder with just clear information on soil acidity, salinity, determining soil texture, pH, slaking and dispersion.

Do you know how to read your soil test results or are you relying on someone to interpret them for you?

We are pursuing further soil workshops in the future to help increase the knowledge of our communities and empower individuals to make informed decisions on their patch. The benefit of going to a workshop as opposed to just reading over the internet is that you also benefit from the insight of other participants as well.

NEXT CWLL MEETING

19 July - Central West Lachlan Lancare Office, Parkes
Our next meeting will have a focus on policies and planning. These are important parts of governance.

FUTURE MEETINGS:
16 August - Forbes Services Club Board Room
20 September - Annual General Meeting - Central West Lachlan Lancare Office, Parkes
18 October - Forbes Services Club Board Room

If you would like to attend a meeting, please contact the CWLL Office to RSVP on 02 6862 4914 or email cwllpo@hotmail.com

Have you heard of Soil C Quest? Founder of Soil C Quest, Guy Webb won the Fast Idea Pitch at the Sydney International Convention Centre last month. Check it out. Guy is presenting at the Landcare and LLS Conference at the end of October and Soil C Quest will be launching their Crowdfunding campaign.

Find Out More About Soil C Quest

NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION LACHLAN VALLEY BRANCH
Quarterly Walks:
Saturday, 8 July - East Cookies Plains State Forest
Wednesday, 26 July - Wombin State Forest
Wednesday, 9 August - Killonbutta Nature Reserve
Sunday, 27 August - Conimbla National Park

PARKES SOLAR FARM

Our Co-ordinator, Marg Applebee was fortunate to be part of the Panel Installation Ceremony at the Parkes Solar Farm on Thursday, 29 June, with a large French contingent in attendance. This project has certainly been a significant undertaking. When the Farm is fully functioning, it will have the capacity to provide power covering more than Parkes and Forbes Shires. At the moment the project is employing approximately 100 people.
Pictured is Parkes Mayor Ken Keith with representatives from Neoen and Bouygues.

MUDGEE SMALL FARM FIELD DAY
The Mudgee Small Farm Field Day is being held on 14 and 15 July. Check out their website to find out more information.