Nov - Dec NTV Landcare news - its totally awesome and full of good info right to the end!!!

Well here we are looking at the end of the year (thank goodness). Another on-hold year, lets kiss it off and hope for better to come.

First the good news on the grant front.

We were successful with our Victorian Landcare Grant application - Regenerating the Farm; connecting soil, trees, water and people.

Our Landcare project will revegetate a hectare of Damp Forest in the Ruby hills with fencing and planting indigenous endemic vegetation chosen to protect the draining lines, reduce erosion and provide habitat.

We will hold a field day in association with this project to introduce the project to the Landcare group and discuss waterway protection, fence placement, remnant protection, size of plantation and ecosystem services provided by a well planned and executed tree break. This will be in early March 2022

Later in the year (date to be negotiated with all stakeholders) group members will attend a one day workshop discussing Regenerative Agriculture and Carbon farming. We will be learning about the basics of regenerative agriculture. This should inform future Landcare works and give our landholders the tools necessary to take further action on their properties to increase outputs whilst maintaining environmental values. Using a whole of farm and integrated landscape approach, our landholders will be able to plan improvements that will sustain the ongoing productivity of their properties, and habitat for indigenous species. Facilitated by Deane Belfield of Regenerative Australian Farmers, this workshop will be an opportunity for Landcare group members to increase their understanding of regenerative agriculture and carbon farming.

Now the bad news on the grant front.

Our application for Gippsland Transport Environmental Projects – Pilot Program (GTEP Pilot) 2021 funding to restore the Apple tree wetlands area of the Blackspur Creek Wetland project was well received and all feedback suggested we were successful. (they couldn’t actually say so but they confirmed that all eligible projects were successful and we definitely fulfilled the grant criteria). This was back in May.

Then the project stalled on a managers desk. He doesn’t seem to want to do it. Vicroads had the chance to redeem their environmental cred and get a whole lot of work done cheaply by volunteers and they blew it.

I think now our - well definitely my - opinion of Regional roads Victoria processes has suffered real harm. We, and a lot of stakeholders went to a great deal of trouble to put together an awesome project at very short notice. It was a bit naughty and also quite fraudulent to suggest there was a grant round when clearly there was not. Even if they awarded grants tomorrow, there is no way we can now do it all in the time frame left for the work. And we are also a season behind on the weed control. Weeds have taken off with the great growing weather during this wet spring. (insert sounds of grinding teeth and gentle sighing.) On the positive front we now have a spade ready project to take to other funders.

Go to https://www.frogid.net.au/ for more info or click on the picture

Deer control information session

This is Squeak. She is a sambar deer. She has cute ears and is also my pet. However many deer are running feral in the area and this is definitely a problem.

The South Gippsland Landcare Network have developed a successful partnership with a range of public and private landholders to deliver an integrated fox and rabbit control program (titled Enhancing Biodiversity at the Bunurong Coastal Landscape). One of the flow on discussion out of the project with neighbours has been deer, so they are hosting a discussion with experts delivering a number of case studies. This will be online and held on Friday, 26 November 2021 12:00 PM-2:00 PM Click here to join the meeting

The agenda will be as follows.

Welcome, acknowledgements and overview – Gerard Delaney, Area Chief Ranger South Gippsland & Bass, PV (10 minutes)

Case Study 1 – Overview of the Victorian Deer Control Strategy – Steffan Kaiser, Senior Project Officer – Deer Control Program, DELWP (20 minutes)

Case Study 2 - Effectiveness of Deer Control to Protect Endangered Alpine Peatlands Dan Brown, Manager Regional Planning, PV (20 minutes)

Case Study 3 – Community Partnership deer control in the Yarra Ranges – Danny Hudson, Project Coordinator Invasive Species, PV (20 minutes)

Panel Discussion – Q & A Presenters + Tavi Manescu, Game Manager Eastern Victoria, GMA (20 minutes)

Opportunities Discussion – Cape Liptrap Landscape All (either open discussion or “Teams” comments depending on numbers). (20 minutes)

Closing & Next Steps Gerard Delaney, Area Chief Ranger South Gippsland & Bass, PV (10 minutes)

Should your require further advice on this info session please contact Gerard Delaney Parks Victoria, Area Chief Ranger, South Gippsland & Bass, T (03) 8427 2608 | M 0417 038 346 |E gerard.delaney@parks.vic.gov.au

Please note that although this session will focus on the Cape Liptrap area, others are welcome to ‘attend’.

Tuesday and Thursday this week!

Bird monitoring this Wednesday

When; Wed, November 17, 4pm – 6pm

Where; Meet at the Bird monitoring sign on the Rail Trail next to the Black Spur Creek bridge (map)

Bird monitoring page

Click for more pollinator details

Lastly and bestly* its the Group Xmas party/bird monitoring dinner thing

We are going to meet on December 15th which is our normal bird monitoring day in Stony Creek at 5.00pm. ( it won’t matter if we miss the BSC wetland for one month, and we may do it earlier or another day - we shall see)

Park near the tennis court in Main Street, Stony Creek, and then we will walk back towards Meeniyan until we get to the bird hide. We will do some bird watching/counting and then at 6.30pm regroup at the Meeniyan Hotel for a 6.30 Christmas dinner.

We will enjoy a pub meal (first drink on us), Christmas crackers and embarrassing hats.

For those slightly creakier folk, there is an opportunity to drive to the entrance of the Hide and park along Stony Creek road and walk a short distance in. The full walk is about 1 km and the short walk about 20 metres. All ways are sort of flat.

Or you can just come for the birds or the meal. It would be good to catch up so we hope you can make it.

Please RSVP ASAP for booking/organisational purposes. Use the email button below.

The pub is for the fully vaxed, and because some of our group is immune compromised, the walk needs to be too. We will have check in and our Covid plan in place.

*not a real word.

As always,

Happy Landcaring,

Sue, Jill, Coral and Kate