Environmental health through community

Local landcare group, Watershed Landcare, remains focused on promoting and facilitating environmental sustainability and natural resource management in our region. Our mission: to engage, empower and support our community to achieve a resilient and sustainable environment within the Watershed Landcare district.

And that’s no mean feat in a region of diverse land use and community interests with a footprint of 900,000 ha!

Sustainable agriculture and care for our natural environment are key priority areas. We work with our members and the community to improve knowledge and awareness, and to increase the uptake of sustainable land management practices.

We strive to promote practices that protect and enhance biodiversity, including threatened species and endangered ecological communities, while bringing innovation and sustainability into agricultural production; that means getting people to do business in a sustainable and viable fashion and fostering value in their natural assets.
To encourage the uptake of innovative practices we provide training in the latest agricultural and land management practices and techniques, focusing on a diverse range of topics such as grazing management, building soil carbon and health, plant identification and management of invasive species.

In the last year we have supported our members to conduct projects to protect and enhance native vegetation on their land by establishing paddock trees and corridors; providing not only habitat linkages but also contributing multiple benefits to productive systems. Our Sustainable Soil Management workshops provided participants with subsidised soil tests, resources, guidance and training to enable them to make their own decisions on soil management and building fertility.

Late last year we ran a series of events to refresh and reinvigorate our community in the midst of drought. We hosted workshops on the use social media for small business as well as a Rural Refresh evening with an inspirational panel of speakers.

Our special interest groups remain a high priority and we have supported the Grazing Group, Mudgee Microscope Group, Women in Ag Group, Mudgee Bee Group and the Friends of Putta Bucca to explore topics of interest and provide a peer support network and an active forum for discussion for their members.

Current COVID-19 restrictions have meant that a number of our activities have been put on hold, or even cancelled. But our Committee remains active and our Coordinators are still working from home to support and engage our community.

Want to find out more about what we do or how to get involved or just need a chat? Contact one of our Coordinators, Claudia Wythes on 0412 011 064 or Agness Knapik on 0435 055 493 or email: info@watershedlandcare.com.au.

Do you have a great idea for a project, speaker or topic we should explore? Let us know, we’re always on the look out for fresh ideas.