Grants for bushfire affected landholders and small business

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A couple of funding packages providing additional support for businesses indirectly affected by bushfires and landholders who experienced damage to boundary fencing were announced this week.

Businesses in our region indirectly affected by bushfires are now eligible for the $10,000 Small Business Bushfire Support Grant which has now been extended to cover the Mid-Western LGA.

The expansion of the Small Business Bushfire Support Grant to cover businesses that have suffered hardship as a result of the recent bushfires in an additional 13 LGAs was announced by Federal Minister for Emergency Management, David Littleproud, and NSW Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery, John Barilaro, this week.

To be eligible, businesses must have experienced a 40 percent drop in revenue over a three-month period, compared to last year, because of the bushfires. Businesses that have received financial assistance via other grants may still be eligible for the $10,000 grants.
For small business assistance please contact Service NSW via www.service.nsw.gov.au or 13 77 88.

As part of the COVID-19 economic stimulus package the NSW Government has committed $209 million to help bushfire affected landholders rebuild boundary fencing adjoining public land.

Private landholders who were affected by bushfire activity from August 2019 to February 2020 and share a boundary with National Parks, Forestry Corporation land, travelling stock reserves, Crown reserves, tenured roads and leases, or roads managed by Roads and Maritime Services or Local Government are eligible to apply.

The ‘Supporting our neighbours – public land boundary fencing program’ will enable eligible landholders to receive up to $5,000 per kilometre as a one-off grant payment. The funding can be utilised to purchase fencing materials or contribute to procurement of both materials and labour from a licensed fencing contractor.
Landholders are encouraged to install wildlife friendly fences with plain top wires. Use of fire-resistant materials, such as ironbark, tallowwood or concrete posts, is also recommended.

Landholders who have already completed work to replace damaged fencing can apply retrospectively.

Total funding of $209 million is available, of this $90 million is to be allocated by the end of this financial year. Final funds are to be allocated by 30 June 2021 and all work completed by 31 December 2021. The program recognises that due to the on-going COVID-19 situation supply chain issues may be experienced, limiting supply of fencing materials. Local project officers will work with landholders on a case by case basis should problems arise.

Expressions of Interest can be lodged online: www.lls.nsw.gov.au/fencing, or by calling 1300 778 080. Further information and the program guidelines are also available on the website. You can also request a call-back from the Fencing team via the Messenger function on the Central Tablelands LLS Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CentralTablelandsLLS).

And a reminder that Local Land Services offices are now open by appointment only and all contact should be done online or via telephone. The best way to contact Local Land Services during this period is by sending an enquiry online via www.lls.nsw.gov.au or by calling 1300 795 299.

How much do you know about what happens in your own backyard?

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Do you know which native bee, butterfly, wasp, fly, moth, beetle, thrip and ant species frequent your garden to pollinate flowers, fruit and vegetables? There are over two thousand of these insects in Australia but relatively little is known about their distribution, populations, interactions or their pollination habits.

Filling the gaps in our understanding of the ecology of these insects, and how this changes over time, has important implications, not only for their conservation, but also for our food supply as many are thought to contribute to pollination of crops and gardens.

A national citizen science project is addressing this knowledge gap. The Wild Pollinator Count, an evidence-based independent project, aims to count Australia’s wild pollinators and learn more about what is happening to them. Everyone is encouraged to get involved, discover which pollinators live in your local environment and contribute to research which will help scientists build a database on wild pollinator activity.

The autumn 2020 Wild Pollinator Count starts this Sunday, 12 April and runs until the following Sunday, 19 April.

The project was started by a couple of researchers and educators with a passion to learn more about our wild pollinators. For Dr Manu Saunders, an ecologist at the University of New England, and Karen Retra, native bee naturalist, beekeeper and permaculture teacher, it is a labour of love. They run the project in their own time and with no funding, simply to learn more about our wild insect pollinators, contribute to their conservation and to give them the attention they deserve.

To get involved visit the Wild Pollinator Count website (https://wildpollinatorcount.com/count-pollinators) where you will find information on how to count pollinators, identify the insects you see, as well as a handy tally sheet to record your observations.

Then all you need to do is find some flowering plants, spend 10 minutes watching for visitors and submit your observations via the website. During the week you can submit as many 10-minute observations as you like.

Observations from the Wild Pollinator Count will build a picture of the ecology of wild pollinators, what plants they visit, where they are found and how they are affected by human activities. Participation from the public means that many observations, from an extensive area can be collected, something that would be impossible otherwise.

Once a large enough, long-term data set is available it will enable the researchers to analyse it for trends and contribute to our understanding of native pollinator ecological dynamics.

Its a great opportunity to learn more about the insects that frequent your patch and contribute to science. So find some flowers and start counting!

Do you have a creek or river on your land?

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Do you have a creek or river on your land? Did you know that you may require approval before carrying out certain activities within a riparian corridor?

In NSW works or activities carried out on waterways or adjoining riparian land are governed under the Water Management Act 2000 and associated Regulations.

Waterways: Rural landholders should contact WaterNSW regarding approval requirements.

This covers the bed and banks of a waterway and, depending on stream type, up to 40 meters of land adjoining the highest bank of the waterway.

Some works are permissible activities and can be carried out without approval.

Landholders can construct fencing to exclude livestock from riparian zones, conduct weed control activities and take water for domestic and stock use (this does not include dams and bores, which may require separate approval for construction).

However, any work that impacts on vegetation, soil or water is defined as a controlled activity under the Act and requires approval prior to commencing construction or implementation.

This includes crossings such as bridges and causeways, removal of vegetation, removal of soil or gravel from the bed or banks or any works that alter the flow or water quality.

Activities designed to improve or enhance the hydrological or ecological function of waterways, such as erosion control or the mechanical removal of weeds, may also require approval.

Rural landholders should contact WaterNSW regarding approval requirements.

Conducting controlled activities without appropriate approvals can result in penalties and landholders may be required to undertake costly rehabilitation works.

If you want to do some work on a creek or waterway on your land but are unsure of the requirements, more information and a number of fact sheets are available on the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment website: https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/water/licensing-trade/approvals/controlled-activities.

You can also seek advice on any work you wish to undertake from WaterNSW or your nearest Local Lands Services office.

Organisms at the edge of life

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Viruses are by far the most abundant biological entities on Earth and they outnumber all the others put together. But are they a form of life or an organic structure?

Viruses contain genetic material, reproduce and evolve. However, they do not posses a true cellular structure, which is often regarded as the basic unit of life, or have their own metabolism. For this reason they are referred to as “organisms at the edge of life” and opinion is still divided on whether they are a life form, or organic structures that interact with living organisms.

Viruses are tiny, about 100 times smaller than bacterial cells. Although their pathogenic qualities were known they eluded discovery as the causative agent until relatively recently in our scientific history. Most viruses cannot be seen with an optical microscope and their structure was not described until the invention of electron microscopy in 1931.

Outside a host organism viruses exist as particles called virions. They consist of genetic material, DNA or RNA, surrounded by a protective protein coat. Some viruses also have a lipid envelope.

A virus relies on a host to replicate, they require the metabolism of the host cell to assemble copies of themselves. They infect all types of cellular life including animals, plants, bacteria and fungi. Some can only infect a limited range of hosts and can be species specific while others have a broad range. For example, smallpox can only infect humans while the rabies virus can infect a variety of mammals.

Transmission of viruses can be vertical, from mother to offspring, or horizontal, from host to host. Horizontal transmission can occur via a number of pathways; transmission of body fluids such as blood or saliva, spread by coughing and sneezing, entering the body in food or water by the faecal–oral route and a range of vectors such as mosquitoes, or aphids that transfer sap from plant to plant.

Most viruses elicit an immune response in host organisms, eliminating the virus and providing immunity to future infections. Some viruses elude this immune response by constantly changing the structure of their surface proteins. Viruses are difficult to treat because they use the hosts’ metabolic pathways to reproduce, drugs that interfere with viral replication can also cause toxic effects to the host. Vaccination has proven to be the most effective medical intervention, providing immunity to infection.

However, most viruses are fragile when outside a host organism. The simple act of washing your hands with soap is one of the most effective ways of preventing infection and spread. By surrounding the viruses on your skin with soap, a surfactant, the lipid envelopes enclosing the virus are ruptured, spilling essential proteins and rendering the virus useless.

Building capacity in rural women

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In rural communities, many women have limited training opportunities. But Mudgee’s Women in Ag group aims to ameliorate that by allowing participating Watershed Landcare members to explore topics of interest and build capacity through mentoring, peer support, sharing of knowledge and skills and expert speakers.

In recognition of the shortage of professional development available to women working in agriculture or ag related industries, Watershed Landcare received funding from the Central West LLS to run a personal development program for rural women in 2015.

The program delivered targeted training, mentoring and built support networks to strengthen resilience, provide leadership opportunities and access to training and support services that enhanced confidence and skills through delivery of training workshops, webinars, and a regional forum.

“The feedback from the program was overwhelmingly positive. The women involved learned a lot and had so much fun we decided to keep it going.” said Agness Knapik, Watershed Landcare Coordinator.

“The aim of the Women in Agriculture group is to champion rural women by providing support, mentoring and professional development through vibrant and interactive conversation, and exposure to new ideas, approaches and innovation.” she continued.

The group is now in it’s fifth year and in that time has covered diverse topics such as social media, leadership and team dynamics, handling stress and building resilience, personal goal setting, conflict resolution, accounting, book keeping and financial training, fermentation, gardening and has conducted a number of field trips to visit local farms and businesses.

The women involved have diverse backgrounds, from grazing and horticulture to running their own food manufacturing plants and natural resource management.

The Women in Ag group meets once a month for a cuppa and a chat and to explore a topic of interest and provides an opportunity to ask questions and share experiences and skills. Specialist speakers are also engaged to run workshops on different topics.

The Women in Ag group meets on the last Thursday of the month from 9:30-11:30am. Last month the group visited a local garden to learn about the design principles utilised when the garden was established and the strategies utilised to survive the recent drought.

Want to get involved? Contact Watershed Landcare Co-ordinator, Agness Knapik, on 0435 055 493 or email: info@watershedlandcare.com.au.

The Women in Ag group is supported by Watershed Landcare and is a part of the NSW Landcare Program, supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW.

Knowledge and Skill: Last month the Women in Ag group visited a local garden to learn about design principles and drought strategies.

So why is soil pH important?

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If you have ever had a soil test done you will have noticed one of the first parameters to be listed in the results is pH. But what is soil pH and why is it important?

Soil pH represents the degree of acidity or alkalinity and is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in the soil solution. Soil pH ranges between about 3 (very acidic) to 10 (very alkaline). In our region soils typically have a pH range of 4.5-7, but can be as high as 8 or 9 in areas with limestone outcrops.

The pH of a substrate, like soil, affects the behaviour of the chemicals contained within it; influencing the form of these substances and the reactions and chemical processes they undergo. The acidity of soil impacts on the availability of elements and compounds, both beneficial and detrimental, to plants.

Compounds from the soil enter plants via their root system and must be present in a soluble form in order to be taken up with water. Different plant species are adapted to soils of different pH ranges and some have adapted to cope with extremes, but in general the optimum is between pH 5.5 and 8. In this range essential nutrients needed for plant growth are available in abundance in their soluble form and harmful substances are not present at toxic levels.

Deficiencies in essential nutrients are a limiting factor for plant metabolism and result in slow growth rates and poor yields. For example, zinc, which is required in a large number of plant enzymes and plays a crucial role in DNA transcription, and copper, which is necessary for photosynthesis, are present in their soluble forms at soil pH 4.5-8. Soil pH between 5.5 and 8 provides the most favourable conditions for maintaining essential macro and micro-nutrients in their plant-available forms.

Conversely, aluminium is insoluble in this range. This is good news because aluminium, which is present in all soils, is extremely toxic to plants in its soluble form. Aluminium severely limits root growth by inhibiting a number of physiological pathways, and plants experiencing toxicity can exhibit moisture stress even when the soil is relatively moist.

Whether it’s in your garden, crop or pasture, if you are examining the factors that are constraining plant growth, checking the pH of your soil might be a good place to start.

Growing interest in restoring the natural cycling of water

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Australia is the driest continent on earth and the management of our water assets is often the limiting factor to the productivity and viability of our farmland.

Capertee Valley Landcare are celebrating a year of water in the valley with a series of activities and events focusing on re-hydrating the landscape. They will be hosting a 4-day workshop on Restoring Natural Landscape Function in Glen Alice in March.

Growing interest in restoring the natural cycling of water and improving resilience have led a number of landholders in the valley to explore the technique of Natural Sequence Farming. The hands-on training course will be delivered by Stuart Andrews, Tarwyn Park Training, and will focus on on redesigning your farm through Natural Sequence Farming techniques and principles to maximise productivity, enhance landscape function and minimise farm costs.

Natural Sequence Farming is an agricultural practice developed by Peter Andrews which aims to re-establish the natural function, fertility and resilience of agricultural landscapes. One of its primary aims, and main benefits, is a landscape that harvests more water, holds more water, and uses available water more effectively, resulting in increased primary production.

Stuart Andrews will present the 4 day hands-on workshop on restoring landscape function.

Rather than allowing water to flow straight downhill, Natural Sequence Farming utilises plants and gravity to slow down the flow of water, move the water through the landscape and give soils, the largest water sinks on our farms, time to recharge.

Although simple in principle, the technique relies on knowledge and skills to read the unique Australian landscape. Each of the four days during the course will focus on a key step in restoring natural functions; day 1 – slow the flow, day 2 – let all plants grow, day 3 – careful where the animals go, day 4 – to filter the flow is a must know.

Participants will learn how to read the landscape; rehydrate the landscape; fully utilise your farm’s natural resources; locate, design and build natural landscape structures; redesign your property; begin improving landscape function; and lower farm costs and boost profits.

The 4 day course will run from Monday, 23 March to Thursday, 26 March at a cost of $2,450 (inc. GST) per person.

For more information or to book visit: www.tarwynparktraining.com.au. For enquiries email: info@tarwynparktraining.com.au.

Local landholder to trial multi-species crop to improve livestock performance through winter

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In our climate, the cold temperatures experienced over the winter months are the principal factor affecting pasture growth and can result in a winter feed gap. What if you could supplement livestock nutrition by providing additional fodder while improving soil structure and nutrient cycling and build soil carbon at the same time?

In collaboration with farmer, Colin Seis, Watershed Landcare have launched a project to demonstrate and research the benefits of multispecies forage crops for increased animal performance and soil health. As part of their community focused Australian Good Meat initiative, Meat & Lifestock Australia (MLA) in partnership with Landcare Australia have funded the trial site through the MLA Landcare Excellence in Sustainable Farming Grants.

The project will build on growing evidence from the USA and Australia which has shown that multispecies crops and pasture diversity will increase soil carbon, nutrient cycling, and improve soil biology and farm ecosystems.

The project will be carried out at ‘Winona’, 20 km north of Gulgong NSW. ‘Winona’ consists of 840 ha of restored native pasture which runs 4000 merino sheep for wool, merino lamb, and mutton production.

Colin Seis will establish a trail site to demonstrate the benefits of multispecies forage crops for increased animal performance and soil health.

The project will zero till a multispecies mix forage crop into a dormant native grassland. A mix of up to 10 species in a multispecies crop with its diverse mix of plant roots and flowering plants aims to build soil carbon and biology which cycles nutrients. An adjacent area (paddock division) will be sown to a single species fodder crop as a comparison. The project and control paddocks will be used to fatten and finish merino lambs, with weight increases in the sheep periodically monitored over the course of the trial. Changes in soil carbon, soil structure and chemistry and grassland species will be monitored pre-sowing and post-grazing.

Multispecies pasture cropping has multiple benefits for livestock producers. It provides a viable farm adaptation to reduced and changing rainfall events; by sowing an opportunity crop to provide high quality livestock feed while reducing financial risk.

Besides increasing livestock performance, and so farm profitability and sustainability, multispecies pasture crops have long-term benefits for soil nutrient cycling, biology, pasture productivity and increase soil carbon sequestration which can offset livestock emissions.

Additionally, pasture management over the entire property can be improved during the winter feed gap. By establishing a multi-species autumn crop and providing additional fodder through winter, pasture rest times can be maintained and overgrazing prevented on adjacent paddocks; improving future growth rates of pastures, reducing bare ground, and reducing weed invasion whilst maintaining stock health.

The project will gather data of lamb performance (weight gain), crop biomass, pasture species composition, and soil chemistry and structure, providing objective data evidence of this practice.

The trial will continue until 2024 by sowing a diverse multi-species forage crop on the same area and monitoring the changes in soil carbon and nutrient cycling over a longer time frame.

Landholder incentives to enhance Box Gum Grassy Woodlands

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Box Gum Grassy Woodlands were once widespread along the western slopes and tablelands of the Great Dividing Range. Today less than 4% of this ecological community remains.

This endangered ecological community is closely associated with fertile clay loam soils of moderate depth on flat to undulating terrain. Within the Watershed Landcare region they occur mainly in areas with a 550 mm to 800 mm annual rainfall and an elevation below about 700 m above sea level.

Box Gum Grassy Woodlands are dominated by the eucalypts White Box, Yellow Box and/or Blakely’s Red Gum and are characterised by their understory; a sparse shrub layer and a diverse mix of native grasses and herbs.

Trees provide many valuable ecosystem services to productive systems, such as improved soil structure and fertility, shade and shelter for livestock and reduced soil moisture loss. They also serve as wildlife corridors, providing stepping stones for animals between foraging and nesting sites and water sources. This will become increasingly important as the habitat ranges of our native fauna shift as the climate continues to change.

Watershed Landcare have incentive funding available for landholders to conduct on-ground works to increase the extent or quality of Box Gum Grassy Woodland on the land they manage. As part of the Patches and Paths project, $7000 in funding is available each year until 2022.

Project funding can be utilised to contribute to materials and/or labour. Eligible activities include:

  • fencing around mature, isolated paddock trees and remnant native vegetation clusters
  • fencing to enable changed grazing management intended to allow natural regeneration of woodland vegetation species
  • in-fill planting, especially to increase diversity of understory species
  • revegetation activities to improve landscape connectivity
  • any other activities that protect or enhance White Box, Yellow Box, Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Box Woodland and Derived Grassland, especially novel and innovative approaches

Applications for staged projects will be supported. For example you can apply for a 3 year project to conduct fencing in year 1, site preparation in year 2 and in-fill planting in year 3.

Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the Patches and Paths project are now open to landholders in the Watershed Landcare region. More information about the project is available on our website: http://watershedlandcare.com.au/projects/patches-paths/

Not sure if you have White Box, Yellow Box and/or Blakely’s Red Gum on your place? Give us a call, Watershed Landcare’s resident botanist is happy to help.

If you don’t have Box Gum Grassy Woodland tree species on your place but there are remnants on the roadside corridor or a neighbouring property you may still be eligible to conduct revegetation activities to improve landscape connectivity.

If you would like to discuss your individual situation or project idea contact our coordinator, Agness Knapik: info@watershedlandcare.com.au or 0435 055 493.

Help contribute to bushfire recovery science

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The 2019-20 summer saw unprecedented bushfire activity in eastern Australia, making headline news around the globe. With the bushfire season not over, and fires still active in many areas, the full extent of the damage and cost to people, property, livestock and the natural environment may not be known for many months.

The sheer extent of the fires and the impacts on our community have left many of us feeling helpless. A recently launched citizen science project is providing an opportunity for people to make a positive contribution to post-bushfire efforts.

A group of researchers from the Centre of Ecosystem Science at the University of NSW are trying to understand how the environment recovers from this unprecedented fire season through the Environment Recovery Project: Australian Bushfires initiative. And they need your help to collect species recovery data to advance this important scientific goal.


Image credit: Casey Kirchhoff

“We will use people’s observations for future research into understanding how some areas recover better than others, and in different places, as well as understanding which animals and plants come back first,” Professor Richard Kingsford, Director of the UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science, said.

“The key aims of this initiative are to understand which plant species are resprouting and growing seedlings, to calculate when and how animals return to burnt areas, and to highlight which species are struggling to recover and might need our help.

“Understanding recovery from this unprecedented fire season is scientifically critical and the opportunity to harness the community’s resources through the Environment Recovery Project is a practical way of doing this.”

Many temperature records were broken this summer and Australia’s climate is going to continue to get hotter and drier, contributing to more frequent and more intense bushfires.

Observations from the Environment Recovery Project will build a picture of when, where and how Australia’s ecosystems recover from these fires, which will inform future research. Participation from the public means that many observations, from an extensive area can be collected, something that would be impossible with the resources available to scientists alone.

Providing it’s safe to do so, take a walk in areas of burnt bushland. But please be aware of current weather conditions and fire danger ratings. Never enter areas where there is active fire. Many bushfire impacted communities are still grieving, please be respectful of their privacy. Do not trespass private property. Always stay on designated walking trails and do not trample recovering biodiversity.

Image credit: Casey Kirchhoff

To contribute simply download the mobile app (available from: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/environment-recovery-project-australian-bushfires-2019-2020) and take some photos with your phone:

  • Plants (native and weeds): Seedling or resprout
  • Animals (natives and ferals): Alive or dead, tracks and scats
  • Fungi and Lichen
  • Landscapes: Photos that capture scorch height (how high the fires went) or the extent of leaves lost up to the canopy

Observations of common species are just as important as rare species.