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Enviro health through our community

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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!

Way Forward: Watershed Landcare encourages the uptake of sustainable land management practices by providing training on a diverse range of topics.

We work with our members and the community to improve knowledge and awareness, and to increase the uptake of sustainable land management practices. Sustainable agriculture is a key priority and we strive to promote innovation and bring sustainability into agricultural production; that means getting people to do business in a sustainable and viable fashion.

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.

Recently we have run workshops on native seed collection and propagation, serrated tussock management, paddock trees and remnant vegetation and in the next week have two booked out workshops coming up; sustainable soil management, and how to effectively tell your story with social media.

In the last year we have supported our members to conduct projects to protect and enhance native vegetation on their land, establish paddock trees and prepare whole of property plans for the management of serrated tussock.

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 for their members. They have explored topics such as bee biosecurity, seed saving, drought planning, and conducted on-ground works to rehabilitate the Putta Bucca wetland.

Want to find out more about our events, projects or how to get involved? 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 ot topic we should explore? Let us know, we’re always on the look out for fresh ideas.

Paddock trees linking our landscape

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The Central Tablelands region is one of the most highly cleared areas of woodland in NSW. Watershed Landcare have been running a project aiming to enhance areas of highly cleared ecosystems by improving linkages between remnant native vegetation.

The Paddock Trees project, supported by Central Tablelands Local Land Services through funding from the Australian Government, provided financial assistance to landholders to increase the extent of paddock trees and clusters on the land they manage. Individual landholders were eligible to apply for up to $2,750 in funding for materials or labour to conduct on-ground works that improve vegetation extent and quality.

Six landholders from Lue, Rylstone, Gulgong, Stoney Creek and Mudgee participated in the project, conducting on-ground works to protect existing remnant vegetation and establish new corner, cluster and single paddock tree plantings.

Participating landholders worked with Watershed Landcare’s botanist to select suitable, endemic species to meet their desired project outcomes. At one project site, the planting was designed specifically to aid with the remediation of a heavily eroded, saline area.

As part of the project 8 ha were re-vegetated with over 1000 trees. When mature, these plantings will not only provide connectivity to existing remnant vegetation and act as wildlife corridors but will also provide other valuable ecosystem services such as habitat for pollinators as well as birds and bats beneficial for pest control and maintain and improve soil structure and fertility.

A Paddock Trees and Farm Vegetation Management workshop was also held in April as part of the project. Watershed Landcare invited Dhyan Blore, Principal Consultant at Native Biota Rural Ecology, to share her extensive knowledge in rural vegetation management and the establishment and care of native plants.

The workshop focused on providing landholders with knowledge and practical information to enable them to establish and mange their own native vegetation plantings, covering topics such as species selection for various sites and purposes, tree planting techniques, short term follow up and later management, including thinning and grazing.

Want to find out more about our projects and what we do? Visit our website, www.watershedlandcare.com.au, or contact one of our Coordinators, Claudia Wythes on 0412 011 064 or Agness Knapik on 0435 055 493 or email: info@watershedlandcare.com.au.

This project is supported by Watershed Landcare and Central Tablelands LLS through funding from the Australian Government and is a part of the NSW Government’s Local Landcare Coordinators Initiative, supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW.

Landcare celebrates milestone

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November 19 marks an important milestone – Watershed Landcare turns 20!

That’s quite an achievement considering that the Landcare movement in Australia is only 25 years old.

Watershed Landcare spoke to Sam Hamilton who was involved from the outset and did a stint as Chairman of the then fledgling organisation.

“Back then Landcare in our region consisted of a whole lot of small groups with set boundaries, acting independently and focused on their own needs.” said Mr Hamilton.

“As specific programs concluded and some of the smaller groups waned, representatives from the different groups came together to form a steering committee and over time individuals became members.”

“Eventually it developed into Watershed Landcare as we know it today.” he continued.

Watershed Landcare now has a footprint of around 900,000 ha, approximately the Mid-Western Regional Council area, and has run countless events and projects over the last 20 years focusing on raising awareness of environmental issues and promoting and supporting innovation in sustainable agricultural practices.

Although no longer involved in committee, Mr Hamilton is an active member of the Grazing group and has participated in a number of projects on his Lue property.

So what makes Watershed Landcare relevant to landholders 20 years on?

“Landcare is not an event or a project, it’s a movement.” Said Mr Hamilton.

“By promoting innovation and bringing sustainability into agricultural production, getting people to do business in a sustainable and viable fashion, it creates not just something that will be around in 100 years time but be profitable today.” he continued.

Watershed Landcare would like to invite our members and the community to help us celebrate this significant achievement.

We will be holding our AGM followed by a BBQ dinner at 6pm on Friday 25 November at the Straw Bale Shed, Australian Rural Education Centre.

Come along for a fun and relaxing social evening with other Watershed members.

This event is free to attend but please RSVP for catering purposes by Monday 20 November.

For more information or to RSVP contact Claudia Wythes, Watershed Landcare Coordinator, on 0412 011 064 or claudia.wythes@watershedlandcare.com.au.

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