Landcare groups from across Gippsland will share more than $200,000 in grants in the latest round of the Victorian Landcare Grants.
“We’re delighted to be able to announce this grant round, so soon after Gippsland was acknowledged for its tremendous work at the recent Victorian Landcare Awards,” said Chair of the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Mr Peter Jennings.
“Landcare is the lifeblood for such a variety of environmental works, and I know these grants will be used to make great improvements to the landscape from the Avon River to Wilsons Prom,” added Mr Jennings.
Among the grant recipients is the Bass Coast Landcare Network in the Bass Coast Shire, which recently won the Landcare Network of the Year at the Victorian Landcare Awards. The Bass Coast Network will receive $20,000 for its Environment Detectives Program.
The program will host 800 students on 16 school activities on farms in the Powlett Catchment.
Eight farmers will work with school children to complete a range of activities – such as seed collecting, planting indigenous tube stock and citizen science monitoring – aiming to increase awareness of the environment and the positive effects of Landcare activity on the catchment.
The Latrobe Catchment Landcare Network in the Latrobe City will receive $19,200 to assist in improving water quality of river flows into the Gippsland Lakes.
This project will reduce the amount of sediment and nutrient entering the Gippsland Lakes by supporting four landholders to fence off their waterways and revegetate with indigenous plants.
In total, just over two kilometres of waterway will be fenced off excluding stock from 18 hectares of river frontage, reducing sediment and nutrient-loads entering waterways. More than 3000 plants will be planted by volunteers at four community tree-planting days.
The Yarram Yarram Landcare Network in the Wellington Shire will receive $20,000 for works around Jack Smith Lake.
The Network will protect and enhance the important ecosystems that sustain Jack Smith Lake by supporting four private landowners to undertake revegetation and fencing projects on properties adjoining the site.
Fencing will protect remnant vegetation, create new areas for future revegetation and impede stock and vehicle movements onto sensitive areas of lakefront. Revegetation will connect remnant patches of vegetation, creating habitat and corridor for wildlife such as the critically-endangered Orange Bellied Parrot.
Meeting the growing interest in Regenerative Agriculture, the Gippsland Agroforestry Network will receive $20,000 to run a Master TreeGrowers course to reach a broad range of landholders in Gippsland.
The course will educate landholders about the benefits of agroforestry, tree planting, and the long-term value of trees as part of regenerative agriculture.
“I’m particularly pleased to see that Gippsland Intrepid Landcare has been acknowledged, once again, after their recent success at the Landcare Awards,” added CMA Chair Peter Jennings.
“Intrepid Landcare do such a great job in bringing young people into Landcare and of course, make significant contributions to the environments they work in,” added Mr Jennings.
Gippsland Intrepid Landcare will receive $7,600 to develop the connection between Gippsland young people and their environment by running three hands-on environmental events over a year in three different environments, the Bunurong Coast, Corner Inlet and Tarra Bulga
The events will include a tree planting day planting 2000 trees on a sheep farm alongside the Liptrap Coastal Park, a seagrass revegetation day in Corner Inlet in Port Albert and a weed control and wildlife surveying weekend in the Tarra Bulga National Park.
In concluding, Chair of the West Gippsland Catchment Mangement Authority, Mr Peter Jennings wished the groups success in their endeavours and commended them on their continued commitment to improving local environments.
“Well done to all of the more than 40 groups who will share in this round of grants. They all do fantastic work which make big improvements to the Gippsland region,” Mr Jennings said.
West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority’s 2019-20 Victorian Landcare Grants were funded through the Victorian Government’s Victorian Landcare Program.
If you are interested in finding out more about Landcare and possibly getting involved, please visit wgcma.vic.gov.au/landcare-2
Full listing of grant recipients:
Victorian Landcare Grants 2019
Total Amount funded: $236,883
Total Project Grants: 13
Total Support Grants: 44
Yarram Yarram Landcare Network
Improving Biodiversity Outcomes at Jack Smith Lake – $20,000
Yarram Yarram Landcare Network will protect and enhance the important ecosystems that sustain Jack Smith Lake by supporting four private landowners to undertake revegetation and fencing projects on properties adjoining Jack Smith Lake Reserve.
Fencing will protect remnant vegetation, create new areas for future revegetation and impede stock and vehicle movements onto sensitive areas of lakefront. Revegetation will connect remnant patches of vegetation, creating habitat and corridor for wildlife such as the critically-endangered Orange Bellied Parrot.
Powlett Project Landcare Group
Holding the land together: Community-led erosion control in the Powlett catchment – $19,500
Powlett Project Landcare Group will fence off and establish 6600 indigenous plants (2.62 hectares) to stabilise erosion and improve water quality on three private properties in the Powlett River catchment.
Fencing will exclude stock from the riparian sites, reducing sediment and nutrient-loads entering waterways. Revegetation will increase biodiversity and be completed by volunteers at three community planting days.
Anderson Inlet Landcare group
Protecting Places for Laces – $19,500
Anderson Inlet Landcare Group will exclude stock protect and enhance 10.99 ha of high-quality remnant bushland on private land, one of the largest areas of known Lace Goanna habitat in the Anderson Inlet region.
They also will restore a 0.74ha riparian site that runs directly into Mahers Landing through stock-proof fencing, weed control and supplementary planting of 500 indigenous plants. Revegetation will increase biodiversity and be completed by local school children at two community planting days.
Latrobe Catchment Landcare Network
Improving water quality of river flows into the Gippsland Lakes – $19,200
Latrobe Catchment Landcare Network will reduce the amount of sediment and nutrient entering the Gippsland Lakes by supporting four landholders to fence off their waterways and revegetate with indigenous plants.
In total, 2.39 klm fencing will exclude stock from 18.55 hectares, reducing sediment and nutrient-loads entering waterways. 3800 will be planted by volunteers at four community tree-planting days.
Maffra & Districts Landcare Network
Renewing Newry Creek and its Landcare community – $18,750
Maffra and Districts Landcare Network will restore the health of the Newry Creek by supporting several private landholders to protect and enhance remnant vegetation, control weeds and undertake revegetation.
The creek, a tributary of the Macalister River, meanders through farmland of the Macalister Irrigation District and suffers from loss of vegetation, weed infestation and poor water quality caused by excess nutrients and animal disturbance of banks. The project will work to educate the community about the importance of actions to improve waterway health and improve biodiversity.
Nerrena Tarwin Valley Landcare Group
Making the Tarwin Terrific again – $15,000
Nerrena Tarwin Valley Landcare Group will improve water quality in the Tarwin River and provide vegetation connectivity in the catchment by fencing off remnant vegetation in gullies on two private properties. The group will also increase awareness of the biodiversity around the Black Spur through education and bird monitoring projects.
Gippsland Agroforestry Network
2020 Master TreeGrower Course in Gippsland – $20,000
Gippsland Agroforestry Network will run a Master TreeGrowers course for in autumn 2020 to reach a broad range of landholders in Gippsland.
The course will educate landholders about the benefits of agroforestry, tree planting, and the long-term value of trees as part of regenerative agriculture.
Gippsland Intrepid Landcare
Getting young people into (and improving) the Bunurong Coast, Corner Inlet and Tarra Bulga environments -$7,604
Gippsland Intrepid Landcare will develop the connection between Gippsland young people and their environment by running three hands-on environmental events over a year in three different environments.
The events will include a tree planting day planting 2000 trees on a sheep farm alongside the Liptrap Coastal Park, a seagrass revegetation day in Corner Inlet in Port Albert and a weed control and wildlife surveying weekend in the Tarra Bulga National Park.
3 Creeks Landcare Group
3 Creeks, 3 Sites, 1 Community – $20,000
3 Creeks Landcare Group will improve biodiversity and reduce erosion in the Powlett Catchment by establishing 7000 indigenous plants on three riparian sites.
In total, 1460m of fencing will be used to exclude stock from the sites, reducing erosion and addressing sediment runoff and water quality issues in the catchment. Plants will be planted by school children through three community-led planting days.
Yarram Yarram Landcare Network
Creating new wildlife corridors on the Bruthen Creek – $14,536
Yarram Yarram Landcare Network will convert a former area of pine plantation into habitat for native animals – namely: Strzelecki Koala and Greater Glider and Lyrebird.
The project will take place on a private property along 6 hectares of river side of Bruthen Creek in Carrajung Lower. Exclusion fencing will be built to keep stock away from the creek and to nurture future growth.
Arawata Landcare Group
Biotic Concatenation in the Arawata biome -$ 13,043
Arawata Landcare Group will continue to build a green corridor to support locally significant fauna and flora including the unique Strzelecki Koala and the vulnerable Strzelecki gum.
The project will fund two field days and two private landholders to fence 2.2km of fencing and plant 6300 indigenous trees.
Friends of the Prom Inc.
Koala Habitat Restoration at Wilsons Promontory National Park Stage 2 -$ 7,750
Friends of the Prom will build tree guards to restore koala eucalypt woodland habitat in an area of Wilsons Promontory National Park.
The site will be planted with E. Ovata (Swamp Gum) and guarded with heavy duty tree-guards using steel mesh and wire netting to protect seedlings from the numerous grazing animals that put pressure on the site.
Bass Coast Landcare Network
Powlett Catchment Custodian kids – detecting, documenting and protecting the catchment $20,000.
Bass Coast Landcare Network’s Environment Detectives Program will host 800 students on 16 school activities on farms in the Powlett Catchment.
Eight farmers will work with school children to complete a range of activities – such as seed collecting, planting indigenous tube stock and citizen science monitoring – aiming to increase awareness of the environment and the positive effects of Landcare activity on the catchment.
Support Grants – $500
Agnes River Landcare Group
Albert River Landcare Group
Alberton Junior Landcare Group
Allambee Community Landcare Group
Avon Landcare Group
Avon Trees on Farms Landcare Group
Friends of Bellbird Corner
Binginwarri Landcare Group
Boolarra South Landcare Group
Clydebank Landcare Group
Cowwarr Landcare Group
Fish Creek Landcare
Flooding Creek Landcare Group
Flynn Landcare Group/Flynn Farm Discussion Group
Friends of Land & Water Landcare Group Sub group of LCLN
Friends of Stockyard Creek
Friends of Mount Worth State Park
Girl Guides Victoria – Burnet Park Campsite Committee of Management
Gippsland Plains Rail Trail
Glengarry Landcare Group
Hallston Regenerative Farming Group
Hedley Sub Group YYLC Network
Kilmany/Nambrok/Pearsondale Landcare Group (subgroup of Maffra & District Landcare Network)
Kongwak Hills Landcare Group
Korumburra Landcare Group
Licola Landcare Group
Macalister Landcare Group (subgroup of Maffra & Districts Landcare Network)
Mardan Mirboo North Landcare Group Inc
Merriman Creek Landcare group
Mountain RiversLandcare Group
Mt. Worth and District Landcare Group
Munro Landcare Group (subgroup of Maffra & District Landcare Network)
Neerim District Landcare Group
South Gippsland Landcare Network Inc
Springsure Hill Landcare Group
Stratford and District Farmcheque Group
Tarwin Landcare Group
Upper Avon Landcare Group (subgroup of Maffra & District Landcare Network)
Warragul and district urban Landcare group
Won Wron-Devon North Landcare Group
Woodside Landcare Group Inc
Woorabinda Junior Landcare Group
Yarram Urban Landcare Group
Yinnar Landcare Group
Published Thursday September 19th 2019
