Summary of upcoming events over the next two
weeks:
18 May: Dalrymple Landcare Committee Meeting
22 May: International Day for Biological Diversity 2007:
Biodiversity and Climate Change
23 May: Natural Resources Conference 2007, Brisbane
1 June: Weed Spotters competition closes
1 June: Applications close, Peter Doherty Awards for Excellence
1 June: Closing date for applications, Round 10 Threatened Species
Network
3 June: 9th Queensland Weeds Symposium
4 June: Water ’07, Melbourne
5 June: World Environment Day
Recent additions to our “What’s On”
web page:
Coastal Management Funding opens
25 May: Applications close, Recreational Community Fishing Grants
Round 5
28-29 May: Water Quality Sampling and Analysis Workshop
30 May: Grazier Workshop, Charters Towers, DPI&F
31 May: Grazier Workshop, Belyando Crossing Roadhouse
31 May: Feedback from facilitators due, on Report “
Enabling Regional Natural Resource Management
Boards”
31 May - 1 June: Bushfire in a Heating World, Sydney.
6-7 June: BMP Workshop, Townsville
8-9 June: Towards 2020 Climate Change Conference and Expo, Twin
Waters Resort
15 June: Science and Innovation Awards for Young People
22 June: Closing date for applications, Community Water Grants
Round 3
30 June: Closing date for applications for Nuffield Scholarship
6-8 July: Country Week Expo
12 July: Early registration closes, Inaugural Queensland Coastal
Conference
31 July: WWF International Smart Gear Competition
13-17th August: RGC Training on GIS and GPS, Collinsville
17-20 September: Inaugural Queensland Coastal Conference,
Bundaberg
For more information on the events above and
more, go to www.bdtnrm.org.au/news/on/index.html
- Altered Dates for RGC Training on GIS and
GPS
- Grazier Workshops, Charters Towers and Belyando
Crossing
- RSVP Now: for Dalrymple Landcare Committee
Inc. General Meeting, Kirkton Station, 18 May
- BDTNRM Out and About
- Dryland Salinity Project
- BDTNRM sponsors student to the Global Ecotourism
Conference, Oslo
- Staff Changes
- RSVP Now: for Free Bushland Management
Workshop and Field Day; 19, 20 May
- Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
“Systems in Action” pilot booklets
- Federal Budget Funds NHT to 2013
- Climate Notes from DPI&F
- Added to our Newslinks page: Natural Resource
TALK
Altered
Dates for RGC Training on GIS and GPS
The Regional Groups Collective (RGC) are
conducting training for regional officers in satellite imagery and
spatial imagery capture. Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
officer Dustin Edge, hosted by BDTNRM, is leading training
workshops across Queensland in GIS and Global Positioning Systems
(GPS). The workshops have been running every fortnight since
December and are available for regional NRM staff and land
managers. Since December, 55 people have completed the GPS training
while 40 people have taken part in the GIS training program.
The next training course will be now be held
on 13-17th August at Collinsville. For more
information please contact Gale Duell at BDTNRM.
Grazier Workshops, Charters Towers and Belyando
Crossing
Grazier workshops are being held to present the final changes to
the “ Burdekin catchment grazing land management
strategies to achieve water quality outcomes” as a
result of grazier input to date. Feedback will also be sought on an
effective and desirable adoption methodology. It is essential that
attendees have read the draft guidelines prior to the workshop. 30
and 31 May respectively, 10:00 – 12:00 BBQ lunch and smoko
provided. RSVP essential to Tom Coughlin 4781 6708 or Tom.Coughlin@jcu.edu.au
RSVP Now for Dalrymple Landcare Committee Inc. General
Meeting, Kirkton Station, 18 May
Guest speakers for the meeting will include Bob Shepherd:
Rangelands Australia, talking about the courses offered in
Rangelands Science through the University of QLD; and Leah Saltner
and Kate Masters BDTNRM: Tradditional Owner Component of the Clarke
River East Burdekin Project
The meeting will take place on Kirkton Station, a few kilometres
south of Ravenswood on the Burdekin Falls Dam Road (appropriate
signage will be up on the day). After lunch, the group will take
time to look around at the work of owners David & Dianne Hood
to tackle woody weeds and significantly boost the pasture
production and composition on areas of Kirkton. All are welcome to
attend this meeting, however, please BYO chair and RSVP to John
Nicholas on 07 47546120 or john.nicholas@dpi.qld.gov.au
.
BDTNRM Out and About
BDTNRM’s Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator, Chloe
Schauble, spent the 2 nd of May in Emerald with the
Research to Reality Project and the Central Queensland B.E.E.F
Project teams for training on some evaluation tools. The training
was undertaken by Roberts and Coutts. These consultants are
contracted to assist with the monitoring and evaluation of the
projects’ internal processes, direct effects on the community
(e.g. capacity and practice change), and broader impact. The
workshop was good fun and the tools were clear and easy to use. It
will be exciting to see how the projects unfold – and their
strong evaluation plan will help them capture and share what is
learnt.
Peter Verwey (NRW) is currently involved with the BDTNRM
projects, CCI WQIP SC (Burdekin catchment), C2C WQIP SC (Ross and
Black catchments), water quality monitoring (with ACTFR).
Leonie Maddigan and Rachel Allen attended the Queensland's
Coast - Physical Processes and Management Training Module 1
session hosted by the EPA on 1-2 May. The information session was
on Physical Coastal Processes and was amazing! Nestled in amongst
the beautiful setting of the old Pallerenda Quarantine Station, a
moderately intensive program on the natural processes occurring on
Queensland's coast gave coastal planners and managers a solid
foundation of understanding the physical forces affecting our
beaches. The EPA Coastal Sciences Unit shared with us a sensational
model they have developed of wave action made out of perspex with a
motorised wave generator. Combined with the crushed macadamia
"sediment", the model clearly demonstrated the effects that many
coastal structures such as groynes and beach walls have on beaches.
Such research through modeling has enabled coastal scientists to
make much more appropriate decisions when it comes to managing our
coasts and we were privileged to share it. Module Two, Coastal
Planning and Management, was held on 8-9 May.
Dr. Bronwyn Houlden attended a Regional Pest Management Forum in
Charters Towers on 18 th April and reached agreement
with Local Government personnel about how to progress the
production and implementation of a regionally focussed pest
management strategy with funding and support from BDTNRM.
Leonie Maddigan, a Burdekin Shire Council hosted CAM officer,
and Rachel Allan, BDTNRM’s CAM program coordinator, attended
a workshop on coastal management in Mackay 9-10 May. Discussions
included Indigenous involvement in Reef Water Quality, Wetlands
protection, Burdekin Shire Community Values survey, and a Coastal
Scrub Project that spans the Burdekin Dry Tropics, Mackay
Whitsundays and the Fitzroy Basin Association regions.
BDTNRM staffers Scott Crawford, Rachel Allan, Peter Arthufor and
Leonie Maddigan attended the Coastal Wetland Pilot Program -
Seminar to review the Projects held by Wetlands Care Australia last
week. Leonie said the workshop was “intense and informative.
We were presented with a range of wetland management topics
including feral pigs, aquatic weeds and several others. There were
a range of stakeholders representing local government, NRM agencies
and farmers. Key speakers gave presentations and opened the floor
up for a lively and informative discussion. For more information go
to Wetland Care Australia’s website http://www.wetlandcare.com.au/
Dryland Salinity Project
Craig Clifton and Justin Clardige, salinity scientists with
Sinclair Kinght Merz, presented information about the
BDTNRM’s Dryland Salinity project to the LMAG meeting on 2nd
May. Craig explained that while salinity does not appear to be a
major issue for the Burdekin Dry Tropics region as a whole, the
water balance of landscapes in some restricted areas is finely
tuned. In those areas it may only take small changes in land use or
rainfall regime to initiate salinity outbreaks. It appears that
many salty areas can be rehabilitated through carefully managed
grazing and wet season spelling to encourage the spread of
perennial grasses. Justin provided an overview of the process being
used to highlight areas in the region that are most at risk from
salinity.
The LMAG expressed confidence that the project was on track to
achieve its aim to set salinity priorities for sub-catchments and
provide technical information about salinity in the region would.
For more information about this project go to our website:
www.burdekindrytropics.org.au/initiatives/dryland_salinity.html
BDTNRM sponsors student to the Global Ecotourism
Conference, Oslo
BDTNRM is helping to sponsor a Townsville student from Cathedral
School to attend the Global Ecotourism Conference being held in
Oslo in May. This is an inaugural event organised by the
International Ecotourism Society (TIES) in partnership with a
regional or national ecotourism society (this year ecotourism
Norway). The Global Ecotourism Conference 2007 will bring together
ecotourism associations and interested organizations and
individuals. Participants will assess successes and challenges for
ecotourism and push the global movement for ecotourism. For more
information about the conference go to: http://www.ecotourismglobalconference.org/
Staff Changes
BDTNRM’s manager for Community & Engagement, Dr Rachel
Allan, has resigned from this position to take up the role of
BDTNRM’s Coastal and Marine Program Coordinator as of 1
st May. Rachel will, however, continue her strategic
regional facilitation role (SRF) with the Australian Government
until a new Community Engagement Manager is appointed. If you are
interested in applying for the role of Community Engagement
Manager, please keep an eye on our webpage:
www.burdekindrytropics.org.au/opportunities/employment/employment.html
as the position will be advertised shortly.
RSVP Now for Free Bushland Management Workshop and
Field Day; 19, 20 May
Greening Australia Queensland, the Myer Foundation and the Land
for Wildlife program wish to take this opportunity to invite you to
the Bushland Management workshops and field days
The premise of the workshop is to provide some guidance on how
to approach managing your native bushland by:
- providing techniques for weed management
- teaching private landholders how to improve the health of their
remnant vegetation, expand vegetation on their properties and
connect remnants to create wildlife corridors
- providing landholders with basic bushland assessment and
mapping skills to encourage nature conservation and property
planning on private land
- providing the opportunity for like-minded landholders to meet
and exchange ideas and success stories on nature conservation on
their properties
These are half-day events which begin at 9am and end at
approximately 1:30pm. No technical expertise is required to
understand the workshop contents. A manual, morning tea and lunch
are provided.
Saturday May 19: ‘Gamameka’ Chenoweth Road, 9kms
south of Woodstock (thanks to Jim and Christine Parker for making
their property available)
Sunday May 20: Greening Australia Nursery, Barrier Reef
Institute of TAFE, De Sailly Street, Pimlico
Bookings are essential for workshop organisation and catering
purposes: please contact Ann Barnes on 4796 0401
or abarnes@qld.greeningaustralia.org.au
Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
“Systems in Action” Pilot
booklets
In April 2003, the Australian Government launched the $8.5
million Environmental Management Systems (EMS) National Pilot
Programme , funded under the Natural Heritage Trust. Effective
communication of the findings is critical if EMS programmes are to
proceed with maximum uptake and implementation. ‘Systems in
Action’ has been developed in consultation with the EMS pilot
projects. The booklet brings to life the experiences of each of the
16 pilots to assess how EMS could be used in Australian
agriculture. It identifies what worked and what didn’t and
details some things which new comers to EMS may wish to avoid.
Contact Rachel Allan at BDT for more information.
Federal Budget Funds NHT to 2013
The Federal Government's $4.3 billion dollar spend on the
environment in the latest budget includes almost $2 billion over
five years (2008-2013) for the Natural Heritage Trust. The
Australian Government also announced a new stewardship initiative -
the Environmental Stewardship Programme - commencing in 2007-08
with $50 million over four years and the National Landcare
Programme will continue with $147.9 million until 2010-11
(including previously announced funding of $35.8 million in
2007-08).
The Framework for Future NRM Programmes agreed by the Natural
Resource Management Ministerial Council in November 2006 can be
found at http://www.nrm.gov.au/publications/future/index.html
.
Climate Notes from DPI&F
The latest rainfall probability maps, soil water map and a PDF
copy of this report are available at www.dpi.qld.gov.au/climate or http://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au Daily updates on the
SOI are available on (07) 46881439. For more information contact
132523 or (07) 3404 6999.
Added to our Newslinks page: Natural Resource
TALK
The Natural Resource Talk newsletter aims to provide
useful and current information about natural resource management
people, projects and happenings.May’s issue features a number
of recently released publications (online and print) relating to
aspects of natural resource management for both farmers and
researchers.
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website: www.bdtnrm.org.au/news/burdekinbites/index.html
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