Hello to all of our Landcare Members, Partners, Sponsors and Friends throughout the Bass Coast Landcare Network and welcome to the August edition of our E-news. 

We hope you are all doing well during restrictions, masking up and staying safe. BCLN office staff continue to work from home-based offices, using Zoom and various other platforms to keep in touch and to keep things running. Our fabulous Works Crew are getting out every day in all weather, alongside our Working for Victoria crew who are doing an awesome job as well. The on-ground staff are following all protective measures to work safely, while spending day after day planting thousands of trees, weeding and even repairing old fishing platforms (see article below!)

We have some events, grants, news and much more to share in this edition, so rug up, settle down and read on!

For all the latest updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram... just click the links above!

UPCOMING EVENTS 

Arthur Rylah Institute welcome you to this Legacy Seminar featuring some of  ARI's brilliant up-and-coming legends. This third Legacy Seminar looks at the adaptive, collaborative and impact-focused science that has made ARI an enduring research institute. They look forward to sharing with you how their decision making is changing, how their research is increasingly collaborative and how they are taking a decadal approach to land management for Victoria.

You can register for the webinar here

You can access the online recording of the last Legacy Seminar and past webinars at by clicking his link.​

You’re invited to a webinar exploring the opportunities of microgrids in agriculture.

The Queensland Farmers Federation are bringing together parties interested in the potential benefits of microgrids in agriculture.
The QFF aim to increase knowledge on the types of microgrids, how they may work, opportunities for agriculture and rural communities and what existing work is being done.
They will be introducing our Research Consortium and seeking potential case studies for investigation.

Click here for more information and to register!​

Come join Gippsland Intrepid Landcare​ for a weekend of popping on your gardening gloves, taking a bag and doing your bit of picking up rubbish around your neighbourhood. Tag them in your pics, share your rubbish collecting adventures and together we can still take care of the environment. Partnering with The Source Bulk Foods, prizes will be given to those who collect the most rubbish bags, best moments and strangest things cleaned up!

Click here to get involved!

GROUP AND NETWORK NEWS

It is with sadness that we advise of the passing of Anwyn Martin.  Anwyn was a very passionate member of the Bass Valley Landcare Group for many years.  Even with the advent of emails being sent out to advise members of an upcoming meeting, Anwyn would do a “ring around” the week prior to advise people. She was also an active member of the Powlett Project Landcare Group for many years.
​Until a number of years ago, Anwyn lived in Corinella until failing health saw her move to Aged Care at Phillip Island. Anwyn was a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia.  She was also the author of a number of academic publications. On “retirement” Anwyn turned her energies to community service and environmental activism in Gippsland.
​In 2003, Anwyn was presented with the Bass Coast Citizen of the Year Award. She was a volunteer coordinator and tutor at the Corinella and District Community Centre, as well as being a member of the management board. She organised a variety of educational activities for people of all ages, from children through to senior citizens. Anwyn was a member of the Bass Valley Historical Society where she worked to share the area’s fascinating past with the community through research as well as writing publications.She was also involved in the welfare of the natural environment. Anwyn was a member of the Bird Observers Club, the Friends of Bass Valley Bush and the Bass River Catchment. She had an interest in Westernport waters and applied her scientific knowledge to the environment of Westernport waters. A wealth of knowledge, Anwyn will be sadly missed by all who knew her.

Winter is a quiet time at our Landcare nursery with plants ready to go out to sites around our area.

As well as carrying out nursery duties, the volunteers of the Bass Landcare Indigenous Nursery Group (BLING) have been involved in other activities, including a recent walk and bird identification session at a volunteer's property. This little event was well attended and despite a last minute soaking, everyone had a good time.

The volunteers have also undertaken to help plant hundreds of plants along the river at Bass, masked up and social distancing of course!

Find out more about the BCLN Indigenous Nursery Group here.

On Tuesday the 14th of July, the Phillip Island Landcare Group in association with the Bass Coast Shire Council organised a planting activity at Ventnor Common. An eager group of community members helped plant and guard over 400 plants into the Western section of the reserve. This project was supported by a Port Phillip/Westernport Catchment Management Authority's Victorian Landcare Grant, which the Phillip Island Landcare Group successfully obtained. Special thanks to the Bass Coast Shire Council for providing generous in kind support for this project as well. Many thanks to the dedicated volunteers who assisted on the day.

For more on the Phillip Island Landcare Group activities and current newsletter click here. 

Our Works Crew were lucky enough to receive a different kind of job than usual this week, with the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority contracting them to work on the fishing platforms at beautiful Tarwin. The Crew pressure washed the platforms to remove moss and algae buildup, and attached wire mesh to the ramps to help eliminate slippages. They also replaced any missing or damaged boards and seats, leaving them strong, safe and good for many more years of enjoyment!

Would you like to contract our versatile Works Crew for work on your property? Click here to request a quote!​

Kongwak Hills Landcare Group have recently spent time, money and effort to improve the interactive visitor experience to the Kongwak Pioneer Reserve. With assistance from Mick Green at Drift Media, the existing tour app has now been upgraded so that the tour and all of its audio content can be enjoyed together with Google Earth maps of each track in the Reserve. This provides details of length/distance in metres and elevations with attached track profiles in graphical display.
The new upgraded facility is easily accessed by using your phone, provided your phone has an inbuilt QR code reader in the camera. Alternatively, you can download an app such as QRbot. Simply open your QR code app and use your phone to scan the QR code shown above. The QR code will take you directly to the Kongwak Hills page on the Bass Coast Landcare Network site. Scroll down until you come to the heading, 'Pioneer Reserve-Interactive Tour and Track Maps'. From here you can download the Geotour, Google Earth maps and the Track Maps. 

Click here for the full article on our News and Events page

MobileMuster provides a free mobile phone recycling program across Australia. In August, they will partner with Landcare Australia to provide an added incentive to recycle.
Every phone recycled will support Landcare Australia’s important work. All brands and types of mobile phones, plus their batteries, chargers and accessories, are accepted and then recycled safely and sustainably.

Recycling an old mobile phone this August is free and easy:
1. Drop them off at your nearest participating MobileMuster mobile phone retailer or local collection point, or
2. Recycle from home by ordering a mailing label or using our recycling satchel from Australia Post.

Click here to read Mobile Muster's article on this great partnership!​

GRANTS, TRAINING, RESOURCES, INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LANDHOLDERS

For a while we have had a 'Controlling Pest Animals' page on our website, but this month we have added information pages on each of the problem pest animals in the area; foxes, rabbits, cats, deer and pigs. Each page has information on the animal, why it's considered a pest, and what you can do if you have problems with this animal on your property. We have contact forms available at the bottom of each page, so if you are have issues with pest animals, it's easy to get in touch!

Click here to visit our 'Controlling Pest Animals' page, and use the links at the bottom of the page, or the dropdown boxes in the main menu to access the individual pages.

Do you want to improve your leadership skills or gain hands-on board experience? Perhaps you are an experienced leader looking for opportunities to extend yourself further? Now is the time to apply for a funded place in the 2021 Victorian Rural Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Program 

The Leadership Program aims to provide funded places for Victorian-based rural women connected to agriculture or the agriculture supply chain, who want to improve their leadership skills or gain board experience. Click the link above for more information about the program.

Up to $20,000 available for dairy farm businesses

The objective of this grant is to support Australian dairy farming businesses to save energy.
Grants can be used to: 

• replace existing equipment with higher efficiency equipment
• install or replace a component/s to help an existing system run more efficiently
• carry out on-farm energy audits
• carry out monitoring of energy usage and emissions 

Click here for more information.

The Bob Hawke Landcare Award is a prestigious, national award that publicly recognises an individual involved in championing Landcare and who inspires others to take action on their own property or through a Landcare group. The award acknowledges an individual’s leadership and commitment to Landcare, natural resource management and sustainable agriculture. The award nomination is open to an individual who champion the uptake of sustainable agriculture practices and can demonstrate the adoption of improved practices among landholders as a consequence this action. They will be closely involved in Landcare, and can demonstrate an outstanding commitment to local communities and drive community activity. 

Prize: the Bob Hawke Landcare Award recipient will be awarded a prize package to the value of $50,000 for further development of their knowledge and skills in sustainable land management to enable an even stronger contribution to Landcare. 

Award presentation: the Bob Hawke Landcare Award will be presented at the National Landcare Awards gala dinner on Thursday 11 March, 2021 in Sydney. 
​Nominations close: 31 August 2020

Click here for more information and to submit a nomination

How would you like to celebrate Landcare Week by wining $500 for your group?

This year, Landcare Week celebrates people getting connected with the environment in their local community.

Landcare Australia are asking you to capture that connection in a photograph, and share it on the Landcarer platform to be in with a chance of winning $500 for your group. This can be a great activity to do while on your daily walk, or even in your own backyard!

Click here for more information and to enter!​

We have now finished our rabbit control program in Newhaven, on Phillip Island, with great success. Together with the Phillip Island Nature Parks, we have been completing this important work with the aim of reducing rabbit numbers and protecting high priority assets in the area. To do so, we utilised a range of control methods, such as baiting, warren fumigation, shooting, and harbour removal. We recently completed 3 nights of spotlight counts to see how successful our control efforts were. Data pre- and post-control were compared, and they showed an overall 72.2% reduction in rabbit numbers. This important work has been funded by the Phillip Island Nature Parks.

For more information on Rabbit control click here. 

Welcome to our August update for the River Garden, our flagship community gathering and education site for BCLN!

You may have seen things happening from the highway at Bass, rows of swale garden beds across the contours of the hill with espaliered fruit trees and annual vegetables, growing trials which have so far included hops and sweet potato, an orchard and nuttery, a Nursery business ‘Coll’s Plants’ (you can order online here https://www.collsplants.com/) and space for so much more. Many of you would not be aware of how this all came to be so in this monthly update we will take you back to the beginning. 

Please click here for the full story on our News and Events page.​

Please click here for more information on the River Garden.

Offset your Car Emissions in Local Planting Projects!

If you feel passionate about the environment and want to do your bit for our beautiful native flora and fauna, why not consider offsetting your car emissions with Bass Coast Landcare Network? Just click on your car's size to make a donation, which will cover the planting of enough indigenous plants to offset your car’s emissions for a year and contribute to restoring your own local landscape. 

All your friends and family will also see your complimentary car sticker showing your commitment to the Bass Coast environment. 

To offset your car emissions with BCLN click here.​​

Bass Coast Arc – Landcare Public Fund making projects a reality – Donate today to make a difference!

The Bass Coast Landcare Public Fund is a regional non-profit organisation focusing on conserving biodiversity throughout Bass Coast.​ The Bass Coast Arc – “Community Access to Public Space” concept supports community groups to work with public land managers to improve the environment of our public spaces and create appropriate access to these unique areas.

Your contribution, no matter how small, helps to protect native plants and animals in Bass Coast’s most ecologically important landscapes.

Click here to find out more about how you can assist this important work.​

We are currently seeking a dedicated and professional Communications and Administration Assistant to join our team to fill a 6-month Maternity Leave position, with the potential for expansion.

If you have good literacy skills, a high level of creativity and an eye for detail, check out the position description to see if this may be a good fit for you!

The full position description and selection criteria can be viewed here!

What's your story?

We would love to hear from you and your Landcare group with stories and photos of what's been happening in your area and any suggestions of things that you would like to see in your Enews.

Until next edition, 

Happy reading, from the Bass Coast Landcare Network.