What's New in January 2020 BCLN E-new s Hello to all our Landcare Members, Partners, Sponsors and Friends throughout the Bass Coast Landcare Network, and welcome to the January edition of our E-news. We hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and New Year celebrations, and are looking forward to a productive and exciting 2020. We have some project updates, events, staff updates, and plenty of resources in this edition, so read on! For all the latest updates follow us on Facebook by clicking here and if you haven't already, give us a like and follow our page! UPCOMING EVENTS Farm Visit to Peninsula Avocados - Feb 21 If you are interested in any aspect of avocado growing, come along to this great farm visit to Peninsula Avocados! This avocado farm, owned by Steve Marshall, has been growing avocados on the Mornington Peninsula for over 25 years and operates 2 companies that grow, harvest, process, package and sell avocados. Come along to this exciting day and learn more about Avocado growing in Southern Victoria. Click here for more details and to register. On-Farm Water Management in a Changing Climate Field Day - Feb 28 You are invited along to this exciting field day discussing water management in a changing climate and the opportunities for Southern Gippsland farmers to secure their water future. Field day topics include: • Changing rainfall patterns in Southern Gippsland • Using regenerative methods to rebuild the soil carbon sponge • Dealing with extreme rainfall events • Water management planning and water calculators • Identifying and managing water based threats on farm (eg Salinity) Click here for more details and to register Southern Gippsland Sustainability Festival - TBC The 2020 Southern Gippsland Sustainability Festival will be held in the coming Autumn... Once the exact date is confirmed, we will start sharing more information about this awesome event! Watch this space! GROUP AND NETWORK NEWS Bushfire Season – Helpful Links Not too far from the Bass Coast area, we have seen devastating fires, loss of human and animal life, property, livelihoods, and habitat. Unfortunately we are only at the beginning of the fire season, so we have listed some helpful links below to help you prepare for the fire season. Below those links are another lot of links to assist with bushfire recovery. Fire Danger Period Commences: Click here Create your Bushfire Plan: Click here Download Vic Emergency App and tailor updates for your own local watch zones: Click here CSIRO Bushfire research: Click here Fire Ready Kit: Click here CFA/ VFF harvest guide: Click here Fire Recovery: ATO Fact Sheet. Primary producers are entitled to claim income tax deductions for costs related to fire emergency preparedness and prevention: Click here Vic Emergency: Click here Agriculture Victoria: Click here Australian Government Emergency Information Line - 180 22 66 (8am to 8pm local time, Monday to Friday). Wildlife Victoria – Request Assistance by calling 03 8400 7300 or online here Need Drought/Dry Seasons Support? Click here Click here to read Landcare Victoria Inc's great email filled with even more helpful links! Food for Wildlife - You can Help Bushfire Affected Koalas Would you like to do something special for one of our most iconic Aussie animals? Bass Coast Landcare Network in partnership with Phillip Island Nature Parks are looking for generous landholders who might be interested in growing a stand of appropriate eucalyptus trees, which will have branches harvested for koala food. These branches would be distributed to wildlife carers, who are desperate for fresh leaves for their patients. If you already have established trees on your land (Manna Gum, Gippsland Manna Gum, Victorian Blue Gum, Tasmanian Blue Gum or Snow Gum) and can spare some leaves, we would also love to hear from you. The branches/leaves will be harvested carefully, causing minimal impact to the trees. If you would like more information, contact
[email protected] 'Tis the Season for Weed Control We are well into Summer now, and our Works Crew are working hard spraying invasive weeds. Weed control is hard work, especially if you don't have the right equipment. Our Crew use 3 spray units, each with a capacity of 500-600L, and equipped with 2x 200m hoses on each unit. This means they are able to get into the most difficult parts of your property. Our Crew prioritise safety, working in pairs or teams, kitted out with full Personal Protective Equipment. They are well-trained in plant/weed identification, and work carefully around native plant species to target weeds with minimal off-target damage. Weeds targeted include blackberry, ragwort, bridal creeper, broom, gorse, thistles, ivy and more. Our Crew are also able to control woody weeds, such as willows, sweet pittosporums, cape wattle, and cedar wattle, using either cut and paint, drill and fill, or frill and fill methods. If you would like to book our Works Crew this Summer, give Mark Rowe a call on 0437 000 990 Click here to visit our Works Crew site Carbon Farming Field Day a Great Success We hosted a fantastic field day at the end of November at Prom Country Cheese, focusing on Carbon Farming in a Changing Climate. 77 people attended the event, which was part of the Growing Southern Gippsland project focusing on climate change resilience in Southern Gippsland agriculture. Check out this great summary video of the event. We would like to thank all our guest speakers for contributing to the day, our hosts, Prom Country Cheese and all those who attended. It was a fantastic event with new learnings and many more new questions. This field day was the second hosted in a series of 6. The Growing Southern Gippsland project will be hosting the remaining 4 field days in the first half of 2020... details for the third day are out now! Check our News and Events page for the latest updates! 2020 Calendars - Get Yours Now! 2020 - it's here! We have made up these lovely little calendars, so you can keep track of appointments, birthdays, and Landcare events in style! Calendars are A5 size so easily fit in your glovebox, bag, etc. and each month features a collage of images outlining some of the work we do as a Network. If you would like your own BCLN calendar, just pop into our office. GRANTS, TRAINING, INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LANDHOLDERS Want to win $500 for your Landcare Group? Landcarer is the new online community platform for Landcare – a place where people can connect, collaborate and learn from each other. They are looking to fill the site with inspirational stories, and to do so, they are running a competition... everybody registered on Landcarer will be able to vote for their favorite story, and the winning group will receive $500! Click here for more information and to enter. STAFF UPDATES New Rabbit Project Officer - Meet Chantelle! We are very excited to appoint Chantelle Geissler to a newly created position focusing on rabbit control. Chantelle has recently spent time on Lord Howe Island involved in the rat eradication program, and will be working on rabbit control programs around the entrance to rabbit free Churchill Island, as well as several other programs across the Shire. She will also assist community groups tackle rabbits, and offer advice and support to people struggling with rabbit problems. This position has been made possible through contributions from Phillip Island Nature Parks and Bass Coast Shire Council. Click here to read about all on-ground services available PROJECT UPDATES Growing Southern Gippsland Farm Profile Series 12th Video Growing Southern Gippsland's twelfth video in the 'Farm Profile Series' has been released, and we now have full access to all 12 case studies. This project will continue to showcase our 12 case study farms throughout the project and into the future. Click here to see all 12 videos on our website. The latest snapshot introduces Wattlebank Park Farm in St Clair, run by Nadine and Clive Verboon. This 200 acre property was traditionally a dairy farm but has diversified into a range of beef, sheep and pig products. Wattlebank Park Farm focuses on the local farmers market network so quality and face-to-face communication is essential to business success. A strong social media presence also contributes to marketing and business success. Click here to view the video. River Garden Update We were lucky enough in early December to have around 15 boys from St Bede's College come and do a blitz on our River Garden. We had them spreading spoiled hay, weeding garden beds, planting vegetables, and spreading mulch, which they did with such efficiency, showing a very strong sense of teamwork. Thanks to them, we now have a pumpkin patch, tomato bed, and a row of cucumbers and melons. Over Christmas, despite hot conditions and little watering, the little seedlings burst to life, with the pumpkins suddenly trailing 30cm and the tomatoes strong and bushy. Our soils seem to be retaining moisture really well, particularly the areas covered with a thick layer of organic matter and the swales, requiring minimum watering. Click here to read more about 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
