Hello to all of our Landcare Members, Partners, Sponsors, and Friends throughout the Bass Coast Landcare Network and welcome to the September edition of the BCLN Enews.

Spring is definitely here, lots of flowers are starting to come out and the fruit trees are blooming, the days are getting longer, it's t-shirt weather one day then back to cold blustery rain the next, although we are sure you will all agree we have had enough rain on our soggy paddocks in Bass Coast for now!

This month's Enews features plenty of upcoming events, some stories on planting days, lots of grants, and some handy resources.

Just a side note for groups, emails were sent out to the main group contacts a while back requesting a short group report, to be included in our Network Annual Report. If your group hasn't submitted a report yet, please send them to us as soon as possible. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.

We hope you enjoy this month's edition of the Enews!

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The Victoria Nature Festival is on now, running until the 25th of September, with the central themes being Nature for Health, Reconnection, Recovery and Regeneration and Connect to Country. The festival's aim is to celebrate the community's connection to nature, and its role in improving mental and physical health.

Click here to learn more about the festival, and sign up for the newsletter for the latest updates.

The West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority are running a  range of free  sessions, designed to build a Landcarer's skills from identifying native plants, collecting their seeds then propagating them. Click the workshop links below to head to the Eventbrite listings, where you can read further information about each event, and book in. If the event you are interested in is booked out, please email Tash at [email protected], to be added to the cancellation list. There is a possibility that new events may be added!

• Plant Identification training - October 5th
• Native Seed Collection workshop - November 23rd
• Plant Propagation workshop (SOLD OUT - Click to join waiting list) - December 8th

What can I plant at this time of year? When do my tomatoes go in? Can I grow a pumpkin right now? If you want answers to these questions or just want to pick up a few tips on how easy it is to grow your own vegetables from seed and cuttings this spring and summer, this is the session for you. For our next blitz on Saturday 8th of October from 9.30am-12.30pm we will be exploring ‘Propagating Spring/Summer veggies’, again welcoming back Permaculture guru Ric Coleman. Registrations are essential at the link below to the River Garden web page and while you are there sign up for updates on all things River Garden. This session is supported through VicHealth’s Reimagining Health program.

Click here to register your spot for this event on the River Garden web page.

The South Gippsland Conservation Society has organised a special screening of the newly released movie, Franklin. The movie tells the story of the eight-year long campaign to protect the Franklin River. This is a great story about environmental activism that is highly relevant to current environmental campaigns. Before the main film, there will be a screening of some short films by locals, Terry Melvin and Laura Brearley, that showcase the beauty of the Bass Coast area and activities underway to protect our local environment. These screenings will be at the Wonthaggi Cinema on Sunday 16th of October, from 2-4:30pm.

Click here for more information and to book.​

The date for the BCLN AGM has been set as the 19 November 2022. The AGM will again be held at the Gurdies Winery leading into lunch. Please save the date, with further details including guest speaker and bookings links to be announced in the coming weeks. We hope to see you there.

GROUP AND NETWORK NEWS

Last month the BCLN NRM team and some of the BCLN Board members were in Sydney for the National Landcare Conference after a few years of everyone not being able to get together in person. The comprehensive program included field trips showcasing the diversity of Landcare in the Greater Sydney region, with the NRM team going on a field trip to the foothills of the Blue Mountains in Kurrajong, learning about the revegetation efforts undertaken in the area, as well as a koala habitat program that involved neighboring properties coming together to establish vegetation for a safe Koala haven. We heard from over 100 speakers on the topics of environment and climate action, cultural land management, sustainable agriculture, emerging environmental markets, and much more, coming back with an even greater sense of pride in place of work, but most importantly how these newfound learnings can be put forward into environmental practices in our region. A big thank you to Landcare Australia and all the speakers and delegates for making it an amazing experience.

The recordings of all sessions are live now... click here to check them out!

The recordings of every plenary speaker, stream session, and panel from the National Landcare Conference 2022 have now gone live! With so many different topics covered, and over 100 recordings available, you are sure to find something that interests you.

Click here to check them out!

Korumburra Landcare Group Volunteers spent National Tree Day planting at Vanessa and Tyler’s place… not long ago they purchased some land and decided to revegetate a 5 acre square portion, right next to some remnant bush which will become a great wildlife corridor. About 30 people turned up and managed to plant around 1,500 of the 2,000 plants. This is a phenomenal effort, as a lot of plants had to be guarded (rabbits and wallabies are around). There were quite a few children giving planting a red hot go, jumping on the hamilton planters is always a novelty. Thanks to everybody who helped out on the day, and to Vanessa and Tyler for the delicious lunch.

Click here to read the whole story and see more pictures on the Korumburra Landcare Group's Facebook page​

Last month, Kongwak Hills Landcare Group completed a great community planting day at a property in Glen Alvie. Eight people attended the day, and through some hard work, they planted 2,000 indigenous plants which were funded through the Bass Coast Shires Biolinks program, to enhance connectivity for wildlife on the Bass Coast. The planting was along a large ephemeral waterway which feeds into Lance Creek and will provide important habitat for several native species while simultaneously increasing the biodiversity of the region. Volunteers were treated to a delicious lunch, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day, big thanks to Sam for hosting.

Click here to learn more about the Kongwak Hills Landcare Group.​

Korumburra Landcare Group's final planting for the year was an easy one, with fantastic site prep - spots sprayed, bamboo stakes in, and about 2,500 plants laid out, ready to be planted! "We had a fantastic turn out with about 25 people, including some managers of Burra Foods, Landcare members and mates as well. Jim may only have a small property, but his vision is to make it into his own personal bushland retreat. With his passion for revegetation, flora and fauna he will make it a success on his property over the next 10 or so years. The site prep was so good, we planted in record time, even managing about 1,000 extra plants. All up we probably planted around 3,500. A big THANK YOU, to all volunteers on the day, to Jim and the volunteers, who helped Jim set up for the planting (as Jim is still recovering from a knee operation). A special thanks to Burra Foods for sending along some lovely, energetic people to get stuck in and put some plants in the ground. We hope to see you all next year at a planting day or two!"

Click here to read more about this planting, and check out the pictures taken on the day.​

For a second year TurOSI has sponsored a planting day at the farm of one of their suppliers. It was a lovely Spring day and TurOSI staff arrived from as far away as Geelong to lend a hand, putting in over 1,000 plants along West Creek. Many thanks to TurOSI and their staff for the sponsorship and assistance.

Click here to learn more about sponsorship opportunities with BCLN​

Do you know a young budding photographer? Costa Georgiadis and Junior Landcare are calling on Aussie kids, schools and youth groups to take photos of the biodiversity in their backyard, and to share with Costa why their picture is special to them. “Your backyard might be a garden. If you live in an apartment, it could be plants on your balcony. You may live near a park or bushland area, or a river or wetland. You may live on the coast, or on a farm – these could all be your backyard,” said Costa. Just in time for National Biodiversity Month and the school holidays, the competition runs until 31 October, with great prizes up for grabs, including a visit from Costa for the winning school or youth group! 

Click here for more info, and terms and conditions​

GRANTS, TRAINING, INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LANDHOLDERS

Have you had a look at the Growing Southern Gippsland website yet? There are lots of different resources on a range of topics available, for example, let's take a look at the Champions of Change page, showcasing local champions from our region. Our 3 champions have a wonderful story to tell about how they are adapting to a changing climate, regenerating their landscape and redeveloping local relationships and networks.

Click here to listen to their stories, and check out more of what Growing Southern Gippsland has to offer

The Youth Volunteering for Nature Fund is part of the Victoria’s Great Outdoors Volunteer program, which seeks to get more Victorians, from all walks of life, outdoors enjoying nature. Parks Victoria want to empower young people, aged 18 – 29, all over Victoria to create innovative answers to challenges facing Victoria’s natural environment. Youth Volunteering for Nature is looking for ideas that engage with the community through environmental volunteering to protect and preserve Victoria’s special places for future generations. Funding is available for a broad range of projects. They are looking for innovative project ideas that champion environmental volunteering, have a positive impact on Victorian environmental, historic and/or Aboriginal cultural heritage values, encourage more young people to volunteer for nature and provide lessons for the future. Applications close Monday 3 October 2022.

Click here for more information​

Applications for the Volunteering Innovation Fund are now open! Have you got a great idea to protect our precious environment, or are you part of a community group already working with nature? Through the Volunteering Innovation Fund, the Victorian Government is funding community-led projects that consider new ways of volunteering in and for the environment. The Biodiversity Round closes 5.00pm, 3 October 2022.

Click here for more information and to apply​

Projects supported through the Nature Fund will need to demonstrate their ability to make a high impact contribution to improving Victoria’s biodiversity and supporting the conservation of Victoria’s threatened species. The Nature Fund will also support projects that advance the self-determination of Victoria’s First Peoples. The minimum funding a project can request from the Nature Fund is $20,000. The Nature Fund will operate as a rolling fund, with grants assessed as they are received (no specific closing date). Early applications are encouraged.

Click here for more information​

Have you wanted to test your soils but balked at the costs? Or do you already test and will test again in the next couple of months? The good news is, the government will subsidise up to 50% of your soil testing costs this year. CSIRO is collecting soil analysis data for the national soil database and in exchange for sharing the results of your soil analysis, the Commonwealth will put $275 towards the cost of each sample and analysis, up to $10,000 per applicant.  ERF projects are also eligible to participate.

For more information click here. ​​

The Victorian Recreational Beekeepers Association (VRBA) has created a page (beeWatch) for beekeepers and the public to register information about the locations of wild (feral) and unmanaged hives. This includes beehives found in bird boxes, trees and knolls, possum boxes, disused outbuildings, chimneys, or wall cavities. The information collected will be supplied to Agriculture Victoria and the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) in case the parasitic Varroa mite (recently detected in New South Wales) reaches Victoria.

Click here to report a wild hive in your area

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and Global Landcare have released a publication exploring the role, impact, and success of the landcare movement, with contributions from landcarers and researchers across Australia and beyond. The book uses the landcare movement as an exemplar of decision-making on environmental issues with a high level of subsidiarity (building local self-reliance for global change).

Click here to read the book in PDF format or to order a hard copy

Landcare is one of Victoria’s best inventions, as relevant today as it has ever been. As the November 2022 State election approaches, Landcare Victoria has prepared policy recommendations in support of landcare for consideration by our political leaders. They need your help to promote these policy recommendations, along with your local needs, by emailing our local member of Parliament, Jordan Crugnale at
[email protected] to make clear the importance of landcare and request increased support and investment for community landcare in Victoria.

Click here for the policy recommendations from Landcare Victoria to help prepare your email.  

Our September River Garden Blitz Day on Saturday 10th featured guest speaker, permaculture guru, Ric Coleman, on companion planting and integrated pest management with 18 people, learning all about how it works, what to plant, where, when and how to use plants to repel certain pests. We also had an additional fruit tree pruning session this month with Ric and a small group of five volunteers who finished off pruning all the espalier and orchard trees, bringing down their height ready for netting once our fruit has set.
We have had another exciting development from a visit and tour held for the students from the Bass Coast Specialist School, some of whom are studying certificate 2 in Horticulture. This group of students, with their teachers will now be helping us at the River Garden in term 4! We also look forward to visits from year 10 Agriculture and Horticulture students from Bass Coast Secondary College next term and YMCA Holiday program children from Phillip Island and from Wonthaggi. This forms a nice start to our River Garden Kids programs funded by our Vic Health Grant. It's still a bit early to get our spring/summer veggies in, with the chance of late frosts, although it wont be long as the days get warmer and longer. We hope you can join us at the October Blitz on propagating spring and summer veggies, details in the upcoming events section above, see you down at the River Garden!

Click here for more information on the River Garden and sign up on this page to join our growing River Garden Community!

Capturing Carbon for a Biodiverse Bass Coast - In local planting projects!

If you feel passionate about the environment and want to contribute to action on climate change by reducing the impact of your car on our planet, why not consider becoming a part of our ‘Capturing Carbon for a biodiverse Bass Coast’ program? Head to our web page at the link below and simply click on your car's size to make a tax-deductible donation, so we can plant indigenous plants in biodiverse plantings across Bass coast on your behalf. These plantings will increase habitat and important wildlife corridor connections while capturing carbon from the atmosphere. All your friends and family will also see your complimentary car sticker showing your commitment to the Bass Coast environment and climate action.

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.​ We do this by supporting community groups to work in their local area to add value to their conservation efforts, encourage broader community ownership and participation and by working in partnership with other land managers. We work to help protect native plants and animals in Bass Coast’s most ecologically important landscapes. Your contribution, no matter how small, helps to protect native plants and animals in Bass Coast’s most ecologically important landscapes. ​

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 E-news.

We look forward to meeting and catching up with you at upcoming events and activities around Bass Coast.

Until next edition, 

Happy reading, from the Bass Coast Landcare Network.