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

This month's Enews features a wide range of events, general news, some grants and more!

We hope you enjoy this edition of the Enews.

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

The Great Fete will be held in Inverloch on Saturday March 18th, with food, entertainment, activities and stalls for all ages. Kongwak Hills Landcare Group will have a stall, come and check out what they're about, what they've been up to, and how you can get involved. 

Click here for further event information​

If you're looking for something to entertain, inspire and educate the kids, the Bunurong Environment Centre in Inverloch has heaps of different events coming up, including Dinosaur Discovery, Rockpool Rambles, Astronomy, Spotlighting and more!

Click here for the full program​

The North-East Region Landcare community will host the Victorian Landcare Forum from Friday, 24 March to Saturday, 25 March 2023 in Beechworth (George Kerferd Hotel). The Forum will provide a fantastic opportunity to share Landcare knowledge and experience from around the State, to meet others directly involved in Landcare and to see first-hand the achievements of Landcare in the North-East.

Click here for more information including the full itinerary and ticket sales

It's time to start thinking about cooler weather planting! Come along to this hands-on River Garden Blitz session on March 25th, where you will learn what to plant and where, as well as how to feed your soil using things you already have in your backyard. This event will be run by Rick Coleman from the Southern Cross Permaculture Institute, and will include a free morning tea for those who register.

Click here for further info and to book your place!​

You're invited to the South Gippsland Deer Forum in Meeniyan, to be held from 10:30-3:30pm with lunch included. You will hear from a wide range of speakers with strategic and practical experience in managing deer in rural and peri-urban landscapes, including representatives from community deer control groups, the Invasive Species Council, the Vertebrate Pest Management Association of Australia and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), recreational hunters and a commercial harvester. This event is supported by the Victorian Deer Control Community Network, DEECA and the South Gippsland Shire Council.

Click here for more information and to register​

Join in South Gippsland Landcare Network’s next field day in Hallora on Thursday 30 March! Come and hear Martino Malerba from Deakin University’s Blue Carbon Lab on how you can improve your dams, and improve water quality, increase biodiversity and reduce emissions.
You’ll visit a local dairy farm, see what’s been done to improve the farmer's dam and hear about the benefits they've found, plus hear from Melbourne Water on opportunities for farm dam works. This event will be held on Thursday 30 March from 10:30-1:30 pm at Hallora Public Hall, followed by a farm walk.

Click here for more information and to register​

It’s no April fool's joke that Eucalypts are dying back across Phillip Island, Bass Coast and across Victoria. Phillip Island Landcare group (PILG) have formed a Sub-Committee of scientists, farmers, Phillip Island Nature Parks and Bass Coast Shire Council representatives to look into dieback happening across the island. They invite you to a Dieback Walk and talk session on Saturday April 1st from 10-12pm, at Oswin Roberts reserve, meeting at the Harbison Road entry car park. The walk will show some areas of dieback within the reserve, with committee members leading the walk, including botanists, ecologists and local farmers, to discuss some of the issues. Access to a new survey sheet will be available on the day and online afterwards, where landholders and community members are encouraged to become citizen scientists, helping to record the location, extent and nature of any dieback happening on their properties or roadsides. This day is suppported by the Victorian Government Biodiversity Action Grants. This is a free session, and anyone is welcome.

Click here to book your place at this session. 

You may be aware that Landcare Victoria has recently delivered two webinars around capacity-building for landcare groups. In case you missed out on participating, the recordings are now available to watch online:

• The art of fundraising for landcare groups
• Recruiting new volunteers and inspiring young people to volunteer
• Understanding committee roles and responsibilities (link to come)

The Landcare Victoria capacity-building event series continues in 2023 with the following planned webinars:

• Succession planning: 30 March 2023 (5:30pm-7:00pm)
• Financial governance Part 1 – for committee members: 2 May 2023 (5:30pm-7:00pm)
• Financial governance Part 2 – for treasurers (current and aspiring): 16 May 2023 5:30pm-7:00pm

Links to book for upcoming webinars in the series will be available at the Landcare Victoria website soon

Landcare Farming is bringing together five industry experts for an exclusive webinar exploring the importance of biodiversity literacy for producers and the key principles of environmental accounting. The webinar will be held on Tuesday April 4 at 1pm AEST. The presentation will last for 1 hour and 40 minutes followed by 20 minutes of audience questions.

Click here for further information​​

We are excited to announce that this year’s Sustainability Festival will be led by the Bass Coast Landcare Network on May 21st from 10am-3pm, at the River Garden in Bass! The Festival will feature speakers covering a range of exciting sustainability topics, demonstrations, market stalls, great food and more! Information will be available very soon on how to apply to showcase your sustainable products or services as a stallholder, or to feature your delicious food, or how you can host a presentation or demonstration on the day. This event is supported by Bass Coast Shire Council. We are also looking for more sponsors and volunteers for this fantastic event. If you want to get the word out about your business or offering to thousands of people around Bass Coast and beyond, we would love to talk to you!

Click here to check out the website!​

GROUP AND NETWORK NEWS

Thank you to everyone who came along to our community mangrove planting day in late February at Tenby Point. We planted over 750 mangroves using the direct seeding method, working off previous years mangroves plantings to establish a strong stand to continue from, to spread more plantings along the Coast. Mangroves provide an important linkage between land and sea, providing habitat and feeding grounds for wading birds, a haven for juvenile fish, crustaceans, sharks and rays and stabilisation of susceptible coastlines from erosion. This project is supported by Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s Fisheries Habitat Restoration Program.

Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities with Landcare​

On Friday 3rd March, Three Creek Landcare members attended a bush/bird walk, at the property of one of their members on West Creek Road.
They walked through some of the remnant bushland, with local expert, Dallas Wyatt identifying resident birdlife along the way. The walk was finished of with a great smorgasbord of finger food prepared by Ann, Libby and Anna. Thank you to those who attended.

Click here to learn about the Three Creeks Landcare Group

Do you love the outdoors? Want to make a difference every day? Come and work with us! The successful candidate will study Conservation and Land Management or Horticulture, whilst working full-time in the great outdoors with our Works Crew, improving our landscape for future generations. Mature-aged applicants are welcome, click the link below for all the details.
Casual positions are available also.

Click here for further information or to apply

Is your Landcare group (or other community group) interested in working with young community leaders? Kids as Catalysts is an award-winning creative learning program that equips children aged 8-12 with real world experience in leading positive community change. The curriculum-aligned program gives students the skills to identify and solve real problems facing their community, through creative and collaborative projects. If you'd like more information, please email [email protected]

Click here to learn more on the Kids Thrive website

Have you seen an Eastern barred bandicoot on Phillip Island? If so, Phillip Island Nature Park would love to hear about it! You can log your sightings on their online portal, which also has information on bandicoots, if you're keen to learn more. Our Invasive Species team has been excited to see bandicoots expand from Fishers Wetland over many years of undertaking rabbit control to prevent rabbits reinvading Churchill Island.

Click here to log a sighting or learn more about these cute critters​

GRANTS, TRAINING, INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LANDHOLDERS

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The grants program supports community organisations to protect and enhance the coastal and near-shore environment.  This year, Coastcare Victoria has $210,000  available for grants of up to $10,000 each. Projects will fit into one of three streams on offer including ‘Stewardship and Education; Strengthening our Volunteer Groups; and Supporting Traditional Owner Self-Determination’. Applications are now open and close at 11:59pm on Thursday 30th March 2023. 

Click here for further information​

The Gallagher Animal Management and Landcare Australia partnership are going bigger this year than ever, providing 22 grants for permanent electric fence product worth $8,000 each to Landcare Groups, Landcare Networks and landholders to support fencing projects that will produce long-term environmental rehabilitation outcomes in areas including riparian protection and farm dam restoration. 

Click here for more information and to apply

VicForests invites interested landholders to participate in the 2023-24 Gippsland Farm Forestry Grant Program.  The Program’s objectives are to support plantation growth on farms to expand and diversify Victoria’s timber resources, while generating other benefits such as enhancing farm productivity; diversifying income streams for landholders through the sale of timber and potentially carbon credits (or contribute to carbon offsets via other industry schemes); and generating economic activity in regional communities. Grants are now available for plantation establishment in 2023/24. The grants are designed to support the landholder in achieving successful establishment of a farm forestry plantation by contributing approximately 50% of the typical establishment and early management costs. 

Click here for further information​​

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action’s Environmental Volunteering team has produced a new Communications Toolkit - a practical guide on how to reach new audiences, motivate volunteers, and tips to promote your projects. The toolkit includes templates for case studies, media releases and communications campaigns to provide practical help.

Click here to explore the toolkit

Rosemary and Fergus Irving have been farming their Woodside property since 1978, slowly turning it from a treeless plain to a property with distinct paddocks surrounded by 20-meter shelter belts. Add in a revegetated creek running through several properties all the way to 90 Mile Beach and you get a picture of a community caring for their local environment. You can hear their story as well as the 'secrets' of the Woodside Landcare Group (it's all about the sponge cakes apparently!) on the first Gippslandscapes podcast for 2023.
It's a lovely chat which covers a lot of ground with two wonderful guests. Find it by searching Gippslandscapes wherever you get your pods.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts​

We finished summer pruning the front row of our espaliers, leaving only the big crabapple which will require a ladder! The Interchange volunteers have been sheet mulching the fruit orchard and nuttery, as well as weeding, mowing, brushcutting and general maintenance. We appreciate the great work they have been doing and always look forward to their visits.
Our next Blitz will be held on March 25th, with the topic being Cool weather veggies, and feeding your soil from your own backyard. Details about this event are in the News and Events section at the top of this Enews.

Click here to check out our River Garden page, to stay in the loop for upcoming events.​

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 tax-deductible 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.

The Bass Coast Landcare Network would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Land Owners within the Network area, The Bunurong and Boon Wurrung people. We also recognise the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations in Land and Natural Resource Management.