Hello to all of our Landcare Members, Partners, Sponsors, and Friends throughout the Bass Coast Landcare Network, and welcome to the September 2024 edition of the BCLN E-news.

As the weather warms and the trees begin to blossom, our busiest time of year is coming to a close as we wrap up the community planting season. This season 30 community planting days were held, including school groups, getting over 190,000 plants in the ground. Thank you to all involved in this great community effort to restore our Landscapes! The BCLN works crew will continue to plant for the next month or so, and we hope we get the wet spring that was forecast to keep them all growing after such a dry winter. With the warmer weather the weeds are taking off again too. We are working behind the scenes on creating a local Weed calendar and putting together some community Weed and pest animal workshops to be announced in coming months so watch this space. 

This month's E-news contains other interesting events, general news, grants, informative webinar recordings and more. Grab a beverage, sit back and relax, we hope you enjoy the read. 

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Saturday 21st September will be your last chance to get your hands dirty at our last BCLN community planting day.  This event will be held at Mitchell Rise in Kilcunda from 9am-11am. This special site is a critically endangered grassland and by planting the grasses back into this site you will be assisting with the recovery of the 'Natural Damp Grassland' after removal of woody weeds from the site. This EVC is protected under State and Federal law and is a rare find on the Bass Coast!

Morning tea will be provided, all are welcome. 

School Strike 4 Climate invites you to the community screening of the documentary 'The First Wave' produced by rising tide, at Newhaven College on Phillip Island. As well as a film screening, there will be a live discussion Panel, live music and a free community meal. We're also excited to launch an official Bass Coast contingent that will travel to the Rising Tides People's blockade of the world's largest coal port in November! This event is being organised in collaboration with Rising Tide.

Click here to RSVP.

Come along to find out more about the threatened Blue-winged Parrots that live and breed around Bass Coast and South Gippsland regions. Learn about their ecology, hear about a breeding success story and find out how you can help the conservation effort. Saturday 5^th October 2024, 10am -12:30pm.

Click here to book. 

Join the Phillip Island Landcare Group for not just another AGM, but for an informative walk across the new Cowes Recreation reserve, the site of a new Landcare revegetation demonstration project, with respected Ecologist Alison Oates. The day will start at 1030 for the AGM, then the walk, then a delicious BBQ lunch. 

To book your spot please email [email protected] 

On Saturday the 26^th of October, we are very lucky to have Dr Vishnu Prahalad coming to Bass to do a walk and talk on ecology and biodiversity of temperate saltmarshes, covering plants, animals, interactions, conservation & restoration. Dr Vishnu Prahalad is a Senior Lecturer in Geography, Planning & Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania. He has worked on saltmarsh ecology and management in Tasmania for over 15 years, closely collaborating with a range of government and non-government agencies and local groups. Apart from over 50 journal articles and reports, his publications include a popular field guide to the plants of saltmarsh wetlands, atlases for saltmarshes for all three regions of Tasmania, the ‘saltmarsh matters’ citizen science app, and several other science communication materials. His work has been recognised with a Landcare commendation, Tall Poppy award, and been featured in ABC Gardening Australia.  Saturday 26th October, 10am-3pm. Bass Community Hall.

Click here for more information and updated booking details. 

Artists of all ages and abilities are invited to enter the Landcare Prize with a total prize pool of over $2000 available for the winning entries. Expect to see an amazing array of art on display from a high standard of experienced and respected artists vying for the three top prizes. Beginning and emerging artists of all ages are encouraged to enter. Come along to our Gala opening night and show your support for Landcare via the arts. Who knows, you might just find that perfect piece for your home. 

For entries, tickets and details click here for all the links on our Public fund webpage. ​

For the last 5 years ‘The Hills are Alive’ planting project has worked in partnership with Bass Coast Landcare Network and local farmers. The project is an environmental sustainability initiative that aims to contribute tens of thousands of indigenous trees being planted in the local area, by bringing together like-minded young people and offering them a unique tree planting experience followed by a relaxing night of food, drinks and music.

This year’s event was held in Ryanston at local farmer, Tim Richards property on Saturday 24th August and was attended by over 50 enthusiastic volunteers from around the state. The weather could not have been any more perfect and the crew made light work of the 4,000 indigenous plants that were planted along a section of the Archies creek west branch. After a glorious afternoon of planting, the hungry volunteers headed up to the NYE on the Hill site where they enjoyed dinner, drinks and some live local music.

Click here to view the full photo gallery.​

Photo credit: Kim Keltie Photography

You may be aware of the imminent threat of Avian Flu (HPAI) strain H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4 b) which has been decimating wildlife overseas. The Invasive Species Council has produced an important webinar that addresses the risks and what we can do right now in preparation for its arrival in Australia. 

View the bird flu webinar here.​ 

The grade 5/6 students from Bass Valley Primary school headed out to a local farm in Grantville last week to plant 800 indigenous plants. This was the second planting for this group of almost 50 kids this year, with many of them participating in several plantings in previous years. We decided to let a few of the expert planters run the planting demonstration to their peers and they did an excellent job. The Bass Valley Primary kids are always hard working and ready to get their hands dirty. They made light work of getting the 800 plants into the ground and were rewarded with a delicious BBQ lunch. Bass Coast Landcare Network would like to thank John Carney for hosting the day and the teachers and kids from Bass Valley for always being so great to work with. 

Click here for more information on our school education and activity programs.

The purpose of this survey is to understand how and why climate-smart practices are or are not used on farms across Australia, and allow the Taskforce to better understand the matters important to Australian farmers seeking to develop and leverage climate-smart practices. 

Get involved and have your say by clicking here.​

Round 3 of the Partnerships Against Pests grants program is now open for applications from community groups. You can apply for grants valued at between $10,000-$50,000 to plan and deliver education and training programs that provide local and long-term solutions to invasive weeds and pests.  Applications close at 11:59pm on Friday 11 October 2024.

Apply here. ​

This September, Landcare Australia have partnered with Bupa as part of its 2024 Healthy Cities Challenge and invite you to apply for funding to support the planting of 75,000 native trees and shrubs across Australia to make our cities greener and support community wellbeing.

Eligible groups and organisations can apply for funding to establish projects in accessible urban or peri-urban areas. The focus is to improve the connectivity of native vegetation while encouraging community participation in outdoor activities. Applications close Monday 30th September.

Apply today.

The Hamer Sprout Fund offers $25,000 for the Sprout Grants each year. Up to $5,000 is available per project, however more (up to $10,000) may be awarded in exceptional circumstances. The Hamer Sprout Fund will consider applications from organisations that share the fund’s goals (to build communities inspired to take action for a sustainable future) and are particularly interested in giving to smaller organisations and projects to get them off the ground. Applications close 30th of September. 

Click here for more information. ​

The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) have a grant opportunity that supports not-for-profit organisations and rural and regional communities across Australia. 

FRRR - Community Led Climate Solutions Program
The FRRR Community Led Climate Solutions Grant Program supports not-for-profit organisations across remote, rural and regional Australia to drive local climate solutions that reduce emissions through education, engagement and action. Applications close 26 September
Stream 1: Engage & Deliver Small Grants – up to $20,000; and
Stream 2: Scaling Grants – from $20,001 up to $75,000. For more information click here. 

The short films shown at the From the Ground Up Film Festival, are now available to watch on the Melbourne Water website. The series of eight short films showcase the diversity of efforts and activities defining environmental volunteers across the Greater Melbourne area. Each film tells a unique story of dedication and passion, highlighting the incredible impact these volunteers have on our environment. Which Bass Coast locals can you spot in our film?

Watch them here.​

Korumburra Secondary students recently helped plant the last of 2000 plants, in our new Conservation Zone and seed orchard. In the coming months, our larger dam that doesn’t hold water will be dug out and lined, completing part 2 of our wetland restoration in this zone, to filter water running off our productive growing areas. We are currently working on signage for this area, telling the story of the Bass River, from indigenous custodianship to invasion and land clearing, and now restoration and protection via wetlands and plantings. This has been made possible via the Victorian Landcare grants, Planet Ark Seedling bank grant and a Westernport Water Community Grant. Planning is also underway for our new Education shelter, as part of our Tiny Towns Grant from the Victorian Government. More information to come on this in future E-news editions. 

The Village High School students have sown the first seed for coming crops, and will get busy planting soon, after late frost risk has passed. The weather turned a few people off our recent Garden Gems workshop on Food forests with Frances from Bass Coast Adult learning centre, but the few who braved the cold winds and showers greatly benefited from Frances’ many years of horticulture experience and training. Our next Garden Gems session is in November, on Preserving produce with all details at the link below. We hope you can join us, see you down at the River Garden!

Click here for all things River Garden. 

In collaboration with Korumburra Landcare Group (KLG) volunteers, GTSAG recently undertook a special infill planting on this site. 500 shrubs and trees were infilled on the upper reaches of the gully. 2,500 Common Tussock-grass (Poa labillardierei) and Tall Sedge (Carex appressa) were planted in dense swathes in the gully itself where the earthworms are located. No revegetation is recommended in general in the modified planting guidelines within GGE colonies unless weeds are a major problem. This gully site is subject to infestations of Hemlock and it is hoped that  dense plantings of shallow-rooted grasses and sedges will outcompete the pasture grasses and other weed species and act as "seed banks" for these indigenous plant species to volunteer throughout the site.

Click here to learn more about the modified planting guidelines.

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 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, or by leaving a bequest in your will, helps to protect native plants and animals in Bass Coast’s most ecologically important landscapes. ​Click below to make your tax-deductible donation today. 

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.