Hello to all of our Landcare Members, Partners, Sponsors, and Friends throughout the Bass Coast Landcare Network, and welcome to the March 2024 edition of the BCLN Enews.

We hope that you all found some cool places to hide during the recent run of hot weather.  Let's all hope for some rain to arrive soon to wash away the dust and freshen things up a bit.

This month's Enews contains a range of events, articles on recent events, general news, grants and more. Grab a beverage, sit back, relax and enjoy the read! 

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

Are you concerned about storm impacts, power and communication outages or the local fire risk?  Join us for an interactive workshop focused on building resilience in emergency situations.

• Learn practical strategies to mitigate risks and prepare for severe weather events.
• Expert-led sessions on emergency planning and response.
• Hands on activities to enhance your preparedness skills.
• Network with like-minded neighbours.

For further information and for registration details click here.​ 

Date: Tuesday, 26 March Time: 5.30pm - 7.00pm Location: Zoom (online)

Details: This webinar will help you to understand the risks and threats of gorse infestations. Discover its growth patterns, spread dynamics and the alarming fire hazard it presents. Learn actionable steps to mitigate its impact. This session will feature insights from Christina Boom of the Victorian Gorse Taskforce and Daniel Idczak from CFA.

To register click here. 

We are delighted to announce that the very popular River Garden Little Kids program will be back this Autumn with a new start date of early May, with another 8 sessions of fun, themed environmental activities for 3-5 year olds and their adults. Last year's program was booked out with waiting lists for all sessions. Each session will have a different theme, and will consist of story time, an activity in the River Garden, then morning tea and a craft activity in the Bass Hall. This program will be run free of charge to families, using our remaining funding from our VicHealth Grant, in the Reimagining health program, 'River Garden Kids learn, grow and connect with community to produce healthy food'. We will be opening up bookings for this program after Easter. We will notify our Landcare members by email before advertising to the general public, so watch your inbox for this announcement. We look forward to seeing more families down at the River Garden!

Click here to find out more about activities at the River Garden.

Join us for a field day to see images from the camera traps people have borrowed. Finding out about the amazing fauna present on people’s properties has raised the importance of protecting them from the impacts of pest animals. We will hear from Aaron Stephens from the BCLN Invasive Species Team on options for fox and rabbit control, including a demonstration on fox baiting methods. Richard Francis is an ecologist with on ground deer control expertise, he’ll cover lethal and non-lethal deer control options.

For further information and to register click here.

Date: Thursday, 9 May and Friday, 10 May Location: Bendigo Exhibition Centre. Details: The 2024 Victorian Landcare Forum provides an engagement opportunity for the landcare community to promote best practice and share stories, to grow landcare across the state. 

For program details and to register click here. 

There are still spaces available for this fantastic event.  Bass Coast Landcare Network presents 'Restoring landscape function on your farm'.  Learn how to apply simple strategies to improve productivity and drought resilience. Optimise water cycling and landscape function. 

Day 1: Introduction to restoring landscape function. Learn how to read water processes to interpret landscape health. Day 1 only registrations are available. 

Days 2&3: A skills-based course about harnessing the water cycle to improve landscape function on your property. See first-hand how these solutions can work with your goals. 

This event will prioritise Bass Coast and Southern Gippsland farmers. If your farm is not in this geographic area please email [email protected]

If you're interested in being a part of this exciting event, click here. 

The Landcare Victoria AGM will be held online, on Wednesday, 22 May. 
Nominations for the Landcare Victoria Inc Board are now open.
In the lead-up to the 2024 AGM, we are calling for nominations to join our Board. Nominations are open until Wednesday, 10 April.

For more information and to download a Nomination Form click here. 

GROUP, NETWORK AND GENERAL NEWS

We bid farewell to Warren Thompson, a cherished contributor to the BCLN Public Fund and the 3 Creeks Landcare group. Warren's unwavering passion for the local environment, coupled with his warm and welcoming personality, leaves an indelible mark on our hearts. His absence will be deeply felt, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Warren for his invaluable contributions. Thank you, Warren, for your dedication and commitment. You will be dearly missed by all of us at BCLN.

If recent storms have wreaked havoc at your place, our BCLN Works Crew has the ability to help out tidying up your property. Smaller scale tree lopping and general chainsaw work are all part of the many services offered by our crew, as well as general fencing repairs. Any profit generated by the Works Crew is used to support BCLN's activities.  Contact Mark Rowe at Bass Coast Landcare Network on 0437 000 990 to discuss your assistance needs.

For further information on our services click here. 

Threatened Species Action Group and Birdlife Bass Coast are working on a project to conserve Blue-Winged Parrots (BWPs). They are an elusive little bird, closely related to the famous Orange-bellied Parrots (OBPs). They are often sighted in coastal grasslands, saltmarsh, wetlands, dead trees, paddocks and other open grassy areas.  BWPs have been regularly sighted in the Bass Coast area, and we believe that the mainland population also nests here, but there are currently few recent breeding records.  We need your help to find out more! Credit for photo: Bold Photography - Robyn Bolding

​Click here for further information.​

Farm dams are among the most abundant waterbodies in agricultural landscapes.  Fertiliser and manure run-off can reduce water quality, leading to higher levels of harmful bacteria and lower productivity.  Well-managed farm dams can act as “oases” against droughts for many species. Hence, using farm dams to increase suitable habitats for wildlife is a promising way to help tackle the rapid decline in freshwater biodiversity. Deakin Universities Blue Carbon Lab is running a hands-on science program and is inviting Bass Coast farmers to help the environment by keeping an eye on their farm dam health.  

For further information on the program and to register your interest to be involved, click here.

Agriculture Victoria have developed a fantastic resource library on climate and weather.  If you are looking at the impacts of climate and weather on your farm and are starting to implement climate smart practices on your farm, then you should start your research here. 

To access these resources and for information click here. 

The On-Farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot is part of the Victorian Government’s commitment under the Agriculture Sector Emissions Reduction Pledge to provide practical information, tools and services to support farmers to understand and reduce emissions. The Pilot will work with up to 250 farm businesses across the state to estimate their on-farm emissions profile and identify potential actions to manage and reduce emissions while maintaining productivity and profitability.  The final round of the Pilot is targeting the beef, dairy, sheep, grains, pig, poultry and horticultural sectors. The program is an opportunity to learn about and assess your on-farm emissions profile and develop an action plan.

For further information click here. 

Expressions of Interest are now open for the 2024 Gallagher Landcare Electric Fencing grants. Now entering its fifth round, the Gallagher and Landcare Australia Electric Fencing Grants provide support for conservation and biodiversity protection projects aligned with the priority areas of Conservation Exclusion/Inclusion Fencing and Riparian Protection and Farm Dam Restoration on agricultural land.

For further information on how to apply click here. 

The Victorian government is again offering grants to landholders in Gippsland to assist in establishing trees for timber. Timber plantations can be established as woodlots, shelterbelts or wide-spaced plantings (or any combination of these) and be ideally placed within the context of a whole farm plan. The minimum eligible plantation establishment area for a grant application is 3 hectares. Grant applications open on 4 March 2024 and will close on 7 March 2025. During this open period, grants will be assessed and administered with the interested landholders progressively.

For further information click here.

Rural Finance Counselling Service Gippsland (RFCS) Provides agricultural industries and small rural businesses with free, confidential and independent planning and support services.  Their support team operates in a safe and confidential environment.  RFCS Gippsland offices are conveniently located across our service region covering the whole of southeast Victoria. RFCS services covers eleven Council shires including Bass Coast, Baw Baw, Cardinia, Casey, East Gippsland, Latrobe, Mornington Peninsula, Nillumbik, South Gippsland, Wellington and Yarra Ranges.

If you would like further information on how get further support, click here. 

You are invited to participate in a holistic management course being run in Warragul and commencing in June 2024.  The 8-day course is being run by Inside Outside Management and will run over four 2 days sessions. If you are after more information on this training opportunity and wish to register, click here. ​

The February 'Fast Break' climate newsletter provides information on Victoria's soil moisture, climate driver summary and climate predictions from February run models.  They love your feedback, so if you have comments, questions or feedback please address them to Dale Grey at [email protected]

The access the Fast Break February update, click here. 

Like everyone in our area, the River Garden is extremely dry! For the first time in years, we have been watering weekly. Even the swales which are cut into the hillside and work to store water and keep the soil moist, have dried out in our almost drought like conditions. We are excited to be able to announce a range of workshops coming up this year at the River Garden, funded by Bass Coast Shire Council's Garden Gems program. We will be hosting workshops in May, July, September and November on topics ranging from Introduction to Permaculture and Fermenting and preserving. More news of this to come, with bookings opening soon. These days will be coupled with our River Garden Blitz sessions, where we really need your help to keep the weeds at bay and the produce growing. If you haven't seen our story above, we are also delighted to have our very popular River Garden Kids program back, starting again for another eight sessions in early May, for 3-5 year old's and their families. Once the final details are confirmed, emails announcing the opening of bookings will be sent to our Landcare members first, before advertising to the general public, so watch your inbox for these to get a much sought after spot. We look forward to seeing you down at the River Garden!

For more information on the River Garden and to sign up as a volunteer to get notifications of upcoming events and happenings, click here.​

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, or by leaving a bequest in your will, 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.