Hello to all of our Landcare Members, Partners, Sponsors and Friends throughout the Bass Coast Landcare Network.

Welcome to Spring! We have been enjoying some gorgeous sunny days lately, with just enough wet ones in between to keep the trees, pasture and veggies growing nicely.

There's been lots going on in the Landcare world... despite community tree planting being restricted, the BCLN Works Crew have been working extra hard to get the plants in the ground, ensuring that all trees will be in before the weather warms up too much.
We have plenty of online events coming up, and some BIG news about the Sustainability Festival, as well as much more!

We hope you enjoy this month's BCLN Enews!

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

UPCOMING EVENTS 

There are still spots available for this exciting online webinar that will feature  guest speakers Chris Alenson and Niels Olsen, discussing pasture and crop diversity in a changing climate. Don't miss out on this great event!
The Future Farms, Homes and Festivals project is supported by the Victorian Government through the Supporting our Regions to Adapt program.
Click here for further details and to book ​

This is a great opportunity for you to participate in this fantastic 8-week Regenerative Agriculture online training program for farmers. The program will be delivered by respected leaders in regenerative agriculture giving you unique insights and tailored advice for implementing regenerative practices on your farm!

Topics include;

• Introduction to Regenerative Agriculture- myths and misconceptions
• Soils - Maximise crop diversity and living roots
• Soils - Minimise disturbance and maximise soil coverage, soil monitoring
• Regenerative Agriculture Livestock & grazing systems, 
• Integration of trees into your farming system for multiple benefits, 
• Financial indicators and transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture,
  
• Transitioning to regenerative agriculture. (Showcasing a local case study)
  
• Developing your Climate Adaptation Plan (CAP)

Click here for more info and to register!​

The next River Garden Blitz will be on Saturday 9th of October (usual dates are the second Saturday of the month) and we can’t wait to again welcome volunteers back to the River Garden after a two month break due to restrictions and lockdowns. We are going to try again to host our guest speaker Adrian James, local Horticulture teacher, who will be showing us how to control pests, diseases, and disorders with the I.D. / Treat / Manage approach. If you could bring along a photo or a bagged sample of a pest, disease or disorder on your vegetables or fruit trees, or even natives as well, then we can discuss problems and come up with solutions for you. If you have ever wondered what is eating your cabbages, why your citrus leaves are yellow or what that funny spot is on your leaves then this is the day for you!

We will start at 9:30am and run until 3pm in the format of part hands-on Blitz with tasks for all abilities and ages, part demonstration, discussion and hands-on workshop with a free lunch for those who register via our website link below. We will notify those who have registered of any changes of dates or structure of the day due to Covid restrictions that may or may not be in place closer to the date. Can’t wait to see you all down at the River Garden!!

River Garden Blitz Workshop days are supported with funding from VicHealth Reimagine health program.

Click here to find out more and book your place.

The Victoria Nature Festival is now in full swing with more than 80 virtual events and experiences, the Victoria Nature Festival returns for its second year full of creative ways to connect with and act for nature from home. The Victoria Nature Festival has something for people of all ages, abilities, and interests. 

Click here to check it out​

We are SO excited to announce that this year’s Sustainability Festival ‘Reimagined’ will be led by the Bass Coast Landcare Network and run over six weeks (October 23rd-December 5th). In place of one big event day this year, we have ‘Reimagined’ the festival to allow it to continue in a Covid safe way.

The Festival will begin with an opening event on October 23rd, featuring exciting key-note speakers, leading into a diverse program of in-person and online events, concluding with a Produce Market on the 5th of December at the River Garden in Bass. There will be online events covering all sorts of exciting topics, and (hopefully!) live events run in a Covid-safe way to get people involved in all things sustainability. We are so excited to finally share this with you!

If you have a business, group, organisation or are a passionate individual about sustainability related topics and are interested in running an event to show what you do, sell or make, check out our website for all the details, We would love to hear from you! Applications are now open on our website.

If you’re wanting to attend Festival events, keep an eye out on the Festival Facebook page and on our website for the program, which will be available soon!

This event is supported by the Bass Coast Shire Council, Westernport Water and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning through the Supporting our Regions to Adapt program.

GROUP AND NETWORK NEWS

Wonthaggi Urban Landcare Group were fortunate to secure a small equipment grant from the Bass Coast Shire Council. The grant has provided much needed weeding equipment and material, allow the hard working volunteers to continue controlling weeds in Wonthaggi’s unique bushland reserves. The grant is also funding the printing of pamphlets highlighting the reserves and Wonthaggi Urban Landcare Group. 

Click here to read more about Wonthaggi Urban Landcare Group​

In late August, we hosted Wonthaggi Secondary College Year 9 students at a property in the Woolamai Hills to plant 11,000 indigenous plants, creating a huge wildlife corridor between existing remnant patches of vegetation. The day was a huge success with the sun shining and 180 students getting involved and getting their hands dirty. Big thanks to everyone involved!

This Project was funded through the Bass Coast Shire Council's' Biodiversity Biolinks project.

Want to undertake a project on your property? Click here to find out more...​

It appears the first batch of dung beetles, the winter active Bubas bison, have done well over the last few months. They have been very active coming out of the depths of winter, burying brood balls all over the nursery, and have now died off. Earlier this week a colony of spring active O. vacca arrived. Smaller in stature than B. bison, they have just been placed in a second nursery at the River Garden. In autumn and winter, the emerging beetles will be harvested and placed in paddock breeding tents throughout the Network area. To fill out an expression of interest to be involved in dung beetle monitoring and release, please email [email protected]

This project is supported by West Gippsland CMA, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

The Bass Coast Landcare Network Nursery turned 5 recently! Half a decade ago, a dedicated volunteer group undertook a plant ID and seed collecting series, and at the end committed to start the Nursery. The Bass Coast Shire Council funded the purchase of a hothouse in the first season, and recently funded all-access propagation and hothouse tables. Since then the group has expanded, added more hothouses, a tea room, and developed another hardening off area thanks to the Bass Rec. Reserve Committee of Management. The group grows up to 60,000 plants annually, 20,000 of which are gifted to community projects annually. Thanks to all the volunteers who have, and continue to make, the nursery a success.

Click here to learn more about the Nursery​

As a follow up from the Dream Island fox control program BCLN worked on for West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (WGCMA) and Parks Victoria, Jason Good was contacted by WGCMA to be interviewed for a podcast talking about all things pest animals, and what BCLN has been up to. This was a great opportunity for BCLN to demonstrate to other organisations, groups and landholders the many ways that we can assist whenever contractors are needed for pest animal control.  

Click here to listen​

From 1 September 2021, netting used to protect household fruit trees, vegetable gardens, or other fruiting plants, must have a mesh size of 5mm x 5mm or less at full stretch. If you use netting to protect your household fruit or vegetable harvest you will need to comply with this new mandatory requirement introduced under Victoria’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations 2019 (POCTA Regulations). Any existing household fruit netting that does not meet this specification must be replaced with appropriate netting.

Click here for more information​

The future management direction of the West Gippsland region’s land, water and biodiversity as well as our magnificent coastal areas is up for discussion that will set a course for the next six years. The West Gippsland Regional Catchment Strategy is an overarching strategy that responds to the challenges such as population growth, climate change and declining biodiversity. How do you want local rivers, lands and biodiversity managed over the next several years? Have your say!

Click here for more info!​

There is a host of good Landcare-related reasons for improving the proportion of soil organic carbon, including enhanced soil stability, primary production, water-holding capacity, biodiversity, nutrient cycles, and soil fertility.  As well as the immediate benefits of improved soil and carbon, farmers who can demonstrate an improvement in soil carbon may be able to generate and sell Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) into the carbon trading market. The approved soil carbon methodology that must be the basis for production of ACCUs has been reviewed to reduce the cost of soil carbon measurement, among other things.  

A proposed new method for soil carbon under the Emissions Reduction Fund is open for public comment, have your say here.  

GRANTS, TRAINING, INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR LANDHOLDERS

Wildthings Australia, a locally-based not-for-profit, is calling for expressions of interest from farmers who are interested in hosting a native pasture demonstration site. This program will be supported by leading professionals in the field through a two year program from September 2021 through to May 2023.

Click here for more information.​

The Victoria Serrated Tussock Working Party is providing community groups and organisations with the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to manage serrated tussock. The grants aim to support community groups and organisations build their capacity to achieve long term voluntary management of serrated tussock. Applications close on Thursday 30 September.

Click here for info and to apply​

Applications are now open for the 2022 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award and the new AgriFutures Rural Women’s Acceleration Grant. The Rural Women’s Award is Australia’s leading Award empowering and celebrating the inclusive and courageous leadership of women involved in Australia’s rural and emerging industries, businesses, and communities. The Award has seen close to 300 exceptional women develop innovative projects that are contributing to a prosperous future for rural Australia.  The Rural Women’s Award has a revised and tightened criteria for 2022 which requires applicants to have an existing project, business or program which falls into a Community, Collaboration or Commercial category. 

Click here to learn more, and to apply​

Grant applications are now open for the 2022 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. If you’re 18-35 and want to make a difference for Australia’s agriculture industries, this is your chance to apply for a grant of up to $22,000 to fund your project. The Science Awards support young innovators, scientists, researchers, extension officers, industry advisers and others actively engaged in the agriculture sector who have an original project that will contribute to the ongoing success and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture industries. Applications close 5pm, Friday 1 October 2021.

Click to learn more.​

Gippsland Food and Fibre Awards are a Gippsland region-based Awards program to recognise, celebrate and reward excellence in collaboration and innovation. The broad Awards program crosses all food and fibre sectors to recognise farm businesses (pre-& post farmgate) that have demonstrated innovation/excellence and business practices that maximise productivity and profitability – shaping the future of Gippsland.

Click here to learn more​

Spring has certainly sprung at the River garden! With Fruit trees in flower, wattles flowering in boundary plantings on the roadside and riverside, plus borage in the swales there are a lot of bees busy pollinating and lots of new growth happening too. We have been unable to host our regular Blitz days with guest speakers/demonstrators over the past two months and have really missed seeing you all. At our next blitz on Saturday 9^th of October we look forward to welcoming you back and also to host Adrian James again as our guest speaker, this time with a workshop on Managing Pests and Diseases. More on that in the Upcoming Events section of this Enews above.

For now, so we can concentrate our efforts on the keeping the swales, garden bed boxes, fruit and nut trees maintained and producing, we are going to let our five bed trial and large planting area next to the orchard return to pasture grasses. When we can again ramp up activity with volunteers and school groups it will be up to you, our community to decide what these areas would best be used for into the future. We will also be busy over the next few months getting the River Garden ready for the Producers Market which will be the final event held in the Sustainability Festival program, on Sunday 5^th of December. Early spring vegies are about to be planted and we will certainly have our hands full with the quick spring growth of the weeds and the grasses.

Click here to see how you can get involved with our emerging River Garden Community!​

Offset Your Vehicle Emissions for 2021/22 with 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.

Bass Coast Arc – 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.​ The Bass Coast Arc – “Community Access to Public Space” concept supports community groups to work with public land managers to improve the environment of our public spaces and create appropriate access to these unique areas.

Your contribution, no matter how small, helps to protect native plants and animals in Bass Coast’s most ecologically important landscapes. ​

Congratulations to new Dad, Luke and his partner Minnie on the safe arrival of their new baby girl, Lavender Rain! Luke began with us on the Works Crew and in the past year has transitioned into a multifaceted role, in Natural Resource Management, assisting Jye with revegetation projects, sharing part of the Communications and Admin Assistant role with Anna and helping Lisa with the River Garden volunteers and some Education days. Be sure to say hello if you see him around when he returns to work next week.

For more information on our staff team, click here.​

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.