Welcome to the April edition of Bass Coast Landcare Network's E-news. 

Our focus in Landcare tends to be on restoring our external landscapes, however another equally important part of Landcare and why a lot of people get involved and stay involved is the social aspect. The benefits for our individual well being and mental health are huge including increased connection with other community members, increased self esteem and sense of purpose that comes from being involved in something larger than just 'us'.

Studies have shown that people who are more socially connected are happier, healthier and more likely to take action and help each other out when times are tough. 

This month there are a range of social events to choose from, giving you the opportunity to get out and about, meet your fellow landcarers and connect with your local community.  We hope to see you at some of these gatherings!

As always there are lots of stories in the news section and plenty of interesting resources for you to check out as well.

You can also stay informed at our website 

www.basscoastlandcare.org.au

or on our facebook page at 

https://www.facebook.com/BassCoastLandcareNetwork/ 

and if you haven't already, give us a like and follow our page!

Get to know your fellow Landcarers at the first annual BCLN social BBQ

You are invited to our 1st Annual BCLN Social Gathering on Sunday 15th April 2018 at 12:30 - 3:30 pm at the beautiful surrounds of the Kongwak Pioneer Reserve.
Come along and get to know your Network Board members, staff and other fellow Landcarers in this relaxed social setting. A BBQ lunch will be provided,  BYO drinks and a chair.
RSVP is essential To register click on the link below:  ​https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/bass-coast-landcare-network-inc-12679935551
For further information contact Anna Gloria on [email protected] 

Annual Harvest Festival at Phillip Island Community Orchard

All are welcome to attend this great community gathering to celebrate another great year of growing food together at the Phillip Island Community Orchard on Saturday 21st of April from 12-4pm.

Bring along something, found, foraged or homegrown to be shared for a long lunch with locally sourced BBQ foods and local musician Dannielle Baylis.

During and after lunch there will be ‘Open Mic’ Food making demonstrations – Pesto, Dukka, Apple Cider Vinegar - Do you have a favorite recipe to share with everyone? Bring it along and do a demonstration!

After lunch expert Horticulturalist Jarrod Ruch also returns to help with tips on pest control, companion planting and pruning. This day is proudly supported by Bass Coast Landcare Network, Bass Coast Shire Council and Westernport Water. 

For more information and to book your place click on this link

Climate Change Resilience field day in Bass Coast

You are invited to an exciting field day focusing on climate change resilience in Bass Coast on Thursday 26th of April from 10am - 2pm at the Kernot Hall. This day will feature  Soil Scientist, Declan McDonald, speaking on the following topics:   

• Things to consider when thinking about innovation and diversification;
• Climate change and its impacts on Agriculture in Bass Coast;
• The planning scheme and its impacts on Agriculture in Bass Coast;
• Examples of diversification activities in Gippsland;
• Land capability assessment- how to apply it to your own property;
• Development of options on Case Study property in Woodleigh;
• Diversification and Innovation ‘how-to-start' checklist.
RSVP are essential, find out more and book your place by clicking on this link

''Growing Community, Growing Food - River Garden Field Day Series"  continues on Saturday April 28th

The next installment in the 'Growing Community, Growing Food - Hands on Learning Days' at the river garden will be on Saturday 28th of April and we would love to see you there. 

This day will again feature expert Horticulturalist/permaculturalist Jarrod Ruch, this time focusing on Crop diversification, innovative growing methods such as stacking and sequential rotation, making composts, fertilisers and biochar to improve soils biologically. These methods can be applied over all property scales from farm to garden so will be appropriate for many members and friends in our area. 

What a great way to get involved in this dynamic, new space, soon to be a community garden, trials, innovation and education precinct on the banks of the Bass River. 
Click this link to find out what's in store for this day and book your place.​

Gippsland Intrepid Sandy Point Retreat

Gippsland Intrepid Landcare will be holding our their first ever Landcare retreat from the 28th- 29th of April at Sandy Point, Victoria! Places are limited to 25 people and there will be a charge of $30, which includes food, accommodation and activities. We have a lot planned for the weekend including; Sea spurge/weed removal, Surfing Lessons, special guest Tim Silverwood- ‘Getting your project off the ground’, Leadership training session and plenty of nature walks. We have already sent out emails to our members, so places are going quickly! 

Gippsland Intrepid Landcare is a volunteer group for passionate, creative and energetic 18-35 year olds, connecting young people to their region through environmental projects and epic adventures. New members always, always welcome!
Please email your expressions of interest A.S.A.P. to gippslandintrepidlandcare@gmail.com

Luminous Galleries light up April-July

If you couldn't make it to the fantastic evening of entertainment at the launch of the Luminous Galleries earlier this month at Corinella, you can still view these beautiful installations right up until July with artworks spread across four towns: Pioneer Bay, Grantville, Corinella and Coronet Bay. Click on the link below for the full calendar pictured above. 

Bought to you by The Edge Of Us: Small Town Transformation, an arts project celebrating life in our tiny Waterline towns. Across 2017 and 2018 artists and residents from CORINELLA, CORONET BAY, GRANTVILLE, TENBY POINT and PIONEER BAY will light up the towns in a series of projects to help understand our connections to one another, our unique environment and our call to the water's edge.

This project is proudly administered by the Bass Valley Landcare Group. 

For more information go to theedgeofus.com.au   

Attenborough Natter

Does his voice make you feel like you're wrapped in your favorite blanket in the safest place you've ever imagined?
The South Gippsland Landcare Network are hosting a gathering at McIndoe Park on Tuesday May 8 at 6pm to pay homage to the veteran British broadcaster and naturalist on his 92nd Birthday. Yes, you heard right- he turns ninety two this year!! 
Let’s put some positivity out there into the world and marvel at the achievements of this incredible man, who is the most traveled person in recorded human history. In these times, something as silly as getting together for an “Attenborough Natter” can have a positive effect, and we’d like to see everyone come together. If we can remind people that this world we are lucky to inhabit is beautiful, fragile and worth protecting by talking in Sir David Attenborough’s accent then we’ll be happy.

Click here to go to the event page for more details​

A rainy River Garden Hands on Learning Day

Want some rain? Although we need much, much more, hosting a Landcare event always seems to attract it and the first day in the 'Growing Community, Growing Food - Hands on learning days' series on Saturday 24th of March certainly didn't break with tradition!  
Despite the morning storm, we still had a small but dedicated group and although admittedly we spent a large part of the day inside learning from the vast experience of our guest speaker Jarrod Ruch, we did get outside after lunch once the rain cleared. After discussing property planning, weed control and biological soil improvement, we headed out to sheet mulch part of the swales on the slope behind the Bass office. 
Everyone involved in this day had great conversations, learnt from each other and contributed to this great community resource, the River Garden. Thanks to all that came and shared their experiences and we look forward to seeing you at the next one on April 28th. 

🥦🥕🌽🍅🍒🍎🍐🍋

Click here for booking details for the next event in the series

A great 'Day on the Farm' event had by all

Eastern Barred Bandicoots aplenty on Churchill Island

In early April, staff from Bass Coast Landcare Network were taken on a spotlighting tour at Churchill Island by Jessica McKelson, Conservation Manager and Duncan Sutherland, Deputy Research Manager, both of the Phillip Island Nature Parks. We got a very informative update on the Eastern Barred Bandicoot program and saw several of the cute little critters first hand while discussing how both organisations can work together into the future. It was very rewarding to see how our work on rabbit exclusion around Churchill Island has benefited this threatened species. We look forward to working with the Phillip Island Nature Parks on many of our programs into the future. 

Pictured L-R: Lisa Wangman - BCLN Education and Training Team Leader, Kelsey Tong - BCLN Works Crew, Stevie Wynen - BCLN Works Crew, Duncan Sutherland - PINP Deputy Research Manager, Jessica McKelson - PINP Conservation Mangager. Photographer: Kellie Nichols - BCLN Executive Officer. 

For more information on the Eastern Barred Bandicoot program on Phillip Island click here​

Feral Pigs, Foxes and the Brown Goshawk

Bass Coast Landcare Network has been undertaking some pre- revegetation monitoring by using camera trapping at some of our large Bass Coast Biolinks project sites funded by the Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning. Our camera traps use infrared technology to capture photos at low light levels once movement is detected past the lens. 

At Finn McRae’s 10 ha soon to be revegetated gully we have captured several species on film including; feral pigs, foxes, kangaroos, humans, cattle and the brown goshawk. Our works crew team leader Cameron Butcher was initially disappointed when he found the camera trap lying face down on the ground. However once he uploaded the pictures we were very surprised with the results and have a fair idea of how the camera was dislodged from its spot, perhaps from the feral pig pictured above? 

Over the coming months we will have camera traps out at a further 4 sites and hopefully capture images of some rare and threatened species. If your interested in borrowing our camera traps contact Cameron at [email protected]    

Grant success!! Community skills development workshops coming for Bass Coast Landcare Group Members

We are now planning and will be rolling out some training days this year for Landcare members in Bass Coast due to our successful grant in the recently announced Community Skills Development Grants from the Victorian Government, ‘Training efficient and effective Landcare Groups in the Bass Coast Landcare Network’. 
This will include: First Aid, Grant Writing, Citizen science and monitoring, social media and communications days.
We will be working with our group committees to organise these days, announcements to come in the next enews!
$495,500 was provided to 59 environmental volunteer groups across the state to undertake activities that will strengthen the capacity of volunteer community-based groups and networks.

Click here to check our website's Training Page for future updates and information on these days​

Young Farmer Grants available

Young farmers in Victoria can access scholarships of up to $10,000 to help boost skills and implement new on-farm initiatives.
Funding available: up to $10,000 is available for farmers and farm workers aged 35 years or under to help them with professional development and career progression.This includes $5,000 for study, backed by a further $5,000 to invest on-farm or in professional development activities to help put new skills into practice.
The Victorian Government's Young Farmers Scholarship Program aims to support young farmers to build productive and profitable careers in agriculture. The Program recognises that in the future, young farmers will need a broad range of skills so they can embrace new technologies, respond to a range of challenges and capitalise on emerging opportunities. Applications close: 24 April 2018

​More info: visit www.vic.gov.au/youngfarmers

​BCLN Website Resources - Sustainable Living 

Our website has a range of resources, from fact sheets to case studies to videos and documents. Each month we try to feature something different that you may not have found yet.

This Sustainable Living Kit is designed to help householders to reduce their impacts on the environment by reducing energy and water use and waste production. It evolved from a three-year sustainability project for households and businesses, which was conducted by Phillip Island Landcare with funding from the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund.
We hope that this kit will empower people to make changes in their homes. We also hope that it is valuable to other organisations planning to conduct sustainability projects in their own communities.

You can now offset your car emissions with BCLN

We are excited to announce our new program to encourage people to offset their car’s emissions. The way the program works is members of the community can make a donation which varies depending on the size of their car, and in return, BCLN will plant a number of native plants which will offset the emissions of that size car.

Participants will receive a sticker for their donation, which states ‘We’ve Offset our Car Emissions with Bass Coast Landcare Network’ which they can proudly place on their rear windscreen to show off their commitment to the environment. We hope to gain lots of interest and see these stickers out on the roads soon.

To offset your car emissions with BCLN click here

Bass Coast Arc – Public Fund making projects a reality - Donate today to make a difference

The Bass Coast Landcare Network Public Fund is a regional non-profit organisation focusing on conserving biodiversity in Bass Coast. We need your donations to help fund small projects by local community groups working with the relevant Land Managers to improve public spaces and create community access.

Under the banner of “Bass Coast Arc – Community Access to Public Space” the Public Fund aims to support local community groups doing things like: Managing pest plants and animals, surveying vegetation, repairing and upgrading infrastructure, including public tracks and fences.

Be a part of this important work - Click here to donate today!​

We would love to hear from you and your groups with stories and photos of what's been happening in your area and suggestions of things that you would like to see in your E-news.

We look forward to meeting and catching up with you all at some of our social events coming up, 

Until next month, 

From the Bass Coast Landcare Network.