Landcare & Community News |
Welcome to the June 2020 issue of the Greater Sydney Landcare & Community News.
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Stay vigilant for Parthenium weed!
Further to our story last month, the Parthenium weed found at Engadine in April remains the only site in Sydney this weed has been found. There have been over 30 new detections around NSW including in the neighbouring Hunter region. Many of the new incursions have been attributed to hay from Queensland donated during the drought. Thanks to the actions of landholders and authorities, 15 of these sites are now under control. The plants at Engadine are believed to have come from organic chicken seed, also from Queensland. As mentioned previously, this highly invasive plant can cause severe dermatitis and respiratory problems in humans and invade pastures and crops, causing serious impacts for the agricultural industry. It's important to remain vigilant and keep an eye out for this weed, especially around areas that received donated hay during the drought. If you think you’ve seen this weed, contact the NSW DPI Biosecurity Helpline on 1800 680 244 or click HERE to report online. Click HERE to read more information about Parthenium weed on the NSW DPI WeedWise website. | | Are you the next River Keeper?The Parramatta River Catchment Group is seeking applications for the River Keeper position. If you are passionate about working collaboratively with the community to protect biodiversity and the beautiful Parramatta River – then this role is for you. Hosted by City of Canada Bay, this is a part-time role until June 2022. Applications close on 14 June. Click HERE for more information. | | | | | The Big Shift for Small Farms podcast
Greater Sydney Local Land Services has launched a series of online resources to support small farmers during self-isolation. The Big Shift for Small Farms podcast and “From the Ground Up – marketing fundamentals” video series include a broad range of expert advice and information for growers and producers running a variety of business from industry experts and their farming peers. Play the podcasts from your favourite podcast app or click HERE. | | | 14-year Lantana weed removal project in historic Brickpit site comes to an endStarting in 2006, the last stand of Lantana is being removed from the Brickpit at Sydney Olympic Park this month. This completes the removal and replacement of over 2ha of Lantana. More than 50,000 native plant seedlings have been planted to enhance the biodiversity. The Brickpit is home to the endangered green and golden bell frog, and the Park was careful to remove weeds without impacting habitat for native animals. Read more about this project in the SMH and on the SOPA website. (Photos: Nick Moir, SMH) | | | | The ‘ Adventures at your place‘ activity series encourages kids to get outside and explore their own backyard and local bushland/waterway. Developed by Hunter Local Land Services, a new activity is posted every week so get everyone on board as your kids discover, learn about and enjoy their piece of the landscape puzzle. Click HERE to start the adventures! | | | Explore National Parks from home
Working in partnership with Google, NSW National Parks (NPWS) has captured imagery in over 50 national parks using Google's special backpack-mounted trekker. With more than 1,350km of Google Trekker footage, there are hundreds of experiences to discover. Click HERE to start exploring. | | | Visit the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney virtually
Take a virtual tour through the critically endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland or go on a Rainforest walk. Click HERE to "go" for a walk! | | | Park Live at Sydney Olympic ParkGo on virtual tours and learn and discover the unique wildlife and environments within Sydney Olympic Park. | | | Streamwatch is recommencingWith the easing of COVID-19 restrictions Greater Sydney Landcare Network has announced that Streamwatch water quality testing will recommence, but with additional safety precautions. For more information contact Elisha Duxbury, Streamwatch Coordinator or click HERE to read the latest Streamwatch newsletter. | | | |
Birds connect our world! World Migratory Bird Day was on 9 May. This year’s theme is “Birds Connect our World” which is the case with migratory shorebirds. Some migratory birds travel up to 25,000km in a round trip! Episode 5 of Birdlife Australia’s Birding at home Facebook live series was about migratory shorebirds and how they connect our world. View the video HERE. Birdlife Australia has also just released the latest edition of the Shorebird Identification Booklet. This is the perfect pocket-sized companion for shorebird counters and birdwatchers, with lots of useful information on our most common shorebirds, key identification features, sighting distribution maps and short articles on some of BirdLife’s shorebird activities. For more Shorebirds resources, including identification tips, and resources for kids, go to Birdlife's website HERE. More migratory bird information can be found at “Meet the Shorebirds” with cute illustrations about the migratory species that visit Australia every year. Need a crossword fix? Why not check out the daily “ Cross-bird” by Birdlife Australia. | | | | Natural hollows can take 90 years to form. This website provides easy access to all the resources about nest boxes available on the internet, by Government departments, researchers, and not for profit organisations. It also shares the experiences of Alice McGlashan, with more than 30 nest boxes now installed on her regenerating woodland property, of successes, failures, experiments and learnings. Want to know more about nest boxes? Watch this Gardening Australia story. | | Liveable Parramatta videos
Many councils and organisations are using a variety of innovative ways to stay connected with their community. The team at Parramatta Council have created some fabulous videos, including how to build a frog hotel in your backyard, how to create a habitat stepping stone, and a Q&A about composting. Videos coming up include Bushcare 101 and virtual bushwalk on Facebook at Liveable Parramatta. If you don't have Facebook, you should still be able to check them out by following this link to their Facebook page and scrolling through the posts. | | | | | Tubestock planting demonstration
The team at Hunter Region Landcare Network has produced an easy-to-follow guide of how to plant tubestock with lots of good tips and tricks to help them survive and thrive. Watch the video HERE. | | | The National Landcare Conference has been postponed and will now take place from 10-12 March 2021. The deadline for the call for abstracts has also been extended until 1 July 2020. Click HERE for full details. | | Sydney edible garden virtual trail The physical trail has been postponed until 2021. BUT you can now buy tickets to the 2020 Virtual Sydney Edible Garden Tour until June 30 HERE. | | | | Grants, Funding and Awards | - Resilient Australia Awards and the NSW Get Ready Community Award 2020
There has never been a more important time to come together, inspire and celebrate initiatives that help us better prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. The Resilient Australia Awards is a national program which recognises initiatives that strengthen community disaster resilience. Submissions close 8 June 2020. The NSW Get Ready Community Award is a State initiative that recognises a local community that has worked together to make their community more prepared and better able to recover from disasters. Submissions close 5 July 2020. Click HERE for more information. - NSW Local Land Services has opened the Supporting our neighbours - public land boundary fencing program to help bushfire-affected landholders with the cost of rebuilding boundary fences adjoining public lands. Private landholders who share a boundary with public land and were impacted by the recent bushfires are eligible to receive up to $5,000 per kilometre to contribute to the replacement of damaged boundary fences. Grants can be issued retrospectively to cover costs already incurred. Click HERE to apply or call 1300 778 080.
- Macpac Fund for Good: Up to $10,000 for Environmental Projects. If you are part of a not-for-profit organisation working on environmental or social causes related to the outdoors, you may be eligible for a Macpac Fund for Good grant. Your activities need to be based in New Zealand or Australia, or their territories. For more information on the types of funding we provide, or to apply for a grant, please fill out this application form. 4 rounds are held each year - round 3 closes 31 July.
- Keep an eye on the Wettenhall Environment Trust's Small Environmental Grant Scheme, with four rounds every year. Grants are usually under $10,000 and focus on flora and fauna conservation or threatened mammal conservation. Click HERE for more information,
- The Sunrise Project Small Grants - up to $5,000. The focus is on reducing the impact of coal and gas industries on ecosystems.
- Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal - 'Tackling the tough times together grants' are always open. These grants help communities access the resources they need to support one another through the ongoing effects of drought. Grants of up to $20,000 are now available across drought-affected communities nationally. For more information, click HERE
| | This project has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust. | | |
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