Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority - GHCMA

 

Fiery Creek Restoration Project	Substantial management attention has been directed to the Fiery Creek over the last few years with community action, and more recently flood recovery programs. Glenelg Hopkins CMA has received funding for the Fiery Creek Restoration Project. The target area for this community-driven project is the upper reaches of the Fiery Creek (in the H12 sub catchment). The Fiery Creek Restoration Project will develop action plans to protect priority waterway assets and undertake works to protect and restore these assets in priority reaches of Fiery Creek. This will be achieved by developing Waterway Action Plans (WAPs) and implementing them in partnership with the community. For more information click here
Wetland Tender 3	Wetland Tender is helping landholders to better protect their wetlands, while providing an opportunity to generate income. The activity will particularly focus on wetlands west of the Glenelg River, given their ability to support a wide range of native plants and animals. As many wetlands are found on private property, the Glenelg Hopkins CMA is offering landholders incentive payments to help care for wetlands through the Wetland Tender project. Landholders can nominate a bid to undertake activities in line with an agreed management plan which may include fencing of the wetland to exclude stock, a different grazing regime, blocking of drains or revegetation. The bid provides landholders with an opportunity to look after their wetlands and generate a regular and reliable income in return. For further information contact Jacinta Hendriks on 55712526 or email ghcma@ghcma.vic.gov.au with Wetland Tender in the subject line. The Expression of Interest period has closed for this year. Contact the CMA if you have any further queries.
For more information about this project: Wetland Tender fact sheet Wetland Tender Probity Report

Glenelg Alliance

OUR HIGH ECOLOGICAL VALUE AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS - Through Caring for Our Country, an Australian Government initiative, the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority has secured funding for a collaborative project aimed at protecting our high conservation value aquatic ecosystems (HEVAE). This project calls on all land managers including both public & private to join forces to address high priority pest plant and animal threats and work together to rehabilitate our waterways. For further information contact Tim Covey or Lachlan Farrington on 55712526 or email ghcma@ghcma.vic.gov.au with Glenelg Alliance in the subject line.

The story of the Glenelg Alliance - click here Fact Sheet - click here Action Plan - FAQs - click here

Native Grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plans

There are less than 1% of our native grasslands remaining across the Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP).Glenelg Hopkins CMA is providing financial assistance for farmers with grasslands and grassy woodlands on their properties through the Native Grassland Program. This program aims to help you improve the quality of your site and will provide you with a management plan and incentive payments to help cover costs for management actions. Management actions can include fencing, alternative stock watering, supplementary planting and pest plant and animal control. For further information contact Aggie Stevenson on 55712526 or email ghcma@ghcma.vic.gov.au with VVP projects in the subject line. FIELD DAY Native pasture management for biodiversity and production Glenelg Hopkins CMA invites you to see how native pastures can be grazed to increase their biodiversity values while increasing agricultural production When: Wednesday 18th April 2012 Time: 9:30am - 12:30pm Where: "Mawallok", 3802 Geelong Road, Stockyard Hill. For more information click here

Native Grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plants fact sheet

To access application forms go to the Victorian Landcare Gateway website

Woodlands Protection Project

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority has secured funding to deliver a Woodlands Protection project, through Caring for Our Country, a Commonwealth Government initiative. The aim of this project is to protect remnant woodlands on private land by increasing awareness and knowledge of biodiversity risks and adopting sustainable farm practices. This is the third year of a 4-year project which is focusing on landcape protection of Red Gums. The focus areas are Dunkeld-Victoria Valley and Casterton-Wando Vale. For further information contact Tania Parker on 5571 2526 or ghcma@ghcma.vic.gov.au with Woodlands Protection in the subject line. Woodlands Protection Fact Sheet click here

Land Health Program

WORKING WITH FARMERS: • to improve soil health and farm productivity while protecting our natural resources For farmland to provide for future generations, today's farmers need agricultural management practices that sustain ecosystem and soil health whilst maintaining a profitable farm business. Glenelg Hopkins CMA recognises that the individual landowner is best placed to make and implement land management decisions for their property.

Victorian Investment Framework Land Health fact sheet

Our Coast	Learning & action a force to protect our assets "Our Coast 2010/11" provides opportunities for landholders and coastal community groups to protect and enhance the unique wetlands, estuaries and vegetation present in the region's coastal corridor. Funding is available for on-ground works including revegetation, weed inspection and control, and waterway and wetland fencing. Glenelg Hopkins CMA encourages individuals and groups to call and discuss potential projects with the coastal team. A team member will visit on site and help develop the project. For further information contact Jarred Obst on 5571 2526 or ghcma@ghcma.vic.gov.au with Our Coast in the subject line
Our Coast 2011-12 fact sheet
Flood Recovery Employment Program (FREP)	FREP is an employment program to help farmers who may have been impacted by the floods, such as replanting, reconstructing fencing that may have been washed away by the floods. The FREP carews are available to work around townships on Crown Land doing tasks such as cleaning up rubbish, maintenance of infrastructure. They have also been involved inplanting trees as part of the Partnership Projects; general creek clean up, removal of trees, planting trees. The four crews are available to work with Landcare groups; ie planting trees along creeks and rivers. weed spraying. Contact Dion Borg or Peter Waldron on 5571 2526.

OTHER GLENELG HOPKINS CMA PROJECTS THIS YEAR:

Large Scale River Restoration

Glenelg Hopkins CMA is offering landholders in the Upper Glenelg River region increased levels of funding of up to $5.10 per metre for river fencing. In 2010-11 the CMA is focusing its river restoration efforts on the Chetwynd and Dergholm area, although any landholder from Casterton to Balmoral may be eligible for funding. Works follow on from the recent development of the Chetwynd Region Waterway Action Plan (WAP). In addition, a new WAP will be developed in the Dergholm area.

• Victorian Investment Framework - Glenelg Large Scale River Restoration fact sheet

Threatened species recovery plans

This activity is part of an ongoing and catchment-wide project that aims to enhance the condition, connectivity, resilience and knowledge of populations and habitats of threatened species. It aims to reduce critical threats through the implementation of specifi c high priority ABC actions; these being actions listed in the Actions for Biodiversity Conservation (ABC) database. These actions will provide the best information available on population, habitat and threat states for these species and enable Glenelg Hopkins CMA to include threatened species in its analysis of the catchment condition.

• Victorian Investment Framework - Glenelg Threatened Flora & Fauna Species - Glenelg fact sheet

 

Gunditj Mirring Partnership Program

The Gunditj Mirring Partnership Project will research, discover and record traditional and contemporary Gunditjmara land management practices across the far southwest of Victoria to provide Indigenous Ecological Knowledge for land management today and into the future.

• Caring for our Country -  Gunditj Mirring Partnership

Estuary Management and Monitoring

Estuaries are where the rivers meet the sea and are the mixing place of seawater and freshwater that fl ows from the catchment. The extent of an estuary at a particular point is dependant on the relative contribution of freshwater and seawater. Estuaries are dynamic environments that provide a home to a wide range of species through varied habitats, Estuaries are also important socially, culturally and economically.

This activity supports the ongoing monitoring of physicochemical parameters of estuaries in the Glenelg Hopkins CMA region. The physiochemical parameters monitored in this activity are estuary water level, dissolved oxygen, temperature, total dissolved solids, pH, turbidity, nutrients and fl ow. This activity monitors the heritage-listed Glenelg estuary and the Surry, Fitzroy, Yambuk, Merri and the Hopkins estuaries. Ultimately the estuary monitoring project aims to improve knowledge so we can better protect and manage our estuaries.

The monitoring helps us to regulate and administer artifi cial river mouth openings, implement management actions and identify emerging issues to estuary health. Monitoring contributes to a long term data set for the purpose of determining trends in potential estuary water quality measures. Physicochemical data from regular profi les and surface measurements from telemetry stations contribute to our understanding of physical and biological processes and are also an important component of the CMA’s estuary management of river mouth openings.

Fact Sheet

Reducing the risk of soil acidification

Acidic soils costs Victorian farmers over $500 million in lost production annually. Soil acidifi cation is a naturally occurring process accelerated by agricultural practices including:

1. Soil type (e.g. volcanic soils)

2. Removal of produce (e.g. wheat, hay, wool or milk)

3. Leaching of excess soil nitrogen, as nitrates, below plant roots

Plants grow best when the pH of soil is between 5.5 and 6.5. Below pH 5.5, plant growth is slowed as elements such as aluminium become available and benefi cial nutrients become unavailable.

• Caring for our Country -  Acid Soil Management