Southern ACT Catchment Group Coordinators Report

November 2013 / October 2014

PROJECTS/FUNDING

ACT Environment Grants 2014/2015

  • Cypress Springs waterways (erosion control structures): ~$15,000 Successful
  • Revegetation of the MRC at Castle Hill: ~$8,000. This project is underway with 1000 trees and shrubs already planted
  • Revegetation and Erosion control for Barney’s Gully (fencing and revegetation):~ $13,000. This was not successful as the area requires approval for erosion control works as it is Pink tailed worm lizard habitat. The application has been resubmitted to the 25th Anniversary Landcare Grants Program following approval from the ACT senior wildlife ecologist and some modifications.

ACT Environment Grants 2013/2014

  • The coordinator is currently aquitting funding of around $43 000 for the project Weed Control Assistance for the Paddy’s R Rural Lessee’s. This assisted the landholders to meet the costs of weed control in the catchment including tussock grasses and woody weeds to prevent further spread into the MDRC. The grant assisted weed control in over 9000ha in the paddys river catchment with 5 landholders participating.The coordinator visited all sites to photograph change and meet with farmers about other environmental issues to be targeted in the area in the future. Good engagement with these landholders has led to ongoing communications and additional projects.

ACT Environment Grants 2012/2013

  • The Catchment Wide Pest Species Mapping and Coordinated Control Grant provided funding for the purchase of equipment for SACTCG member groups and has been aquitted. Equipment purchased includes 2 mini-tablets, 4 ‘phablets’ all with GPS capability as well as 5 motorised high-pressure backpack sprayers for lending by groups. Lending arrangements will be established once all the gear is fully operational. Groups have been using the devices for mapping rabbit warrens for TAMS to treat.

ACT Environment Grant 2011/2012

  • The Hughes Garran Woodland Group grant has provided funds for the maintenance and further development of walking tracks within the Park, planting of native trees and shrubs, building and installing nesting boxes for native birds, purchasing portable fire fighting equipment and engaging a consultant to develop the Hughes-Garran Park Plan of Management.This grant was varied to 31st October 2013 and has been acquitted.

ACT Heritage Grants 2014/2015

  • We have recently been successful in a 2014-2015 grant application for $9000 for 6 indigenous interpretive walks in Tuggeranong.These will be undertaken with Thunderstone Group and will be focused around the Tuggeranong Valley and include interpretation of sites such as Lanyon scar trees, and Theodore grinding grooves.

ACT Heritage Grants 2013/2014

  • SThe signage for Nils Desperandum Grant obtained funding of over $12 000 for signage at Nils Desperandum Homestead. Five signs have been made describing the Heritage value of the cottage, Eucalyptus distillery, Koala enclosure, Ashbury and Swimming pool and will be part of the Canberra tracts signs. The project has now been extended with some remainder funding to be spent on additional signage. Fiona has carriage over this project and will be doing the acquittal.

ACT Rural Grants

  • ACT Rural Grant sis a new program aimed at supporting rural landholders in the region. SACTCG supported a successful application for Cypress Springs property “Cypress Springs rabbit control and native grassland restoration” for ~$11 600. Work has progressed with an area being ripped to destroy burrows. Seeding may occur at a later date depending on what naturally re-establishes. A field trip will be planned to demonstrate rehabilitation following rabbit control.

Spray Safe and Save Courses

  • The coordinator organized a Spray Save and Save course on two occasions in this year. Both of these were cancelled due to low enrollments. We will attempt to run these again in a year when reaccreditation may be required by those who have done the course prior.

Erosion Control Workshops

  • The Regional Landcare Facilitators programhas provided $8000 of funding for SACTCG to run workshops(previously the Spray courses ). A series of Erosion Control workshops have been designed with ParkCarers and Landcarers in the ACT on low cost solutions for volunteer workers to help stop active erosion in the parks and reserves in which they work. These workshops will provide valuable information on understanding local landscape processes and guidance on how to target and undertake control works using a soft approach to kickstart natural repair in gullies.
  • The introductory 2 day workshop is planned for November with Cam Wilson from Earth Integral. Cam will instruct us on two Saturdays covering theory and principals of erosion control, field visits and an opportunity to apply methods in an actively eroding gully in Farrer Ridge Reserve.
  • Follow up workshops will be undertaken with interested ParkCare Groups who will have Cam with them for a ½ day of day to assess their reserves/erosion sites and assist in an erosion control activity. 5 groups have shown interest and an addition 2 to 3 groups from the other catchments will be offered a day of Cams time.

GVESHO

  • No future funding is available through this program. The 2013-3014 grant will be acquitted following the AGM.

Coordinator Funding

  • Funding for the EcologicalResilience in the Southern ACT project under the Regional Investment Strategy provided $161616 for 2013-2014, and will provide $169949 for 2014-15. This funding covers the employment of 1.6 FTE (8 days/week) project officers. This funding will continue to support the Catchment Coordination and Project Officerfor the Group as well as office costs, superannuation and other on-costs. In general the new structure of deliverables has meant a year of adjusting much of activity towards onground work as well as capacity building projects.
  • Following the success of ACT Government funding of the waterwatch program we have been able to employ Fiona Spier to assist in achieving the outputs under the RIS
  • The contract for the following 3 years has guaranteed $129,396, $130,303, $127,778 consecutively. These funds will supply only 1.4 FTE’s, which is 80% of the funds required to sustain current activity. The additional 20% will not be available.

Parkcare Group Support

  • This year has seen the rise of a new group for Urambi Hills. While final formalisation of the group is pending ranger support with the TAMS, a planting day was organised on Urambi Hill on the 29th June where 30 people showed up in near blizzard like conditions to plant woodland trees and shrubs. Further planting days are planned. The group are undertaking monthly group visits to Urambi to check on plantings and develop a more intimate understanding of the environment.
  • The ParkCare and Share has been developed by the Southern ACT Catchment Group in partnership with their member ParkCare and Landcare Groups. The rolling series of workshops is run by ParkCarers and Land Carers for ParkCarers and Landcarers with the primary aim of building capacity and support within the volunteering community of the ACT and surrounds. Three workshops have taken place since November including Cooleman Ridge in February, Farrer Ridge in June and Mt Taylor in October.
  • The coordinator has also:
  • sourced plants for Farrer Ridge and assisted in a planting event in an erosion gully,
  • assisted Mt Taylor with Marist student in erosion control activities and;
  • sourced plants POSM to undertake a planting around Barney’s Gully
  • sourced grass seed for Cooleman Ridge, Farrer Ridge and POSM to use during weeding activities in the winter to replace exotic grasses. This will continue this year.

IT & Office

  • We moved to our new offices in Wanniassa and are very happy with the new set up. The facilities of the meeting spaces and easy access for parking and loading have been very useful for supporting our partnerships with other organisations.
  • Training was undertaken by some group conveyors to upload content onto the SACTCG website and information about groups and activities has improved. Ongoing maintenance of the website is required.
  • Training was also undertaken by 6 people from SACTCG to use ArcGIS and Fiona is now using ArcGIS to map and plan all of our RIS projects and we are beginning to develop a spatial database. We foresee that the ArcGIS program will assist with the strategic planning process, for communicating with PCS, for SACTCG reporting and to be useful for groups when looking at future works planning.
  • Web updates & maintenance continue to be undertaken with the help of Deb Kellock.
  • 1 new computer has been purchased in the past year for the project officer positionand all computers are now linked for file sharing. The 4thcomputer is being used for volunteers and landholders for preparing applications and data entry.
  • A new projects email address has also been set up for the project officer.

Other Activities

This year has been the first year of a new funding framework. Our current coordinator and project officer has the administration of the Southern ACT Catchment Group, including office management. During the period October 2013 to June 2014 our coordinator has:

  • been on the committee for the formation of a peak body for Landcare in the ACT.
  • represented ACT at the National Landcare Network meeting in Melbourne
  • attended the National Landcare Conference and field trip in Melbourne
  • been on the Steering Committee and assisted in runningthe ACT ParkCare Forum
  • applied for 3ACT Environment Grants, an ACT Heritage Grant, an ACT Rural Grant, a partnered Green Army Project and more recently the 25th Anniversary Landcare Grant and is working on a 20 Million Trees Program with rural Landholders;
  • reported on the first year of the SACTCG RIS funding and MERI planfor Caring for Our Country Regional Investment Strategy (now the National Landcare Program) and negotiated monitoring and reporting requirements with ACT Government NRM team ;
  • participated in the ACT Catchment and Landcare Association (CLA) and the ACT Facilitators/Coordinators meetings;
  • organised and attended the Catchment Group displays at the Botanical Gardens Centenary celebrations, Tuggeranong festival, ACT Volunteering Expo, and the Canberra Show.
  • attended an Aboriginal Heritage Workshop
  • attended the ACT Government research unit’s Eco Focus seminar
  • participated in ‘Radio Landcare’ on Radio 2XX (The 2 coordinators now run their own monthly show)
  • continued production and distribution of Southern News;
  • attended meetings and worked on options for developing a cross-catchment project to address CFOC/NRM Council priorities;
  • organised and attended SACTCG meetings;
  • assisted inorganising SACTCG field trips, including to STEP and a Strategic planning meeting on the 26th November.

I would like to thank our members and particularly the Executive Committee for their ongoing support. I would also like to thank my work colleagues, Martin and Fiona whose help with many of our projects and the day to day running of the office has been indispensable.

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