summer 2008-2009 mallee update newsletter, murray mallee local action planning

8/9/2019 Summer 2008-2009 Mallee Update Newsletter, Murray Mallee Local Action Planning

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MALLEE

Volume 10, Issue 4 update

What's inside

www.malleefutures.org.au

Funding for soil stabilisation works

With new federal government priorities and processes forsourcing funding, the Murray Mallee LAP will have verylimited funds for on ground works in the 2009 season.

Currently there is no funding available for Revegetation ofLocal Native Species or Establishment of Fodder. There islimited funds available for Establishing Pasture species

(available only in conjunction with Reducing Soil ErosionProject see below). We are working on sourcing fundingwhere we can for these types of projects.

We also continue to work with larger landscape scale projects for biodiversityoutcomes and hope that these will also attract further funding for on ground

works in the Mallee.

We have received confirmation of funding for January to June 2009 through theSAMDBNRM Board for the following projects;

'Managing and Reducing Soil Erosion in the Murray Mallee'

In 2009 the Murray Mallee LAP will run a project which aims to assist in themanagement and reduction of soil erosion in the Murray Mallee LAP regionthrough on ground works. Funding will be available for works to manageexposed sand hills in priority areas of the Murray Mallee LAP region. Below arethe works to be funded and the incentive rates available for works to aid in the

management of soil erosion and reduce land degradation:

Fencing to exclude stock for the establishment of permanent perennialvegetation - $1,000/kmLevelling of degraded/drifting sand hills to establish perennial vegetation upto $600/haEstablish permanent perennial vegetation to stabilize an area for themanagement of erosion - $50/ha

An expression of interest form is enclosed and needs to be completed andreturned by 13th February, 2009. Please note due to funding works need to befinished by 15th June, 2009.

If you would like any further information or wish to express your interest inundertaking a project please contact Rowena or Emily on (08) 8531 2066 or(08)8531 3075.

continued on next page

Do you have bats on your property?

Digital Mallee Update

E Update

Extraordinary General Meeting

Lowan Phebalium, Phebalium lowanense

Tools Available

MMLAP Gluepot visit

Sheep Connect

Welcome to new staff member Emily Hall

Guidelines for the management ofdryland areas associated with centrepivots

Funding for Drought Lot


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As the nights get warmer in the Mallee and insect activity rises, so too does the activity of bats as they search for food. As well asvery effective insect control, bats play a vital role in seed distribution and pollination making them a key element to the ecologicalcommunities that they live in. They drink from dams and open tanks and roost in tree hollows and bark, bat boxes, caves, and roofsand walls of buildings all of which are plentiful in the SA Murray Mallee.

The Murray Mallee LAP has Bat Detector Kits available for landholders to use for recording bat calls on their properties. These kitsare simple to use and can help to determine the type of bats that use habitat on and around your property. Information gatheredfrom the recordings assists in building data for the region on bat calls for improving current data on these mammals.

If you are interested in recording bat calls using the Bat Detector Kits contact Rowena or Emily at the MMLAP office [email protected] or 8531 2066.

Do you have bats on your property?

Would you like to know what types of bats are inyour area?

Tours and workshops will be run through Supporting NRM

continued from front page

Supporting NRM Action in the Murray Mallee'This project aims to build community skills, knowledge and awareness inthe management of natural resources and the associated issues affectingthe SA Murray Mallee region.

This project will support Land Management and Landcare Groups in theregion, provide support to schools through workshops, technical supportfor environmental projects, assistance with funding submissions and

mentoring for youth councils, field tours for landholders, workshops andtraining events, cross regional project development, undertake landholdersurveys on environmental issues, support for bat monitoring/pest controlprograms, development of funding proposals, support for CommunityNRM projects, Newsletters and some of the administration to maintain theoperations of the LAP.

For those of you who would prefer to receive a digitalversion of Mallee Update we can email you a copy.

If you are interested please contact Emily [email protected] with your email details and she

will arrange to have all new editions emailed to you.

Digital Mallee Update E UpdateWe are now sending out on a regular basis the Murray

Mallee E-Update. This will contain some of the latest newsabout projects, funding announcements, workshops,

courses and other resources available that we think people

might be interested in.

If you would like to be included in the E-Update mailing listplease contact Emily on [email protected] withyour email details and she will add you to our mailing list.

As part of this project we are running a Revegetation Training Program. We would like some feedback from you to assist us increating a program that suits your needs. Please take the time to fill out the 'Revegetation Training Survey' enclosed and fax backto us on 8532 5300.

If you would like more information on this project or any of the activities that will take place through the project please feel free

to contact Rowena on 8531 2066 or Emily on 8531 3075.


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It was discussed at the last Committee meeting, 4/12/08, that there is concern regarding the number of Committeemembers required at each Committee meeting so an operating Quorum can be formed. A proposal has been putforward to amend the Constitution and therefore help deal with this concern.

To change the MMLAP Constitution MMLAP has to call an Extraordinary General Meeting. The MMLAP Committee has

decided to hold this Extraordinary General Meeting on the same date as the next Committee meeting, which will beheld on 19 February 2009.

Please note: If you would like to attend this meeting please RSVP to Emily Hall on 8531 3075 by the 13th of Feb 2009.

Please find below the details of the proposed changes to the Constitution

Proposed Change of MMLAP Committee QuorumBACKGROUND

In the last 2 years MMLAP has been able to have a larger number of Committee Members elected than usual. This is agood thing, but it has meant that the size of the meeting required to gain an operating Quorum is an increasedexpectation.

With the advent of tougher times for all of us, and the fact we have 6 meetings a year (not 4 as before) it is recognisedthat all Committee members may not be able to attend all meetings.

RESULT

As a result of needing a large number of members to make up the Quorum to hold a meeting, we were unable to holdone meeting, and at the last meeting, were held up until a member who couldn't get there at the start time, arrived.

CONSTITUTION

Currently the Constitution requires a Quorum to be 50% of elected Committee members, plus one.DISCUSSION

Whilst the MMLAP Committee comprised 8 or 9 members this made a lot of sense, ie a Quorum of 5 or 6 members.However with the Committee growing to 16, it means we need at least 9 to form a Quorum and that has now beenshown to be extremely difficult to achieve, on every occasion. As we only meet every second month, a meeting thatcannot resolve issues due to not achieving a Quorum delays our activity and could put project planning at risk.PROPOSAL

It is proposed that the first sentence of item 7.4 of the MMLAP Constitution be amended, to read as follows:'7.4 The Quorum necessary for the transaction of business at a meeting of the Committee shall be 6 CommitteeMembers, of which at least two shall be current members of the Executive and one shall be the Project Officer.'The second sentence shall remain unchanged.

Extraordinary General Meeting


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Lowan Phebalium, Phebalium lowanense

Lowan Phebalium is a threatened native shrub which occurs inopen shrubland and low open woodland communities in theMurray Mallee region. It is listed as vulnerable nationallyunder the Environment Protection and Biodiversity ConservationAct 1999, statewide under the National Parks and Wildlife Act1972 and regionally under the Murray Mallee Biodiversity Plan2008.

With an average height of 0.6 metres, this perennial shrub hasscaly branches which are silvery to rust coloured. The leaves,which are 4-12mm long and 1mm wide, have rounded tipswhile the leaf edges are rolled in towards the midrib. Theupper leaf surface is devoid of hairs while the lower leafsurface is scaly.

Yellow flower clusters appear between August and October, butthe plants may take six years to produce significant andconsistent quantities of seeds. The black seeds have a hardseed coat enabling a long-lived seed bank to develop, howevera fire event is required for them to germinate.

One of the major threats to Lowan Phebalium is inappropriate fire regimes. Fires that are either too frequent or tooinfrequent will threaten this species by reducing its ability to maintain a viable seedbank. Because its distribution within SouthAustralia is restricted to the Ngarkat Conservation Park and an area between Bordertown and this Park, this species may alsobe threatened by unusual events such as frequent large-scale fires. Current knowledge indicates that several threats,including weed competition and grazing by kangaroos and rabbits, have the potential to impact on this species in the future.

More knowledge is required on the distribution, abundance and population trends of Lowan Phebalium to more accuratelydetermine the status of this species. In 2005 the Murray Mallee LAP and Coorong District LAP provided funding for a projectto set up monitoring quadrats and to tag individual plants so that information could be gathered to determine its life historyand the age structure of the populations.

Three survey zones were set up two within Ngarkat Conservation Park and the third on a Heritage Agreement property.Surveys were carried out in 2005 and 2006 during the flowering period so that individual plants could be easily detected.The resulting report commented that this data set was too small to draw proper conclusion from and recommended thatannual monitoring continue. It is hoped that data collected will contribute to the successful management and preservation ofthis species.Gayle DrabschReferences:Department for Environment and Heritage, 2006, Fact Sheet: Lowan Phebalium Phebalium lowanense.Obst, C., 2007, Phebalium lowanense Monitoring in Ngarkat Conservation Park and Gaden Heritage Agreement FieldSurvey and Monitoring Report 2005 2006.

Phebalium lowanense flowers (Photo by Chris Obst)

With local native seed collection time upon us now is the time to be thinkingabout revegetation projects next year. Do you plan to collect some seed foryour own project? Or perhaps you might be planning your pest control for nextyear. Would a hand held GPS unit help do the job better?

The Murray Mallee LAP has tools available for you to utilise and wecan help you out with technical support in using them if needed.

Seed collecting tools, seed cleaning sieves, hand held GPS units, bat detectors and salinity testingequipment are all available at the LAP office for you to use for your projects at home.

If you would like to borrow any of these items please contact Emily or Rowena at the office on 8531 3075or 8531 2066.

TOOLS AVAILABLE

Hand held GPS units can assist fox baiting

Time to collect seed


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'Hi!I'm now here at Murray Mallee LAP two days a weekgiving Rowena a hand with some of the administrationwork.

Before moving to Murray Bridge I grew up on myparent's farm at Maggea and attended school at EastMurray Area School, so you could say I'm a born andbred mallee kid! I look forward meeting and workingwith you all as well as the opportunities and challengesthat lie ahead here at MMLAP.'

Emily [email protected]: 08 8531 3075

Welcome to new staff member

Emily Hall

26 people joined the MMLAP for the Gluepot Reserve trip in September wherewe met with Ann Morphett a ranger who is currently living and working thereas a volunteer. Ann gave a presentation on Gluepot and the story of the50,000ha property that was purchased by Birds Australia in 1997.

It is a stunning piece of the world where Eucalyptus gracilis (Yorrell) andEucalyptus oleosa (Red Mallee) meet Casuarina pauper (Black Oak) lowwoodlands and it is wonderful to see that the property, which was once usedfor pastoral activities, has been conserved by these passionate volunteers.

There was a chance for the group to take a tour of the park where we visited bird hides, old dam sites, water tanks designedto capture rainfall as well as to store it and we had a look at the recently upgraded solar power system used for the dwellingsat the reserve. Before heading off, the group took a look through the visitors centre.

For those who stayed on for the night, there were harp nets to set up for the bat workshop and, with the help of Chris Grant(DEH) the group experienced, bat call recording and identification, trapping methods and identification of bats.There is more information about Gluepot and the activities held there, such as the up coming 'Art of the Ant', 'Painting

Nature' and 'Bats' courses, on the website www.riverland.net.au/gluepot/courses.html. It was worth the trip and we thankAnn, Chris and the rest of the Gluepot team for welcoming us.

MMLAP Gluepot visit

The solar system at Gluepot

Sheep ConnectLinking producers to the latest sheep industry

resources and programs

The SA Murray Darling Basin Natural Resource ManagementBoard is seeking expressions of interest from farmers toparticipate in a new project called, Sheep Connect.

Sheep Connect aims to facilitate change in sheep businesses,towards more resilient, environmentally sustainable, and

profitable production systems.

Sheep Connect will identify key sheep industry issues each year incollaboration with producer groups. Support, including meetings,

presentations, field days and workshops will be provided togroups that wish to address these issues.

The key areas that Sheep Connect has identified to focus on in2009 include:

risk management and seasonal strategiesfarm business management and sustainability

animal welfare breech strike management with no mulesing

Producer groups with other high priority sheep industry issues candiscuss the opportunities for involvement in Sheep Connect with

the Project Manager.

A Livestock Update conference is also planned for early next year

targeting the advisory, agribusiness and research sectors,together with producers.

Producer groups or individual producers interested in, finding outmore about Sheep Connect or, to register your interest in the

project contact Leighton Pearce 8582 4477.

Sheep Connect


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This newsletter is printed on 100% Recycled paper - Protecting our Trees and Environment

Murray Mallee Local Action Planning Association Inc.Murray Bridge Natural Resources CentreMannum RoadPO Box 2056, Murray Bridge SA 5253ph: (08) 8531 2066 fax: (08) 8532 5300email: [email protected]

MMLAP Committee Membership

hetta designs0437 914 066

The SA Murray Darling Basin NRM Board promotes and encourages sustainablemanagement practices and seeks to work with landowners to address soildegradation. The damage caused by wind on unprotected soils can beirreversible as fine particles of clay and organic matter which contain essentialnutrients for plant growth are lost, resulting in less productive land.

In response to the increasing areas of land under centre pivot the SA MurrayDarling Basin NRM Board has produced, 'Guidelines for the management ofdryland areas associated with centre pivots'. The report focuses on managementoptions to reduce soil loss. The main cause of soil loss of dryland areasassociated with centre pivots is the exposure of the soil surface by cultivationand/or herbicide use. Reducing the time the soil is exposed will reduce soil loss.

Management options to reduce soil loss identified in the report include:Cover cropping is the most effective management option to ensure adequateground coverLeave soil surface rough following crop harvest slows the speed of the windRidging or furrowing at right angles to the wind will reduce soil particlemovementRetain crop residue if possibleApplying polymers or clay spreading will provide protection against the wind.

Benefits can also be gained from residual stored water and residual fertilizer in thesoil.

The 'Guidelines for the management of dryland areas associated with centrepivots' will be available early next year. To order your copy contact BernadetteLawson at the Murray Bridge Natural Resources Centre on 8532 1432

Guidelines for the management of dryland

areas associated with centre pivots

South Australian Murray-Darling BasinNatural Resources Management Board

Government of South Australia

Funding for Drought Lot

To assist farmers to preserve existing ground cover, fundsare available for the establishment of a Drought Lot.

A Stock Plan workshop will be held at Lameroo onTuesday 10th February

Stock Containment workshop Lameroo onTuesday 17th February

To register your interest contact Bernadette Lawson on8532 1432, Senior Project Officer (Land Management), SA

Murray-Darling Basin NRM Board

Rod Brown (Chairperson/ Public Officer)Lameroo ph: 8577 4033

(Vice Chairperson)Karoonda ph: 8578 6066

Karen Payne (Secretary)

Galga ph: 8121 2806

Rex Spinley (Treasurer)Karoonda ph: 8184 8928

Barry ManuelMindarie ph: 8578 7018

Neville PfeifferParrakie ph: 8576 2051

Andrew HallWunkar ph: 8589 7029

Trevor SchillerWaikerie ph: 8541 9096

Chris Grant, DEHBerri ph: 8595 2174

Malcolm JohnsKaroonda ph: 8589 7053

Adrian GrowdenKaroonda ph: 8578 1057

Stephanie EvansMercunda ph: 8589 7039

Lew WestbrookLoxton ph: 8584 7811

Leighton Pearce, SAMDBNRM Boardph: 8582 4477

Damien Berger

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