Murrumbidgee Landcare e-news No.25 - December 2013
Welcome to our bumper Christmas edition of the Murrumbidgee Landcare e-news.
SEASONS GREETINGS
The staff and committee at Murrumbidgee Landcare wish all Landcare members and friends a happy festive season and new year. With both ongoing and new projects, we are looking forward to a great 2014 continuing to strive for a balance; caring for land, community and sustainable and prosperous business.
Please contact us to have content included in our next, monthly e-news.
NEWS
Landcare budget is quarantined
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
MEDIA RELEASE
The National Landcare Network has welcomed confirmation from Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce that Landcare funding is safe from budget cuts or reallocation.
A warm welcome to Bowning & Bookham Districts Landcare group
Bowning & Bookham District Landcare Group (BBDLG) is the Murrumbidgee region's newest Landcare group. The area used to have a group known as “Burrinjuck Landcare” but it folded many years ago; the closest groups since then have been in Yass and Binalong.
Review of weed management NSW
The NSW Government is undertaking a major review of weed management in NSW. There is now an opportunity for ALL groups involved in or affected by weed management to contribute.
A letter of introducton
My name is Wendy Minato and I’m the new full-time Regional Landcare Facilitator (RLF), hosted by Murrumbidgee Landcare (MLi).
The RLF Program is an Australian Government initiative. 
The RLF is expected to engage with land managers, local and regional Landcare groups, farming systems or grower groups and related community organisations to support the community within their region to achieve sustainable agriculture outcomes.
Productive agriculture and NRM – finding the synergy
Ted Wolfe, Chair of Murrumbidgee Landcare, was one of the presenters at this years Landcare and Catchment Forum held on 3-5 September 2013 in Newcastle. In this paper, three agricultural zones in southern NSW (the irrigation areas, the sheep-wheat belt and the high rainfall grazing zone) are considered in terms of five ecosystem properties (imperatives): agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability, economic performance, social well-being and political acceptability.
Do not fear the animal savers are here!
Congratulations to Ladysmith Public School who have been successful in their application for a grant through the NSW Environmental Trust's Eco Schools program.
Gardening guru Costa at Wagga Wagga Public School
Gardening Australia's Costa Georgiadis thrilled children in teacher Will Dorrell's Year 5/6 class at Wagga Wagga Public School when he paid them a visit to inspect their recycled bottle greenhouse.
New Riverina LLS Board members announced
Congratulations to Ian Auldist, long term Chair of Hay Trees on Plains Landcare Group and Hay/Balranald Landcare Network, on his appointment as one of four recently announced Board members of the new Riverina Local Land Services.
A new Society for Biodiversity Policy - your input
We have an opportunity to have input into how a new Society for Biodiversity Policy, to be launched in 2014, might suppport the work of the those involved with biodiversity issues.
Landcare NSW Advocate November 2013
2103 Landcare NSW Muster.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Murrumbateman Landcare Christmas Party - 5 December 2013
- Molonglo Catchment Group Cassidy Arcade Bush Christmas - 5 December 2013
- Christmas picnic - Bowning & Bookham District Landcare - 8 December 2013
- WetlandCare Australia - Photography Prize 2014 - 7 December 2013
- Riverina Highlands Landcare Native fish field day - 12 December 2013
- Murrumbidgee Field Naturalists Birdwatching at the Fivebough Wetlands - 12 December 2013
- Kyeamba Valley Landcare cross property project Christmas party - 16 December 2013
- Bowning and Bookham Districts Landcare Eucalypt propagation day - 17 December 2013
- Tarcutta Valley Landcare + Humula cross property project Christmas party - 17 December 2013
- Junee Area Landcare and cross property project Christmas party - 18 December 2013
- Webinar - Landcare farming makes sense and money - the Woady Yaloak Story - 12 February 2014
- Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc strategic planning meeting - 14 February 2014
- In Safe Hands Toolkit Workshop - Wagga Wagga - 18 February 2014
- Regrowth Festival - Wee Jasper - 28 February 2014
Cross property planning project
- A range of workshops are on offer for Junee district landholders in early 2014 including:
- Summer crop and pasture weed control (late winter-early Spring topic)
- Pastures and Grazing
- (WOPR) Whole of Paddock and Woodland Rehabilitation
- Beneficial insects
Dung beetle egg in brood ball- September project update, including:
- Dung Beetles: The ultimate farm workers
- Biological weed management
- Spy (remote wildlife) cameras
- Using native species to manage invasive weeds
- November project update, including:
- on-ground works underway
- flora and fauna survey reports
Schools project 
As part of the Murrumbidgee Landcare schools project - Joining the dots - we will be releasing an Environmental celebrations calendar in early 2014.
Landcare Support Officer project
Two milestone report have been released:
- Map the Landcare Groups (past, present and potential) in the catchment
- Landcare communications assessment and support.
Community Landcare grant
Murrumbidgee Landcare has received funding for a series of field days that will focus on grazing native pasture and using grazing management to suppress weed spread.
Summer weed - Silverleaf Nightshade project
Murrumbidgee Landcare and NSW Primary Industries have a new collaborative project funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) which will target the perennial summer weed Silverleaf Nightshade. The project is being rolled out in Q’ld, Victoria, SA and WA as well as NSW.
- RASF Community Futures Grant 2014
- Archibull prize 2014
- RAA Special Conservation Scheme Loan
- Frogs: A glovebox guide
- Jayfields nursery treee planting calendar
- Molonglo Catchment Group Landcare display trailer
LANDCARE GROUP MEETINGS
- Southern ACT Catchment Group - 4th Tuesday every second month
- Tarcutta Valley Landcare - 4th Tuesday of the month
- Narrandera Urban Landcare - 4th Tuesday of the month
- Queanbeyan Landcare - 1st Tuesday of the month
- Molonglo Catchment Group - 2nd Monday of the month
- Kyeamba Valley Landcare - 2nd Wednesday of the month
- Wagga Wagga Urban Landcare - 1st Wednesday of February, April, June, August, October and December.
- Upper Murrumbidgee Landcare Committee - 1st Tuesday every second month
- Ginninderra Catchment Group - 1st Monday every second month
Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc (MLi) is a not-for-profit organisation representing community Landcare in the Murrumbidgee catchment. Our e-news is a project of MLi and the Murrumbidgee Regional Landcare Facilitator .
The Regional Landcare Facilitator Program is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Agriculture.
