Supporting the Moore River Catchment Area

Author: Helen Watkins

Moore Catchment team and our response to COVID-19 in 2020

Our commitment towards the health and well-being of our community, our members, our environment and our team is at the heart of everything we do; even more in these challenging times.
In light of the unprecedented global public health and economic crisis, we want to keep you informed of our response and what is happening about the activities that we have planned in order to continue the delivery of projects, and keep our staff and community safe in this rapidly changing world.
As of Tuesday 31st March, Rachel and Helen will now be working from home whenever possible. The office at Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will be closed in accordance to the DPIRD directive that DPIRD Moora office site will be closed from this Wednesday 31st March 2020 and all non-essential staff will be working from home. Rachel and Helen can still be contacted by either email or mobile phone.

MCC has moved quickly to postpone until further notice the Healthy soils and Permaculture that were planned for March/April 2020 (Perenjori 31.03, Moora 01.04 & 02.04, Guilderton 03.04) as well as the Heavenly Hectares, April 2020 (Woodridge).

At this stage all on-ground activities – fencing and seeding plantings will go ahead on private property. Community plantings will need to be addressed separately as the government has now enacted the 2 persons rule for social engagement. We will be talking to the communities involved with community planting days to see how it is best to move forward as the seedlings will need to be planted this season or re-potted for next season.

The Last Stand sub-committee is still working towards holding The Last Stand 2 event planned for early September, but there is a strong possibility that the event could be deferred until a more suitable date if the COVID-19 situation doesn’t improve as early as hoped. The staff are working with the Stakeholders on the delivery of existing projects and looking at different ways to deliver these projects that achieves objectives but doesn’t contravene with COVID-19 health and safety recommendations. As further information and negotiations come to hand our members will be advised. The state NRM Office has issued a statement the following statement

As a result of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), some of you may have queries about how to respond to potential changes to your project.

The State NRM Office would like to reassure everyone that the health and safety of your staff, volunteers and community is our highest priority.

We would like to verify that changes to your State NRM-funded projects or necessary closure of your organisation over this period of time will not impact your contract with us.

If you do need to make changes to your project deliverables or payment schedules due to COVID-19 please contact us to arrange a variation to your Project Schedule.

In particular, if you have activities or events in your Project Schedule that involve getting large groups of people together, we would encourage you to consider postponing these activities and will be very supportive of this need.

State Government have provided advice on how agencies should deal with COVID-19 and employee flexibility. The COVID-19 may impact on our service delivery and we will keep you informed if we have to alter our service based on staffing availability.

The Staff at the MCC will be looking at additional sources of income to keep staff employed during this time as per some of the government initiatives, and potential philanthropic funding that is coming available.

Stay Safe, Stay at home – Helen, Rachel and the MCC Committee

MCC Finalist State Awards

MCC Finalist State Awards

The Moore Catchment Council Inc was presented as a Finalist in the prestigious Woolworths Community Group of the Year Award, by Anthea Halliday, Woolworths Supermarkets at the 2019 Western Australian Regional Achievement and Community Awards Gala Presentation Dinner held at Hyatt Regency Perth on Friday 18th October.


The Awards were hosted by Noel Brunning, Presenter, GWN7 News and more than 460 guests gathered from across the State including official guest; Hon. Darren West MLC, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Regional Development; Agriculture and Food; Ports; Minister assisting the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade representing Hon. Alannah MacTiernan MLC, Minister for Regional Development; Agriculture and Food; Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade, to celebrate regional Western Australia’s high achievers.


The Moore Catchment Council Inc. hopes to increase environmental awareness. Moore Catchment Council is a small landcare group composed of local community volunteers who wanted to show off the natural assets of the Midwest as well as the threats it faces. The Moore Catchment Council holds The Last Stand, a community environmental awareness raising event, highlighting the Wheatbelt wildflower country. Over 400 people attended the 5-day event at Moora Performing Arts Centre. The event includes an exhibit of artwork, poetry and craft, interactive displays, guided bush walk and a symposium. The Last Stand won the Shire of Moora Australia Day 2019 ‘Event of the Year” Award.


The twelve category winners are:
• Boab Health Services of Broome – Insurance Commission of Western Australia Regional Safety Award
• Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network Program – Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries Making a Difference Award
• Life and Soul Health and Fitness Club of Djugun – Prime Super Business Achievement Award
• Mirima Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language and Culture Centre of Kununurra – Curtin University, School of Education Teaching Excellence Award
• Les Wallam of Eaton – RAC Volunteering Award
• Froth Craft Brewery of Exmouth – Rinehart Development of Northern Regional WA Award
• Djarindjin Airport – Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Economic Development Award
• Nanette Williams of Nickol – Community TAB Community Service Award
• WA iSports Inc of East Bunbury – Woolworths Community Group of the Year Award
• Shannon Richards of Boulder – Ricoh Australia Customer Service Award
• South West Community Care of Harvey – Prime Super Employer Excellence in Aged Care Award
• Albany Roller Derby League – Horizon Power Leadership and Innovation Award

Winners each received a $2,000 Award prize from Foundation Partner, Commonwealth Bank and a magnificent trophy.
Gravity ETC was announced as the 2019 People’s Choice Award Winner and received a $250 cash prize.
The Awards night was the culmination of a tremendously successful year with hundreds of nominations received from across regional Western Australia.

Finalist Video
Honouring a Landcare Champion

Honouring a Landcare Champion

Vale Alison Doley AM

Sad news in the catchment as Alison Doley, a long time supporter of the Moore Catchment Council, passed away on 20th February 2019. Alison farmed at “Koobabbie”, Coorow and was a long term champion of landcare and native ecology especially with her love of Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos. A timeline of conservation events at Koobabbie is attached.

Alison was honoured in 2017 with a AM in the Australia Day Honours for significant service to conservation and the environment in Western Australia through revegetation and catchment recovery initiatives. Around 165ha of the property was revegetated with local provenance native species between 2007 and 2011. Much of the bush is protected under covenants. She was also a member, founding member and president to several conservation and recovery committees, trusts and panels.


The Last Stand event committee – Alison, Pam, Fiona, Lyn, Peter, Paulina, Sarah, Marie and Rachel

Last year, Alison was an integral part of The Last Stand organising committee which helped raise awareness of native biodiversity in the Midwest wheatbelt. We’d meet every month for 6 months plotting how we were going to make the event work.

Alison was particularly passionate about the demise of roadside native vegetation especially the Buntine-Marchagee road which she has been monitoring for years and kept notes of native species that had disappeared and weeds which had taken over (attached). In fact, in an effort to keep weeds at bay on the roadside, Alison and good friend Fiona Falconer would go out hand weeding ‘pesky’ Love grass and also present to the Coorow Shire Council in an effort to raise awareness of poor environmental practices decimating the ecology of the area. Thank you Alison for your contributions to environmental conservation in this region. You will be missed. RIP

The Last Stand makes a stand for the environment

The Last Stand makes a stand for the environment

People from all over Australia flooded to Moora between the 5th and 9th September to visit The Last Stand, a free environmental awareness event aiming to highlight the wonders and woes of Midwest wheatbelt native vegetation.

Rachel Walmsley, Moore Catchment Council’s Community Landcare Coordinator who helped organise the event said “The Last Stand was the brainchild of a frustrated group of ladies (and lad) living between Calingiri and Carnamah who wanted to do something to show off all the amazing natural assets we have here in the Midwest but also highlight the threats which are continuing to decimate them including introduced weeds, and roadside clearing. We decided to take a punt and do something different, and so this 5 day event was conceived and organised on a shoestring budget as it needed to happen as soon as possible.”

The event included a symposium on the 5th which attracted 70 people from around the State who came to listen to a plethora of excellent environmental speakers including former Premier and current Conservation Council Chair Carmen Lawrence

.

Rachel said “The message coming from the talks was clear and unified – we need to conserve our natural environment now or lose it forever.” For the remaining 4 days, The Last Stand played host to over 300 members of the public who visited the event to look at the extensive information displays and art, get up close to native bugs, admire and create bush art, claim free native trees and shrubs,  add thoughts to the ‘Tree of Life’ and learn about bush medicine.  Rachel said “The event was a huge success and helped open eyes to the real lack of remnant vegetation left and continuing decline in native biodiversity.”

Feedback was overwhelming positive and plans are being made to possibly hold the event again next year as the event served as a good drawcard to attract visitors to Moora.  Rachel concluded “The event couldn’t have happened without the input from the volunteer committee – Fiona Falconer, Alison Doley, Sarah Mason, Paulina & Peter Wittwer, Pam Toster, Marie Carter and Lyn Phillips; the cash contributions from Lotterywest and the WA Natural Resource Management Program; and the generous in-kind support from all the speakers and display/event donators, and finally the Shire of Moora for supplying the venue.”

Moore Catchment Council are finalist at this years National Landcare Awards

Moore Catchment Council are finalist at this years National Landcare Awards

Vote for the Moore Catchment Council to win the People’s Choice Award at the National Landcare Conference in October 2018.

All finalists are in the running to win the People’s Choice Award. A highly-coveted prize, this award is presented to the finalist who receives the most votes from the general public in the lead-up to the awards. The winner will be announced on Thursday, 11 October at the Awards gala dinner.
Voting is now open and closes on Wednesday, 10 October 2018. Show your fellow Landcarers some love and vote for them to win the People’s Choice Award.
Up until 30 July 2018 Landcare Australia are giving you the chance to win one of eight 2-day passes to the Conference and the Awards gala dinner.
One lucky entrant per state will win so get your votes in.

www.nationallandcareconference.org.au/awards

Voting is now open and closes on Wednesday, 10 October 2018.

Please feel free to share to your friends and get them to vote

Bunjil Rock BioBlitz results now available

Bunjil Rock BioBlitz results now available

Northern Agricultural Catchments Council, Yarra Yarra Catchment Management Group and Moore Catchment Council were proud to  co-host the 2017 Bunjil Rock BioBlitz 23rd & 24th September 2017.

A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event involving rapid collection of data about the biological diversity of a particular site; enabling scientists and other experts to identify as many plant and animal species as can be found in this limited time frame. It doesn’t provide a complete inventory of species, but rather a ‘snapshot’ of the species that occur in the area.

A BioBlitz is a collaborative process, which brings together scientists, skilled amateurs, willing workers and interested ‘others’, with members of the local community, all working together to expand knowledge about the biodiversity of a particular location.

Professional biologists and capable amateurs from the local area, Perth and throughout the Southwest – lent their expertise to the finding and identifying of taxa within their respective field.

For more information please contact the BioBlitz Organising Team

Jessica Stingemore on jessica.stingemore@nacc.com.au or 9938 0106

Lizzie King on lizzie.king@nacc.com.au or 9973 1444

Rachel Walmsley on mcc.nrmo@bigpond.com or 9653 1355

This project is supported by Northern Agricultural Catchments Council, Yarra Yarra Catchment Management Group and Moore Catchment Council , through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme and Gunduwa Regional Conservation Association.

click here for Bunjil-Rocks-BioBlitz-Results- 

Moore cause for celebration

Moore cause for celebration

Moore Catchment Council is celebrating triple funding success!!

Recent announcements from the State NRM Program and the National Landcare Program (NLP) have seen MCC attract $185,000 to the catchment.

$100,000 from the NLP’s 20 Million Trees program will see 50ha of native habitat, featuring priority tree and shrub species suitable for Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, planted on five local farms. This is the 3rd 20 Million Trees project MCC has been successful in obtaining funds for, and with only 64 projects funded Australia wide(only 10 in WA), MCC are extremely grateful to have been selected again.

$85,000 will come from the State NRM Program to continue protecting and enhancing the Moore’s natural assets including fencing remnant bush and revegetating degraded land. Part of this program will be the engage the local Yued community through providing paid work opportunities working on country, and work with two schools providing learning experiences through Noongar and native wildlife education.

This funding news is excellent news for the continuation of important landcare projects in the Moore catchment. The extra funding also allows Moore Catchment Council to continue its work past 2018.

Thanks to both funding bodies for their investments, grant writing is a lengthy and stressful exercise so to be rewarded for many (many many) hours of hard work is gratifying

Making extra income from native trees and shrubs

Making extra income from native trees and shrubs

Can extra money be made from planting native trees and shrubs on your farm? This was one of the questions aimed to be answered from a recent field walk at Gabalong, east of Moora, looking at sustainable agriculture options which have both landcare and industry outcomes. The field walk, held 26th October at Les Crane’s property, was a final part of a Moore Catchment Council project reviewing sustainable agricultural projects carried out over the past 10 years in the Moore and Yarra regions. Projects have included brushwood, oil mallee and native tree plantations, saltbush and fodder shrubs, and perennial pastures. The project aimed to find out what worked, what didn’t work, improvements and recommendations for future projects.

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Honouring a local landcare Legend

Honouring a local landcare Legend

Vale John Longman

John Longman’s footprint can be seen in a majority of the landcare initiatives that have happened in the Moore Catchment especially around Gillingarra.

John was chair of the Koojan-Gillingarra Land Conservation District Committee (LCDC) for many years and has served on and off of the MCC committee since its conception. John was also on the Committee of the West Midlands Group in its early years, a member of the Dandaragan Shire LCDC and a member of the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC) board.
John has helped get many salinity projects & water projects happening and always had a knack of getting pollies up from Perth to see (and fund) the issues.

Thanks John for all your perseverance and making plenty of noise. You have made a difference! And we will miss your dedication and squeaky wheel getting things done.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to all of John’s Family