Gulf Croaker June 2023

June 2023

FIGHTING FOOD WASTE IN FNQ

pg. 5–8

SUCCESS IN THE SOIL: GROWING GRAPEFRUIT IN DIMBULAH pg. 9–11

FREE POLLINATING INSECT POSTER

pg. 15–16

Mitchell met with John Colless at d Wetherby Station to chat about lan changes in the region

Welcome to our new Trainee Sandrine!

Our very own Taylor S hitched this year, be mith got co Taylor Taylor! Congr ming ats.

Fire Roaring success! Mt Molloy Forum – April 2023

Welcome to our new staff Kacie, Mitchell and Oliver – April 2023

hi Thanks for stopping by to say at the Rotary Field Days!

Thanks for jo Nitrogen Wo ining us at the rkshop in Ma y!

GOOD TIMES IN THE GULF

Thank you to everyone who has joined Gulf Savannah NRM for events, workshops and field days in the last few months—here are a few of our favourite highlights!

05 A WARM HELLO FROM THE CEO In our mid-year edition of the Gulf Croaker, we're getting back to our roots: or rather, our soils.

Soil is a natural resource that can be a bit forgotten or taken for granted, but it's worth paying attention to. Across Australia, soil health is declining with increasing salinity, sodicity, acidity and reduced carbon levels (Soil Science Australia, 2022). A quarter of the world’s agricultural land is considered degraded; in Australia, it's estimated to be closer to two-thirds.

The impacts of poor soil management will be felt by generations to come. But in good news, soil health is something we can influence, as farmers, graziers and land managers. Read on to find out more about how you can implement simple methods for creating healthy, productive soil.

Fighting food waste in FNQ

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Zoe Williams CEO Gulf Savannah NRM

ABOUT GULF SAVANNAH NRM We're a not-for-profit organisation working to promote healthy landscapes while supporting local people and enterprise. Come say hi at our offices in Georgetown, Croydon and Mareeba.

Free poster for pollinating insects

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gulfsavannahnrm.org 4092 1088 admin@gulfsavannahnrm.org

Protecting the Golden-shouldered Parrot

WHEELY SUCCESSFUL RACE The 2023 Great Wheelbarrow Race from Mareeba to Chillagoe marked the 20th birthday of the event, with fundraising efforts securing just shy of $190k for charity this year! Congratulations to all the teams and to everyone involved behind the scenes.

KOWANYAMA

MASSIVE METEOR

MAREEBA KARUMBA NORMANTON GEORGETOWN

Locals in Croydon said they felt an explosion and heard a huge bang in late May, when communities across North Queensland were treated with a light show from space as the largest meteor to cross over Australia in 30+ years blazed across the sky!

NEW LIVESTOCK HUB Livestock producers, have you seen the new online hub from Meat & Livestock Australia?

The hub offers opportunities to attend events, watch webinars, use tools and calculators, complete online short courses, and access training programs. www.mla.com.au

G'DAY GULF: ABOUT OUR REGION 03

9,660 people live in the Northern Gulf

GULF SAVANNAH

ROUND UP NEW CROSSING FOR MITCHELL Carpentaria Shire Council will receive over $22 million to repair the vital Mitchell River Crossing along Dunbar Koolatah Road, thanks to joint funding from the Albanese and Palaszczuk Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). The route is crucial for livestock, freight, tourist traffic and community connectivity to north-west Queensland.

ROTARY FIELD DAYS It was another massive year for the Rotary FNQ Field Days at the Mareeba Rodeo Grounds! 500 sites, 450 exhibitors and hundreds of visitors! We're already looking forward to the next event in 2025.

BUMPER FISHING SEASON IN THE GULF The Gulf of Carpentaria has seen its 'best fishing in years' as cherabin and barramundi take over local rivers after record floods, making the Gulf a must-see destination for tourists. Read more: ABC North West Qld, 6 May 2023

88% land use is grazing on native pasture

The area is 196,100 square kilometres

Over 196 reptile, 455 bird and 118 mammal species live here 04

Symbols courtesy NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub, nesplandscapes.edu.au

Meet the woman tackling Far North Queensland's food waste to help farmer's improve their soil

Gulf Savannah NRM recently caught up with Jess Uhlig from Green Food Australia. Originally from Adelaide, Jess has been a Far North local for the last 16 years. Jess shared her story, and how she ended up partnering with Gulf Savannah NRM on a HumiSoil® trial on a farm in Mutchilba.

Jess Uhlig's background is in tourism and hospitality, and it was in these industries that she was exposed to a lot of food waste—and her quest to combat that waste led her to launch her business Green Food Australia late in 2020.

“We are so blasé about what it’s taken to produce that food and we discard it so carelessly. It really is quite confronting when you see so much waste going to landfill—the scale of it is just mind boggling. Up here in North Queensland we have really limited recycling opportunities,” Jess says.

The more Jess learnt about food waste and its impact on the environment, the more she wanted to be part of a solution.

Jess decided she had to take the leap and give the business a go, given the potential this solution had to tackle environmental and economic problems.

“The price of fertiliser and the cost of food and food security are all just compounding. There’s got to be a way farming can be done smarter, not harder.”

It was then that Jess set up Green Food Australia, and started spending more time on the Tablelands talking to different growers and farmers to see what was going on.

I think everyone needs to be more aware of where their food has come from, and the work and resources that’ve gone into producing it.

Jess’ research led her to discover some technology which would enable the conversion of both food material and organic vegetative waste into soil enhancers and fertilisers, and she went from there. We asked her about the story behind establishing Green Food Australia.

“Like many people during lockdowns in 2020, I had the time to stop and read,” she says. “I learnt about this company called VRM Biologik based in Townsville, who have pioneered technology converting food waste to soil enhancers. They have 15–20 years’ worth of experience doing this, starting in Australia—but our country wasn’t quite ready for biological solutions… yet! So they went offshore and did most of their research and development in South East Asia and China, and then started working in the States and across Europe. Then the pandemic brought them back to Australia.”

“Last season, avocado trees were getting bulldozed and burnt, so there goes all that money those growers have pumped into them: fertilisers, water, all just going up in smoke and contributing to greenhouse gases,” Jess laments. “I started to wonder if they were aware they could return that to the soil and get back all those nutrients. They might have lost their trees, but they don’t have to lose the nutrients they’ve put into them.”

Green Food Australia partner with—and use the technologies pioneered by—VRM Biologik, as this eliminates the need to manufacture the enhancers themselves. VRM Biologik have developed a process called Groundswell®.

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“There are two elements to what we produce,” Jess explains. “One is a liquid bio-fertiliser which is a soil catalyst, which we produce from food waste—then what I have left over is a pulp or slurry that goes into large piles on farms. The second piece of technology we use is put in with this organic material in a pile, in a process like ground composting. It causes vegetative waste to be reprocessed at a really accelerated rate. At the end of the process, you get HumiSoil®, which is basically topsoil.”

Through talking to Gulf Savannah NRM’s Sarah Stevens, Jess decided to start up a Groundswell® project out on a lemon myrtle farm at Mutchilba— where a pilot has now been established using a pile of organic material and accelerator biofertilizer.

“Most of the material for any grower to produce HumiSoil® is already what is on their farm,” Jess points out. “For example, our lemon myrtle grower in Mutchilba had 75 rotting haybales that couldn’t

be used anymore. He had chicken manure, rotten lychees and limes. Some of his neighbours had an oversupply of fruit that couldn't go to market. He got all of that and put it into his pile.”

Jess points out that farmers have got the machinery they need already, as well as the food and organic waste ready to go. Many farmers are looking for alternatives, given the continuing price hikes of fertilisers and soil amendments. With Green Food Australia, Jess wants to help them use their own waste and convert it into something they can put straight back into their soil in a safe manner.

Jess also delivers whatever waste she can, to add to the pile. “The piles end up containing dead animals, fish frames, coffee residue, coffee berries, newspaper as well as food waste… all sorts of stuff.

The beauty of the pile is that it’s not as sensitive as conventional composting where you must make sure you have to get your browns and green ratio right,” Jess adds.

Anything that breaks down organically in the everyday environment can go the pile —you can put cotton t-shirts or whatever in there and it will break it down.

To be clear, this is not compost. Composting is a decomposition process which disassembles organic material. That disassembled material releases energy, gases, and water, and you end up with a lot less volume than what you started with.

“When you do the Groundswell process to produce HumiSoil®—there is a decomposition element there, but through this technology the bacteria in the pile starts to rebuild that organic matter,” Jess tells us.

“When you do a Groundswell® pile, you might put in 75 tonnes of food waste, and you are left with 75 tonnes of HumiSoil® at the end of 6 months.”

“The carbon and water that is usually released through composting remains stored with the pile.

What that is doing is rapidly rebuilding soil. This is what happens naturally, but if it was going to happen on a rainforest floor it would take 50 years to get to that level of soil organic matter,” Jess says.

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We’re doing it within 6 months—it’s an accelerated version of what already happens naturally in our environment.

“We’re building humic acid, to convert any other soil medium that touches into topsoil,” Jess says excitedly. “You can apply this quite lightly, you don’t need a lot to get the reaction started; it is accelerated biology that activates bacterial photosynthesis. This can happen 24hrs a day because it doesn’t need sunlight.”

Jess tells us that while every farm and pile are different, application rates are between 4 and 8 tonnes per hectare depending on soil quality in the first year. This amount is then halved in subsequent years.

So, what is the future potential of the product, and Jess’ vision for Green Food Australia? Simple —she wants to see all growers being able to use the food and organic waste from their land to improve their crops and pastures into the future, at a really low cost.

“I hope growers will continue to recycle the nutrients on their farm instead of going down the path of potentially harmful and expensive inputs,” Jess says. “There is one guy, Duncan Sturrock, who has a cattle property down in South-West

Queensland that’s been in the family for 90 years or so. They’ve grown different crops, they’ve run cattle, they’ve done heaps of different things over the years, but by not knowing and trying to get ahead over the years they’d absolutely ruined their land.”

Then the property switched to producing HumiSoil® out of their destroyed animals. “They’ve been spreading HumiSoil® on their property now from about 2011,” Jess tells us. “During the drought, all his neighbours had to buy in food for their cattle and they had to get rid of cattle. At the same time, Duncan was growing native grasses that he’d not seen for over sixty years.”

This is the future Jess is excited to see unfold.

GET INVOLVED Don't miss the next HumiSoil Field Day in Dimbulah on 19 June.

Scan the QR code to register for free!

This project is supported by Gulf Savannah NRM, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

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Healthy soil, healthy trees, better crop, better profit.

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Janus Boonzaaier has taken on quite a challenge. He's planted 6,000 grapefruit trees west of Dimbulah. Despite what could only be generously described as “challenging” soils, his trees are looking spectacular 18 months in and heading for their first commercial crop, including an exciting new grapefruit variety, Sweet Sunrise. We caught up with Janus and his offsider Jacob on a sunny autumn day to chat about his efforts.

"These soils are tough. They have a Cation Exchange Capacity of just 1.4, a pH of 3.8 and are almost exclusively sandy loams that won’t hold much water," Janus says, as we stand among his young trees. "This farm was used for a long time for tobacco, right up to the 1990s, and that can be tough on soils that weren’t great to start with."

“Twice per year, we also dose through the irrigation system with bacillus and tricho," Janus tells us. "These beneficial soil bacteria greatly assist the nutrient uptake of the trees. The drip irrigation and fertiliser system reduces water use (over traditional microsprays) by 40%, reduces fertiliser use by 40% and improves fruit pack-out by 10%. Inputs down, quality product up—it’s a win-win for us.”

We knew we had to invest the time to improve the soils from the outset, and then manage them carefully to get the best results.

You wouldn’t know it looking at the trees. At just a bit over 18 months old, they're where you’d expect a 2–2 ½ year tree to be at.

"We deep ripped to prepare the site, adding lime and gypsum to improve the pH, and chicken manure to get the organics up, before we planted our trees. We use drip irrigation and carefully mix in our fertiliser with every daily dose," Janus explains. "That dosing is very carefully controlled to ensure we keep the EC (electrical conductivity) no higher than 2.4mS/cm. Too high and it burns the fine roots on the trees and sets back their nutrient uptake, too low and the trees go into a survival mode. You have to get it just right for optimal growth, and that needs careful, daily attention."

Janus uses multiple automated probes across his 18ha orchard to monitor soil pH, EC and temperature as well as an on-site automated weather station to monitor local conditions. He uses an irrigation system with controlled dosing meters to ensure the exact fertiliser ratio, and then field tests regularly to check his trees are getting just what he expects.

Janus, under the careful eye of his farm offsider and fruit quality control consultant Jacob (above), has cut back on irrigation to his trees now, deliberately stressing the plants. “This brings on flower set so we can control when we get fruit.

We are targeting a very specific six-week window that we see as a gap in the market for our fruit, either into the domestic market or internationally.”

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Janus grows Ruby Red Grapefruit and a new white-fleshed variety, Sweet Sunrise. It’s a new grapefruit for Australia, and he's one of only a couple of growers currently producing this fruit.

It’s unlike the typically astringent yellow-fleshed grapefruit we might know that needs a good dose of sugar to make palatable without making your eyes flicker. Delicious, light flavoured and sweet, the fruit will surely be a hit in the market.

The hills right behind our orchard remind me very much of where I came from, just no leopards lurking in the rocky crags.

We are very happy to have made the move to Australia, and love the place, the community and the future we have here.

Janus moved to Australia with his family four years ago. “I came from the Western Cape region of South Africa where I managed table and wine grape orchards. There we had cold winters and very dry summers, so coming to terms with the Dimbulah climate has been a learning curve. The country looks similar, however."

It was great to meet Janus and Jacob and see what an amazing job they're doing, being part of the community with his family, building a business by understanding the conditions and improving the soil’s capacity. Now if we could just get him to support the right rugby team, and not the ‘boks...

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MEDIAN RAIN

June

July

August

September

October

November

Abingdon

0

0

0

0

4

35

Atherton

31

20

13

11

23

60

Chillagoe

2

0

0

0

8

41

Croydon

0

0

0

0

5

30

Dimbulah

5

1

0

0

8

34

Einasleigh

0

0

0

0

6

37

Esmeralda

0

0

0

0

7

29

Georgetown

1

0

0

0

6

35

Greenvale

4

0

0

0

9

30

Iffley

0

0

0

0

5

28

Karumba

0

0

0

0

1

31

Mareeba

10

5

3

2

9

33

Mt Surprise

1

0

0

0

7

39

Normanton

0

0

0

0

2

33

Oak Park

3

0

0

0

11

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Median rainfall for the next 6 months The Bureau of Meteorology is tipping a 50% chance or above of exceeding our median rainfall from June to September—you beauty!

However, ours is a region of two seasons: The Wet and The Dry. The Dry is exactly that, and we get very little rainfall from May to October.

In most areas, the monthly median is zero. As such, we have a high chance of getting something more than zero… a heavy dew?

The BoM has us on El Niño Watch—sea surface temperatures in the Pacific are quite high, an indicator of this climate driver for our region.

El Niño years are typically drier and warmer, which could impact business decisions for spring and summer.

Hotter temperatures

Get the latest info

The forecast for June– August shows a 45–80% chance of above median temperatures in our region. It's time to start preparing for the coming fire season, as we're already at a moderate level of grass fire risk.

Want to stay up to date with weather and climate forecasts? Sign up for updates from the Northern Australia Climate Program and you'll get a monthly climate information calendar delivered straight to your inbox!

Gulf Savannah NRM is proud to be collaborating on this project with the University of Southern Queensland, the Bureau of Meteorology, the UK Met Office, state governments in QLD, NT and WA, and other NRM groups.

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Carpentaria Shire Get ready for a captivating week of fun and historical significance as the Carpentaria Shire Council and the community proudly present the Karumba 150th Celebrations (K150). This remarkable event commemorates the 150th anniversary of Karumba's official establishment as a town on 5 June 1873. From 25 June–1 July 2023, join us for exciting events across our picturesque town—including displays, guided tours, workshops, and fun-filled experiences like stargazing, bingo, trivia, karaoke and live music. Adding to the excitement, the K150 Celebrations will also serve as the grand finale for the Cairns to Karumba Bike Ride.

The Karumba 150th Celebrations provide a unique opportunity to reflect on the town's rich heritage, honour the contributions of its residents, and celebrate the vibrant spirit that has shaped Karumba into the charming destination it is today. Don't miss this once-in-alifetime event, join us in commemorating 150 years of history, culture, and community at the Karumba 150th Celebrations.

Etheridge Shire Etheridge Shire Council were recently invited to present at the NRM Forum hosted by LGAQ and Croydon Shire Council. Mayor Barry Hughes and Deputy Mayor Laurel Royes presented Etheridge Shire’s Emissions Profiling Report, detailing Council’s carbon footprint. We have undertaken this report to identify not only the carbon data related to Council’s operation, but also reveal the whole-of-shire carbon footprint.

YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL

Our shire has Australia's third largest clean energy project in its backyard with solar, wind and hydro being developed by Genex at Kidston, and it's important that we as a shire place ourselves in the best possible position to benefit from such a development. Reducing Council’s carbon footprint is one of the objectives we're aiming for, and there are a number of ways this can be achieved now that we've quantified the emissions output. Further development of clean energy projects will enhance Council’s position to leverage for funding opportunities as well as positioning to allow for power purchases direct from these developments.

Mareeba Shire While driving through Mareeba Shire, you’ll see the continued implementation of a three-year Public Mural Action Plan that is being delivered through Council’s Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF). Community facilities, such as the Biboohra Water Tanks, have been reinvigorated through the creation of colourful murals that reflect the unique natural environment and cultural heritage of our shire. Watch out for the Mareeba Skate Park and Kuranda Visitor Information Centre murals to be completed in the coming months. Local community organisations are also contributing to a developing Public Art Trail through the RADF community grant round, with murals previously funded at Roscommon Park, Mareeba Airport and Mareeba Heritage Centre to name a few. As well as enhancing town beautification and liveability, the public art trail will increase cultural tourism opportunities. RADF is Partnership between the Queensland Government and Mareeba Shire Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

In more good news, a new Splash Park, with funding from the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, is set to be completed in June this year. The Splash Park is part of a project to enhance the overall visitors experience at the Mareeba Aquatic Centre and this includes the heating of the existing 50m pool and children’s pool and the addition of a new mural at the entrance to the pool. Make sure to plan a visit in the coming months!

Croydon Shire

Croydon Shire Council’s Heritage Festival is nearly upon us. The annual event will kick off on Saturday 17 June with a 1920s-themed dance at the 19th century-built Town Hall. Locals and visitors are invited to channel their inner Great Gatsby and enjoy music

by Cairns-based duo, Dusty Haven. Sunday morning will see market stalls in Anzac Park —expect locally baked treats, jams and chutneys, and fundraising stalls for our local charities. During the week guided tours will be on offer and everyone will have a chance to follow clues to several secret locations to win gold coins. Kids will participate in an educational scavenger hunt.

We’ll close out by Dancing with the Stars at the Rodeo Ground on Saturday 24 June: the ‘stars’ being all those millions of points of light that decorate our Outback sky! Night Sky Secrets will be on-hand with telescopes and answers about the visible universe while Cassady Connection provides the tunes. Stay up to date via the Croydon Shire Council website and Facebook page. Those who can’t make it this year can confidently put future Croydon Heritage Festivals in their calendars for the final week of the school term before the June holidays each year.

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CO-DEVELOPED WITH HOLLY FARNAN, JCU CAIRNS INSECT ECOLOGY LAB

GREAT CARPENTER BEE Xylocopa aruana These charismatic bees are the largest species in Australia at 15-24mm long. Females flaunt bright yellow thorax hairs contrasted with glossy black hairs elsewhere and males are adorned completely in golden hairs. They excavate burrows in timber earning them their name and are excellent buzz pollinators of native plants, as well as tomatoes and eggplants. They are distributed across northern and eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Photograph © Matthew Connors

BLUE-BANDED BEE Amegilla spp.

Blue-banded bees boast shimmering bands of blue on their thoraxes (some species have green, white or orange bands). Females build nests in soft mortar, mudbricks or soft sandstone banks and leave a mixture of nectar and pollen in each cell before depositing an egg. Male bees roost in small groups at night, clinging to stems with their mandibles. They pollinate both native flowers and garden favourites like chilli, basil and tomatoes.

Photograph © Matthew Connors

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STINGLESS BEE Tetragonula spp.

Stingless bees from the genus Tetragonula are highly social, living in colonies and working together to carry out different tasks including mass provisioning of food, cleaning, nest defence and corpse removal. They nest in tree hollows and crevices and can commonly be found in the walls of buildings. Stingless bees can be domesticated and have been found to increase crop yield of macadamia, mango, avocado, lychee, blueberry and strawberry.

Photograph © Campbell Simpson

CLEARWING SWALLOWTAIL Cressida Cressida Unlike most butterflies, the clearwing swallowtail has very few scales giving their wings a transparent appearance.

Caterpillars feed on poisonous vines (Aristolochia spp.) making them unpalatable to predators through to adulthood. Adult males sport red and black markings while the female has few markings.

Males also have a wider wingspan than females, an unusual trait in butterflies. Adults sip on nectar and pollinate plant species such as Grevilleas.

Photograph © Laura Lopresti

MASON BEE Lithurgus atratus The name ‘Lithurgus’ comes from the Greek word ‘lithos’, meaning stone. These bees are solitary and excavate burrows in rotting wood. They form part of the Megachilidae group of bees, one of the largest genera of bees. They are classified as ‘long-tongued’ bees and visit large flowers that produce coarse pollen such as Ipomoea, Alygogyne and Hibiscus.

Photograph © Matthew Connors

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IMAGE © JOHN HARRISON

In the tropical savannahs of northern Queensland, the grasslands are home to a rare and brightly coloured jewel of a bird: Psephotellus chrysopterygius, better known as the Goldenshouldered Parrot.

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Recognisable from their dazzling feathers (males are turquoise and orange with a black crown and bright yellow shoulders, while females are green and turquoise), this bird is endemic to the region— meaning it is found nowhere else in the world—and is an important totem for First Nations Peoples.

In the 1980s, a population of Golden-shouldered Parrots was discovered in the area south-west and east of Musgrave in the headwaters of the

Morehead River. The Morehead River population is believed to occupy an area of 1380km²—however, by the late 1990s the size of this habitat was already shrinking. By 2009, the Morehead River population was estimated to be only 1,500 mature individuals, and more recent evidence (circa. 2016 suggests this number has declined further.

In the 1990s, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers discovered a second popul-ation in Staaten River National Park and the adjacent Bulimba Sta-tion, about 100

Indigenous Peoples having distinct language names for the species. The parrot’s distribution has contracted since the species was first collected for science by Elsey, east of Normanton, in 1856.

In fact, its population size and distribution have contracted so severely that it is recognised as an Endangered species at state, national and international levels.

Threats to the golden-shouldered parrot include: woody thickening, particularly the broad-leaf tea-tree predation by cats, goannas and butcherbirds grazing by both cattle and feral pigs changed fire regimes changes to food resources the loss of termite mounds by feral pigs that parrots use for nesting Since 2019, efforts to save this species have been lead by a dedicated Golden shoulder parrot recovery team. Gulf Savannah NRM has partnered with Traditional Custodians, Cape York NRM, Bush Heritage, Artemis Nature Fund and ecologists Steve Murphy and Gaye Crowley to try and protect Golden-shouldered Parrot habitat in the Cape, and the Staaten and Mitchell catchments of the Gulf Savannah.

kilometres west of Chillagoe. The Staaten population is constrained to an area of approximately 300km² and is estimated to contain approximately 1,000 mature individuals. While regular Golden-shouldered Parrot sightings are made from areas outside of their range, they remain unconfirmed, and the most optimistic total population estimate is 2,500 mature individuals.

This work has included efforts to increase best practice habitat management, including an Indigenous fire forum on traditional burning at Talaroo Station (2019) and another fire forum in Mt Surprise to help landholders reduce woody thick-kening (2020). Gulf Savannah NRM has also contributed to a CSIRO pilot study, to determine the feasibility of using remote sensing technologies to identify and locate potential nesting sites.

Indigenous Knowledge holds that the parrot traditionally had a continuous distribution through much of Cape York Peninsula, with at least four

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Gulf Savannah NRM conducted surveys in 2019 to estimate the density of Golden-shouldered Parrot nests and population size at Staaten National Park.

We have also supported Wakaman Traditional Custodians from the Chillagoe district to complete a nest survey in 2022 and two habitat suitability ground-truthing surveys in 2023, as part of their Healthy Country Plan.

Through the recovery team, on-ground works to protect the birds has included reducing weeds and woody thickening, while maintaining healthy grass habitats; fencing cattle and pigs out of sensitive grasslands known to provide habitat and managing weeds and pests which pose a threat to the parrot.

There have been several research projects to better understand how to protect this species.

Two of the main predators of the golden shouldered parrot are butcher birds and feral cats. Both species have been tracked with GPS to better understand their predatory behaviour.

Vegetation thickening is one of the key factors identified as causing the decline of the Goldenshouldered Parrot, as dense vegetation increases the hunting success of these predators.

Understanding how much woody thickening has occurred is an important part of understanding how to save the parrot and has been the focus of much research effort. Mechanical methods for removing

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woody thickening have been trialled as part of the conservation efforts.

This project is supported by Gulf Savannah NRM, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Unearthing Einasleigh & District's Bygone Days Local author Colleen Taylor is publishing a new book featuring heart-warming stories from the pioneering families of the Einasleigh region, personally told by the Golden Oldies or relayed by their descendants. Mayor Barry Hughes (Etheridge Shire Council) will officially launch the book's publication at 'Christmas in July' at Einasleigh Park under the Memorial Tree on 29 July 2023. You can buy a copy of the book by contacting Colleen on 0474 035 111.

Kiss The Ground DOCUMENTARY | FIND IT ON NETFLIX

Narrated by and featuring Woody Harrelson, Kiss the Ground is an inspiring and ground-breaking film that reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilise Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies.

Using striking visuals and NASA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle.

Big Sky Country PODCAST | FIND IT ON SPOTIFY OR APPLE PODCASTS

As threats to Australia’s biodiversity and ecosystems grow, this podcast goes to the frontlines of some of the country's most urgent environmental battles. Join Bush Heritage as they travel our vast continent: from the flanks of the Mighty Murrumbidgee River in NSW where over 40,000 trees have been planted, to the “Galapagos of the Kimberley” where some slimy snails and their genetic evolution have scientists extremely excited.

LISTEN WATCH READ

COLLEEN TAYLOR

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Jack Fraser Sr and Andy the dog with a pig at Valley of Lagoons Station, Greenvale (circa 1950)

Jack Fraser had a chat with us as part of our project, The Gulf Savannah Story, collecting information about changes across the landscape.

Jack’s grandfather came from Scotland with his brother in the late 1800s, but they parted in Cloncurry. Jack’s grandfather came to Croydon and was married there, but moved to the Gilbert River and then Georgetown, carting ore during the gold rush.

gave horses the deadly walkabout illness.

Rattlepod would flare up some years more than others. A friend of Jack’s father, who had been a doctor in the Second World War, prescribed a sulphur triad tablet to cure horses with the walkabout where no cure was previously known.

Horses were used a lot more in those days, and the native rattlepod weed was a problem as it

In the early days, local Aboriginal people would often make a convenient meal out of newly-

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available cattle. While this caused some conflict with station managers, many of the early settlers were able to maintain good relationships with the locals—eventually hiring them to work the cattle.

To get the best out of anyone, you needed to communicate well, show respect, and be good to people. "There were some very, very great Aboriginal stockmen in my day,” says Jack.

Aboriginal stockmen were often tasked with putting in fire when conditions were right throughout the year. Maintaining the land in this manner suited both traditional purposes and cattle: it remained easy to traverse, and hunting or mustering was far easier when grazing animals were attracted to the fresh shoots of grass that came in after the burn.

Changes came to the grazing industry in the 1960s and 70s. Fences became common as the cost of production increased, which prevented a neighbour’s stock from feeding on your good pasture. Improved water infrastructure came in around the same time, and today we notice far greater numbers of kangaroos, wallabies, pigs and even deer—all a consequence of greater water access.

Crocodiles have proliferated too. Their eggs were collected as an Aboriginal staple, including by stockmen in their down time. With the days of the crocodile hunter well behind us, larger crocs are far more common along the rivers of the Gulf River conditions have changed too. At the bridge, the Gilbert River has silted up about two metres over the last 50 years, as stocking rates along the river doubled. Fishing holes have disappeared under the sand. Fish need lagoons and billabongs to make it through the dry season; while some of these may be filling up with silt, fish might instead continue to find refuge in the artificial dams and watering holes built for cattle.

Jack reckons the best cattle operators in the

world are found in North-West Queensland. He says they tend to be multi-generational families with the experience, or a diverse enough operation, to ride out the drought-and-flood cycle of the Gulf country. But he cautions against cutting corners.

Cattle are worth too much money to not be looked after correctly.

In fact, it might make good business sense to run fewer cattle of higher quality. In the words of his mentor Lenny Foreman: “The slower we go, the faster we get there."

SHARE YOUR STORY We’d love to interview you if you have old memories, or a keen eye for changes across the Gulf over the decades.

Get in touch by calling the Gulf Savannah NRM office on 07 4092 1088 or email mitchell.jeffrey@gulfsavannahnrm.org.

This project is funded by Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Recovery Program.

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The evidence is in—here's how we can improve the drought resilience of our cropping soils

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Last year at Gulf Savannah NRM’s Drought Resilience Forum in Dimbulah, Dr Paul Nelson (James Cook University) shared the latest research and evidence on how to improve the drought resilience of cropping soils.

Here’s a summary of his valuable insights.

The drought resilience of cropping systems largely depends on the soil.

While soils vary naturally, they are also influenced by farming practices. We can make our soils more resilient to drought by working to influence these three things: 1. Maximising infiltration capacity (minimising runoff) 2. Maximising plant available water-holding capacity (minimising deep drainage and any factors limiting growth of healthy root systems) 3. Minimising evaporation

Rain falling on bare soil pulverises the soil surface, forming a seal. If the ground is covered in some way, the impact is absorbed and the soil structure is maintained. Living plants or crop residues (mulch) give the best cover. When it is not raining, such cover will reduce the amount of water moving up to the surface through capillary action, reducing the amount of water lost through evaporation (Figure 1).

So how do we achieve this?

Infiltration depends on the amount and intensity of rainfall and irrigation. It’s also influenced by the method of irrigation, the slope and surface roughness of the paddock. While soil texture and structure have a big impact on infiltration, it also depends on what is covering the soil’s surface.

Soils contain 'hydrophobic' or water-repelling organic materials from plants and fungi. In dry sandy soils (like the sandy loams around Mareeba and Dimbulah), these coat the soil particles in the topsoil to such an extent that water cannot easily infiltrate.

Plant available water-holding capacity of the soil depends on soil porosity and pore size distribution. “Porosity” is the ratio of pore volume to total soil volume, and soil pores enable the movement of air and water within the soil itself.

Evaporation depends on the cover over the soil surface, soil porosity, pore size distribution and soil wetness.

Maintaining soil cover is important for both infiltration and evaporation.

Figure 1: Soil water content in a mango orchard with and without mulch. In the experiment both treatments were irrigated at the same time, but the mulched treatment could have been left about 4 days longer than the bare treatment before irrigating, without stressing the trees (Dickinson et al. 2019).

Soil pores also have a big role to play in how soil retains water, and therefore is more resilient to drought.

The amount, size and stability of pores determine how much water can infiltrate—and be taken up and stored in—soils. The size of pores is important, because large pores (macropores, diameter >30 µm) drain under the force of gravity, medium-size pores (mesopores, 0.3-30 µm diameter) hold water against gravity but the water can be extracted by plants, while the micropores (<0.3 µm diameter) are always full of water.

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Farmers should aim to maximise the amount of macro- and meso-pores, as well as their resistance to collapse when they become wet.

So how can these larger pores be created and maintained? We know that pore size distribution is determined largely by the size and nature of mineral particles that naturally occur in your soils, but it is also influenced by management.

Cultivation creates pores—however, the pores created by cultivation are not stable so can collapse when the soil gets wet.

Careful cultivation has both positive and negative effects on soil porosity. This is because cropping involves vehicles, which cause compaction (destruction of macropores) below the cultivated layer, especially if the pressure on the ground is high and the soil is moist. Cultivation also damages the burrows of soil fauna, which are the other pore creators.

Soil fauna (especially ants, termites, worms and beetles) create pores by burrowing and depositing the excavated soil on the surface.

In fact, they are often called ‘soil engineers’ for that. They can also stabilise the pores by coating pore walls with organic glues. They will happily appear, colonise the soil and provide that service if they are given the right conditions.

Encouraging soil fauna will create and stabilise pores. To do this, it is essential to create and maintain an environment in which they can thrive.

Four rules for nurturing soil fauna: 1. Feed them: maximise plant growth and organic matter inputs 2. Don’t mangle them or their burrows: minimise cultivation 3. Don’t crush their galleries and make burrowing too hard for them: minimise compaction (i.e. use permanent beds, controlled traffic, minimal zonal tillage) 4. Don’t poison them: minimise insecticides, nematicides and fungicides

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Encouraging root growth and adding organic matter will also create and stabilise pores in more direct ways. Roots stabilise macropores and, when the roots die, they create continuous pores.

The addition of organic matter feeds the microorganisms that stabilise pores—especially fungi. Fungi and plant roots create a ‘string bag’ effect, which bind soil particles and stabilise the pores between them. This string bag is quite delicate and can be destroyed by cultivation.

Bacteria and plant roots also create ‘glues’ that stabilise structure. For every 1% increase in soil organic carbon content, plant-available water content is increased by 3mm per 100mm soil depth (Bagnall et al. 2022).

Organic matter can be added or encouraged to accumulate, in several ways: as in-situ growth of crops, pasture or green manure, and by retaining plant resides in the paddock; by adding compost or mulch produced elsewhere; or by minimising decomposition rate through minimum cultivation.

When organic matter is added to soil as plant residues, within a year about 60–80% is decomposed by soil organisms and lost to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Of the remainder, about 10–20% is biomass and 80–90% humus (Weil and Brady 2017). Although most of the added organic matter is lost quite quickly, it is still beneficial because it has fed all the soil fauna and microorganisms that keep the soil healthy.

So, by creating a system in which a) groundcover is maintained, b) organic matter inputs are maximised (preferably in-situ production), c) cultivation and traffic is minimised and controlled, d) input of pesticides to soil is minimised, and e) sodicity (sodium content) of the soil is minimised—you can build drought resilience into your soils.

And as a bonus, this will be a system which will also improve all other aspects of soil quality or fertility— improving the productivity of your farm.

References Bagnall, D. K., et al. (2022). Carbon-sensitive pedotransfer functions for plant available water. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 86, 612–629.

Dickinson, G. R., et al. (2019). Nitrogen and carbon management in Australian mango orchards to improve productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Acta Horticulturae, 1244.

Weil, R.R., and Brady, N.C. (2017). The Nature and Properties of Soils. 15th ed. Pearson Education.

Sarah Stevens is our sustainable agriculture project officer at Gulf Savannah NRM. Tell us a bit about where you come from. Born in Melbourne, I took off when I was 17 to live in Northern NSW for a decade. I moved to the family farm in western Victoria while I did my undergrad degree, then returned to Melbourne for another decade where among other things I worked as a mechanic and got my commercial pilot license before moving to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

The South Australian desert is an incredible place, I still miss it – I get desert cravings! It gets its hooks in you. I went there to start my flying career, as you do – you go out to the middle of nowhere to get your hours up. I started in Hawker in the Flinders Ranges, and then spent a year out at William Creek before going back to Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges. I started flying casually for the SA Department for Environment and Water, which is how I got into NRM. There

was a 10-week internally advertised backfill – I think I was the only applicant, so I got it even though I had no NRM experience. That was how I got my foot in the door, and I haven’t looked back!

What made you want to work with Gulf Savannah NRM? We decided we wanted to live in North Queensland, or Tasmania. I started applying for NRM jobs in both and this is just the one I got.

Now with hindsight, I am really glad it was!

If you had a superpower, what would it be? My superpower would be to protect all the animals in the world from abuse and exploitation.

Where did you go on holiday as a kid? On school holidays and long weekends, we camped in and explored every national park and state forest in Victoria. They'd load us up in the family van and we’d take off somewhere to bushwalk or camp.

We were a big gaggle of cousins with a wild sense of adventure and no fear, and we just explored.

What is your favourite music?

At the moment I’m listening to a lot of deep house and liquid drum and bass, and I like my trip hop.

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PROJECT UPDATES Gulf Savannah NRM is delivering a range of projects in regenerative agriculture, biodiversity, fire and drought management, community resilience, and more. Stay up to date with our monthly online newsletter: bit.ly/gsnrm-news QUEST TO SUPPORT QUOLLS Our Project Support Officer and Regional Agricultural Landcare Facilitator (RALF), Leah, has been out to Brooklyn Station recently, placing lures close to our artificial quoll dens. These sites will be monitored periodically using trail cameras placed at each entry to the den, to determine what animal has taken the lure.

Ultimately the aim of the lure is to attract quolls to the dens to utilise them; realistically, we are likely to see a range of animals—including dingoes, pigs and cats—that may be attracted to these lures too. We'll be keeping an eye on the trail cameras to see which animals show an interest.

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government's Environment Restoration Fund. The project is a partnership between Gulf Savannah NRM, Terrain NRM, James Cook University, Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Western Yalanji Traditional Owners.

FREE HELP TO TRACK LAND CONDITION Monitoring of the current land condition on 260 sites across the Northern Gulf has begun, with the goal to complete all sites by the end of June. Oneon-one land condition monitoring training has also begun with properties in the Croydon and Einasleigh areas.

Want to learn how to monitor land condition—the health of your land, soil and pasture—on your property? This project is free to take part in and you'll be supported to develop new skills. Get in touch with Kacie on 0484 869 995 to find out more.

This project is funded by Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Recovery Program.

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TURTLES IN TROUBLE We've been working with Tagalaka Aboriginal Corporation to seek support for freshwater turtle conservation, after reports from locals that turtle numbers may be declining. Alfred Owens, chairperson for Tagalaka Aboriginal Corporation, presented to the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network forum in Sydney, supported by Gulf Savannah NRM and the Wettenhall Environment Trust. He explained our plans to conserve freshwater turtles from feral pig predation and habitat decline in Tagalaka Country, as well as the pressing need for more housing in Croydon to support any future ranger positions. It’s great to see these issues from the remote Gulf region being communicated to a national audience. Since then, several generous donors have supported these efforts, which will translate into real on ground conservation action in future.

DATA, DATA, DATA! We are about to begin the next round of data collection for the Showcasing Resilient Grazing Landscapes with Better Biodiversity project. The researchers from James Cook University that we are collaborating with have been busy analysing the data collected in the previous rounds of sampling, and continue to develop their automated species detection models.

This project has received funding from the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) and the Australian Government.

POWERFUL POLLINATORS IN ACTION! We recently planted 220 native plants using six species (Melaleucas, Acacias, Leptospermum and Ficus) at two farms in Walkamin amongst avocado and persimmon orchards. These attractive trees will blossom before the crop does and encourage pollinating insects to enter the orchard. Then, as the crop flowers, established colonies of pollinating insects are already present.

This project is supported by Gulf Savannah NRM, through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.

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WINTER 2023

Check in with your grazing business this season Reviewing your whole business at once can be a daunting and overwhelming task, but biting off a few things consistently each quarter can lead to big improvements over 12 months... with the benefits compounding for years to come. Here’s four things to get started between musters:

Double-check stocking rates Forage production and stocking rate records are critical in making timely management decisions. Using your firstround numbers, double-check your stocking rates and forage budgets. Here are a few tools to help you get started or call for a personalized walk through: etools.mla.com.au - click on stocking rate calculator youtube.com/@FutureBeefAu - search for Forage Budgeting and pasture utilisation video

Support herd performance Keep up those dry season supplementation for improved herd performance!

Try this editable lick intake calculator from FutureBeef: futurebeef.com.au/resources/phosphorus-lick-intake-calculator/

Be climate informed Prepare for the seasons ahead! Stay updated and informed by keeping watch on the indicators.

Sign up for updates from the Northern Australia Climate Program (page 12)

Business savvy It’s tax season again! While you’ve got those figures out, it’s good practice to review key financial measures to see how your business is tracking over time. There are a couple of great worksheets in the Farm Business Resilience Planning workbook that walk you through these.

Contact Mandy Pickering on 0429 672 058 or email mandy.pickering@gulfsavannahnrm.org to complete your Business Resilience Planning and look into the funding and grants available to improve infrastructure in preparation for dry periods.

Grazing Futures is a Drought and Climate Adaptation Program (DCAP) funded project aimed at helping producers better manage drought and other risks associated 29 with extensive livestock businesses.

LET'S GET SOCIAL 17–24 JUNE

30 JUNE–1 JULY

12 JULY

Croydon Heritage Festival

Oak Park Races

RCS Soil Solutions Workshop

More info admin@croydon. qld.gov.au Location Croydon

More info oakparkraces.com.au Location Oak Park Station

More info 0477 415 031 Location Georgetown

7 JULY

14–16 JULY

NAIDOC Day & Community Event

Einasleigh Campdraft

More info Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Location Kowanyama

More info einasleighsports @gmail.com Location Einasleigh

7 JULY

15–16 JULY

NAIDOC Gala Dinner

Outback QLD Masters

More info Carpentaria Shire Council Location Normanton

More info outbackqldmasters.com Location Karumba

19 JUNE

15–16 JULY

HumiSoil Unveiling at Stockade Farm

Mareeba Rodeo More info mareebarodeo.com.au Location Mareeba

More info 0418 733 147 Location Dimbulah

22 JULY

24–30 JUNE

Bring in Spring Festival

Cairns to Karumba Bike Ride

More info Kyra 4745 9175 Location Karumba

More info c2kbikeride.com.au Location Savannah Way

27–30 JULY

25 JUNE–1 JULY

8–9 JULY

Karumba 150th Celebrations

Local Fishing Competition

Eureka Creek Campdraft, Rodeo & Races

More info karumba150 years@outlook.com Location Karumba

More info Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Location Kowanyama

More info eurekacreek campdraft@gmail.com Location Dimbulah

28–30 JULY Einasleigh's Christmas in July More info Wendi 4079 9027 Location Einasleigh Park

29 JULY CSDE Reunion More info Karen Pedersen 0400 155 464 Location Biboohra

29 JULY Kowanyama Rodeo Ball More info Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council Location Kowanyama

4–5 AUGUST Forsayth Turnout & Etheridge Show More info 0428 793 039 Location Forsayth

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TICKETS $55

SOIL SOLUTIONS WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY 12 JULY, GEORGETOWN SPORTS CENTRE Increase the overall health, productivity, and value of your land The RCS Soil Solutions Workshop is a one-day, in-person course that focuses on understanding the strong link between how biology and nutrient components are managed to improve the health of land and profitability of business.

Topics: ✔ Sequestering carbon in your soil ✔ The importance of soil biology and its role in sequestration ✔ The Biologically Enhanced Agricultural Management (BEAM) Approach and its benefits ✔ Ecological indicators and the 6 regenerative soil and plant health principles ✔ Increasing ground cover to reduce erosion ✔ Sustainable farm practices ✔ Trading soil carbon ✔ Reduce inputs

GET TICKETS

https://bit.ly/soilsolutions-rcs

For more information, contact RCS (07 4939 5255 or info@rcsaustralia.com.au) or get in touch with Oliver McConnachie (Soils Extension Officer) on 0467 701 000 or email oliver.mcconnachie@gulfsavannahnrm.org

This project is supported by Gulf Savannah NRM, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.