Naturally Inspired WINTER 2015
INSIDE
• THE NATIONAL LANDCARE PROGRAMME • INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE • NATURALLY INSPIRED GRANTS • NEWS FROM THE REGIONS • UPCOMING EVENTS
www.nrmsouth.org.au
FROM THE CEO
TASMANIA IN THE WINTER
In this edition of Naturally Inspired, NRM South celebrates the planting of seeds for the National Landcare Programme. This programme, funded by the Australian Government, will grow over the next three years through the delivery of projects and funding to the community through mechanisms such as the Naturally Inspired Grants.
Tasmanian Winter is a time for roaring fires, warming Tassie food and toasty toes. Winter in Tasmania has this way of making you feel alive. Whether it’s the icy chill of dark mornings, or thinking about what needs to be planted for the upcoming season Winter plays a vital role in what defines the southern part of our state.
In this edition, we meet up with Richard Weston from Weston Farms who shares his views on innovation in the production space, and the challenges and opportunities of diversifying into hospitality. We also celebrate the success of the previous round of Naturally Inspired Grant recipients with some great photos of their achievements. We’re looking to the year ahead and remind people that we have some consultation on the NRM Strategy, stories in our annual report, our AGM and a number of great events in partnership with Landcare Tasmania and others coming up. Far from it being a time of hibernation, there is lot going on throughout the whole region and we encourage you to join in the action. Donald Coventry CEO - NRM South
CEO Donald Coventry pictured with recent snowfalls in the background.
Cover image - Miena Cider Gum in Winter by Magali Wright
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$5.03M NATIONAL LANDCARE PROGRAMME A BOOST TO SOUTHERN TASMANIA NRM South is pleased to announce that the Southern Tasmanian NRM region will receive $5.03M funding over 3 years, which will be delivered through NRM South as part of the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme (NLP).
Supporting High Value species, places and communities and promoting Biosecurity. NRM South will assist land managers and the community to implement actions that conserve, improve the management of, and protect valuable threatened species. It will also build on past work and the efforts of the statewide biosecurity network to reduce the spread and impact of pests and pathogens on Tasmania’s important natural places.
NRM South is one of 56 regional bodies within Australia contributing to the delivery of the Programme. These funds are critical to the future of natural resource management, building on more than 10 years of work in Southern Tasmania.
Supporting Waterways and Coastal Areas. NRM South will work with the community and key partners to deliver a regional program focused on increasing awareness and generating positive NRM outcomes for Southern Tasmania’s coasts, catchments and waterways and the species they support including coastal Ramsar wetlands.
The announcement acknowledges the pivotal role that regional natural resource management organisations have in working with, and distilling the needs of, communities to deliver programs with strong partnerships that make a difference on the ground and create long-term sustainable agricultural and environmental benefit.
Working on Country with the Aboriginal Community.
The regional funding will reach the community via partnership programs and through the annual Naturally Inspired Grants which offer targeted grants to groups, schools and landholders to undertake positive practical NRM actions and activities.
NRM South recognises the importance of Aboriginal cultural values and knowledge in contributing to effective and practical long-term NRM solutions and will continue to support the development of Aboriginal enterprises, training, capacity building, knowledge transfer, land and sea planning and on-ground works in Southern Tasmania.
The program will be delivered through to 2018 in partnership with numerous members of the community, including farmers, the fishing industry, the Aboriginal community, volunteer groups, councils, NGO’s, business, industry, research, education and government partners and it is this mechanism that ensures success.
Building Knowledge and data in the region NRM South will continue to build and share knowledge and data to underpin good natural resource management and support the implementation of the NRM Strategy for Southern Tasmania through activities such as sustainable practice trials, monitoring of works and research.
The main areas of activity under the National Landcare Programme are:
Engaging the Community, Building Capacity and Encouraging Sustainable Management Practices.
For more information about NRM South and our work visit www.nrmsouth.org.au
NRM South will engage the community through events, activities and skill development and the annual Naturally Inspired Grants program to participate in effective natural resource management and encourage the uptake of sustainable management and innovative practices in Southern Tasmania, including delivery through the Regional Landcare Facilitator role.
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TREE CHANGE WITH AN INCOME Why innovation and sustainable practice is a winning combination Richard Weston on site at Weston Farms
Ask Richard Weston whether it’s harder to run a farm or a cafe and he laughs,“It’d be a good debate to have.”
White asparagus production is one such area of experimentation and three years ago Richard was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship to travel the world and study its commercial production. He has since acquired 24,000 white asparagus seeds and has plans for Weston Farm to sow and trial the crop very soon.
One he has perhaps had with himself, because along with wife Belinda and 14-year-old twin sons Lloyd and Campbell, he juggles both - Weston Farm in Brighton and the Pigeon Hole cafe in West Hobart.
It may be twice the workload, but running a farm and cafe has given Richard a behind-the-scenes look at Tasmania’s two major industries - agriculture and hospitality. And whilst the two are without doubt intrinsically inter-connected, they don’t always communicate well. His suggestion is for hospitality training to link in with agricultural training, encouraging farmers and chefs to work together for the end product.
“With farming you are dealing with the elements, nature and unpredictability, but with hospitality you’re trying to fulfil customer expectations. They both have their challenges and they both have very long hours.” These dual roles of farming and hospitality are a far cry from his childhood growing up in the suburbs of Hobart. Yet Richard and Belinda have managed what many only dream of - a tree change that turned into a career as well as a lifestyle.
For Richard, the end of an outdoor week on the farm is followed by a Saturday spent indoors washing dishes at the cafe. “I enjoy it,” he laughs. “It gives me an insight into how my product is being used and helps me to grow what the chefs are looking for. You know - whether they would prefer more baby vegetables, larger vegetables or root vegetables.”
The couple began, as many do, with a desire to raise a family and live a simple, rural life. “We bought five hectares of agricultural land just out of Hobart and planted peony roses to sell to the cutflower industry and olives to produce oil,” Richard explained. “For family use, we established a large vegetable garden and raised chickens and pigs.”
“This two-way feedback between paddock and plate is instrumental to what Richard decides to grow and what the local restaurants can produce from it.“
It was all very idyllic and perhaps predictable, until the day their friend Luke Burgess (owner of former iconic restaurant Garagistes) turned up at the back door. “He took one look at our vegetable patch and asked if we could grow a bit extra for him. He wanted unusual produce to serve in his restaurant but was struggling to find farmers willing to try growing something a bit different.”
But chefs have a great sense of humour,” he smiles. “You can bet the one item you’ve grown the least of will be the one they want to put on the menu!” But he does occasionally manage to turn the tables and surprise them. Like when he discovered that Tasmania was the perfect place to grow alma paprika.
Fast forward a few years, and Weston Farm now grows an everchanging selection of niche produce enjoyed by patrons in many of Tasmania’s best restaurants, as well as its own inner-city cafe.
“We’ve experimented over the last three years by first growing paprika in tunnels and then planting 580 out in the open. They grew very well - almost as well as under plastic - and we’ve been able to produce half a tonne of smoked and sweet paprika this year.”
“Because of the nature of our farm, we’re able to play around with different vegetables and see if they grow … see what happens. We’re experimenting all the time and that’s the driver for me.”
NRM SOUTH NEWSLETTER
It seems amazing that cool Tasmania can grow commercial amounts of paprika. “We misunderstand our climate here in Tasmania,” says Richard. “It’s often our expectation of what we can grow that limits us. We have a good climate. If we don’t experiment and try then we won’t know what we can actually grow.
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“Integrating the current ‘go to Tassie for food’ message into a cohesive tourism and hospitality experience could build our export market.”
be too expensive to be viable. For instance in Brighton, ‘intensive agriculture’ zoned land is selling for $20,000 a hectare. That places it amongst the most expensive land in Australia and it’s all due to pressure from housing.”
The cafe has made it clear to Richard that as tourists return home from an enjoyable holiday, they look for ways to re-create it eating food that is identifiably Tasmanian provides a sensory way for them to do this.
Canada has devised its own way to address the twin issues of affordability and lack of young people within agriculture. “Apparently if you’re young enough, you can apply for a 30-year loan fixed at around 3% interest to help you buy a farm.”
“Part of peoples’ experience is to visit Tassie and get the best produce - a large segment of our cafe clientele are tourists - and as a result we have a wonderful following on the mainland.
This ties in with Richard’s belief that people hoping - as he once did - for a tree change with an income, should do so when they’re young rather than putting it off as a retirement dream. “Farming is hard work. I think the ideal age to begin would be between 25 and 40 years of age.”
A small farm such as Richard’s has diversified in order to survive. “If you only grow one item and then find there’s a sudden glut in the market, it means lower sale prices - and that’s farming - but it means we farmers must diversify and value-add in order to make a profit.
That said, he refuses to put any pressure on his boys to one day take over Weston Farm. “This is my and Belinda’s dream. If they want to follow in our footsteps that will be great, but Belinda also runs a busy architectural practice so they may want to do that. Cafes are hard work so I don’t think they’re so enthusiastic about that side because at the moment all they want to do is eat and sleep! But at least they’re food aware and recognise quality produce when they see and taste it.”
“I once counted five garlic growers at a local farmers’ market, so that’s getting pretty tight for each to make a profit. But if they’re growing a range of produce then it won’t hit them so hard financially.” Spreading risk and minimising waste through value-adding is standard procedure at Weston Farm. “We use our excess fresh produce to make a range of preserves, plus we sell our olive oil, peony roses and now the paprika, and one day hopefully some white asparagus.”
At the Pigeon Hole cafe, it’s hard to miss the fact that most of the food served is grown on its own farm. The menus proudly declare so and staff take pride explaining how the food was grown and the stories that make each component special. Celebrating the relationships between growers, chefs and consumers creates an experience that is more than just a meal.
There’s no doubt that agriculture is a challenge, with the uncertainty of elements and profit margins putting many people off a farming career. “There’s a myth in Australia that you need thousands of acres to be a successful farmer,” explains Richard, noting that within the European Union, 70% of all farms are less than eight hectares in size.
“All of our food waste is sent back to the farm where it is composted and used to grow more produce. It’s a sustainable cycle and one I’d like to see our hospitality industry do better.
“We’ve all got to protect Tasmania’s reputation of growing clean, green, quality produce,” says Richard. “Because if we ever lose this reputation we will never get it back.”
“I’ll hold Holland up as an example again. They’re a country smaller than Tasmania with 17 million people, yet the year I was there they exported €25billion worth of horticultural and agricultural products. No land is wasted. “It’s hard to imagine having a vacant 15 acres of land just 20 minutes from the CBD of Sydney - but we do have that availability near our CBD in Tasmania. This fringe agricultural land is the land to buy for those looking to get into small-scale farming. But it’s frustrating that even here our prime agricultural land can
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NATURALLY INSPIRED GRANTS UPDATE The first observed fledgling for the 2014 breeding season. Photo: Marina Campbell
Congratulations to the successful recipients of round 8
Celebrating the successes of the previous round
Recipients of this year’s round of the Naturally Inspired Grants have been announced with 32 recipients sharing in just over $154,000 with funding supplied by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme (NLP).
We’re pleased to recognise the success of some of the community group recipients from round 7 of the Naturally Inspired Grants. There are have been some tremendous results and outcomes. and a few are highlighted here. The other projects, which were funded in round 7 and are still being delivered, will be featured in future communications.
During this round, twelve community groups were funded for a diverse range of projects including conservation of coastal saltmarsh and wetland restoration, environmental awareness raising, weed management, protection of threatened vegetation and projects.
Friends of Coningham Nature Recreation Area $5000 Activity: Follow up weed control over 6.7 ha of the reserve, targeting Spanish Heath.
Twenty landholders were funded for works such as riparian fencing and revegetation, protecting remnant vegetation for threatened species, managing environmental weeds, improving soil health and low input pasture management for perennial grasses.
Contract spraying was completed before the Spanish heath set seed to help reduce the likelihood of new seed taking hold. The targeted approach, guided by the group’s weed management plan, will enable easy management of weed regrowth during regular working bees.
The Australian Government’s Green Army Programme has also provided important support to grantees, providing the opportunity for an extra pair of hands to help deliver activities (see page 9).
Friends of Maatsuyker Island (Wildcare Inc.) $4750 Activity: Population census and monitoring of the shearwater (muttonbird) populations on Maatsuyker Island.
The launch of the grants was supported by Eric Hutchinson MP and held on landholder’s property at Richmond whose project will enhance and improve land management adjacent to the internationally significant Ramsar wetland.
From surveys in the 1980s, 800,000 Short-tailed shearwater burrows were known to exist on Maatsuyker Island. Building on data collected in 2013/14 and using 2014/15 data, Friends of Maatsuyker Island researchers are finalising calculations for a new population estimate which will be published shortly.
For more information about Naturally Inspired Grants visit www.nrmsouth.org.au/grants/
Friends of the Orange-bellied Parrot (Wildcare Inc.) $4820 Activity: Monitoring of the Orange-bellied Parrot breeding population at Melaleuca The grant supported volunteers to visit Melaleuca in 2014 to undertake observations of the endangered birds during breeding season (October-December). This included daily observations, a supplementary feeding program, and provision of information and advocacy to people visiting the area.
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Sheryl Hamilton using a burrowscope on Maatsuyker Island to check occupancy of Short-tailed shearwater burrows. Photo: Georgie Hedley
Premaydena/Saltwater River Coastcare $2700 Activity: Rehabilitation of Impression Bay The group engaged students at Tasman District School with rehabilitation of Impression Bay. This is the third year of the rehabilitation project and the group reports that planted trees are becoming well established, and weeds, such as willow, poplars, pine, blackberry and broom being controlled. Students planted another 200 shrubs and trees in the area to celebrate National Tree Day, and removed weeds and pinecones. Some students have been involved in the project for 3 years and are thrilled to see their contribution to the local environment.
Rehabilitation of Impression Bay foreshore. Photo: Dave & Zoe Judge
Sustainable Living in Kingborough $4950 Activity: Kingborough Alliance: Reducing waste in the marine and coastal environment. A major success of this project was engagement of the community around marine debris with over 70 interested volunteers from community, council and local businesses taking part. Clean up activities provided a social opportunity while also acting as a successful strategy in awareness-raising. It also engaged jetty users such as commercial fishers and visiting tourists who joined conversations about marine debris and the group’s mascot, “Marina Debria”, provided a unique talking point. Marina Debria raising awareness for marine debris. Photo: Sustainable Living in Kingborough
Sucklings Creek Management committee $3530 Activity: Sucklings creek action plan Huon Valley Roamers Landcare $4644 Activity: Rehabilitation of Black Gum Reserve, Huonville Mt. Rumney Landcare Group $4900 Activity: Conservation of Swift Parrot, Eastern Barred Bandicoot and Masked Owl Habitat in peri-urban asset protection fire zones Wildcare Deslacs $5000 Activity: Protecting Short-tailed Shear-waters at Cape Deslacs For more information about NRM South’s Naturally Inspired Grants see www.nrmsouth.org.au/grants
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Property Management Program participants onsite at a Huon farm.
NEWS Property Planning success
State Landcare Conference and Awards
The Small Landholdings Property Management Planning Workshop series run recently for landholders in the Huon and Channel region was a tremendous success with 28 people from 15 properties taking part in the program.
Held every two years, the State Landcare Awards and conference celebrate the achievements of local landcarers and community landcare groups across the state. The 2015 Tasmanian Landcare Conference – ‘Taking Charge of Change’ will be held on the 11 October and feature local, Tasmanian and interstate content in a plenary session followed by concurrent sessions exploring three significant themes; Innovation, Knowledge and Celebrating success. Keep track of the conference at www.facebook.com/TasmanianLandcareConference
The program is tailored to owners of smallholdings or small blocks of land and participants included mix of small producers and those who have brought properties for either tourism or lifestyle reasons. The program provides participants an understanding of the various elements or assets on their property and the tools to be able to make informed decisions about the options on their land.
The Conference and Awards support and celebrate the achievements of community landcare volunteers. The program includes interactive workshops, keynote addresses and field trips as well as a lively social program to encourage networking and interaction between delegates. It includes two full-day field trips showcasing regional landcare initiatives and provide the opportunity to hear local stories from community groups, landowners and businesses in the Huon Valley region. *Registrations will be opening soon.
Run over four weekends, the course visited a number of properties to look at themes such as soil health, weeds, land capability and an understanding of the property in a broader environmental context. Feedback from this year’s course has been overwhelmingly positive and NRM Facilitator Tim Ackroyd is delighted with the enthusiasm of the participants and wishes all participants well with their planning in the future.
Nominate for an award Nominations are now also open for the 2015 Tasmanian Landcare Awards. Landcarers from across the state are again being encouraged to nominate the achievements of a Landcare group or individual for this year’s Awards to be held on the 10 October. Categories include: Sustainable Farming Practices, Coastcare, Junior Landcare, Indigenous land management, Community partnerships and Individual Landcarer. All winners at the state level progress as finalists to the 2016 National Landcare Awards. Nominations close 31 July. NRM South is a sponsor of the awards and encourage the landcare community to nominate.
NRM Strategy update The new Natural Resource Management Strategy (NRM Strategy) for Southern Tasmania is progressing well, with drafting well underway. Following initial community and stakeholder consultation and the collation of the latest science the draft is being pulled together to complement the great work and vision of the first two strategies.
Applications can be submitted online at www.e-award.com.au/2015/landcareawards/newentry
The consultation draft strategy is due for completion by September 2015 with the goal of providing an opportunity for the community to have its say on the strategy which will guide the region’s priorities for the next five years and beyond. This strategy belongs to the whole southern community and taking an active role to help shape it will help produce a clear vision representative of all. The final strategy will be presented to the state government for accreditation before the end of the year. Visit www.nrmsouth.org.au/nrm-strategy
Previous winners of the Tasmanian Landcare Awards
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pakana services first birthday celebration.
The Green Army Team with supporters Steve Bailey and Sophia Newman (CVA) and Mark Ritchie (Landcare Tas).
Happy first birthday pakana
Green Army Collaboration
The Aboriginal enterprise pakana services recently celebrated its first year as an independent social enterprise. Senator Eric Abetz and pakana’s supporters joined the team at the recent celebration event held in conjunction with the Understorey Network. NRM South has proudly supported the development of pakana services, and under the guidance of Manager John Easton and pakana Board, the enterprise has found great success in 2015.
NRM South, Landcare Tasmania and Conservations Volunteers Australia (Tasmania) recently introduced the Green Army Team that will support environmental action in Southern Tasmania. The Green Army is an Australian Government programme that brings a practical environmental approach to support local environment and heritage conservation projects. The Southern Tasmania teams, coordinated by Conservation Volunteers Australia, recently did training to ready them for field work.
pakana services now has eight part-time staff on its books and has received positive feedback from the organisations that it works with. Additionally, the personal and social outcomes from the enterprise have been positive with the team enjoying the use of new skills and opportunities.
The teams have a roving schedule, working with local government projects in partnership with NRM South, supporting landholders who have received grant funding through NRM South/Landcare Tasmania, and community groups who are also grant recipients or simply running projects that need an extra set of helping hands.
Already the demand for pakana services’ work has increased this year and Manager John Easton feels positive of further growth as they launch into the new financial year. We congratulate John and pakana team and Board for their success. Visit www.pakanaservices.org.au
The teams will most importantly also revisit previously funded projects such as Landcare and other NRM South project sites, and provide additional field work and monitoring of those projects. They are out and about now making a positive impact with the community. See www.nrmsouth.org.au/projects/green-army/
Saltmarsh surveys
Dairy Cares for the Derwent
NRM South has supported Vishnu Prahalad from the University of Tasmania to undertake aerial surveys to map small isolated patches of saltmarsh in and around the Moulting Lagoon Ramsar site, to the support ongoing monitoring and protection of this unique vegetation community and the Sorell and Tasman coastline. Saltmarsh, listed nationally as vulnerable, plays an important role providing both coastal protection and a unique ecosystem for aquatic plants and animals. Vishnu has undertaken a significant amount of research and will continue this important work into 2015/16, including a community saltmarsh monitoring program supported by NRM North, to be delivered through NRM South.
Dairy Cares for the Derwent is a collaborative initiative from local Farmers, Dairy Tasmania, Derwent Catchment NRM Committee, NRM South, Taswater, Tasmanian Government and the Australian Government to ensure that environmental sustainability underpins expansion of the Southern Tasmanian dairy industry. Over the next five years the programme aims to engage with dairy farmers in the Derwent Catchment to plan and implement best management practices that will help protect water quality in the Derwent River. Phase one, the planning phase, is almost complete with most dairy farms in the Derwent now having a fertiliser management plan (Fert$mart). These plans optimise fertiliser use and reduce runoff having a double benefit for farmers and the environment. There are a number of Derwent properties who are also recipients of a Derwent Clean Rivers Grant round which will take Fert$mart plans through to implementation of on-ground recommendations. The projects include fencing waterways, undertaking revegetation and improving effluent systems to reduce waste and improve efficiency. For more information contact Josie Kelman at Derwent Catchment NRM on 0427 044 700 email facilitator@derwentcatchment.org or www.derwentcatchment.org/dairy-cares-derwent
A saltmarsh patch at Saltwater River, captured via aerial survey. Photo: Vishnu Prahalad
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NEWS
FROM THE REGIONS
New programs Sprouting
Glamorgan Spring Bay
Sprout Tasmania is non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting local food producers who would like to get their ideas in the ground, growing and to market.
The Team at Glamorgan Spring Bay has been doing some great work within their Catchment to Coasts program including the development of a Moulting Lagoon engagement program with landholders and promoting the Ramsar site through World Wetland events. The 2015 Moulting Lagoon Report to the Community has also been released in conjunction with NRM South. The Little Penguin Knowledge Sharing conference brought Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, NRM South and BirdLife Tasmania together with the Bicheno community and statewide participants to learn more how to protect these amazingly cute and nationally listed sea birds.
2015 is an exciting new year for Sprout Tasmania. It is this year aiming to build on the great work done over the past few years with an expansion of the Board of Management and addition of four new Subcommittees which brings diversity, provides a broader range of expert knowledge, builds capacity and opportunity for the organisation and will allow Sprout be responsive to a wider community in Tasmania. Its offering includes the Sprout Producers Program where producers learn about the business of food and production in a year-long course; the Cross Pollinate Conference with the theme of’ People, Place and Provenance’ to be held this year at the School of Architecture in Launceston and Fork to Fork- an online farmers market where producers can sell their fresh produce, which is supported by a recent successful crowd funding campaign. Visit www.sprout.org.au
Huon The Small Landholdings Property Management Planning (PMP) series, run during April and May for Channel and Huon landholders, has been a highlight with great feedback about the program. Participants learned about managing their property, growing and sharing ideas and making networks of like-minded people. A series of landholder guides called Healthy Farming and Healthy Environment have also been trialled with this group and are available at www.nrmsouth.org.au
Horsing around The recent ‘Healthy Land and Horse Expo’ run in partnership between NRM North and NRM South was a great success. More than 100 people attended the event that was targeted toward horse owners and covered aspects relating to horse health and land management options for horse owners.
Mountain to Marine The Mountain to Marine program continues to implement landholder engagement, including the PMP program as well as Coastal Incentives program supporting landholders adjacent to significant reserves to manage garden weeds, enhance native cover and learn more about local reserve values.
Keynote speaker Mariette van den Berg spoke about horse nutrition, health, feeding and pasture and was well received by the audience. More information on Mariette’s work can be found here www.mbequineservices.com/
Tasman NRM Facilitator Jen Milne has been involved in a number of community activities in the last few months, including events for feral oyster control, shorebird protection activities related to wetland and coastal areas, and an appearance at the Bream Creek Show. Soil and farm related events, supported by Tasman Council and NRM South, include the Tasman and Dunalley Dirty Weekend (soils that is, with talk of an even dirtier weekend next year), Koonya Garlic Festival with Letitia Ware, and support to the Rural Women’s Awards Small Farms - Big Ideas roaming workshops.
Introduced pacific oysters are targeted during feral oyster control down the Tasman.
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UPCOMING EVENTS Sorell
Please visit the NRM South webiste for more events and NRM South Facebook for updates within the region.
NRM Facilitator Paul Gray, in conjunction with Jen Milne (also working part-time with Sorell), has been working with landholders near the Pitt Water Orielton Lagoon to develop on-ground works including a successful grant project through Naturally Inspired Grants. He has also been working with Inghams Chicken on a foreshore restoration project, and a project with multiple landholders in the Sorell Rivulet to manage weeds - with Conservation Volunteers Australia.
www.nrmsouth.org.au www.facebook.com/nrmsouthtas
Derwent/Central Highlands NRM Facilitator Josie Kelman has supported multiple landholders with applications to the Naturally Inspired grants and has been facilitating fertiliser and soil testing workshops to support key landholders in the Derwent Valley, including salinity and soil management fact sheets that are currently in development. She is leading activity in the Dairy Cares for the Derwent project which addresses nutrient and effluent control on dairy farms, and aims to reduce runoff and improve water quality through the Fert$mart program. More info can be found at www.derwentcatchment.org
24-26 July National Tree Day, National
10 October Landcare Awards and Dinner, Cygnet (evening)
24-30 August Keep Australia Beautiful Week, National
28 October Sprout Cross Pollinate Conference, Launceston
24 September NRM South AGM, Hobart
31 Oct -1 Nov Sustainable Living Festival
Regional activity - Green Army NRM Facilitator Holly Hansen has been coordinating Green Army Teams to work with multiple grant recipients through the Naturally Inspired Grants, with NRM Facilitators on a range of projects, and regional councils and community groups. The team is made up a vibrant crew, who are already dedicated and delivering great community service across the region. The current Landcare Tasmania Tas Landcare Fund is also seeking expressions of interest for Green Army teams to support their on ground work. The first team started on 25 May, and teams will run consecutively through to the end of 2016. More information can be found at www.nrmsouth.org.au/projects/green-army/  
NRM SOUTH NEWSLETTER
10-11 October Landcare Conference (Field Trips, Conference & Workshops), Cygnet
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HOBART OFFICE STAFF Donald Coventry, CEO dcoventry@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6111 Vani Welling, Operations Manager vwelling@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6171 Emma Kaczmarski, Finance Manager ekaczmarski @nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6118 Luke Diddams, NRM Planning and Knowledge Team Leader ldiddams@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6121 Lyndel Wilson, Engagement Team Leader lwilson@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6114 Anne Gigney, Communications Coordinator agigney@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6122 Laura Joss, Acting Business Services Coordinator ljoss@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6160 Kim Stansfield, Administration Officer kstansfield@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6111 Daniel Panek, Monitoring and Reporting Coordinator dpanek@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6199
NRM FACILITATOR NETWORK Holly Hansen, NRM Facilitator (In partnership with Hobart Council) hhansen@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6111 Terry Higgs, Catchments to Coasts NRM Coordinator (In partnership with Glamorgan Spring Bay Council) terry@freycinet.tas.gov.au 03 6256 5051 Tim Ackroyd, Huon Valley NRM Facilitator (In partnership with Huon Valley Council) tackroyd@huonvalley.tas.gov.au 03 6264 0324 Josie Kelman, NRM Facilitator (In partnership with Derwent Catchment NRM) facilitator@derwentcatchment.org 0427 044 700 Jennifer Milne, NRM Officer (In partnership with Tasman and Sorell Councils) jennifer.milne@tasman.tas.gov.au 03 6250 9221 or 0418 354 919 Paul Gray, Sorell NRM Facilitator (In partnership with Sorell Council) paul.gray@sorell.tas.gov.au 03 6269 0042
Ruth Osborne, Community Support Liaison rosborne@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6161 Dr Magali Wright, Biodiversity Coordinator mwright@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6142 Shirley Zheng, GIS and NRM Information Coordinator szheng@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6177 Ken Moore, Regional Landcare Facilitator kmoore@nrmsouth.org.au 03 6221 6117
CONTACT US 313 Macquarie Street PO Box 425 SOUTH HOBART, TAS 7004
Phone: 03 6221 6111 Fax: 03 6221 6166
@nrmsouth www.facebook.com/nrmsouthtas www.youtube.com/nrmsouth www.nrmsouth.org.au