SAVE THE DATE

The NSW Landcare Conference with be held in Albury NSW on 25 - 27th October 2017.

Program details are now available at www.nswlandcareconference.com.au/.

Its looking to be a super inspiring event. See you there!

Small grants for innovative ecological projects

The Small Environmental Grants Scheme offers grants between $1,000 and $10,000 from the Norman Wettenhall Foundation to support groups or individuals undertaking projects that will make a positive difference to the natural living environment in land, sea or air, rural or urban. These grants are available for projects relating to flora and fauna conservation, threatened mammal conservation and landscape scale restoration and education. 

Projects should involve any of the following:

• monitoring, recording and sharing data
• delivering community education 
• providing community capacity building (e.g. skills training, organisation)
• research and science

There are 4 grant rounds each year in Feb, May, Aug and Nov. Access to these grants is through an expression of interest process. The EoI's for the August grants will open on June 20th and close when there is a suitable number and spread of applications. Not all EoI's will be invited to submit their full project proposal.

If you would like assistance to develop your project idea contact the BRRVLN Landcare Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 66323722

The NSW Environment Trust is now calling for applications to their Eco Schools grants program 

Eco Schools grants can support learning opportunities for students, teachers and school communities, through curriculum-based environmental projects. Up to 80 grants of $3,500 each are available in this years funding round. All schools are eligible, however projects supporting students with special needs are encouraged to apply.  

If you represent a school in the Kyogle or Richmond Valley LGA's and would like assistance to develop your application, contact Emma Stone, Landcare Coordinator for the Border Ranges Richmond Valley Landcare Network on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 66323722

The closing date for 2017 applications is Monday June 19th - 3pm

CLICK HERE for more information

Australian River Restoration Centre 

There are so many great newsletters and information channels around for Landcarer's - too many of them fall through the cracks. If you have a particular interest the restoration of creek banks and river systems you might like to check out the resources and information links available through the webpage of the Australian River Restoration Centre see: https://arrc.com.au/ and subscribe to their newsletter.

Their most recent newsletter can be downloaded here.

Supporting the recovery of our creek bank vegetation

Photo by Tweed Landcare's Gary Bagnall

The recent flood event has certainly left a trail of destruction in its wake and has been traumatic for many. Many mechanisms to support recovery are being circulated widely. One area of loss that has not yet achieved due attention is the impact to so many riparian restoration projects. For some, this has set years of hard work and determination back to square one with young plants being washed out along with, in some cases, entire sections of the river bank. In their current newsletter Richmond Landcare Inc. have published some great suggestions of how to assist recovery of damage riparian plantings 

• Wait for water to recede and soils to drain - you don't want to do further root or soil damage by sloshing about on an unstable bank (or risk your own neck)
• Remove any large debris holding down trees, caught in branches, or collected around stems. Keep as much of this on your site as you can, for the flood waters will have taken your organic matter form the soil surface and this debris will help to start restoring biological functions and OM recycling
• Carefully stand up bent trees if appropriate, and consider staking or propping them up until their roots re-establish. There are several schools of thought as to whether you should stand up flattened trees. Some species will adjust to their new angle "as nature intended", and re-shoot or coppice (e.g. Sandpaper Figs). Other species may not cope so well lying down, and while the soil is soft can be carefully staked and gradually 'lifted' using slings to a more vertical angle. The ability of a flattened tree to re-adjust will largely depend on the degree of damage, soil loss and local conditions. The best approach is to 'give it a go' on your site and take note of what works for next time! 
• Trim any broken branches or snapped stems
• If possible hose off the worst of the silt to maximize photosynthesis
• Re-plant washed out lomandra root balls, and give their leaves a trim to help reduce water loss during re-establishment
• Check the site regularly for new weed incursions courtesy of the flood