Many environmental problems face us today. Members of Echuca Landcare Group are working toward enhancing our local natural environment.One of the group's projects involves the platypus. Visit the Project Platypus page to see how you can help.
One of the major projects of the Group for 2010 is to produce ~ in conjunction with the Echuca and District Branch of Bird Observation & Conservation Australia ~ a brochure on some of the native birds of the Echuca District. Several BOCA members have contributed photographs and the brochure will be published once adequate financing has been obtained to cover the printing costs.
A draft copy of the brochure can be downloaded as pdf files by clicking here and here (two by two- A4-size pages.
Anyone interested in becoming a member might call in to the Tangled Garden bookshop in Echuca and introduce themselves to Jenny or Carol.
Latest Upgrades
Most pages on this site were redesigned and revised during January 2010. There may be a few teething problems such as broken links for the duration of January.
No current newsletter is available for downloading.
The site map is now on the Links Page.
Echuca Landcare Group
Welcome
to the home page of
Echuca Landcare GroupEchuca is located alongside the Murray and Campaspe Rives in northern Victoria, Australia. Echuca Landcare Group usually meets on the second Thursday of each month to plan activities. Working Bees and outings are held from time to time. Our annual general meeting is usually held in August each year. For information about the group, call in to the Tangled Garden Bookshop and ask for Jenny or Carol. New members are welcome!
Our work involves projects and activities such as:
• planting indigenous trees, shrubs and grasses ;
• recording Platypus sightings along the lower Campaspe River;
• removing rubbish and removing weeds from river banks and other areas, and
• educating ourselves and our community about environmental management issues in our local area.Much of our revegetation work, rubbish removal and weed removal work is along the lower stretches of the Campaspe River, just upstream of its confluence with the Murray River, and in local bushland.
Echuca Landcare members recently had a working bee to eradicate Elm saplings and other woody weeds from alongside the Campaspe River in Echuca. Over the past few years, group members have been planting indigenous vegetation and removing introduced shrubs and trees from alongside the Campaspe River in Echuca.
ComiNg EvenTs
Second Thursday of each month
Echuca Landcare Group Meeting
7.30pm. Please check time and venue with President Jenny or Secretary Carol (phone 03 5482 1560) or enquire at Echuca's Tangled Garden Bookshop. Prospective new members are welcome to attend work bees, monthly meetings and other activities.Latest platypus sighting reported to us in Campaspe River was on 26th March 2009. Please report sightings to the webmeister or treport them to the Jenny or Carol at the Tangled Garden Bookshop.
NewS
Shinbone Alley
TIn lieu of having a meeting in January 2010, members strolled alongside the Murray River from the Echuca Information Centre to an area where one of our members lived as a child. Shinbone Alley is a shinbone-shaped kneck of higher land on the flood plain of the Murray River. Several hundred people once lived here. But flooding led to the abandonment of this part of Echuca. Today, natural regeneration has occured and there is little evidence that many houses and a sporting field onced existed.
Members noted some of the tasks that could be undertaken in this section of bushland, e.g. rubbish removal and removal of exotic saplings.
Land and Biodiversity White Paper released
The Victorian Parliament has released 'Securing Our Natural Future', a white paper for land and biodiversity at a time of climate change. The paper sets our goals and desired outcomes. It stresses the need for 'building healthy and resilient ecosystems across the landscape'. To help achieve these, it calls for some changes in management. One result is the likely amalgamation of the Victorian Catchment Management Authorities which cover our region. January 2010.
New local National Parks
The Victorian Parliament has passed legislation to create a number of new Red Gum Wetland national parks and conservation reserves in the area. The new reserves cover some public land in Barmah Forest, along the Goulburn River and along the Murray River. A part of Gunbower Island will also become a national park. Some parcels of grassland on the plains west of Echuca have been added to Terrick Terrick National Park even thoutgh they do not share a boundary with the main section of the park.
Meanwhile, the NSW Natural Resources Commission has released its final assessment report on River Red and Woodlands Forests as well as its recommendations.
The NSW government has announced that, in accordance with the recommendations of the Natural Resources Commission, Red Gum wetland national parks and regional parks will be created on the NSW side of the State border. The Millewa group of forests is ear-marked as Millewa National Park. It is expected that the Barmah and Millewa National Parks may be jointly-managed cross-border parks.
The Perricoota Forest is to remain as a multi-purpose forest in which lumbering will be permitted. Horseshoe Lagoon (Moama Wetlands) is likely to become a regional park. January 2010
Environmental Water released
Toward the end of 20098, some environmental water was released into parts of the Barmah-Millewa Forest, including Moira Lake, the Reed Beds at Mathoura, the Top End, the Werai Forest and St. Helena Swamp. swithin a few days of the environemtnal water being released, some waterbirds arrived. In fact, a pair of Brolga nested at Moira Lake. December 2009
During May 2008, environmental water was released into a number of wetlands which are regarded as drought refuges for water birds. Amongst the wetlands to benefit were Reedy Swamp in Shepparton, Kinnairds Wetland in Numurkah, about 10% of the flood-dependant area of Gunbower Island (including Black Swamp), (another) Black Swamp near Wunghu, Moodies Swamp south of Katamatite, Doctors Swamp west of Murchison and One Tree Swamp & Two Tree Swamp south-west of Stanhope.Whilst most of these wetlands have now dried out, additional enviornmental water has been released into Reedy Swamp at Shepparton and Kow Swamp near Cohuna. April 2009.
Restoration of Gunbower Creek
A Caring for Country has been obtained for restoration work alongside Gunbower Creek. Fencing is to be erected between public and private land so that cattle are unable to damage the creekside soils and vegetation. swhewre necessary, revegetation work and weed removal will take place. Various Landcare groups and other groups have ofrered to carry out work such as tree planting and bird surveying.
Across the Murray in NSW, a $600,000 project is about to commence to improve the delivery of environmental water to the Perricoota-Koondrook Forest. A DVD has been produced about the project. April 2009.
Greenhouse dollars for Terrick Terrick
Greenhouse gas offset monies were recently made available for revegetation of degraded parts of Terrick Terrick National Park. Around $250,000 was offered. Wildlife vegetation corridors have been planted to link Bullock Creek and Bendigo Creek to the park's forested areas. Furthermore, much of length of Bendigo and Pyramid Creeks between Terricks and the Murray has been fenced and, in places, revegetated.
Change in legal entity
Since its inception some years ago, Echuca Landcare Group was 'a committee of Campaspe Shire'. This is no longer the case. The group is now an affiliate of the Victorian Farmers Federation Farm, Tree and Landcare Association. This change is expected to give the group greater financial autonomy. April 2008.
Kanyapella
In moves to overcome inappropriate grazing, boundary fences around Kanyapella Wildlife Area have been either repaired or replaced. Surrounding land-holders have been cooperative and some helped carry out fencing work. Tracks have been cleared of fallen timber and new signage has been erected, e.g. advising that trail bikes must be registered and driven only on tracks. A brochure about the reserve is being prepared by DPI Tatura. In accordance with the new management plan, engineering works are expected to get under way subject to the results of a heritage study. Another fox drive has taken place. A committee of stakeholders meets several times each year to advise on management issues and there some Landcare members on the advisory committee.
Bush Stone Curlew: a few pair survive in Kanyapella Basin (K Stockwell)
Landcare in Loddon Shire
In September 2007, some Shire of Campaspe Landcare supporters went on a bus tour of Loddon Shire, northern Victoria.
First stop was at the Kamarooka Project, 35km north of Bendigo (Vic) where a small number of families run large cropping and sheep farms in an area suffering from salinity. 40 acres of badly salt-affected land which carried just 10 sheep per acre was planted out to farm trees and indigenous plants, mainly wattles and salt bush, by local farmers (Northern United Forestry Group). Carrying capacity has increased tenfold to 100 sheep and the number is expected to double again this year. Various agencies have worked with the farmer group to produce a CD on the Kamarooka Project (each of those who attended the bus tour received a copy).
Second stop was at a nearby property where the farmers make their own liquid fertiliser; superphosphate is not used. Over 10 years, they have also planted several kilometres of indigenous plants in wide strips on the property. Again, much use has been made of wattles. There were many old Box trees, with hollows for wildlife, along adjoining roads.
Participants then stopped off alongside East Loddon P-12 school where the students and locals are involved in the restoration of a very degraded area of public and private land between the school and Bendigo Creek. The idea is to involve students from planning to implementation in a restoration project which may take generations to complete. it is hoped that the students, almost all of whom come from surrounding farms, will implement projects on their own properties if and when they get a farm of their own.
We stopped at the Loddon River. Much of it has already been fenced. We observed how wattles, casuarinas and other shrubs are being planted amongst the remaining Box and Red Gum trees. The old trees had lots of hollows. A noisy mob of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos screamed their concern at our presence. The owner of the strip we visited has also been revegetating another property near Bears Lagoon.
As we drove along, we observed a belt of trees and shrubs about 50 metres wide which has been planted by Salisbury West Landcare Group ~ and more plantings are under way ~ to link Kooyoora National Park and Inglewood to the Loddon.
The next stop was observe the restoration of Powlett Swamp (which has been dry for many years) between Kooyoora National Park (Melville's Caves) and the Loddon River. The swamp we stopped at has been fenced and some indigenous species planted to supplement the existing vegetation by local land-holders, two of whom were present to talk about the project. Since cattle have been excluded, some rare and endangered plants have been found in Powlett Swamp.
After a stop at Wedderburn, the bus then took participants toMt Buckrabanyule which is smothered in Wheel Cactus. The cactus has rampaged out of control since the demise of rabbits. Locals spend several hours each week injecting the cacti with Glyphosate. Much cactus-infested land on nearby Mt Egbert and Mt Kerang has been reclaimed; indigenous vegetation and bird life are recovering.
Wheel Cactus ~ it has run rampant in places (K Stockwell)Our guide pointed out the wildlife corridors being created by Timbercorp around their olive plantations at Boort.
He also showed us revegetation works between Little Lake Boort and Big Lake Boort, now home to crakes and quail.
We then drove through Fernihurst to a property at Bears Lagoon (locality). The farming couple have spent thousands of inherited dollars converting flat farmland into a large billabong and ponds suitable for specific indigenous birds. Old trees have been brought in and placed upright and thousands of indigenous shrubs (including Eremophilas and Acacias and trees planted to created a completely natural appearance. Brown Tree-creepers have appeared, climbing up the old dead trees. Reed Warblers sing in the rushes. A Singing Honeyeater (not at all commonplace on these plains) was filmed in a Box tree. Welcome Swallows have taken up residence, gliding over the water. Farm owner Bill reckons the birds are thrilled with his creation and birds he has never sighted in the area before have moved in. Bill has also planted tens of thousands of indigenous shrubs and trees on the remainder of his large property, plus alongside many kilometres of public roads.
The bus tour was filmed so that the CMA can distribute a video.
Most wattles were in full flower throughout the region.
It was inspiring to learn of so many projects involving revegetation.There are many other similar projects in the Shire of Campaspe and in Murray Shire. A lot of great work is being done by farmers despite the terrible and prolonged drought afflicting the area. The tour illustrated how a few individuals can have a dramatic impact on landscapeand inspire others to follow their lead. Everyone on the bus seemed inspired to do more Landcare work. ~ Keith Stockwell, September 2007.
Group meets by Campaspe River
One of the meetings of Echuca Landcare Group was held on private property alongside the Campaspe river south of Echuca. Leigh Mitchell of the North Central CMA demonstrated how to carry out procedures to test the quality of river water. After collecting a sample of river water, the follow tests were carried out:
Orthophosphorous Test. Chemicals were added to a sample of river water and a colour chart was used to determine the amount of free phosphorous in the water. Ideally, the figure is less than .05 and we measured .02. Very good.
pH Test. was used to determine the acidity of the water. Ideally, pH should be between 6.5 and 8.5. We recorded 7.5. Very good.
Turbidity Test. A sample of river water was poured into a long test tube until markings on the bottom of the tube became unclear. We recorded 28 on a logarithmic scale. Good.
Salinity Test. An electronic device was used to measure salinity. The reading was 158.1 ppm. Very good.
Members then went for a walk along the river. The water level was very low and there was little flow. We noted lots of snags and woody debris. Very good. Along the riverwe observed lots of very old Red Gums with lots of nesting hollows, Willow Wattle (Acacia salicina), native grasses, River Callistemon and reeds (Phragmites). Excellent. There were a few introduced Peppercorns (Schinus molle). The river has been fenced to prevent cattle accessing the water and damaging the banks and riverside vegetation.
Members then enjoyed a picnic dinner.
Unfortunately, no Bush Stone Curlew calls were heard. We observed Noisy Miner, Galah, Fairy Martin nests, Superb Fairy Wren nests, White-plumed honeyueater, Willie Wagtail, Southern Boobook, Azure Kingfisher, House Sparrow, Eastern Rosella and Red-rumped Parrot.
Echuca Landcare Group
