This inspiring short film from Local Land Services looks back at the last 5 years of Catchment Action NSW projects in the Yass and Boorowa areas. Catchment Action funding has contributed to improved biodiversity, habitat connectivity and productivity on private land in this highly cleared area. Hear from a few of the project participants about why they got involved and the legacy they hope to leave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjyVBhchcLQ
The Climate Ready trial planting at Mountain Vale near Murrumbateman was completed in April with a workforce of 20 enthusiastic and capable volunteers who dug holes, watered, and put guards on for a total of 552 plants. The layout of this site is provided in this link. Many hands made light work. You will hear more about this climate ready site and the Kangiara trial site over the coming years as to how the local and admix plants thrive or die in those sites.
Here are some important lessons from the day (thanks Geoff!):
We have the 10 great buckets from Bowning Bookham. Each bucket labeled A or L and I've cut frames to hold 8 tubes in each bucket. ie 4 acacia plus 4 hop bush. We have enough people coming to have two teams of two on these and one team of two finishing the eucs ahead of them. I'm keen to avoid people having to bend over too much so the bucket system will be better and easier than putting tubes on the ground at each spot.
I've also got a container that fits on my belt that holds 8 so that's an option as well.
Another team of 2 or 3 to supervise and load the buckets and place the A or L buckets at the A or L marker posts and one team of two watering in and one or two teams doing guards.
Correct and consistent planting and quick follow up with watering in will be the priority. Guards after that.
Gill and I had a trial run with the guards and like you, we found the stakes a bit rough on corners and hard to easily put through holes in guards so I rotated them across my bench sander so hopefully they'll be easier.
Yass Landcare Group organised a wonderful spotlight tour of Mulligan's Flat Nature Reserve on Thursday 1st April. We got to see a number of the re-introduced Bettongs and Bush Stone-curlews, as well as Brushtail Possums, Red-necked Wallabies, Swamp Wallabies, and other creatures. The spiders were delightful too - there were Wolf Spiders, one of which was carrying countless babies on its back - and a Leaf-curling Spider winching up a leaf. Our guide Tim was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and everyone had a great time.
