Hard work pays off

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Hard work pays off

What a wonderful thing it is to see a multi-year project through, start to finish.

In early 2014, NACC NRM Officer Heather Legge met with Walebing farmers Tracy and Michael Humphry to develop a site plan that would fence-off two eroded saline creek lines, and plant a selection of trees and shrubs, in order to minimise erosion and also provide habitat for a variety of native birds. insects and other fauna.

Now completed, the project protected more than over 26 hectares  including 12 hectares of revegetation with native species. Providing the protection was no small matter, and involved more than 5 kilometres of fencing with more than 50 strainer posts. It was no small task!

The sites were mounded in 2014 to ensure the waterlogged soil was sufficiently dry in preparation for planting.

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In August 2015, Tracy and Michael planted the thousands of trees and shrubs required to fulfil the task, often enduring very cold wet conditions in the process, and even getting bogged.

Hand-planting the trees proved to be effective due to the soil conditions, and the Humphrys spent countless hours on the project – determined to plant all 18,000 seedlings within the planting “window of opportunity”.

“It was so boggy that my feet would stick in the mud and my feet kept falling out of my shoes,” said Mrs Humphry. “In those conditions (clodding clay), we found hand-planting, although slow and tiring, was more successful than the mechanical tree planter.

“Seeing the trees now – way over my head – is very rewarding. Our hours of hard work have been worth-while.”

During a recent site visit, Heather said she was very happy to see the fruits of all that labour.

“The winter season of 2015 was not a very good one, but the survival rate has been excellent – averaging 84%,” she said.

“Some trees where over two metres tall, and there was a lot of natural recruitment (self-seeding) already occurring. I was also very pleased to see that the native sedge Juncus krausii looking really healthy – it had been planted between rows, with the aim of stabilising the soil, and it is now thriving in pretty harsh conditions.”

“The Humphrys have gone way above and beyond with this project, overcoming many challenges along the way and it has certainly paid off,” she said.

Heather said that NACC would like to thank Denis Mitchell from Wongan Tree Nursery for the invaluable assistance he provided in helping Tracy and Michael with their species selection and placement at the site.

“NACC looks forward to working with more farmers in the future to protect and restore more native biodiversity,” said Heather.

For more information or to get involved with NACC’s on-farm biodiversity and bush stewardship, visit the NACC website.

This project is supported by the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council through funding from the Australian Government.

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In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

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To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

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This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

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While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.