Yandani Boolaguduni (Welcome to Hamelin Station)

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Hamelin Station

It was a case of “Science in the Shed” last weekend when members of the NACC team headed north to Shark Bay to join Bush Heritage Australia partners for the second annual ‘Hamelin Science Fair”.

The Science Fair was held in the old shearing shed at the Hamelin Outback Station Stay at Hamelin Station Reserve – which covers more than 202,000 hectares. The property lies adjacent to Hamelin Pool (one of only two locations worldwide where active marine stromatolites occur in large diversity and abundance) and the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.

Participants enjoyed a beautiful Welcome to Country by local Traditional Owner and Malgana elder Ada Fossa. While the Aboriginal language of the Malgana people of Shark Bay is seldom heard these days, participants at the fair were treated to some of to the local language and even given the opportunity to revive it themselves.

NACC Aboriginal Participation Program Coordinator, and Science fair presenter, Bianca McNeair said, “Sharing Malgana culture was one of many highlights of the day and it was a privilege to share my language. Malgana language is our ‘manual’ to care for Country. The more we speak it on Country, the better equipped we are to care for our Country and for each other.”

There was a rich diversity of presentations on the fascinating science program, with talks covering such topics as: transitioning Hamelin Station from a pastoral lease to the conservation estate, Western Grasswren discoveries, the bugs of Hamelin, the EMU program (Ecosystem Management Understanding) with EMU founder Ken Tinley, stromatolite research, fish assemblages of Hamelin Pool, Dirk Hartog fauna reintroductions, and managing Shark Bay’s marine systems in a changing world.

NACC Biodiversity Program Coordinator Jessica Stingemore was on-hand to speak to Science Fair participants, sharing an NRM display area with Rangelands NRM Regional Landcare Facilitator Kane Watson. NACC CEO Richard McLellan was also in the thick of the action – chairing and moderating a fascinating expert panel session that ended the Science Fair.

Those brave enough to face the early-morning dawn bird walk on the following day were rewarded with sightings of Spotted Crakes, Reed-warblers, Crested Pigeons, White-fronted Chats, a Red-kneed Dotterel, White-winged Fairy Wrens, and the always popular Chiming Wedgebills. Sadly, the much anticipated trip to inspect a specially-prepared sand pad monitoring site yielded no tracks.

Bush Heritage Western Rangelands Healthy Landscapes Manager Lis McLellan said Bush Heritage was delighted with the response to the second Hamelin Science Fair, and thankful for the generous support of NACC and Rangelands NRM.

“It is a wonderful chance to connect people and science, language and culture, passion and inspiration,” she said. “We look forward to continuing to work with our valued partners – like NACC and Rangelands NRM – on future Science Fairs at Hamelin Reserve.”

NACC was also proud to support a group of “Follow the Dream” students from Geraldton who attended the event, and gave a well-delivered presentation on the importance of long-term environmental monitoring. The Follow the Dream program helps Aboriginal students set their sights on challenging options and take the necessary steps to achieve their career potential.

If you want to read more about what happened at the Science Fair, or see some of the photographs of the day, then jump onto Twitter and check-out the snippets posted from all the presentations. Just click on the hashtag ‪#‎HamelinScienceFair

For more information about the Follow The Dream program, visit: http://www.johnwillcock.wa.edu.au/follow-the-dream.aspx

This project is supported by the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council and Rangelands NRM through funding from the Australian Government National Landcare Programme.

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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.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

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.

Our region is vast – slightly larger than Tasmania, which for comparison, is serviced by three separate NRM organisations. Covering the NAR region and its many environmental threats is challenging. We continue to focus on partnerships and collaboration to address this challenge. We know that by working with our community through passionate delivery of collaborative on-ground projects and education, the community will value and actively protect our region’s natural capital.

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.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

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.