Outback to Ocean at Hamelin Reserve

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Outback to Ocean at Hamelin Reserve
Earlier this month NACC staff followed the wildflowers north and headed back to Shark Bay to join Bush Heritage Australia partners for the third annual ‘Hamelin Science Fair’.

The weekend began with a heartfelt Welcome to Country from Malgana Elder Ada Fossa – her lively Welcome was recorded and presented by her children Patricia Oakley and Nick Pedrochhi. Participants were then swept away by a moving song about connection to Country – performed in Malgana language by Nick on guitar and accompanied by Patricia on the tapping sticks.

Next in the program the Shearing Shed science talks gave participants the opportunity to learn from some very accomplished presenters about the Shark Bay outback. Some of the fascinating talks included Eucalyptus extraordinaire Malcolm French sharing his amazing knowledge about the eucalypts of the Shark Bay region; Bec Spindler asking the question ‘Why do we wait until species are threatened to act?’; and Lis McLellan chatting about the transition of Hamelin Station from a pastoral lease to the conservation estate and the exciting potential to monitor Malleefowl on the reserve.

Talks then moved to more of an ocean theme with Gary Kendrick from University of WA discussing seagrasses over time in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area; Jane Cunnen from Curtin University kept everyone a quiver talking about active faults and groundwater in Hamelin Pool; and Bush Heritage Science Fellow Erica Suosaari had everyone pondering whether Hamelin Pool is acting as a carbon sink.

Not to be out done by the adults, the “Follow The Dream” students from Geraldton closed the scientific program with their youthful passion by giving an informative presentation on their studies in the Hamelin Station reserve and ‘What does the future hold for Shark Bay?’ 

And after record winter rainfall, the wildflowers on Malgana country also put on a show making the walking tracks at Hamelin Station Stay a feast for the eyes. Early morning bird watching and checking sand pads were popular activities. Identifying kangaroo tracks and locating the splendid fairy wren gave guests the opportunity to learn from Bush Heritage Volunteers Richard McLellan (bird watching at the lake – and yes that name may seem familiar to our readers) and Len and Valerie Warren (sand pad monitoring).

Another highlight of the weekend was the inclusive of art workshops with an outback art workshop with Ted Mahood and a Buyungurra (Malgana language for turtle) bag workshop with Malgana artist (and NACC Aboriginal Liaison Coordinator) Bianca McNeair.

Bianca – who also about talked about Malgana language and how it is used as a specific manual to care for country – said that she was honoured to see so many people at Hamelin Reserve talking about the importance of connection to Country and culture.

“In its third year, the Hamelin Science Fair has brought more and more scientists, volunteers and environmental stewards together from all over Australia to share and learn from each other. We are all looking forward to meeting again next year and sharing all the amazing conservation work happening across the country.”

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

 

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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.