Coastal Team Hits the Road!

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Coastal Team Hits the Road!

Following a few hectic months of getting to grips with COVID-19 and then battling through funding applications, NACC NRM’s coastal team finally cleared the decks to make room for some road trips!

National Landcare Week seemed like the perfect opportunity to get on the road and reconnect with the dedicated coastcare groups and coastal managers of the Northern Agricultural Region.

First up, a day trip to dune-brushing central to catch up with Green Head Coastcare (GHC) and the Shire of Coorow. Meeting at the Green Head Gallery Café next to a warm fire and a table groaning under the weight of delicious food supplied as always by the GHC members, Tegan and Mic took part in a regular GHC meeting. where they were advised by the Shire’s Acting CEO, John Merrick, that the GHC were now a formal advisory committee to the Shire of Coorow giving them an opportunity to provide formal input to the Council on on all things coastal.

After lunch, Mic and Tegan visited some of the local Coastcare sites including access tracks to South Bay, brushing and vegetation management on the Three Bays Walkway and some track rationalisation brushing works between Leeman and Green Head. Inspection of the latter was at the request of the Tending the Tracks Alliance (TTTA), coordinated by the Conservation Council of WA, to help that groups identify a site for their next brushing blitz. The Green Head Coastcare group have done enormous amounts of brushing over several years resulting in some excellent outcomes for the local coastal environment.

The following week Mic and Tegan packed their overnight bags and headed for Jurien Bay and Cervantes, with their first stop being a special meeting with the Jurien Bay Regional Herbarium Group (JBHG) to discuss their recent projects and successes. After a coffee to warm up, Mic and Tegan headed to a number of project sites, including Pyp Grass control sites, revegetation sites past and future, and the amazing JBHG nursery. The latter, supported by the Dept of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), was full to the brim with plants grown by the group from local provenance seed, ideal for local revegetation projects.

A quick lunch and the coastal team set off to meet Cervantes Coastcare for a tour of their sites, including more TTTA brushing sites at Thirsty Point, Pyp Grass control sites, reveg sites and some Sharp Rush infestations on the foreshore. Recent storms have wreaked havoc on the Cervantes fore dunes and some prompt dune protection works are required to ensure the dunes regenerate ASAP.

The following day Mic and Tegan met with local DBCA and Shire of Dandaragan staff to discuss collaborative projects and Coastcare support, with plenty of great ideas to work on.

The final leg of the NACC NRM Coastal road trip for August was a visit to the Hill River estuary to view recent Sharp Rush control works and plan the next assault on this pernicious weed. As an aside, we were fortunate to gain access to the site via the Turquoise Way path running south of Jurien Bay, and if you haven’t jumped on a bike and availed yourself of that experience then there is no time to lose.

The NACC NRM Coastal Team would like to thank all of the great Coastcarers and coastal managers who helped make this a productive trip and we are looking forward to getting started on the resulting project ideas. Next up, a trip to the distant southern coastal reaches of the NAR – stay tuned.

Mic Payne & Tegan Knowles – Coastcare Support Officers

Share

We'd Love to Hear From You!

Your feedback is important to us. If you have suggestions, questions, or would like to get involved in Natural Resource Management, please use the form below or contact our Geraldton office. We’re here to listen and help

Contact Us

Geraldton Office

4 Walton Close, Geraldton
Post: PO Box 7168, Geraldton, 6531
Phone: (08) 9938 0100
Office hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm

Forms

Expression of Interest Form 🞂

Suggest a Project Form 🞂

Membership Form 🞂

Donations Form 🞂

Contacts

NACC Board Members 🞂

NACC Staff 🞂

NRM Bodies & Groups 🞂

CEO’s Report

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.