A Day in the Life at NACC NRM

I am Sophie Batten and I am at NACC NRM on work experience for the week. I go to Geraldton Grammar School and am in year 11 on the ATAR pathway, I am doing Maths-Apps, English, PE Studies, Human Biology, Health Studies and General Outdoor Ed.

I am from a farm out in Yuna and board at the Geraldton Residential College where I stay for the week and go home to the farm on weekends or stay in our house in town. On our farm we have Dorper sheep and crops: wheat, lupins, canola, many different perennials and pastures that we are trialling for sheep feed and to improve the health of the soil.

After graduating I am interested in the health pathway to be able to help people, or ways to help the environment and having a sustainable future so this is why I came to NACC to explore this area and get a better understanding on what they do. 

Travelling Past Mingenew 

Today Jarna and I drove out past Mingenew to get papers signed before the end of the financial year by a farmer from out that way. We stopped at the bakery on the way past and then hit the road. We had the kangaroo in the back too that came with us the whole day. This was a new experience for me as I don’t often go out that way. It was crazy getting to see all the cyclone damage in that area and how windmills are all bent inwards and trees upside with their roots in the air.

Tree Planting 

This morning Kahree and I went to meet Geraldton Primary at Drummonds Cove to plant trees all along the beach foreshore to create a nicer shore and prevent the erosion of the beach. Trees stop the erosion as they make roots and hold the soil together stopping it from being washed away. I really enjoyed helping the kids and watching them enjoy planting the trees too.

Photo Monitoring  

Today Tegan and I went out to many beaches throughout Geraldton to monitor them and take photos for the ‘Photomon’ app. It was really interesting to see how much the beach had changed with all the sand that has moved and the vegetation that has either been taken away by the ocean or people trampling it. I enjoyed going to all the beaches and learning about other ways that have been used to stop people from damaging the dunes to protect the vegetation and catching the sand like the dead branches on all the bare spots of the dune or the sand trap fencing. I also learnt how the seaweed (beach wrack) can be a very good thing for our beach as it holds organisms that feed the fish and birds, stabilises the beach, preventing erosion. Nutrients are returned to the sea to grow more plants that feed more fish and it also prevents the waves from washing the beach away.

Site Visit Near Dongara  

This morning Anna, Jarna and I all went out past Dongara to do a site visit on a farm that wanted perennials on their bare, sandy paddocks and fencing to be done to protect the bush, corellas and keeping the sheep in their paddocks. It was interesting to me to watch Anna sample the paddock and throw the square around while writing down the percentages of how much is dead or alive in that one spot to see if it needs perennials. I enjoyed driving around their farm to see the different landscapes compared to Yuna and our farm and the difference in the trees, hills, soil as well as the fencing. 

Thank you so much NACC for having me, I really enjoyed my time here and I learnt so many new things about sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and the coast. I really appreciate you looking after me, letting me tour around with you to all these places and teaching me about all NACC’s projects while you are all working.

Sophie Batten

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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.