Raise a glass for WA’s beautiful Mistletoe trees and new beginnings, bring on 2019.

The Mistletoe is flowering, the barbeque is lit and the fridge is cold – bring on the holidays. But before you do, let’s take a minute to review the year that was 2018 for NACC.

It has been a mammoth year, with significant changes, but my overwhelming feeling now that the year is almost over, is support and positivity.

We have had some great achievements during the year including securing a further three years of funding for the Midwest Aboriginal Ranger Project; securing the Regional Land Partnerships tender for the NAR; inducting some new names onto to the NAR NRM Honour Roll; and recognising some very worthy award recipients. There are so many other achievements, I can’t mention them all here, so if you’re not sure what has been happening this year, please check out our website.

During 2018 we have also said goodbye to some fabulous NACC staff who made massive contributions to NACC during their tenures. Despite this, we have retained a dedicated, long serving and experienced core team who many of you will know well, and we have also welcomed a few fresh new faces who bring with them new perspectives and ideas.

It has indeed been a tumultuous year for NACC and NRM across most of Australia. But throughout it all, our team has been constantly buoyed by support from each and every one of you, our NAR community. With our new funding in the form of Regional Land Partnerships we have a slightly different emphasis in some of our operations and objectives for the year ahead.

We may look a little different as we move forward, but change can be great. Our members and landholders should look forward to seeing our two Regional Landcare Agriculture Facilitators out and about (both from farming backgrounds and one role now based in Perenjori), and an expanded biodiversity team.

Keep up to date with NACC’s project progress through our constantly updated social media channels and our monthly NACC Notes and feel free to tell your neighbours, friends and family about what you’ve see NACC getting up to. Please also feel free to contact us and tell us what you have been up to.

Our continued focus for 2019 is on building the capacity of our landholders to protect and enhance our biodiversity and agricultural assets. We are working towards some exciting happenings in 2019 but we will need your input to make these successful.

In summary I would like to say a massive Thank You to each and every one of our members and community who have sent through messages of encouragement or verbalised their heartfelt support in person. Keep it coming, it keeps us going. The team has also been very lucky to work with our committed board and I am personally very grateful to our Chair, Rob Keogh.  The whole team is looking forward to working with all of our partners in the year ahead and achieving some great outcomes for the region.

I wish you all the happy and safe holidays and I look forward to seeing you all in 2019.

Katherine Allen

NACC, General Manager

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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.