Keeping the NAR Beautiful One Beach At a Time

Earlier this month, the NACC NRM team were part of an amazing day of action and impact at Flat Rocks Beach!
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Earlier this month, the NACC NRM team were part of an amazing day of action and impact at Flat Rocks Beach!

On Thursday 13 March, Senior Coastcare Support Officer Dr Mic Payne, Coastal & Marine Project Officer Josh Burney and Communications Officer Phoebe Royce headed to the increasingly popular Flat Rocks Beach in South Greenough for a clean-up quest.

The weather was on our side, and we kicked things off with a fantastic crew from Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA (KABCWA), Midwest PEAC Year 6 students, Batavia Coastcare Network (BCN), Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and Mullermind Creative. Our collective goal for the day was to produce a brief video about NACC NRM’s Fishing Float Survey project, which was made possible thanks to important funding from KABWA’s 2024 Litter Grant!

The day commenced with interviews, with the fabulous Mullermind team behind the camera, capturing every moment. Our very own Senior Coastcare Support Officer Dr Mic Payne took the stage to discuss NACC NRM’s Fishing Float Survey project and the work we’re doing to trace marine debris. Thanks to our amazing community, over 150 reports of washed-up fishing floats along our coast have already been logged as part of this citizen science project!

Following Mic, the next generation of coastcarers stepped up for their interviews. PEAC students from schools across the region (Northampton, Geraldton, Wandina, Walkaway, Mt Tarcoola, Allendale, and Kalbarri) shared their knowledge on how marine debris affects our ecosystems and what we can all do to lighten the litter load for a healthier future.

It was then time to get the gloves on and begin the clean up. These young heroes didn’t hold back, scouring the beach for litter and proving that many hands make light work. Some of the most interesting finds? A car tyre, a gas bottle, a pillow, and some stunning sea glass.

Back at Beachlands Primary School, the PEAC group sorted through their findings, and the results were eye opening: 21kgs of rubbish collected! 67% was from the pot fishing industry, and of that, an astonishing 82% of the debris had been lost for many years. Students learned all about how debris from the fishing industry can break down into smaller pieces, posing a risk to marine life through ingestion or entanglement. The findings of this project will shed a light on major sources of marine debris, allowing for less polluting practices to be adopted in the future.

A huge thank you to Midwest PEAC and their awesome students, Mullermind Creative for documenting the day, DPIRD and BCN for supporting the project, and KABCWA for bringing everyone together for this important cause!

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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.