The Team Drops into Dongara

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To kick off the month of November, the NACC NRM team took a drive down to Dongara for the 2023 Team Retreat. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the Northern Agricultural Region, reflect on the closing year, and gear up for 2024!

On Thursday 2 November, the team met at Irwin River to embark on a guided river walk. NACC NRM Coastcare Support Officer Dr Mic Payne led the way, explaining the history of the Irwin River, as well as the complex relationship between the river’s many ecosystems and environmental influences like seasonal changes and local agricultural activities.

Our Aboriginal Custodianship team also spoke on the cultural history attached to the Irwin River, touching on stories shared by our friends at Wattandee Littlewell Aboriginal Corporation (WLAC) earlier in the year. The river runs through Wattandee Country, and holds a rich history and cultural significance to the Wattandee people. Thank you to Thomas Cameron of WLAC for dedicating time to share your knowledge and provide education around the importance of the area’s land and waterways.

A guided Irwin River walk with educational talks from our Coastcare and Aboriginal Custodianship staff!

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Finishing up the river walk sweaty and with smiling faces, the NACC NRM team then headed to the Port Denison Sea Search & Rescue to reflect on the morning’s learnings in an interactive activity. This activity, a change of pace, saw each staff member grab a canvas and paint their own interpretation of the river walk, drawing on the informative talks from our Coastcare and Aboriginal Custodianship team. This was accompanied by a fabulous lunch spread from the Dongara District High School canteen. Thank you to the Dongara District High School, and to the volunteers at the Sea Rescue! Thursday evening consisted of some friendly competition at the Denison Bowling Club, where the team battled it out in a barefoot bowls tournament.

The team painted their own interpretations of what they learned during a guided Irwin River walk.

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After cooking up a storm and enjoying a barbeque breakfast on Friday morning, and before heading back to Geraldton, the team stopped in at the main street to check out Dongara’s impressive local commerce. It was a great way to support small businesses and peruse the showcase of local talent. The town boasts a range of homemade produce, gifts and crafts from across the region, many of which were made from recycled materials.

And that was a wrap on Team Retreat for another year! Reflecting on 2023 was a reminder of the many challenges faced and milestones celebrated by the NACC NRM team and beyond. We look forward to working with the community in 2024 to deliver new on-ground outcomes for the future of our region.

Phoebe Royce – Communications Officer

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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.