Drawing Inspiration From Nature

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Drawing Inspiration From Nature
The sun was shining and the wildflowers were blooming when more than 50 people joined the Gunnado BioBlitz – many were local Geraldton residents, but many also travelled up from Perth for the event.

The 2018 Gunnado BioBlitz was hosted by the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council and Geraldton Streetwork Aboriginal Corporation at Gunado Farm near Walkaway. The Gunnado BioBlitz was a community project aimed at bringing together professional and amateur ecologists – and those interested in learning more about their natural environment. It involved collecting data on as many species, from as many different taxonomic groups as possible over a 24-hour time period.

The event was opened with a heartfelt Welcome to Country was given from Wajarri Amangu man David Ronan – encouraging everyone to explore the local area, while also caring for the Country that has provided us with so much.

Participants then moved into four main groups led by ‘eco-gurus’, with participants swapping between sessions and locations according to their skills or interests during the weekend.

  • Flora – Joshua Foster from Earth Stewardship
  • Birds – Janet Newell and Jan Checker from BirdLife Midwest-Geraldton
  • Critters – Joe Tonga from Natsync Environmental
  • Fauna Trapping – Anthony Desmond from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (with support from volunteer extraordinaire Corin Desmond)

Twenty Elliott traps were set for the one night using universal bait (a smelly mixture of sardines, oats and peanut butter) and were set on Saturday morning and checked and pulled in on both Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Unfortunately due to the cool weather conditions no animals were trapped. Highlights included

  • Beach & Boho Glamping winners Glenda and Murray Blyth and the Harrold Family enjoying the breath-taking view of the Moresby Range from their 4 metre tepees.
  • Tech savy Joe Tonga using his snake camera to flush out a Nightjar and also a Marbled Gecko from tree hollows.
  • Also, Joe (with support from the kids) using spy-cam to photograph a very hungry magpie chick and also raven chicks. Read more here
  • Checking the motion sensor cameras to find a great series of Kangaroo images at Kangaroo Point Lookout, plus we added a bird species to our list with a spectacular White-faced Heron.
  • Discovering a Burrowing Frog in the grass during the night stalk.
  • The identification of a Priority Four Donkey Orchid (Diuris recurva).
  • Designing Nature Workshop hosted by Malgana artist Bianca McNeair, where budding artists drew inspiration from the wildflowers of Gunnado Farm to create their very own reusable shopping bag.

NACC’s Biodiversity Program Coordinator Jessica Stingemore said that BioBlitzes are a wonderful way to connect people with nature and a brilliant way to showcase the region and local community spirit.

“They can also be a catalyst for reconnecting children with nature – and of the many highlights of the 2018 Gunnado BioBlitz was seeing so many young children enjoying being outdoors and exploring our unique bushland. And while we were all around the campfire listening to Joe talk about his many adventures in the bush, I overheard a young boy whisper to his mum “I want to do this for a living”. That whispered ambition is what NACC is all about – Catalysing Community Conservation – and that is what makes all the hard work organising the event worth it.”

The full species list is still being complied, but at this stage we counted more than 150 plants, 35 birds, six reptiles, one burrowing frog, and many yet to be identified invertebrates.

This event was supported by the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council, Geraldton Streetwork Aboriginal Corporation through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program.

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.