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The Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC) recently celebrated Clean-Up Australia Day at Chapman River Regional Park in collaboration with Chapman River Friends (CRF) and the City of Greater Geraldton (CGG).

The event – supported by NACC, through funding from the Australian Government – was co-hosted by BCMI student Cameron Perret with the aim to help him develop a unique set of skills with a direct link to conservation work being undertaken within the Midwest region and more broadly throughout Australia.

Personal account from Cameron Perrett (BCMI Student)

Sunday, March 5 2017, saw Clean Up Australia Day descend on Chapman River Regional Park.

The morning was made possible by the collaboration between Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC), Chapman River Friends (CRF) and the City of Greater Geraldton (CGG).

The role of Co-Site Supervisor was undertaken by myself, Cameron Perrett with support from NACC’s Biodiversity Coordinator Jessica Stingemore. I am currently completing my Diploma of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) at Central Regional TAFE’s Batavia Coast Maritime Institute (BCMI).

Through NACC’s close relationship with CALM students the opportunity to undertake the role was presented to me.

Over the past 27 years Australians have volunteered over 32 million hours to Clean Up Australia Day. These heroes have donated their time to remove litter from our streets, bushland, parks and waterways. This has resulted in an estimated 344,000 ute loads of rubbish being either recycled or disposed of thoughtfully.

As astounding as those figures are I am going to let you all know about our group of local heroes.

All 62 of them.

These 62 energetic volunteers who gave up just a few hours on a beautifully humid Sunday morning to clean up their piece of paradise; the Chapman River Regional Park.

This park is an invaluable natural resource within our city. Events like this promote the unique biodiversity found within and promote protection and preservation of the park for future generations.

Following an informative brief about the park’s biodiverse landscape from CRF’s Jenna Brooker the troops were given their instructions. These were simple; be conscious of the environment, be aware of yourself and others and most importantly, have fun! (Who wouldn’t have fun using BBQ tongs to pry rubbish from under a prickle lily?)

It wasn’t long before the first bag was full and a couple of smiling kids came running for a replacement. Seeing all the enthusiastic kids doing their part for our park put a huge smile on my face. They are the future and if their appreciation of our park can grow from what I witnessed there then I am sure the park is in good hands.

There were people on the water on a SUP and kayak dragging all kinds of nasties out. A man on a bike did a whole loop of the mountain bike trail and found a curtain. With all the golf balls found we could have set up a pro shop!

From all 62 volunteers 38 bags were filled with every type of rubbish (almost) imaginable. That’s 115kgs in total!

This was all transported to BCMI to be sorted by students on Tuesday. Sorting the collected rubbish into categories such as chip packets, PET drink containers, glass alcoholic beverage bottles and soft drink cans provides Clean Up Australia and the CSIRO with invaluable information regarding our site and an overview of the whole event on a national level.

Following a fun filled morning of organising rubbish and finding amusing amounts of fast food packaging, the numbers were in and we had some totals.

  • 155 alcoholic beverage aluminium cans
  • 52 aluminium soft drink cans
  • 116 PET plastic drink bottles
  • 55 alcoholic beverage glass bottles
  • 138 supermarket plastic bags
  • 32 straws
  • 1 tyre

Once finished all recyclable materials were placed in order according to areas on campus.

Through conversations with my fellow students during the sorting process it was clear that they were not overly surprised by the amount of single use items that were collected. There was a solid message coming from this group; we need a container deposit scheme.

I am proud to say I was involved with the amazing team of local heroes who volunteered their time to ensure our Chapman River Regional Park is here for future generations to enjoy as much as I do.

Everyone who was involved with Clean Up Australia Day anywhere in this great country should be immensely proud of themselves and the contribution they have given to the success of the day.

P.S: Could everyday be Clean Up Australia Day?

 

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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.