Caring for our Country Community Action Grants
18th November, 2011
Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss, today released details of $117,910 in grants that will be provided to local groups under the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program.“The grants will help local organisations to undertake projects to manage, sustain and protect the environment and natural resources,” Mr Truss said.
“I congratulate the successful organisations for their success in this funding round.
However, I am aware that this funding will not of itself, be sufficient to sustain and conserve the environment throughout the Burnett and the Mary Valley.
“It is very disappointing that the Rudd and Gillard Labor Governments actually cut $1 billion in funding for the environment when they axed the former Coalition Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality initiatives, replacing them with the Caring for Our Country program.
“More funding will be required to help landholders and land managers to improve the environment and restore degraded areas.
“In particular, the Mary Valley is home to many threatened and endangered species including Mary River Cod, Mary River Turtle, Giant Barred Frog and the vulnerable Queensland Lungfish and more needs to be done to secure their future.”
]COOLOOLA COASTCARE ASSOCIATION INC. Cooloola Cove Community Wetland and Waterways Rehabilitation Project Cooloola Cove Wetlands and waterways are significant drainage pathways which flow from 'Wallum' country in surrounding lands (including Great Sandy National Park) through Cooloola Cove township to the Tin Can Inlet and Great Sandy Straits Marine National Park and RAMSAR Wetland area. They are an important part of the natural character of the area, providing habitat for several locally, regionally and nationally significant flora and fauna species. The slightly acidic, tannin-stained waters are a natural product of the interaction with wallum soils and vegetation and provide essential flows to the marine Inlet. Urban impacts such as encroachment, weed invasion and rubbish dumping threaten important biological and hydrological processes. $20,000
Greater Mary Association Inc. Creating a Mary River Koala Corridor: Helping our river and our iconic koala Koalas are listed as vulnerable in our region according to Queensland Koala Plan. Using the koala as a flagship species, our project will enhance the connectivity of significant koala habitat (according to Australia Koala Foundation mapping), improve land management practices and increase community participation in the protection of important aquatic habitat along a 1.3km strategic reach of the Mary River. Issues include invasive weeds, erosion of riparian zones (by stock), re-establishment and enhancement of riparian vegetation (including koala food trees) and habitat decline. The project will have biodiversity benefits and contribute to improved water quality in the Mary River, the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Sandy RAMSAR site. $12,430
Gympie and District Landcare Group Incorporated Action against Cat's Claw Creeper in the Gympie Region Cats claw creeper (CCC) is currently the major environmental threat to riparian zone and rainforest vegetation in the Gympie region. Management of CCC in the region has to date been fragmented and insufficient to prevent its spread and burgeoning impact. This project will collate and update existing information on the status of local CCC infestations, to enable more strategic control approaches, assist landholders with implementing best-practice integrated control strategies, expand bio-control with tingid bugs into appropriate situations and engage and educate the broader community to identify, report and participate in the control of CCC. $16,870
Lower Mary River Land and Catchment Care Group Inc Enhancing Awareness & Building Coastal Resilience in the Fraser Coast The group focus their activities on sustainable land/weed management, addressing threats to coastal systems and species (including Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation-listed marine turtles and shorebirds) in Hervey Bay and Maryborough. The group propose to carry out a number of activities including: 17 weed working bees-sites include Fay Smith Wetlands, Big Woody Island and Sandy Cape; shorebird monitoring and participation in national summer/winter counts in Great Sandy Strait Ramsar Wetland (five sites); turtle tagging/ monitoring of resident green turtles, nesting green/loggerhead turtles in Great Sandy Strait; three community information/training events to engage new members into coastal conservation; and development of media articles to promote events and coastal/marine conservation. $18,620
Mary River Catchment Coordination Association Inc Feral Fauna Forum - managing invasive pests In south east Queensland and the Wide Bay region, feral animals including foxes, cats, pigs and deer are causing widespread destruction to farming areas and loss of biodiversity. Deer out-compete native wildlife. Foxes, cats and wild dogs prey on domestic and native animals as well as turtle eggs. Feral pigs are one of the most destructive of all, causing widespread damage to crops and vegetation, as well as spreading diseases and parasites. Indian mynas out-compete many hollow dependant native fauna. This project aims to improve awareness and facilitate coordinated actions to address these issues with land managers throughout the region. $8,800
Noosa Integrated Catchment Association Inc. Noosa North Shore Weeds Community Awareness Program Weeds can be damaging to the environment when they decrease biodiversity, out-compete native vegetation for light and space and modify the habitat. This project aims at removing damaging weeds including a Weed of National Significance, lantana camara var. camara and basket asparagus from the coastal dunes of the southernmost section of the Noosa North Shore. Removal of the plants will occur by crowning of plants and subsequent spray with herbicides. The project also aims at educating the community on how to identify weeds, report weed infestation and remove weeds using the correct procedures. The group will establish a collaboration between scientists, a Landcare group and community to deliver the project's outcomes at their best. $9,640
Noosa Integrated Catchment Association Inc. Ongoing Weeding, Rehabilitation and Revegetation of the Sunshine Beach Dunes. Our purpose is to continue to weed, rehabilitate and revegetate the dunes for stability and biodiversity. In the 1970s the Sunshine Beach degraded dunes were planted with mainly a monoculture (Casuarina equisetifolia) and no understory plants. Invasive enviro-weeds infested and proliferated, choking natural regeneration. We have big areas of primary weeding with seed beds and tubers needing immediate attention to consolidate core infestations after an exceptionally wet season, so we can understory plant as soon as possible. The dunes are an important wildlife corridor and habitat and as new owners build block fences this sadly blocks the wildlife passage. Understory planting will provide safe shelter and food for wildlife. Swale planting is a way of planning for climate adaptation. $12,200
South East Burnett Landcare Group Inc Premium Practice in Burnett Land Management - Series Two The South East Burnett Landcare Group aims to hold three educational workshops for primary producers in the Central, South and North Burnett of SE Qld. We have a proven capacity as Local People Providing Local Solutions and our goal is to build knowledge, networks and increase the uptake of sustainable land management practices amongst the farming community. The project will address three issues commonly faced by primary producers in our region: the ever changing climate and how land managers can address the opportunities and challenges; how to create a financially viable farm while preserving the valuable resource base and ecosystem; and how farmers can use soil carbon to build sustainable options for their farm. $19,350
