Port Phillip and Landcare Awards

2008 & Western Port Landcare Awards

The 2008 Port Phillip & Western Port Landcare Penny is an avid seed collector which helps ensure that Awards include 46 nominations in 11 Award group funded projects and plantings on her own categories. property use local provenance plants. The Awards feature many individuals and groups Penny has been part of the group’s vision to develop who have made a valuable contribution to the local corridors of indigenous vegetation along waterways, environment and continue to make our region a roads and ridges on public and private land. She has healthier place to live. They are our own local recruited landholders and been central in sourcing landcare heroes. funding for these projects. She has organised property The 11 Award winners are celebrated during the planning sessions and has helped to build a sense of event on Saturday 6 September at Zinc in community through Landcare related activities and Federation Square. s received a framed certificate planting sessions with local schools. and a cash prize of $400. Each winner will automatically qualify as a nomination in the corresponding category at 2009 Primary Producer Caring for Land Victorian Landcare Awards. Winner: Rob & Carol Tylee Rob & Carol run a 240 hectare dairy farm in Drouin South in West with dairy cows and young Individual Caring for Public Land cattle. Their goals is to farm in a sustainable, productive and enjoyable way. Winner: Julia Davis Activities they have undertaken include; fencing all Montmorency Field Naturalists waterways and dams, planting shelterbelts, placing Julia Davis is a founding troughs in all paddocks, recycling silage wrap, built member of Montmorency laneways to all paddocks with runoff diverted to pasture Field Naturalists Club. She to reduce nutrient runoff into waterways, provided stock has given more than 40 years crossings over waterways, built a two pond effluent of volunteer service in the system which is then irrigated onto paddocks and Banyule/Nillumbik area. Julia fencing remnant vegetation. been involved in a many Through their work they environmental activities have increased milk including on-ground works, production, seen advocating for improvements biodiversity improvements at Heard Reserve, she has undertaken monitoring and and are undertaking better evaluation activities that contribute an improved management activities understanding of the natural environment and has around waste and water worked with scouts and guides on on-ground management. They have projects. encouraged others in their Since early 1990s, Julia has undertaken restoration community to undertake better farming practices. and monitoring work at Heard Avenue Reserve, Plenty, is an active member of Friends of Lower

Eltham Park and Friends of . Primary Producer Caring for Land Highly Commended: Steve Chapman Individual Caring for Private Land The Chapmans are innovators and pioneers. They have three farms on which they have implemented whole Winner: Penny Roberts farm planning, practice integrated pest management Penny has been both President and Vice President and restored waterways that pass through their land. of the Newham and District Landcare Group and As founding members of YV Fruits, Steve and Mark owns a 220ha property in Newham with partner were amongst the first group of farmers in to Hilary. write an Integrated Fruit Production manual and Since they moved there five years ago they have implement these systems on their farms. fenced off 35% of their property and planted over They undertake sound environmental practices on their 2,000 indigenous plants per annum, with emphasis property and are influencers and advocates for better now on under-storey species, grasses and flowers. practices within their community.

Port Phillip and Western Port Landcare Awards

Caring for Waterways Local Government Caring for Land Winner: Friends of Chinaman’s Creek Inc. Winner: Manningham City Council Friends of Chinaman’s Creek was formed in 2004 to Manningham City Council has delivered a range of protect and enhance Chinaman’s Creek, near innovative support and awareness programs in Rosebud on the . The creek has partnership with local Landcare Groups, significant remnant vegetation and forms an Water, EPA and Waterwatch. important habitat for the vulnerable Swamp Skink. The Council has coordinated groups to deliver rabbit The group has undertaken a number of activities control programs across 2,200 properties, including including: development of a waterway action plan, those on public land and provided a diverse range of planted more than 30,000 indigenous plants, incentive programs to landholders to protect, manage controlled five hectares from weed invasion, and improve the environmental values of their land. stabilised and revegetated banks, and fenced off the The Council has developed a strategic approach to creek to promote habitat and natural regeneration. formation of new Landcare groups and aims to have a They consulted with many stakeholders and regularly Landcare Group working in each of the four creek produced newsletters, brochures and educational catchments in the Green Wedge zone. materials about flora and fauna, organises “walks and They have established a program to engage local talks” and have installed interpretive signage. businesses in a business sustainability and behaviour Through the work done with the group’s Skink Link change program to lessen business’ environmental “Flagship Project”, the Skink’s population has impact. increased from 12 in 2003 to more than 60 in 2008 Special Commendation: Melton Shire Council and the group has demonstrated and quantified Melton Shire has done significant asset mapping and evidence of resource condition improvement. reporting within the Shire, has undertaken a range of education programs, promotes the Landcare ethic within the council, developed support media materials Caring for Nature and incentives for landholders, and supports Winner: Bend of Conservation environmental action and groups within the shire. Association Inc. They have achieved significant results for the region are recognised with a commendation. The Bend of Islands is located 30km

north-east of Melbourne, adjacent Young People Caring for Land to the and Winner: Balnarring Primary School includes 400 hectares Balnarring Primary School continues to demonstrate a of habitat between Warrandyte State Park, Kinglake high level of environmental commitment by embedding National Park and the Yarra River. sustainability principles across the school. The Bend of Islands Conservation Association has 15 years ago, parents, established a strong “community-wide” approach to teachers and community implementing nature conservation activities on land members in Balnarring outside formal parks and reserves. joined together to The area is a stronghold for the threatened Brush- develop a site tailed Phascogale and Powerful Owl, has very high adjacent to the primary conservation values and supports a high diversity of school. The Balbirooroo flora and fauna species. Community Wetlands The group undertakes community activities, work Management Plan provided strategic direction and work with residents to encourage the removal of non- has included construction and placement of nest boxes indigenous weeds and ensures that the natural in trees, interpretive signage, and provision of habitat for values are protected and enhanced. It undertakes fauna species such as the Growling Grass Frog and frequent and routine surveys for birds, mammals and regular working bees to continue the revegetation plants. The recent return of Lyrebirds to the area is efforts to develop the wetlands. The school is carbon credited to the group’s restoration activities. neutral and a carbon sink school and one of only 43 5- star sustainable schools throughout .

Port Phillip and Western Port Landcare Awards

Community Group Caring for Public Land Caring for Community Groups Winner: Friends of the Inc. Winner: Brian Bainbridge Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater were formed in Brian has played a key role in 1989 to protect and improve habitat for the providing expert knowledge to endangered Helmeted Honeyeater and other community groups and species such as the Leadbeater’s Possum. empowering members to apply The focus of their work is the swamp land of skills learnt in local reserves to Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. The group deliver on-ground results. runs an indigenous nursery which provides local He possesses a superb plants to a range of projects on private and public knowledge of local flora, fauna land. The nursery, run by volunteers, supplies and restoration ecology, 50,000 plants a year for local restoration projects impressive artistic skills and a and has until now grown 500,000 plants. commitment to share his love of the local environment The group has initiated a range of programs with with the community. partner organisations, government, non-government Brian has been involved in developing management and corporate investors. They run education, training plans, publications, illustrations and educational tools and revegetation programs for schools to demonstrate to guide groups and individuals to better understand the importance of conserving local flora and fauna and and contribute to the local environment. restoring habitat. His rediscovery of the Golden Sun Moth at Craigieburn They have published educational materials, including Grasslands encouraged capacity building amongst the children’s books, brochures and website, have a Friends of (FoMC). He has run successful strong membership base of 200 and over the past 12 weed workshops on aquatic weeds, developed months more than 2,000 corporate and school innovative ways to strengthen local communities, and volunteers have worked with them on revegetation has undertaken environmental engagement opportunities with local groups from diverse cultural projects at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve. backgrounds.

Community Group Caring for Indigenous Caring for Land Private Land Winner: Kim Wandin & Dion Bender Winner: Western Port Slow the Flow Cluster Kim Wandin and Dion Bender have been involved for Four Landcare groups in the Western Port Region of the last two years with the Greening Australia Yarra the South Gippsland Landcare Network (SGLN) River Educating for Sustainability Program, delivered to joined forces to combat the increasing pressures on over 13 schools along the Yarra River. They have existing native vegetation in the upper Bass and primarily been involved along the Upper Yarra - the Lang Lang catchments. These four groups are traditional home of Kim’s family. Poowong, Mt Lyall, Loch/Nyora and Triholm Over past two years they have delivered part of a broader Landcare, known as the ‘Western Port Slow the integrated program (the Yarra River Recovery Program) Flow Cluster’ with a focus on the indigenous cultural land management The Cluster Group joined forces to focus on practices with schools in the Yarra. environmental and noxious weed issues on They have been instrumental in promoting environmental roadsides and public land, remnant protection, change and a deeper understanding of indigenous flora revegetation and nutrient budgeting on farms to and fauna, been involved in succession planning within improve water quality. the indigenous community including participation of Each of the four groups operate as usual, however other community members to pass on knowledge and the Cluster works together on strategic issues. They culture. They have promoted and communicated to collaborate to get better outcomes across the parents, teachers and students a clear understanding of landscape, to make more efficient use of staff and and teaching of Aboriginal’s traditional cultural roles and responsibilities, such as men’s and women’s business and volunteer time and jointly apply NRM funding and the resources available in the natural environment. sponsorship opportunities.

For more information contact: Port Phillip and Westernport CMA Ph: 03 8781 7900 www.ppwcma.vic.gov.au Port Phillip and Western Port Landcare Awards