To Help Our Feathered Friends Through the Hot Dry Weather Try Installing a Bird Bath Under

To help our feathered friends through the hot dry weather try installing a bird bath under a tree a short distance from your house and preferably in view from where you are having breakfast or dinner. This is an easy way to monitor farm bird life and very enjoyable to watch.

I watched our bird bath for ten minutes on a very hot evening recently. There was a steady procession of mostly native birds including three honeyeater species (White-plumed, Brown- headed and New Holland), two small unidentified thornbills, a Crested Shrike-tit that bossed all other birds, a Grey Thrush, Red-Rumped Parrots, Willy Wagtails, a Grey Fantail, Magpies, Gold Finches, Sparrows, Blackbirds and Bronze-wing and Crested Pigeons. The birds were queuing in the small tree next to the bird bath to access the water.

Finding fresh water will be critical to bird survival this summer and installing a safe watering point will be a big help. Birds aren’t too fussy about having a fancy bird bath and there may be something on farm you can reuse; for example large plastic containers cut down. The bath should have a safe approach and escape route (shrubs or trees nearby), somewhere to land and if it is deep place a stick or large rock into the water so the birds can land and frogs escape. Above ground is better than on ground level.

While some spring migratory birds such as Wood Swallows and Bronze Cuckoos arrived quite early (in late August) the number and variety of birds seems to be less this year. I have seen one Pallid Cuckoo on Jacksons Creek Road at Glyn Dalkin’s late September and one White-Winged Triller on Jacksons Creek at Doug Robertson’s. I heard one Singing Bushlark on Sandy Creek at Andrew and Kellie Chick’s property and had one report of a bronze Cuckoo at Geoff and Margaret Ryan’s block north of Ararat. Reed Warblers are active at the Platypus viewing area on Mt Emu Creek at Skipton. There are lots of Yellow Faced Honeyeaters in forest areas. A few Swamp Harriers moved into cropping areas late September as crop height increased. Daryl Clark reports seeing an Azure Kingfisher at his Ararat property in recent weeks. Annette Taylor was very happy to report seeing a daddy Emu with two chicks in the fire area near Moyston.

Birds are climate change indicators! As conditions become drier or wetter, vegetation and feeding opportunities change and different bird species move in or out according to their needs. Many Australian birds survive by having the ability to move long distances looking for suitable habitat. There are several local examples of birds extending their range as the climate dries. Crested Pigeons are now doing very well on many farms south of Ararat and the Blue Faced Honeyeaters are active around Ararat. For the same reasons we can expect to see increasing numbers of Black Kites in the coming months. In previous dry years they have moved south in large numbers.

Another platypus has been sighted, this time on Fiery Creek by Julie McDougall at Yalla-Y-Poora. Whilst travelling to Colac I spied 8 brolgas on a dry wetland at Lakaput-Tatyoon north area. John Gregurke’s bird report for August from Lake Burrumbeet shows 33 species observed including large numbers of water birds which have probably since moved on due to the lake continuing to dry out!

Also talking to Doug Hopkins he had 2 brolgas on his reinstated wetland this year and a bakers dozen of Stilts even though there was almost no water lying about! Page 3 Stock Water Issues in the Coming Months

By Roger MacInnes, Senior Animal Health Officer, Ararat

With water in short supply for many landholders this season, effects on stock health will need to be managed. This article will address two major impacts on stock water - quantity and quality.

Quantity: In a drought, stock are usually eating dry feed, both supplements and roughage. Salt or buffers are often added to high concentrate diets for safety, and the acid load in the rumen may be very high. The weather is also usually hot and dusty. These circumstances dramatically increase an animal’s demand for water. An average lactating cow can drink 200 litres per day (8-15 litres / kg DM intake), and sheep will drink up to 15 litres per head per day in these situations.

If stock are drinking from dams, or natural water sources, check that they are not going to get stuck in the mud, or with sheep, weighed down with wet wool. To avoid these risks and minimise contamination, it is usually best to fence off dams, and pump the water out into troughs. Similarly, when there is limited water available, water losses from leakage and evaporation will be much less from one large dam than many smaller ones. Stock also burn up energy and increase their demand for water when they have to walk. Therefore in hot weather don’t make them walk too far. Feed pads and stock containment areas overcome these problems in hot weather. Similarly, having a water source in each paddock will decrease the distance that livestock walk to drink. Reticulating or carting water is usually cheaper than having stock walk long distances. If dams or troughs run dry or new water sources are created, stock need to be educated about the new source. There are many sad tales of sheep dying of thirst even though a gate has been opened to give them access to a dam in the next paddock.

Quality: Water quality also drops during a drought. The most obvious problem is an increase in biological load of algae and/or bacteria. This is usually secondary to the increased concentration of nutrients due to evaporation, complicated by stock concentrating and defecating round water sources. Also the stock have often eaten all the vegetation which normally acts as a filter and stops the nutrients from washing into the dams and creeks. The smaller bodies of water and increased temperatures of summer then permit bacteria and algae to bloom. Most algae and water plants are beneficial, and help mop up these excess nutrients. However some can be toxic or pathogenic. If concerned about water on your property, ring one of the water laboratories. Some pathogenic bacteria thrive in dirty water; salmonella is a common problem when animals are concentrated. Turbidity is not a problem for stock health, but it does make the water more suitable for algal blooms.

Stock will attempt to get into water to cool off, even with troughs ensure that they cannot stand or defecate in the water. Clean troughs regularly. Water temperature can be an unexpected danger. Moderate temperatures have minimal effect on water consumption, but care must be taken with black poly-pipe that has not been buried, such as in a hastily constructed stock confinement area. This can deliver water hot enough to scald stock, and take hours to cool down in the trough. It is not just stock water that can be of poor quality in a drought, but household rainwater tanks can also become heavily contaminated with low rainfall. Dust, leaf mould, dead animals and faeces all collect in the tank and contribute to a wonderful medium for the growth of bacteria. As the water temperature increases this “water” brews up into a toxic stew. Surveys have shown that almost no rainwater tanks contain water fit for human consumption in summer. So remember that water is the “lifeblood” of your stock in hot weather. Particular care is needed in a drought to ensure that it’s quality and quantity is optimum for your stock. Page 4 Land Class Fencing Incentives

Louise Thomas DPI Ararat

During drought conditions stock can bare out many vulnerable parts of the farm such as steep hills and salt scalds. This leads to wind erosion of valuable topsoil and water erosion when the rain does eventually come. It also leads to loss of desirable perennial pasture species on vulnerable country where it is needed most. Fencing these areas on land class boundaries can help prevent these problems from occurring.

Fencing incentives are available for certain areas so if you are interested please give me a call to discuss whether you are in an eligible area for assistance. Landmate may be able to assist with labour - see below. Landmate

At this stage we still have access to a Landmate Crew from Langi Kal Kal Prison and one from Ararat (which is mostly working in the Wimmera). They have been doing an enormous amount of work in the fire area and their efforts have been very much appreciated. They are also still working on the usual Landcare type projects.

If you would like to access free assistance from one of the crews to assist with putting up land class fencing or other landcare related works, please contact Louise on 5355 0526.

Bee Recovery after the fires By Peter Kaczynski DPI Ararat The recovery for most of the 20 beekeepers that lost 2,500 beehives in the Grampians bushfire has centred on trying to re-establish beehive numbers and assemble beehive equipment. Added to the hives that were totally lost many hundreds of the bee colonies that were severely heat or smoke affected have not recovered and never will.

For the beekeepers this personal material loss combined with the many thousands of hectares of quality honey producing forest and scrub lands burnt is by far the biggest loss ever suffered by the apiary industry in the history of beekeeping in Victoria.

The severity of this fire has not only destroyed bees and beehives, but the area will not be available as a reliable nectar or pollen resource for beekeepers for as many as eight to ten years from now. As a result those who usually locate hives in the area during summer/autumn are looking for other floral options but in reality the Grampians area for those who used it is irreplaceable. The fire affected beekeepers have been fortunate in that the Victoria Apiarists’ Association, Tatyoon VFF, Ararat Lions Club, Willaura Lions Club, Ararat prison, Stawell Church of Christ, Stawell Seventh Day Adventist Church, Rotary Club of Ararat and DPI have all provided financial or material assistance to aid the recovery. Page 5 Ararat and District Field Naturalists Club by Joan Pitaro

Like many others we are watching the devastating effects of the drought. Our natural environment is suffering along with our farming land. It has been a poor season for flowering plants and in our immediate area there has been little in the way of wildflowers. We can only hope that the plants can survive until it rains. A recent weekend gathering at Maryborough, of Victorian Field Naturalists clubs from all parts of the state, revealed much concern about our natural environment due to the drought. The forest areas around Maryborough are looking very stressed with many shrubs having died and dying. The past ten dry years have taken their toll on the forests and in some areas the vegetation that should be beneath the trees has disappeared. For various reasons these forests ma never recover even if we have a return to years of normal rainfall. The loss of bird species already in decline is likely to be accelerated.

During Spring we have had a couple of trips to the Grampians to observe the regeneration taking place. We met the Hamilton Field Naturalists on our September trip. The highlight of these trips has been the flowering grass trees. They are quite spectacular particularly a few kilometres south of the Victoria Valley turn off on the Dunkeld - Halls Gap Road, where there are hundreds on the slope above the road. Many orchids have been seen with the most spectacular being the Red –beaks or Undertaker orchids which flower en mass after a fire. They rarely flower in other years. It will be another year or two until the shrub layer reaches flowering stage. There are many seedlings growing and we worry about their ability to survive a long hot summer. Only time will tell. The continued dryness is certainly having a negative impact on the ability of the Grampians to recover from the fire.

Our next trip is planned for the Lake Fyans areas. This is usually a terrific area for orchids.

Nest Boxes in the Fire Affected Area

Trust for Nature recently received funding from Watershed 2000 and the Glenelg Hopkins CMA to help replace habitat in the fire area through provision of nest boxes. Although not meant to replace hollow- bearing trees, these nest boxes will assist in providing some immediate security. Boxes were designed for gliders, rosellas, kookaburras, pardalotes & possums.

Groups involved include: Mortlake Lions, Warrnambool Uniting Church, Department of Justice, Emmanuel College, S.W. TAFE and other regional schools.

Trust for Nature plan to GPS the nestbox locations next year and look at what species are using them.

Photo at right: Warrnambool Uniting Church members putting a nest box up on Ian & Lucy Richardson's property, "Watgania". Page 6

waterway ocation EC (µS/cm) November 1 Y 2006 *visibly flowing Trawalla Creek Bridge, Waterloo 4500 Trawalla Creek Back Waterloo Rd, bridge 3400 Trawalla Creek Racecourse Rd near Jones Rd dry Mt Emu Creek Trawalla bridge (park opp. school) 1300 Spring Hill Creek Trawalla Rd & Trawalla East Rd Bridge dry Spring Hill Creek Trawalla Rd dry Baillie Creek Beaufort Carngham-North &South Rd dry Mt Emu Creek Beaufort Carngham Rd-twin bridge E dry Mt Emu Creek Beaufort Carngham Rd - twin bridge W dry Mt Emu Creek Lake Goldsmith Rd dry Mt Emu Creek Streatham Mortchup & Trawalla West Rd dry Mt Emu Creek Streatham Mortchup Rd (Chepstowe) dry Mt Emu Creek Mt Emu Settlement Rd bridge 7400 Mt Emu Creek Skipton pedestrian bridge 6400 Broken Creek (E) Mt William Rd dry Blacks Creek (W) Mt William Rd dry

Notes on Salinity Readings Louise Thomas DPI Ararat With very little runoff this year the waterways are nearly at summer salinity levels already. Levels in the Hopkins south of Rossbridge will be likely to spike over the coming months to levels unsuitable for any class of stock (over 20,000 EC). Things are extremely dry on the Upper Mt Emu creek monitoring run as you can see above. Lake Bolac is experiencing very high salinity (nearly half that of seawater) due to lack of inflows and evaporation. It is alarming to see that the Fiery isn’t flowing at sites such as the Yalla Y Poora ford - normally reliably trickling through the summer months. Later this summer I am envisaging big queues at emergency water points for those running short of water. With any luck we might get a summer thunderstorm to fill a few hill dams at least (see Malcolm’s article on page 7). Its really important to check stock water for signs of algae as well as monitoring salt levels. Signs of blue green algae which can be toxic to stock include a paint-like scum of a green, khaki or blue-green colour, as well as a strong odour. If you suspect blue green algae, move any stock to an alternative water supply if you can and seek to have it identified by a laboratory (ring me for advice if you need on 5355 0526). I suspect we’ll have some algae problems in the waterways this year too so keep your eyes peeled. Page 7

Stream Road where site EC (µS/cm) highest lowest Average based on # 3/11/06 samples accessed *visibly flowing

Billy Billy creek Warrak Rd dry 500 300 353 4 Captains Creek Tatyoon North Road dry 400 100 246 10 Cemetery Creek Warrak Road dry 1,700 200 778 20 Challicum Creek Porters Bridge Rd 14,600 16,300 300 10,526 19 Charleycombe Creek Old Geelong Road dry 4,600 530 1,248 10 Creek from Rocky pt Port Fairy Rd dry 7,600 2,400 4,617 6 Denicull Creek South end of Denicull Creek Rd dry 10,900 2,200 7,176 23 Drainage line Rockies hill rd - railway end 18,700 25,000 9,000 16,036 17 Fiery Creek Lucardies Rd (east) Raglan 1,300 2,200 200 870 20 Fiery Creek Ballyrogan Rd 4,200 9,280 500 3,535 22 Fiery Creek Yalla-Y- Poora Rd 5,600 10,600 700 4,076 22 Fiery Creek Porters Bridge Rd 6,300 10,500 1,300 5,080 20 Fiery Creek Runway Swamp Rd 5,700 14,520 2,100 4,645 17 Fiery Creek Ritchies Rd Bridge 5,700 14,350 2,000 4,834 17 Fiery Creek Streatham Reserve 7,500 7,940 2,200 4,299 17 Fiery Creek Nicholls/Lewis Boundary *7,800 7,800 2,800 4,780 8 Fiery Creek Railway Crossing Nicholls *9,600 14,500 3,200 6,950 8 Fiery Creek McCrows Rd/Nerrin Nerrin *9,600 12,620 2,900 7,729 17 Estate Rd Fiery Creek Lake Bolac 9,400 14,310 2,880 7,794 17 Good Morning Bill Creek West end of Burrumbeep Rd dry 19,800 2,700 10,817 15 Good Morning Bill Creek West arm 2nd bridge Taits Lane dry 2,100 100 434 7 Good Morning Bill Creek East arm - 1 st bridge Taits Lane dry 6,500 6,500 6,500 1 Good Morning Bill Creek and Willaura Moyston Rd 11,100 13,100 300 8,005 19 Nekeeya Creek combined Good Morning Bill Creek and Buninjon West Road 15,600 39,000 300 12,965 22 Nekeeya Creek combined Gorrin Creek Dobie Road dry 800 100 348 5 Green Hill Lake Height Gauge rec reserve dry 28,800 2,900 12,041 22 Hopkins River Warrak Road 13,800 23,280 1,000 9,562 23 Hopkins River Dobie Road 13,500 13,500 1,300 6,242 14 Hopkins River Old Geelong Rd 13,800 16,200 1,900 8,237 19 Hopkins River Jacksons creek Rd *11,300 11,900 1,220 6,238 23 Hopkins River Burrumbeep Boundary Rd *9,900 11,700 1,400 6,071 23 Hopkins River Tatyoon Rd 7,300 8,900 1,300 4,794 17 Hopkins River Robertsons Bridge 6,200 8,950 1,200 4,803 26 Hopkins River Labrador Rd 7,500 9,800 2,400 6,333 24 Hopkins River Helendoite Rd 6,700 10,800 1,200 6,189 22 Hopkins River Rossbridge *9,100 13,700 2,700 8,316 23 Hopkins River Delacombe Way 10,400 16,400 6,500 10,460 22 Hopkins River Bald Hill Rd ford *12,000 18,600 6,560 11,297 12 Hopkins River Willaura Golf Club Rd 12,300 18,100 5,300 11,268 15 Hopkins River Back Bolac Rd *13,000 23,200 5,900 12,412 18 Hopkins River Major Mitchell Rd bridge *14,800 23,240 6,400 11,858 16 Hopkins River Major Mitchell Rd reserve 14,300 22,700 6,500 12,086 18 Hopkins River Wickliffe - Glenelg Highway 13,800 18,780 6,100 11,399 18 Jacksons Creek Coopers Rd *12,400 13,100 4,000 9,157 18 Lake Bolac South Beach Boat Ramp Approx 23,000 23,000 9,500 12,744 17 Lake Bolac Overflow dry 0 0 0 0 Lake Buninjon Reserve boat ramp dry 51,000 4,500 19,144 16 Middle Creek Willow tree Rd 400 650 100 302 18 Nekeeya Creek Taits Lane dry 900 100 486 7 Rossbridge Swamp drainage Grange Rd dry 28,800 15,300 22,250 4 line Three Mile Creek Warrak Road dry 7,800 400 2,978 9 Three Mile Creek East arm Warrayatkin Rd dry 22,400 3,400 11,530 10 Page 8 “Landscapes, Lifestyles and Livelihoods” was the theme for the recent International Landcare conference held in Melbourne. Delegates from all over Australia attended as well as international visitors from Fiji, Uganda, Phillipines, USA, New Zealand, Nauru, South Africa, Kenya, Puerto Rica, Canada, United Kingdom, Tonga, Tanzania, Germany, Jamaica, Solomon Islands and Iceland. A most interesting suggestion was made that local landcare groups could “adopt” an overseas group and develop an ongoing relationship. The conference provided a wealth of information through the many displays, posters, presentations and of course the fantastic networking opportunity to meet and learn from other natural resource managers. Keynote speakers included chair of the Council of Canadians, Maude Barlow, who spoke passionately on the issue of supply and distribution of fresh water and the concept of water as a “right” not a commodity to be traded. Her book “Blue gold: the fight to stop the corporate theft of the world’s water” is available from www.readings.com.au Bobbie Brazil, chair of the Australian Landcare Council, in her address “Landcare – ancient myth or modern dreaming” spoke of how landcare is reshaping our landscapes and “Australianising” our thinking about farming. She highlighted the crucial importance of sustainable agriculture, given that agriculture occupies over 60% of the continent.

Christine Forster, in her role on the Victorian Catchment Management Council spoke of her lifetime journey caring for land and water and our journey towards sustainable management. Sustainable management was a recurrent theme and was addressed from many angles including that of indigenous land managers who have been “caring for country” and living sustainably for over 60,000 years. Other themes centred on striking a balance between agriculture and environmental concerns and recognizing the costs and benefits of land stewardship, community engagement and grassroots action, and the connection of people to the landscape. Global warming and climate change were also well addressed, most spectacularly by Rob Gell in his presentation of the “Weather Report for the year 2050”. A serious and

quite depressing topic tackled in a most entertaining but informative style. (Ref: www. millenniumassessment.org The Futures Foundation – Millenium Ecosystem Assessment - “Living beyond our means”). The conference program is available at www.internationallandcareconference2006.com.au . I have most of the papers on CD if anyone is interested in learning more.

NEW REVISED EDITION “GREENER PASTURES FOR SW VICTORIA” Zhongnan Nie DPI Hamilton

The new bigger and better, revised edition of the popular DPI book ‘Greener Pastures for south west Victoria’ is now available following an official launch in Ararat in late September. First published in 1997, ‘Greener Pastures for south west Victoria’ provides valuable information to farmers, students and extension and scientific personnel. For the 2nd edition , editors Zhongnan Nie and Geoffrey Saul have worked with leading scientists across Victoria to incorporate the latest in scientific knowledge and findings into existing chapters. The 2nd edition of ‘Greener Pastures for south west Victoria’ includes: · A complete rewrite of all chapters on: pasture species, fertilizers, sowing, management and utilization. · New chapters on pastures for saline areas, native pastures, pasture:crop rotation and biodiversity on farms.

This 115-page book will show sheep and cattle farmers how to establish and graze pastures to improve animal productivity, and manage the whole farm system in a productive and environmentally sustainable manner. ‘Greener Pastures for south west Victoria’ is available for $30.00 incl GST, from reception at DPI Ararat ph. 5355 0520. Page 9 Gecko Moves

South . By Reto Zollinger DPI Hamilton I stumbled across this Thick-tailed Gecko on a recent field work visit to the Ararat run-off experimental site (see article below). It was the first time I have seen one of these pretty creatures and according to the DSE Wildlife Atlas records, this area is outside its known range – its normally found further north.

The Thick-tailed Gecko, also known as Barking Gecko belongs to the subfamily Diplodactylinae, one of two subfamilies classified within Australia. This subfamily is confined to Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia and contain 81 of 1 1 1 described Australian species. The Thick-tailed Gecko is a terrestrial, soft- skinned, nocturnal lizard with large eyes, a carrot-shaped tail and a snout-vent length of 96mm. By day it shelters under stones, in burrows (their own or of other animals) and behind loose bark. By night it forages in open space and low vegetation and feeds on arthropods such as spiders and even smaller geckos. It occupies various habitats such as dry sclerophyll forests, shrub-land and rocky outcrops and lay two eggs per clutch. When threatened they raise their bodies and emit a surprisingly loud panting bark, hence, Barking Gecko. Reference: Wilson S, Swan G (2003) A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia.

How Can Dry Hills Fill Farm Dams?

Dr Malcolm McCaskill, Soil and Water Scientist, Department of Primary Industries, Hamilton Farm dams in steep hill country may fill more reliably than those on flatter country, a recent study at Ararat has found. As part of a project funded by Glenelg-Hopkins CMA and DPI, surface water movement and its quality have been monitored on 4 small steep hill catchments near Ararat since 2003. In each year since the study began, rainfall has been well below the long-term average of 600 mm per year. The study found that dam inflows can occur from steep hill catchment dams with rainfall intensities as low as 2 mm/hour, without the soil needing to wet up before runoff occurs. Runoff has been measured from these sites in all 4 seasons of the year. The best-yielding catchment of the four studied, was a steep rocky area with thin soils and low pasture cover. This area produced 14 mm of runoff in 2005 and 7 mm in 2006. Apart from areas of exposed rock, the down side of having low pasture cover is that there is an increased risk of erosion during runoff events which can fill the dam with sediment and reduce the capacity of the hills to grow productive pastures. Good grazing management on these sites should help find a balance between runoff quantity and quality.

On flatter country the soil needs to wet up before dams start filling. This makes them more vulnerable to dry years. While dry years have occurred quite often in the past, they are expected to become more frequent with global warming.

Steep hill catchments are an ideal water source because runoff occurs reliably, and water can be reticulated to other parts of the property. The water quality is also generally better (less salt) high in the landscape. Another important water source is from paved surfaces, such as roads, however channels need to be well maintained to maximise runoff into the dam.

The coming summer will be challenging for many livestock producers because of inadequate stock water in many paddocks. However planning of dams and reticulation systems that are reliable in drier seasons will be a good investment for the future. Page 10 Yarram Park A Fire Plan in Action

By Peter Forster Glenelg Hopkins CMA

The property “Yarram Park” on the south eastern edge of the Grampians National park has had an emergency fire plan in place for some time. In the recent Grampians fire, this forward planning paid off - with minimal stock, fodder and fencing losses as a result.

According to manager Jeremy Upton, Yarram Park has eight full time staff and their families living on the property and so their safety during a fire is of major concern. The following are some of the elements of fire planning and fire prevention at Yarram Park:

· All staff and their families regularly rehearse emergency fire procedures. They also check that fire units are operating and in good repair, ensure that all fuel is cleared from around houses and in gutters on a regular basis etc. · If fire conditions are extreme, family members are encouraged to leave the property well in advance of any danger. · If there is sufficient warning of an approaching fire, stock are moved to safer paddocks eg. lane ways, low fuel hay paddocks and as far from the anticipated fire direction as possible. This may be days in advance of the fire. · The property has an extensive laneway system to expedite stock movement. These laneways also act as safe areas for stock and internal firebreaks. · Staff are equipped with UHF radios to maintain communications during fire-fighting to track each fire unit and crew. · Fire insurance and business recovery insurance is reviewed annually to ensure it is adequate. · Post fire, Yarram Park is refining its fire plans by expanding the laneway system with wider laneways and permanent water points so that stock can be retained for extended periods. Paddock layout is being changed to assist stock movement. The laneways are grazed out for the summer fire season.

As a result of having adequate insurance cover, Yarram Park has been able to employ a range of contractors to assist with the recovery effort. This is efficient and means that staff can concentrate on the day to day running of the farm.

CMA Notes by Peter Forster

During the coming season it will be very important to protect the water quality in streams by preventing stock access and creating an off-stream watering point (eg. tank and troughs). This will prevent stock from becoming bogged, will prevent them muddying and fouling their drinking water and making the water more susceptible to a blue green algae bloom. Of course, this also benefits the overall health of the waterway and any associated wildlife.

The CMA may be able to provide funding to assist you to permanently fence your waterway and create off stream watering points. Contact Peter Forster 5355 0530 for further information. Page 1 1 Page 12

Getting your water tested This summer its going to be particularly important to keep an eye on water salinity levels as people start to look to backup their existing supplies with groundwater or other sources.

We can do a free on-the-spot check of salinity levels at the Ararat office. Bring a sample in a medium sized clean jar whic you have rinsed twice with the water to be tested. Other tests such as mineral analysis, algae or bacterial identification need to be carried out by a laboratory (check the yellow pages or ask at the water authorities for details).

You will need to continually monitor the salinity level especially if you are relying on bores, mixing bore and fresh water (make sure its well agitated), or dam water which will be evaporating and increasing its salinity concentration.

For further advice on algae and salinity testing you can call Louise Thomas DPI Ararat on 5355 0526. Upper Hopkins Landcare Newsletter November 2006