Quirindi Community Nursery The QUIRINDI COMMUNITY NURSERY provides a valuable service to the local community, supplying native plants for Quirindi Matters farms and gardens. The nursery is operated by a small group of volunteers, who donate all profi ts back into the local community where these funds support a cluster of What’s in store worthwhile and needy charities. Spring Water Quality Health The nursery carries an extensive stock of local native Head Offi ce Page 2: EverGraze species varying in size from tall eucalypts to smaller shrubs PO Box 546, 35-37 Abbott Street, suitable for home gardens. Many plants are propagated on the Page 3: Quirindi’s landscape from seed which is ideally collected within the local area NSW 2380 The Walhallow School community Namoi CMA is supporting riparian is changing and subsequently grown out to tubestock size. Phone (02) 6742 9220 Fax (02) 6742 got their hands wet on October rehabilitation projects at the site and Since its inception, thousands of trees have been supplied 4022 Page 4: Streamlining the 23rd to check water quality in the supports Waterwatch engagement Mooki to farmers and landcare groups for various projects such as Mooki River. The event was part with Walhallow School through the revegetation, tree lines and riparian sites. Quirindi Offi ce of a series of activities organised Partnerships Program. Propagation Located: Henry Street, Quirindi - next to swimming pool PO Box 50, 16-18 Station Street, by Waterwatch and Namoi CMA Namoi CMA have riparian workshops to celebrate National Water Week Trading Hours: Quirindi NSW 2343 rehabilitation projects at the site October 19th- 25th. Page 5: Community 9.30 to 12.30 - Friday morning + second Saturday Phone (02) 6746 1344 Fax (02) 6746 and it will be interesting to track Development Funds morning of each month 1076 National Water Week is designed to the changes that these works will Other Times: assist our community to take actions have on the biology of the site. Happy to oblige by phoning 67 462076 or 67 461342 Shan Easey that help protect and conserve our Page 6: Photographic Administration Waterwatch will return shortly Prices: most precious resource – water. Competition Phone 02 6746 1344 to Walhallow to train students in Tubestock 1-400 $2, thereafter Said Waterwatch coordinator chemical monitoring techniques. Page 7: Rules of Entry $1.50 with Namoi CMA, Stephanie Small Pots $4 each Tim Watts If you would like to fi nd out more Mccaffery“Discovering the type of Tree Guards .40c Catchment Offi cer about Waterwatch, or become a Page 8: Quirindi Community bugs living in the river not only Tall Stakes .20c Projects Waterwatch volunteer, you can Nursery indicates how good the quality of Short Stakes .10c Mobile 0427 255849 contact Stephanie on 6764 5961 or by the water is, but is a fun activity for emailing stephanie.mccaffrey@ all the family. You’ll be amazed by So come and see what’s available in Anna Cronin cma.nsw.gov.au your local area Catchment Offi cer what you fi nd.” Mobile 0428 280809 “Water Bugs are very useful because they show how the biology of a river Merry Christmas responds to combined changes in water quality, the health of river habitats or river fl ow.” Stephanie Merry Christmas and Best Wishes from the Board and Staff of Namoi CMA explained. Water Bug survey data is collected The Namoi Catchment Management Authority (CMA) extends its best wishes for the festive season to all the communities in the Namoi Catchment. May the New Year bring prosperity to everyone. by Waterwatch groups twice a Please note that our offices will be closed from Thursday, 25 December 2008 and will reopen on Monday, 5 January 2009. year, in October and March, so the If you need to contact us during this time please call 6742 9220 for a list of contact names and numbers. Walhallow students will be back at

We look forward to working with you to create vibrant communities and landscapes for the future. the river next year to see if water www.namoi.cma.nsw.gov.au email: [email protected] quality has improved or declined. Namoi CMA - vibrant communities and landscapes for the future www.namoi.cma.gov.au Propagation Workshops Failure to deliver ASGE Community Streamlining come to Quirindi Development Fund monies tests irrigator’s Plant Propagation workshops, run in conjunction trust in Australian Government water policies the Mooki with Bilby Blooms, Binnaway were recently held in Quirindi with around 15 landholders attending. Namoi Valley irrigator’s trust on Australian Governmental Agreement on the ASGE Andrew and Jilly Thompson of “West Mooki” have Participants learnt how to recognise seeds and Government water policies is waning over its program. embarked on an ambitious project to restore a fruit that is ripe for propagating, germination failure to deliver Community Development Fund critical reach of the Mooki River at . A total He said that whilst the groundwater irrigators had methods and even cheap and easy ways of making (CDF) monies despite an Inter-Governmental of 3.5km of the river has been fenced to manage given up, in some cases signifi cant parts of their a greenhouse. Agreement signed over three years ago. the grazing and a 1.5km section of it has been entitlements to satisfy a return to ‘sustainable planted with native trees and understory based on For native plant regeneration works, Although direct adjustment payments to yield’ the Australian Government has failed to a river redgum community. plant stock that is native to, and from groundwater irrigators in the Namoi Valley were deliver on it commitment to irrigators. a gene pool common to a local area made, in the vast majority of cases, in late The project area adjoins one of the last remnant “The timeframe is totally unacceptable and you is not always available. When plant 2007; the payment of the Achieving Sustainable plains grass areas and is immediately above the can understand why irrigators are losing patience seeds are sourced and then grown Groundwater Entitlements (ASGE) Community Caroona township. The river below the township is and trust with the federal Government on this for use in a local area they are said Development Fund (CDF) monies to relevant the site of a large project with Namoi CMA and the issue,” he said. to be of “local provenance”. NSW CMAs is still outstanding. Walhollow community with that particular reach of In mid-May, the then NSW Water Minister The Community Development Fund package river having signifi cant Indigenous values. Vegetation regeneration using local provenance is Nathan Rees had ‘signed off’ on the release of important when building wildlife corridors, wind for the Namoi Valley is $3.4m for three major The project with the Thompsons involved the NSW funds for the CDF package, however breaks, repairing river bank and gully erosion and projects. Two of these will have immediate constructing 7km of permanent electric fence, the Australian Government’s matching share of it aids in mine rehabilitation and dryland salinity. benefi ts to groundwater irrigators. providing off-stream water, planting 7ha of native funding had still not been received by NSW. Plants of local provenance are also more resilient (1) $2.1m for Shire Council trees and shrubs, establishing 50 ha of perennial Mr Brown called on Federal Minister Penny Wong to local conditions. to seek partial alternative water supply to allow pasture and addressing gully erosion. to secure the immediate release of the Australian Col Easton from Namoi CMA said, “growing native the annual transfer of 500mg of water to Zone 1 Andrew said that he and Jilly were very greatful for Government’s share of these monies to enable the plants from seed can be tricky but very rewarding. groundwater irrigators near Quirindi. the involvement of Namoi CMA in both providing NSW Government to move to facilitate payment The workshops give people skills in propagating technical advice and fi nancial assistance. “It is This project is of the utmost importance given to entities involved in the CDF projects. native plants from their own area.” that Zone 1 groundwater irrigators had a 95% a project that we have dreamt about, however “It is now 11 months after the commencement cutback under the ASGE Program. without this partnership with Namoi CMA we would Each person who attended the workshop found of the payments to irrigators and it is hard to have been unable to undertake it and complete it it very worthwhile, taking home a sample of their (2) $0.90m for water use effi ciency programs understand the reason for the delay,” Mr Brown in such a timely manner,” Andrew said. day’s work. specifi cally targeted at groundwater irrigators. said. The third project worth $400k is more knowledge For more information please contact Anne based and involves a hydrological investigation Ferguson - (02) 6742 9202 or 0429-048 of groundwater recharge and discharge in Zone 867 or [email protected] 5 near Boggabri. The Member for New England, Tony Windsor, in seeking immediate release of the Community Development Fund monies, has received no defi nitive answer from Minister Penny Wong. Namoi CMA General Manager, Bruce Brown, said that “Namoi CMA is calling on Minister Penny Wong to facilitate the immediate release of the CDF monies to enable the above projects to commence as soon as possible. “The Australian Government has not, despite many requests from the NSW Government, provided its half of the Community Development Fund monies. Mr Brown accused the Australian Government of attempting to ‘walk away’ from the Inter- Quirindi’s landscape is changing

Quirindi’s landscape is changing dramatically at By implementing this project, with assistance Photographic Competition the moment. Both the Quirindi Creek and the from the Namoi CMA, the QCCC hopes to make Jacob & Joseph Creek are undergoing a massive our creeks a beautiful place for our community to transformation, being returned to their natural enjoy, and to share with a wide range of native glory as part of a three year program being run by birds and animals. Forests, Fur, Fins & Feathers in the Namoi the Quirindi Creek Catchment Committee (QCCC) Spring is a great time to enjoy the sights and with support and assistance from Namoi CMA. sounds of native birds around our town. Tamworth Catchment Namoi CMA is supporting the QCCC in their efforts Bird Watchers Association kindly donated to QCCC to remove weeds and establish native vegetation brochures outlining the native birds we are likely The Namoi Catchment Management Authority along the creekbanks within Quirindi. Tony Lawler to see in our gardens. These brochures were sent is conducting its fi rst Photo Competition in the What will the judges be looking for? from Inland Weed Control Services has already out with the last rates notice, and more copies are Namoi Catchment and the theme is Forests, begun weed removal, with a large part of the work available at the Quirindi offi ce of Namoi CMA. The juding panel will be looking for images to be completed between now and the end of the Fur, Fins and Feathers in the Namoi. QCCC is keen to have involvement from anyone in that have been captured in the Namoi no year. earlier than January 2008. Images should be the community who would like to assist with this This project follows on from previous works project in any way. You can contact the QCCC What does the theme mean? of Forests, Fur, Fins and Feathers in any form, undertaken by QCCC to improve the waterways by email at [email protected]. If you are The environmental theme Forests, Fur, Fins and with people, landscapes, places, or in habitats. within the town. This project will involve the seeking advice on how to improve the health of Feathers is encouraging people to research staged removal of weeds such as Privet, Willow, your creek, please contact the Quirindi Namoi biodiversity by studying their local environments Some examples of these would be: Oleander and Tree of Heaven. As weeds are CMA offi ce on 6746 1344. to learn about the diversity of native plants and removed, native vegetation will be planted to animals in the Namoi Catchment. replace them. This vegetation will include River Red Gums, River Oaks, wattles and bottlebrush sourced from the Quirindi Community Nursery. Interpretive signs will also be erected, outlining the values of healthy waterways. Some of the weed species currently in our creeks, such as Oleander, are toxic to people, animals, and fi sh. Deciduous species, such as Willows hamper the growth of shrubs and grasses underneath their dense canopy, making the area more prone to erosion. They lose all their leaves at one time, so that as they decompose, they starve fi sh and other creatures living in the water of oxygen. While the new native vegetation will look beautiful, it will also perform many valuable functions that will benefi t our waterway. Native vegetation provides bank stabilisation from deep-rooted trees and shrubs, while allowing grasses to grow and protect the bank surface from erosion during fl oods. Native vegetation also acts as a fi lter, removing excess nutrients and soil particles from overland fl ow before it enters our waterways. Perhaps most importantly, native vegetation provides natural habitat for our amazing fauna. Our aquatic fauna, such as fi sh, turtles and platypus thrive only in a stable and healthy waterway. Native birds such as kingfi shers, honeyeaters and wrens need a variety of vegetation types to feed on, and live in. Parrots require hollows and protection from hollow-forming trees such as River Red Gums. Rules of Entry

1. Entries close at 4pm on Tuesday 31 March 2009. No entries will be accepted after this date or time. 2. Entries should be addressed and posted to; Photographic Competition, Namoi Catchment Management Authority, PO Box 546, Gunnedah NSW 2380 3. An entry form must be completed and signed. 4. Prints must be 4 x 6 inches (10 x 15cm). No exceptions. Negatives of photographs may be required to allow EverGraze Tour of the Namoi a Success enlargement to display size. The entrant should sign the declaration on the entry form to confirm that the negative is available and will be made available to the Namoi Catchment Management Authority should they The EverGraze National Advisory Committee’s “We are now seeing huge improvements in require it for enlargement purposes. All digital images must be printed on photo quality paper and be (NAC) tour of the Namoi Catchment proved the quantity and quality of our native pastures accompanied by an electronic version. to be a great success for all those involved. because we can graze, for example, the better 5. An electronic version of your photographs may be submitted, however they must be supplied on a CD that is The EverGraze NAC is made up of graziers fl at country differently to the harder western clearly marked with the entrants name and contact details that are on the associated entry form. Do not email from around Australia, representatives from facing hill country. entries. the Australian Wool Industry (AWI), Meat 6. Subject matter is restricted to the locality of the Namoi Catchment and should address the theme of this year’s “The bare stock camps on top of the hills are and Livestock Australia (MLA), Future Farms competition - Fur, Fins and Feathers in the Namoi. Competition categories are as follows: disappearing; there are a lot less weeds like saffron Industry (FFI) CRC and NSW Department of thistle present, and there are much better native primary Industries (DPI). The intention of the A. Open Colour grasses coming back into the paddocks,” Matt said. tour was to showcase the results of the graziers Entries in this category are open to any age. The photograph must be printed in full colour. The Carter’s EverGraze trial is part of a much and agency staff involved in EverGraze in the B. Open Black & White larger Namoi CMA grazing project that they Namoi. Entries in this category are open to any age. The photograph must be printed in black & white only. have completed on ‘Myall Springs’.”It is great Any colour in the photograph will deem it to be not black & white and the photograph will therefore Simon Turpin, Catchment Offi cer and EverGraze to see Namoi CMA really supporting EverGraze not be judged. Coordinator for Namoi CMA said “about 30 with additional resources, as the win-win C. Secondary Student (Colour or Black & White) graziers, industry reps and agency staff from opportunities for the catchment and producers Entries in this category must be in a class or grade from 7 to 12. The photograph can be either colour around Australia were extremely positive about involved is enormous”, he said. or black & white. the progress of EverGraze and Namoi CMA after Renelle Jeffrey, Project Manager for Sustainable D. Primary Student (Colour or Black & White) the tour that travelled from Tamworth, through Production Systems at AWI and EverGraze NAC Entries in this category must be in a class or grade from Kindergarten to 6. The photograph can be Somerton and Manilla then out to Kelvin. member said “having passionate producers like either colour or black & white. “The group visited local farms involved in Matt on board is fantastic as they are great E. Professional (Colour or Black & White) EverGraze allowing members to hear fi rst hand advocates for sustainable grazing principles Entries in this category must be classed as a professional. The photograph can be either colour or from leading farmers which projects such black & white. how they manage as EverGraze are their properties promoting”. 7. Photographs should have been taken no earlier than January 2008, must be unpublished and should not have and to see some won any other competition open to the general public. Entries are unlimited. Entries will not be returned. The EverGraze of the innovative Please keep a copy of your entry. project is showing m a n a g e m e n t 8. Each photograph must bear the entrant’s name, address, contact telephone numbers, location and that new perennial techniques being approximate date of the photograph and the category it is entered into. These details must be clearly written grazing systems implemented in the onto a sticker such as an address label and stuck to the back of the photograph. Writing directly onto the back can increase profi ts of the photograph can detract from the image. catchment,” Simon from livestock while 9. The copyright of each entry submitted remains with the photographers, however, the Namoi Catchment added. at the same time Management Authority reserves the right to use any entry for promotional purposes or for reproduction in After a visit to John improve the health publications. Chaffey’s property of the catchment. 10. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The judges are made up of two at Somerton in With more than 50 members of the public and Two staff members of Namoi CMA. Notification of winners will be sent by mail. the morning the demonstration sites Prizes will be awarded to the winners and second place. Winners will receive $250 and second place $50. group visited ‘Myall and six research 11. By entering this competition all Professional entrants agree to complete an Australian Tax Office “Suppliers” Springs’ at Kelvin, sites across the declaration form. This form acknowledges the receipt of the prize money and is required for Namoi Catchment owned by Matt and high rainfall zone of Management Authority finance keeping records. 12. The Fur, Fins and Feathers in the Namoi Photographic Competition 2008-2009 is open to all interested persons Mel Carter, to see southern Australia, except judges of the competition or Namoi CMA staff. how they have made great improvements in EverGraze is looking at the science and the 13. Professional photographers, for the purpose of this competition, are deemed to be: their native pasture over the past few years. By practical on-farm application of new livestock [ A person who has an active Australian Business Number, and the main stream of business for the ABN subdividing large paddocks (taking into account grazing systems using perennial pastures. is photography; and/or soil type, slope and aspect) into much smaller For more information on EverGraze and [ A person who promotes themselves as a professional photographer (e.g. has business cards and/or paddocks the Carters can manage their stock upcoming events in the Namoi Catchment call advertises their services). much better. Simon Turpin (Namoi CMA) on 67429212 or “In the past we had no real control over stock Lochie Rowling (NSW DPI Extension Offi cer) on movements within our large paddocks so some 67631166. Alternatively, EverGraze information For more information please contact parts of the paddock where heavily over grazed on Supporting Sites, Proof Sites and extension and other areas under grazed,” Matt Carter contact details can be found at www.evergraze. Kate Jones on 02 6742 9215 said. com.au