Get Involved in the State's NRM Efforts
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The Link The Link IssueVolunteer 77 Newsletter Issue 70 VOLUNTEER SUPPORT UNIT NEWS DIRECTOR’S UPDATE Dear Volunteers, As another year comes to a close I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for the amount of time, effort and expertise you have contributed to the parks and conservation during 2012. Thanks for the thousands of weeds poisoned and pulled; grants applications written; projects delivered; campgrounds hosted; meetings and conferences attended; administration undertaken; events, forums and open days held; seeds grown; surveys undertaken; koala food bagged; publications produced and the list goes on and on. 2012 has been another eventful year of change and challenges. The Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources has a new name and a broader role that integrates management of environment, water and natural resource management services across the state. Eight new natural resources centres have been opened around South Australia to provide a one stop shop for the public to access services and information. A new OHS Volunteer Management Framework has been introduced; the People and Parks Visitor Strategy has been launched and the campground host program now has more than double the number of hosts helping visitors to enjoy their camping experience in our beautiful parks system. Whether you contribute as one of our valued Friends of Parks Inc Board members, on the ground working with a Friends, NRM, Landcare, Bushcare, Coastcare, Biodiversity Blitz; Botanic Gardens or another environmentally focussed community group; your work is valuable and valued, and South Australia is a better place because of your efforts. I would like to personally thank the Volunteer Support Unit for its hard work and support over the last 12 months. The VSU is small team that works hard to ensure our volunteers and staff gets support and recognition for the work they do every day across the state. Also a special thanks to the volunteers who come in every week to support the VSU - without them things would be even more hectic around here! I would also like to thank Christel Mex for very ably leading the work while I was off exploring Africa (in spite of our challenges, there is no doubt that we still live in one of the best places in the world!). Finally I would like to recognise the support and leadership John Schutz, Group Executive Director has provided; there is no doubt that John understands and values our volunteers efforts and I pass on his very best wishes to you all for a safe and happy Christmas season. Please take the time over the festive season to remember the celebrations; awards and successes, and to congratulate yourselves on a job well done. I wish you all a safe and happy festive season. Anne Sellar Director, Volunteers and Visitor Services PEOPLE AND PARKS: A VISITOR STRATEGY FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S NATIONAL PARKS, MARINE PARKS AND RESERVES Late last month the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Paul Caica, announced the release of People and Parks: A Visitor Strategy for South Australia's National Parks, Marine Parks and Reserves. The People and Parks Strategy outlines how people will be encouraged to visit parks, learn about nature and contribute to their conservation. The People and Parks Visitor Strategy has been in the making for the last couple of years. The Strategy • covers all of South Australia's national parks, marine parks and reserves. • is more than a recreation and tourism strategy - it outlines how people will be encouraged to visit parks, learn about nature and get involved in the State's NRM efforts. • does not diminish our commitment to conservation or alter our objectives (which are set out in the National Parks and Wildlife Act, Wilderness Protection Act and Marine Parks Act). • includes a series of 'light house' projects (such as cycling in the Mount Lofty Ranges) which seek to demonstrate how the enjoyment of parks by people can lead to improved outcomes for conservation. One of our Friends, Bob Grant from Friends of Sturt Gorge, was featured with the Minister at the launch. If you missed it on TV, have a look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFUAVQ1xGrM. More information on the People and Parks Visitor Strategy is available on the DEWNR website: www.environment.sa.gov.au/Conservation/Land/Park_management/people-and-parks. ‘PROMOTING & MARKETING FRIENDS OF PARKS’ For those who were unable to attend this year’s Friends Forum, David Mitchell, President of Friends of Parks Inc, made a presentation to delegates entitled ‘Promoting & Marketing Friends of Parks’. David has provided the following overview of his presentation. “It’s my strong view that we must move quickly to promote who we are and what we do. Some of our groups are doing this well and reaping the benefits, but as a statewide organisation we have for too long been quiet achievers and consequently taken for granted by government, much of the public sector and many in the community. If we do nothing we are in danger of being left behind and becoming an increasingly endangered species. The promises of extra on-ground support which have accompanied successive agency restructures have not been fulfilled and our program is in danger of withering on the vine. Over several months the Friends of Parks IncBoard has organised workshops and discussions to gauge the health of the organisation, the challenges we face and the opportunities on offer. It’s a time of considerable change and economic restraint; departmental restructuring grinds slowly on concurrent with swingeing resource cuts. To be fair the Volunteer Support Unit and some regional staff have supported and contributed to our promotional initiative. Meanwhile Friends of Parks continue with their stewardship of their particular patch or heritage asset and are forced to rely increasingly on grants and the efforts of a diminishing and ageing membership. Notwithstanding we continue to do a great job, are increasingly relied upon by government and have an unparalleled knowledge of the protected reserve system. It’s a very good story and one that we need to tell more often and more loudly. Thirty years of experience and endeavour are worth celebrating. Accordingly we have formed a small working party which in co-operation with the department will develop a marketing plan and put forward ways in which we can better promote ourselves, our activities and the Friends of Parks movement. Individual groups will continue to do whatever they feel necessary to promote themselves in their local communities and to their membership. As the incorporated association and umbrella group Friends of Parks Inc. has a responsibility to promote the brand on a statewide basis, to government, other environmental groups and the general community. It won’t be an ivory tower initiative and we’ll keep you posted and involved as we progress but it has a high priority as the extinction clock is ticking both for us and for our parks. Incidentally, before I began my forum presentation I asked the delegates whether or not they wanted to retain the current NPWS (pizza/flowerpot) logo and it was a virtually unanimous “Yes” with the added comment “If it isn’t broke, why fix it?” We live in interesting and very challenging times.” If your group is interested in furthering a discussion among yourselves, David can make his PowerPoint available to you and is happy to respond to questions. He can be contacted on 8251 1088 or email [email protected] DEWNR FIRE MANAGEMENT CODE OF PRACTICE Collaborative fire management arrangements between DEWNR Fire Management, SA Water, ForestrySA and the Country Fire Service have been substantially strengthened with the recent adoption of a Code of Practice for fire management on public lands in South Australia. The need for a Code of Practice was identified following the tragic Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, and its adoption is a significant step towards achieving a whole-of-landscape approach to fire management. This approach aims to strike a balance between the essential protection of life and property and maintaining and enhancing the long-term resilience of the South Australian environment. Drawing on COAG’s National Principles of Bushfire Mitigation and Management, the Code reinforces the primacy of life as the key management consideration and contains performance measures and outcomes for fire management programs on public lands. Progress towards these measures will be reported on annually to monitor progress towards reducing the size, frequency and impact of bushfires from public land on communities, infrastructure and the environment. The Code sets out how public land fire managers, together with the CFS, manage bushfire risk on public land and is the culmination of 18 months’ effort by a working group of staff from the four agencies. The Code of Practice can be viewed at the DEWNR website - www.environment.sa.gov.au/firemanagement/Fire_Planning GET INVOLVED VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES WAKEFIELD RIVER PROJECT- A CHANCE TO HELP ITS COURSE The Wakefield River snakes through the Mid-North flanked by the Broughton River to the North and the Light River to the South. It collects water from a catchment of 690km2, with major tributaries of the Eyre, Skillogalee, Pine, Rices, Hermitage and Woolshed Flat Creeks. It has also experience dramatic modification by the impacts of European settlement. It is a familiar story and DEWNR wants to help give the Wakefield River a new chapter through a recently successful Caring for Our Country grant through the Australian Government. This project will address critical threats currently preventing landscape connectivity along a 25km section of riparian habitat on the River, and will increase the condition and resilience of over 125 hectares. This includes 60 hectares of Iron-grass Natural Temperate Grassland and 65 hectares of Peppermint Box (Eucalyptus odorata) Grassy Woodland – both nationally threatened ecological communities.