In this edition: It's been a big month and we are New population of Glenelg back open to the public after Easter freshwater mussels found This has been an exciting month for the Glenelg Hopkins Valuing water photo region with the discovery of a previously unknown competition population of the critically endangered Glenelg Freshwater New CAG members Mussel. We hope to work with other organisations such as inducted Arthur Rylah Institute to undertake further surveys to Bream Classic success determine how extensive this new population is and 20 year staff achievement identify threats and opportunities to protect or enhance its habitat. Dartmoor school students The organisation is also transitioning from 70% of staff have a Glenelg education working back in the office back to 100% with our office Red-tail count back on doors at Hamilton opening to the community on April 6 - it WFV out in the field will be great to chat to community members face to face RCS update again! This is in line with Victorian Government directions. Bittern habitat funding We were able to celebrate this return to the office with an now available all-of-staff event at Budj Bim. We also took this opportunity to acknowledge the extensive Office reopening contribution that two of our staff members have made to the organisation and the region. Field staff members Tim Glenelg Hopkins CMA Covey and Tania Parker recently achieved 20 years of www.ghcma.vic.gov.au service with the CMA. Telephone: (03) 5571 2526 I hope you all have an enjoyable Easter and that you can Email: [email protected] take advantage of the amazing landscape that the Glenelg Postal: PO Box 502 Hopkins region has to offer. Hamilton Victoria 3300 Adam Bester, CEO Glenelg Hopkins CMA CMA NEWS Stoked with new mussel population find! A previously unknown population of the critically endangered Glenelg freshwater mussel has been discovered this week in the Stokes River in south- west Victoria. It is the first time a Glenelg freshwater mussel has ever been recorded in this location. “At the risk of sounding cliché, we are stoked!” Glenelg Hopkins CMA CEO Adam Bester said. “It is really exciting to find a population of mussels where they have never previously been recorded. Two live adult mussels were found during aquatic surveys being conducted as part of a project in the Crawford River Regional Park improving the habitat for the mussels. Scientists Tarmo Raadik and Dan Stoessel from the Arthur Rylah Institute were in the Stokes River sampling mussels and collecting water samples, to test using eDNA as a method to detect the mussels, when they stumbled across the animals almost by accident. The project to improve the plight of the Glenelg freshwater mussel and its habitat is funded through the Australian Government’s Wildlife and Habitat ABOVE: Dan Stoessel with the adult mussels found in the Stokes River. Bushfire Recovery Program, supports habitat BELOW taking eDNA samples. improvement in the Crawford River including livestock Images courtesy of Tarmo A. Raadik, fencing, revegetation and weed control to protect Arthur Rylah Institute known populations, along with aquatic surveys to look for new populations. To read more about the find go to www.ghcma.vic.gov.au CMA NEWS: Valuing Our Water photo competition launched Glenelg Hopkins CMA and Wannon Water have partnered together to create a new photo competition for World Water Day, which was on Monday, March 22. World Water Day is a day prescribed by the United Nations and in 2021 the theme is ‘Valuing Water’. The value of water also ties into the water theme of our Regional Catchment Strategy which is currently being developed. The competition is open to all school students within the Glenelg Hopkins CMA and Wannon Water regions, and began at 10am on Monday and entries close on Thursday May 27. Winners will be announced on 10 June 2021. All entries are electronic, and you can go to our website ghcma.vic.gov.au to find the link to entries. Entries must: Reflect the theme of World Water Day 2021, ‘Valuing Water’, depicting landscapes e.g. towns, lakes, creeks, nature reserves, swimming pools, beaches etc. Not contain any images of children Not contain any watermarks which identify the photographer Not contain any additional mark-ups or graphics Be taken within the region covered by Wannon Water and/or the GHCMA Be from a student who resides within the region covered by Wannon Water and/or the GHCMA. Total prize pool is approximately $3,000. The following prizes will be awarded in the each category: Foundation–Year 2: 2 x $200 vouchers (redeemable at Budj Bim Tours or Nelson Canoe Hire) Years 3-6: 2 x GoPro cameras Years 7-9: 2 x GoPro cameras Years 10-12: 2 x GoPro cameras School prizes: All entrants will automatically be entered into a random prize draw for their school to win one of two water efficient prizes to the value of $330 each. CMA NEWS: New Community advisory group members inducted The Glenelg Hopkisn CMA's Community Advisory Group, welcomed four new members, and was finally able to induct a fifth when new members met in late March. Jackson Chatfield joined the CAG in 2020 but his induction didn't take place until this year when he joined four other members getting a run down on the Glenelg Hopkins CMA's activities and the Community Advisory Group's role. New members inducted were: Jackson Chatfield: The Victorian Aboriginal Landcare Facilitator, is a proud Gunditjmara man from south west Victoria. He has a background in Aboriginal social policy implementation and Aboriginal cultural heritage management. Ayesha Burdett: The Upper Hopkins Land Management Group Landcare Facilitator, Ayesha is also a farmer and ecologist from Wickliffe and has a background in ecology, community engagement and sustainable agriculture. Shae Rotumah: A Gunditjmara traditional owner who works as a forestry partnerships officer, based in Heywood, Shae has a background in Indigenous land and sea management and community engagement (pictured above right, joining the induction remotely). Sabine Schreiber: A freshwater ecologist and independent consultant from Warrnambool, Sabine has a strong history of water and wetlands strategy, monitoring and evaluation. Susan Bosch: A lawyer by trade, Susan is a farmer from Woorndoo, with experience in grasslands management, sustainable agriculture and community engagement. Bream Classic another success on the Hopkins If you were in Warrnambool on the weekend of March 27 and 28 you might have notice more boats on the water than usual. Competitors in the Vic Bream Classic were out and about for Round 1 of the statewide competition. The Glenelg Hopkins CMA sponsors Round 1 on the Hopkins River, and Round 2 on the Glenelg River of this series. Support of such an event recognises the contribution the recreational angling community provides to CMA projects. Anglers return to the region with Round 2 - the Glenelg Hopkins CMA Glenelg Shire Classic - May 1 and 2. CMA NEWS: Tania and Tim celebrate 20 years at the CMA! The Glenelg Hopkins CMA took advantage of reduced covid restrictions to celebrate 20 years of service to the CMA by two employees - Tania Parker and Tim Covey. Staff held an informal barbecue lunch at Budj Bim National Park where their extensive work experience was recognised in front of their colleagues. Pictured are Tania and Tim (centre) are recognised by Rob Addinsall (left) and Adam Bester. Dartmoor school kids get Glenelg educated Children from Dartmoor Primary School traded the classroom for the banks of the Glenelg recently to learn about river species and their reliance on good water quality. The school children were able to see, touch, experience and ask questions about the native inhabitants of the river. The critically endangered Glenelg freshwater mussel is one such species. The event was supported through the 'Glenelg freshwater mussel protection and recovery post Crawford River fire project' and funded by the Australian Government’s Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery program. To view a great little video about just how excited the kids were, click HERE PROJECT NEWS Annual cocky count returns! After having to adapt last year’s annual Red-tail count to a backyard counting event due to Covid-19, the South-Eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo Recovery Team and BirdLife Australia are happy the regional Annual Cocky Count can return in 2021 and are seeking volunteers to assist. This year, the Annual Cocky Count will be held on Saturday 1 May. Volunteers will search in stringybark sites across the Red-tails’ range in south-east South Australia and south-west Victoria. While the count can return this year there are some covid-safe rules in place. Survey sites are spread across the range of the cockatoo from Nelson to Little Desert in Victoria and Mount Gambier to Keith in South Australia. Landholders who have stringybark on their property are also encouraged to search their own land on the day. Previous bird survey experience is not necessary but volunteers need to become familiar with what Red-tails look and sound like, as they can often be mistaken for the more common Yellow-tailed Black- Cockatoo. Volunteers can hear the difference between the two species by visiting the website www.redtail.com.au. For more information on how to become involved or to register to participate please contact Kelsey Bennett on 1800 262 062 or email [email protected]. This project is supported by the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, Wimmera Catchment Management Authority, and Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. Landholder survey on Red-tail habitat Do you have a property in the south-west of Victoria? If so, we are seeking your views on habitat protection for the endangered South- eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.