Workshop topics include:

28th March – Bush Regeneration Techniques

25th April – Coastal Plant ID

27th June – Worksite Health and Safety

29th August – Bush Regeneration Techniques

31st October – Coastal Dune Management

Please RSVP as places are limited.  Please call the CHRL office on 02 66511308or email chrl@westnet.com.au to reserve your place.

Click here for a copy of the 2012 Landcare Training Calender.

COFFS HARBOUR: Monday 29^th August

Cavanbah Centre – 191 Harbour Dr

MACKSVILLE: Monday 05^th September

CWA Hall – Princess St

COST: FREE with afternoon tea provided.

TIME:    All sessions 1.30pm to 4:00pm

The workshop will cover:

• Indian Myna Profile – biology and behaviour

• Impacts of Indian Mynas

• Indian Myna control – trapping and other strategies

• Establishing a native bird-friendly garden – plant selection and garden design principles

For bookings call Tien (Indian Myna Project Officer) on 0438 218 261

* You can also check out our information stall at the Bellingen Energy Festival (Bellingen showgrounds) on September 03

LandcareLearn will provide an opportunity for landholders to gain skills in sustainable land management through a series of practical and informative workshops.  The Landcare Learn event will run throughout the day and sessions will be grouped in three themes: soils, grazing management and biodiversity on your land. Individual sessions will provide information on soil health measurement and maintenance, planning and managing electric fencing systems, local birds, how to identify eucalypts, local weeds and their management and how to plan your property or farm for the best returns for you, and the environment.

Keynote speaker for the LandcareLearn event will be Dr Lukas Van Zwieten who is a world authority on Biochar, a substance produced from domestic and industrial waste which has been shown to significantly promote crop plant growth – a sustainable fertiliser!  Lukas’ presentation will link biochar with the hot topics of soil carbon and climate change.

LandcareLearn is a new direction for the Festival, but event organisers Craig Stehn and Colin Matthews (Landcare Coordinators for Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Dorrigo) anticipate that Festival goers who come along to a session or two will energise their interest in the local environment and learn new skills to help them manage their property (from backyard to farm) in a more sustainable way.

The festival will run from 8.30am to 3.30pm on Saturday 3rd September at the Bellingen Showground and will coincide with the start of Landcare Week. For more information, contact Craig Stehn (Coffs Harbour) on 6651 1308, or Colin Matthews (Bellingen) on 6655 0588.

Riparian zones, the often thin strip of vegetation occurring next to a stream, act as a buffer between aquatic systems and the surrounding land use. Well managed and resilient riparian vegetation can help stabilise stream banks and minimise erosion, improve water quality through filtering nutrient run-off and improve ecosystem health.

This half day workshop will cover the main methods of weed control used for controlling riparian or riverine weeds, including, cut and paint, scrap and paint and stem injection.
These techniques provide an effective way to control many of the common weeds that occur along the creeks and rivers of the Eastern Dorrigo, such as Small Leaf Privet, Large Leaf Privet and Japanese Honeysuckle. Participants will also gain an understanding of when weed control is appropriate, when the best time to undertake control is, and what can be done to maximise native regeneration at the site.

The workshop will be held at Brooklana on March the 12th between 9.30 and 12.30pm. Please bring a hat, appropriate footwear and a camping chair if you have one. Morning tea will be provided. RSVP to Craig Stehn on 6651 1308 by 11th of March 2011.

These workshops are being delivered jointly by Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare Inc. and NSW Industry and Investment through funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country – Community Action Grants program. Presentations will be given by Phillip Wilk (NSW I&I, Blueberry Industry Development Officer), Chris Bortelli (consulting horticulturist Agrichem Australia) and Bob Duggan (Irrigation and Advanced Pumping).

The workshop will be held at the Woolgoolga Bowls Club on Boundary Street in the Boardroom between 10.00am and 3.00pm on March the 16th. The workshop is free and lunch and morning tea will be provided. Numbers are limited so please RSVP by then to Craig Stehn at Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare on 6651 1308 or chrl@westnet.com.au

Held every two years, the Northern Rivers Landcare Awards recognise the achievements of the dedicated people who have committed their own time to care for our environment and contribute to sustainable production. Nominations for the Northern Rivers Landcare Awards will be opening in early January and close on Monday21st February, 2011 and individuals or groups can nominate themselves or others for the awards.

Winners will be announced at the 2011Northern Rivers Landcare Awards Presentation and Celebration event to be held in Grafton, on Friday the 1th of April 2011. The 2011 winners of the Landcare awards in the region will be nominated for the 2011 New South Wales Landcare Awards (where categories align with State awards) and if successful they will represent New South Wales at the national awards. Nomination forms can be accessed by clicking on the category heading below. For general Nomination Guidelines click here.

- Individual Landcarer Award
- Urban Landcare Award
- Innovation in Sustainable Farm Practices Award
- Indigenous Award
- Local Landcare Facilitator/Coordinator Award
- Young Landcare Leader Award
- Coastcare Award
- Local Government Landcare Partnership Award
- Landcare Primary Producer Award
- Northern Rivers Soil Carbon Award
- Community Group Award
- Schools Education Award

Please note that all except the; Northern Rivers Soil Carbon Award and the Northern Rivers Community Education Award, align with the National and New South Wales Landcare Awards

Those interested in nominating are asked to go to your local Landcare web pages or the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authorityweb page in early Januaryfor information about the awards and for nomination forms. The Northern Rivers 2011 Landcare Awards are supported by the Landcare groups of the North Coast Regional Landcare Network and the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority.

For more information, please contact:NCRLN Regional Landcare Facilitator (coastal)
Jodie Gager, Email: rlf_NCRLandcare@hotmail.com, New England North West Landcare Regional Landcare Facilitator (tablelands & slopes), Jennie Coldham, Email: jennie@gblc.org.auor phone your local Landcare officer, contact numbers available on local Landcare and Northern Rivers CMA web sites.

While grasses provide the bulk of the pasture yield and are visually obvious, there are a large number of non-grass species that are also present, such as ferns, sedges, rushes, legumes, daisies, orchids and pennyworts.  These non-grass species are often poorly recognised, yet usually outnumber the species of grasses and so significantly contribute to the biodiversity of pastures.  Many species provide out of season green feed and a different composition of energy, protein and minerals, helping to reduce or overcome some of the nutritional problems of north coast pastures.  On the other hand, not all non-grass species are desirable, as there are many invasive and/or toxic pasture species on the north coast, such as crofton weed, fireweed and mother-of-millions.

Kempsey-based district agronomist Carol Rose said many legumes and herbs could be difficult to recognise and urged landholders to take the time to attend the field day.

“Knowing what legumes and herbs you have, whether they are a valuable feed resource or poisonous and what influences their abundance is the first step in their management,” Ms Rose said. 

“This year presents an opportune time to inspect what you have in your pastures, as many plants are currently flowering and therefore are at their best in terms of identification.

“Seeing what you have is important in assessing management tactics in the future. Understanding your species also allows you to assess your potential production and any possible problems.”

“The composition of a pasture varies from year to year depending on climate, grazing and fertiliser, and other factors, giving landholders the scope to alter species composition to meet management and sustainability goals.  However, this is only possible if the individual species can be recognised.”

The Legumes and Herbs field day will highlight the recognition features of plants that are currently flowering and seeding in the pastures of the region, along with their strengths and weaknesses.  This field day is free.  However numbers are strictly limited and bookings are essential.   Bookings can be made by contacting Craig Stehn at Coffs Harbour Regional Landcare on 6651 1308.

The day runs from 10.00 am to 3.00 pm, with morning tea supplied. However, participants will need to bring their own lunch, chair and sun protection. They can also bring along pasture plants (preferably flowering) from their own property for identification.  Copies of the book “Legumes and Herbs of the North Coast of NSW” will be provided on the day.