Farm dams in focus on King Island
King Island landholders and community members recently came together for a field day focused on farm dam enhancement, water security and practical solutions for building resilience in a drying climate.
Hosted at Frogshack Farm, Carmen Holloway and James Hill shared the story of their enhanced farm dams, highlighting the biodiversity and water quality improvements they have observed since undertaking dam enhancement works. Participants heard about best-practice farm dam enhancement methodologies, including the latest research from the Australian National University and the University of Southern Queensland, as well as strategies to minimise water loss through evaporation and seepage.
The day also provided an opportunity for landholders to discuss the challenges of drought and water security on King Island, sharing experiences and practical approaches to managing water on their properties.
Landcare Tasmania introduced the Catchment Connect – Farm Dam Enhancement Project, with Expressions of Interest now open for landholders interested in livestock exclusion fencing, off-dam watering infrastructure and biodiversity enhancement plantings.
Adding to the learning opportunities, Mike from the University of Southern Queensland installed monitoring equipment on one of the dams visited during the field day. The equipment will help measure evaporation and seepage losses, contributing valuable local data to better understand and improve farm dam performance under King Island conditions.
Photo credit: ANU.
The King Island field day was delivered through a collaborative partnership involving the Grower Group Alliance, the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through the Future Drought Fund, Sustainable Farms, the Australian National University, King Island Landcare Group, Drought Ready Tasmania, the Tasmanian Government and Landcare Tasmania.
This project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Tasmanian Landcare Fund.
Find out more - Catchment Connect Project
