Landcare has been popular in the news this April, with stories featured in The Hobart magazine, Kingborough Chronicle, Tas Country and the Canberra Times.
TasAgCo in The Hobart Magazine
The Hobart Magazine interview Steph Trethewey, co-founder of The Tasmanian Agricultural Company.

How do Steph and husband Sam create a beyond sustainable product? Regenerative Agriculture, that's how!
"[We use] A lot of non-conventional farming practices that are a bit more in sync with mother nature"
"So often in farming conventional farms fight mother nature. They don't work with her." says Steph Trethewey.
"The reality is controlling mother nature doesn't usually end very well as we're seeing with a lot of the destruction to our top soil around the world. They say we've got 60 harvests left, which is pretty frightening"
You can read the full interview here where Steph Trethewey explains the ways in which Tas Ag Co make their farm 'truly carbon positive'. These guys are really paving the way for 'beyond sustainable' farming practices and their faces keep popping up in the media - momentum is growing!
The National Landcare Network in The Canberra Times
'Landcare and you: working together to safeguard the future' in The Canberra Times by Patrick O'Connor, the chair of The National Landcare Network (NLN).

"Against all odds we are still achieving high-quality outcomes for the environment and our communities"
"By mobilising as a movement, by focusing on achieving environmental outcomes through connectivity, we can support a path to recovery - for our environment and our economy"
Landcare Tasmania Field Day in The Tasmanian Country

Tramway Hill Landcare in The Kingborough Chronicle


Willow Warriors and The Derwent Catchment in The Hobart Magazine
Magali Wright from our members The Derwent Catchment Project is interviewed about willows - why they are a problem and ways they are removing them from our waterways as part of the Tyenna River Recovery Project.
Magali tells Steph that willows are "very good at outcompeting native trees." The crack willow, which is the main species the team focus on, drops sticks and branches really easily. They fall into waterways and float downstream - they then start growing new roots from the branches, forming a new willow tree.
"One of the most noticeable effects of willows in waterways is their root-mats. These mats grow out away from the riverbank, over rocks and begin to reduce the flow of water" says Magali.
This can cause localised flooding, new river channels and damage to riverbanks, farms and infrastructure. These mats also disrupt habitat for aquatic species such as fish, waterbugs and native vegetation.
As if this wasn't enough, come Autumn the impact of falling leaves wreak more havoc. "When willow leaves fall in the autumn they reduce water quality by reducing the oxygen in the water as they decay." Magali says.
To get rid of willows, the team of volunteers led by Magali typically use the 'drill and fill' method, which involves drilling holes into the area of the tree that transports water and nutrients and filling it with herbicide. Smaller trees can be cut and paste.
To ensure stability of the banks and habitat that reside there, the team are replanting native riverbank plants after willow control. They are also working with the Waterbug Company and other water quality monitoring programs.
Want to know more? Read the full article in The Hobart Magazine or visit The Derwent Catchment Project, and WaterBug Blitz websites.