Check out the brilliant Tasmanian finalists in the nine National Landcare Awards! The awards will be presented during the 2020 National Landcare Conference to be held at the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour in Sydney from Wednesday 11 to Friday 13 November.
You will get to vote in April for the people and groups you feel have done the best job at furthering the Landcare spirit in the lead up to the awards!
Australian Government Partnerships for Landcare Award - Paul Thomas - Friends of Randalls Bay Coastcare
Paul Thomas has always been a passionate leader in his community and for 23 years has been committed to Landcare with an ongoing and unceasing commitment to all areas of environmental stewardship.
Living on farming land all of his life. His knowledge from farming life and from his Diploma in Agricultural Management, care of the environment with healthy, safe farming and land practices is constantly shared and brought into the FORB group and the wider community.
His own actively managed farm is a registered Land for Wildlife property. A true Australian Landcare legend!
Woolworths Junior Landcare Team Award - Risdon Vale Primary School 24 Carrot Garden Group
Risdon Vale Primary School is a Birth to Year 6 school with 170 students and has a proud history of nurturing and educating children residing in the local area since 1961.
We pride ourselves on developing lifelong skills through hands-on, meaningful lessons that inspire wonder and excitement in our students, and encourage them to care for environment around them both during school and outside of school time.
We strive to provide meaningful opportunities for families to engage in their children’s education, and to believe in a brighter future.
Austcover Young Landcare Leadership Award - Carmel Allen - Friends of Fernglade
Carmel has been caring for orphaned wildlife since early childhood. Her love of animals has gone full circle from caring for wildlife and captive animals to broader aims of protecting wildlife habitat. Her studies have been rechannelled from a focus in captive animal conservation to the medical side of animal welfare.
Carmel has brought the Friends of Fernglade into the world of social media, ironing out the technical hitches and resolving IT issues that were holding promotional opportunities back. Along with organising many group activities and information sessions for local schools and the community. 
Indigenous Land Management Award - pakana services
Tasmanian pakana services is a not-for-profit social enterprise that has Public Benevolent Institution (PBI) status.
pakana services concept was conceived in 2012 to provide work experience and training for Aboriginal people in natural resource management, agriculture and other industry sectors. pakana services began through the initial efforts of a core group of people committed to obtaining tangible outcomes.
pakana enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to develop careers in land and sea management. Successes are a tribute to John Easton his dedicated staff and the pakana services board.
Australian Community Media Landcare Community Group Award - King Island Natural Resource Management Group
The King Island Natural Resource Management Group (KINRMG) has been operating since 1997. The mission of the King Island Natural Resource Management Group is to promote co-ordinated and integrated management of natural resources which will contribute to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of King Island.
The KINRM group have successfully delivered a wide range of community, environmental and agricultural projects which have co-ordinated volunteers, KINRMG members, farmers, school students, community members and experts. The KINRMG have been instrumental in assisting land managers and the community to improve management of King Island’s natural resources.
KINRMG has galvanised 19% of the entire King Island population to participate in a project which has connected community with the environment and its restoration.
Australian Government Partnerships for Landcare Award - Tamar NRM
Tamar NRM Inc. is a not-for-profit natural resource management organisation working within the Tamar valley. Their mission is to "assist the Tamar Valley Community to manage its natural resources through practical solutions and partnerships". Tamar NRM has a paid staff of two, a Management Committee, 5 community working groups and a current membership of 68 and a pool of volunteers.
The Tamar NRM model of natural resource management highlights the importance of strong, enduring, partnerships in getting things done. Tamar NRM make stuff happen.
Australian Government Landcare Farming Award - Soil First Tasmania
Soil First Tasmania (SFT) is a farmer run volunteer organisation that influences practice that sustains and regenerates our soil and water. The core group is a network of farmers, located mostly in the North and North West of Tasmania, the broader membership is growing and they have a highly engaged social media audience. Inspired by growers worldwide, the group is mostly working with cover crops and reduced tillage and helping primary producers introduce these practices into intensive agricultural systems. They have regular field days and events where guest speakers from Australia and elsewhere share knowledge and experiences.
The benefits of sustainable agriculture are far reaching and difficult to overstate. SFT provides a powerful force for change, using peer-to-peer learning and practical demonstration.
Australian Government Innovation in Agriculture Land Management Award - Redbank Farm
Redbank Farms, is a very diverse farming business. They crop potatoes, onions, carrots, processing peas, buckwheat, pyrethrum, poppies, mustard, wheat, canola, beef steers, plantation radiate pine saw logs. He has built and manages a grain pooling facility, supporting local growers to store grain and on sell to the dairy industry. He works collaboratively with Nichols chickens, hosting a hatchery on site, along with Hill Farm Preserves, a unique processing and exporting business. He also owns and operates his own oil press for oilseed processing, producing oil and meal.
If all this weren't enough for him to be getting on with, he has embarked, over the last few years, on a pursuit of precision agricultural techniques to address crop variability and resource use efficiency. He is a careful and thorough operator, and is showing that planning and attention to detail and the use of a suite of innovative tools and technology can have great results for profitability and landcare outcomes. He has a meticulous mind and is keenly observant and cares deeply about his land.
Michael is a thoughtful land manager who has pioneered precision ag tools to be an efficient and profitable soil
steward.
Coastcare Award - Circular Head Landcare Group
The Circular Head Landcare Group (CHLG), based in Smithton is small. With only 12 members this group has managed to achieve a significant environmental outcome through good planning, credible and intelligent networking and sheer hard work. This nomination recognises CHLG's ongoing efforts to control the invasive weed Ricegrass, (Spartina anglica) in the Duck Bay estuary. Ricegrass was planted at Smithton in the 1950's. It has since become a significant weed threat throughout Boullanger Bay and Robbins Passage.
Check out the fantastic video of their project here
Small groups can achieve amazing things! Circular Head Landcare uses vision, planning and networks with a long term plan to make their hard work a success.
Ricegrass doesn't stand a chance!