Big May Fundraiser | Workshop Reflections | Photo Competition | Seed Resilience | Cultural Burning + More
This issue we introduce our Match it in May campaign - a month-long 'double your impact' fundraiser, raising money to support grassroots Landcarers in Tasmania. Please join us in this epic call-to-action and share with your friends. We welcome your (tax-deductible) donations!
We reflect on our wonderful workshops and events of the past month that are working to build seed resilience, share traditional knowledge, and boost biodiversity.
Upcoming we have Weed ID and Habitat Workshops in the Huon/Channel and in Strahan. We are also gearing up for AgFest and a fresh new round of Landcare Action Grants. Don't forget to check out the community working bees at the bottom of the email, too. There's lots to sink your teeth into and get involved at this exciting time for Landcare in Tasmania.
Match it in May - exciting opportunity to double your impact!
We are very excited to announce the launch of our big May fundraiser.
This May, the Elsie Cameron foundation has pledged to match every donation made to the Tasmanian Landcare Fund up to $75,000.
From now until 31st May, your donation to the Tasmanian Landcare Fund will be matched dollar for dollar.
Landcare Tasmania has more than 400 members across the state, representing over 5,000 volunteers.
Imagine if 5,000 Tasmanians chipped in $15 each...together we'd raise $150,000 for Landcare in Tasmania. Imagine what we could do?
This month you have the opportunity to double the impact of your donation.
Your contribution will help protect and restore the soils, waterways, flora, fauna, climate and communities that make up our beautiful island.
You will help over 5,000 grassroots Landcarers with training, workshops, project support, action plans and knowledge sharing to supercharge the Landcare movement at this crucial time for the environment.
Join us in a journey of ecological restoration, habitat connectivity, First Nations knowledge sharing, weed management, regenerative farming, flora and fauna species protection, and more.
Will you help us get the bar started with a donation today? We are going places, join us!
Building Seed Resilience - A Bicheno Workshop
Image: Seed collection and propagation workshop © Rowiina Howard
Last Saturday's Seed Collection and Propagation workshop was a great success. We were joined by representatives from four local Landcare groups and interested members of the community.
The participants enjoyed sorting seed from their local areas and then planted this seed in tree tubes ready to take home and look after and Ruth Mollison from Island Seeds gave us a real learning experience. These plants will go directly to the on-ground works that local groups are doing.
This workshop forms part of a larger Landcare Tasmania Seed Resilience Project which involves encouraging and training local groups to collect, store and propagate seed from their local area.
If you're interested in getting involved in the Seed Resilience Project we are currently seeking expressions of interests for involvement in a volunteer nursery in Huonville. Get in touch with us at [email protected].
This workshop is part of our Outreach and Landscape Restoration programs and was made possible through funding from the State Government's Landcare Action Grants.
More Seed Workshops - Mountain River
Images: Seed collection and propagation workshop © Rowiina Howard
The Mountain River Seed Collection and Propagation workshop run by Landcare Tasmania and NRM South was a huge success, with over 21 people attending. Kirrili Kent from the Understorey Network shared her extensive knowledge of native seed collection, storage and propagation with everyone, who left with a number of pots to look after at home. Derek Pennington was the most amazing host generously supplying a coffee machine, soup and wine!
It was also fantastic to have Michelle Joy attend who is the Huon Valley Council's NRM officer as we all had quite a few questions for her regarding weeds and nursery space.
There were many questions about potting mix recipes, cuttings and seeds from rainforest species.
We all went for a walk in Derek's threatened community area which is a patch of Eucalyptus ovata forest that is important habitat for the endangered swift parrot. It was great to see the effort by NRM South in removing holly bush from this important area.
There was also considerable interest in Landcare Tasmania's Huonville Volunteer Nursery, part of our Seed Resilience Project.
This project is supported by NRM South through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, and contributes to Landcare Tasmania's Landscape Restoration and Community Outreach programs as part of the Huon/Channel Catchment Restoration Project (2023-2024).
Cultural Burning Walk & Talk
Last Saturday, over 20 attendees gathered in Cradoc to hear from Jason Andrew Smith about managing country with traditional knowledge and cool burning.
Thank you to Jason for inviting us into his home and on country to learn about fire and cultural practices, to Belinda and Jemima our wonderful volunteers for helping on the day, and to Chris Wilson from one of the local Landcare groups who submitted the idea for this workshop to our Project Bank.
Having the opportunity to learn how traditional practices are used to manage Country is invaluable for us Landcarers. The workshop was a great example of the importance of sharing knowledge and traditional practices to manage the environment.
This workshop was submitted to our Project Bank, which is part of our Member Support Program. Do you need support for your Landcare project? Submit a proposal to The Project Bank. Read more about how it works, and get your cunning plans together!
The West Coast Trip
Last weekend, Wildcare Friends of the Henty, with the help of UTAS Landcare Society, tackled huge amounts of gorse and broom on the Ocean Beach Trail.
The three-day assignment, which began on Friday, 31st March, and concluded on Sunday, 2nd April, saw a full program of Volunteers pulling, cutting, and even sawing through thousands of invasive gorse plants, as well as making some progress in the montpellier broom regrowth on the Ocean Beach Trail, at the mouth of the Henry River.
“We had 16 people on the ground, which made for much faster progress than we are used to!" said Luke Cooper, founder of Wildcare Friends of the Henty.
The volunteers thanked everyone who came out and helped on the weekend, Landcare Tasmania for supporting the project, the Friends of the Henty Treasurer Dianne for opening her house, Parks and Wildlife for their help in planning, feeding, and driving, to Gordon River Cruises/NRMA for providing dinner, and Wildcare Tasmania for their support.
Landcare Tasmania is working with the local community to tackle a number of weed problems that can potentially impact on the Ocean Beach Conservation Area and surrounds. This landscape-scale program will help retain the natural values of the area and better support the local community in managing potential threats.Like the Ocean Beach Trail, the Henty Backwater site will need consistent follow up. So stay tuned for updates on future working bees!
This project is part of our Member Support Program and was supported by Landcare Australia with funding from Manheim Cox Automotive.
Photo Competition Now Open!
Coming Up: Know Your Local Weeds
BYO weeds! Three workshops in the Channel
This May we are hosting three Weed Identification workshops in the Huon/Channel area to help locals identify and control priority weeds.
We will be hearing from expert Cassie Strain who will teach us how to identify and control invasive weeds, as well as showcase a number of examples collected locally.
Some of the problem weeds in the region include Gorse, Broom, Boneseed, Ragwort, Blackberry, Spanish Heath and several more.
We are asking participants to (safely) pull out some weeds from their backyards and bring along for identification.
These workshops aim to build community capacity to control their local weeds and protect biodiversity.
These workshops form part of Landcare Tasmania's Landscape Restoration and Community Outreach programs and are funded by the State Government's Landcare Action Grants. Two workshops have been supported by the Huon Valley Council.
Strahan Sessions - Plant ID and Habitat Workshop
On Saturday the 20th May, Landcare Tasmania and Tasmanian Land Conservancy are coming together to host an exciting new workshop in Strahan. This workshop responds to community interest for learning about environmental weeds as well as our Tasmanian native flora and fauna.
Some of the things we will cover:
- How to identify local weeds
- Effective control techniques
- Land For Wildlife program
- Identifying native plants
- Habitat for native animals
- Wild Tracker app
- Trail camera monitoring
We will be joined by experts and legends Sharon Young, Anna Povey and Glen Bain.
This workshop is part of Landcare Tasmania's Landscape Restoration and Community Outreach program in conjunction with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and is supported by Manheim Cox Automotive.
Landcare Action Grants - Open Round
Now taking expressions of interest
Landcare Tasmania is helping deliver a round of Landcare Action Grants open to members and non-members for landscape restoration and community projects. If you are interested register here and we will send you a link to apply when applications are open.
See you at AgFest!
Come and join Landcare Tasmania at AgFest 2023!
See you there!
Welcoming New Volunteers
This month we have welcomed seven new office and event volunteers. We also farewell and thank Trenton Hoare and Emily Rice for their wonderful contributions to the Landcare movement in 2022.
A warm welcome to Cameron, Kiarash, Rowiina, Emily, Christine, Belinda, Warwick and Jemima who are bringing a wide range of skills, experience and unique perspectives to our Landcare team, helping level up what we are able to achieve.
New Group: Brent Street Reserve Landcare
Brent St Reserve Landcare Group are making a great start to 2023 with some successful monthly working bees. Read about their last working bee on the blog, tackling blackberry, boneseed, and rubbish in the Brent Street Reserve, Glenorchy.
Want to get involved? The next session at the reserve is on Saturday, May 6, starting at 2pm.
Welcome to our New Member Groups!
New member groups are a great demonstration of the generosity of the Tasmanian community to get involved in caring for our bush, land, coasts, rivers, and wildlife. They're contributing to our vision for all the land and coasts of Tassie to be cared for by the community. Join them if you're in their area!
Wildcare Cradle Mountain Volunteers - Community Group
Haley Family Landcare Group - Property Group
Landcare Tas Online Shop
We had a huge response for Steve Solomon's Growing Vegetables South of Australia and are now sold out! Thanks to all who bought a copy, you are helping support Landcare in Tasmania with your purchase.
We still have flips (it's a great time to get the FungiFlip out), weed dabbers, cards and tote bags to purchase. Shop now!
Thanks for reading
The Landcare Tasmania Team
Peter Stronach – CEO
Priscilla Richards – Member Services Manager
Rachel Larner – Finance and Administration Manager
Jenn Gason – Communications and Volunteer Coordinator
Angela Reiher – Education Officer
Cynthia Schaap – Project Officer
Claire Byrne - Executive Assistant
Lily Fraser - Project and Engagement Officer
Jess Fitzgibbon - Events Coordinator
Allison McCrindle - Events Coordinator
