This month's newsletter gives a round up of events, projects and fun Landcare activities happening in May.
Match it in May Update - $34,684 raised! = $69,368
Help us meet our target with a donation today? Share with your friends who support Landcare and take advantage of the matching donation!
This is our final push before the double donations month ends. Your donation will support the most important environment movement of our time - grassroots Landcare.
We know it is essential and we know it needs support. Grassroots Landcare is essential in tackling the big environmental challenges of our time.
We believe it's got to come from the bottom up. There are over 5,000 passionate and dedicated Landcarers in Tasmania who are already doing critical onground work for our soils, flora, fauna, waterways and communities. Help us keep the momentum and get more people to connect to their patch.
The Art Auction - all proceeds doubled
This online auction brings together art enthusiasts, environmentalists, and philanthropists who share a passion for protecting lutruwita/Tasmania's communities and environment. As part of our double donations month, proceeds from the auction will be matched dollar for dollar.
With a remarkable collection of donated works from local artists who champion the environment. This fundraising art auction is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to the Tasmanian Landcare Fund and have your own piece of amazing local art.
Make a bid or share with your art-lover friends!
Weed ID Workshops
Our project bank is full of people wanting to know more about weeds and the latest weed ID workshops in Geeveston and Cygnet were a roaring success. These events were full of valuable insights and a fantastic community spirit. We're grateful to all the incredible Cassie Strain for leading the days and attendees who made these events so worthwhile.
A big thanks also to the local Landcare groups Port Cygnet Land and Watercare, Friends of Franklin Forest, and Kingston Beach Coastcare who shared their experiences with weeding in the local area. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers Rowiina and Belinda for assisting at these workshops, too.
We are determined to continue building our capacity to care for the environment, one workshop at a time.
Read more for the workshop wrap-ups and some weed control and disposal tips.
Remember, when it comes to weeds, safety gloves, strategic disposal, and proper control techniques are your allies!
These workshops are supported by the Huon Valley Council, and are part of Landcare Tasmania's Landscape Restoration and Community Outreach programs funded by the State Government's Landcare Action Grants.
Worth a read: Mt Roland Landcare protect giant freshwater crayfish
Article: Landcare group fights to stop Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish become roadkill
Landcare Tasmania proudly supports Mt Roland Landcare in their valiant quest to safeguard the endangered giant freshwater crayfish.
This passionate Landcare group have embarked on a mission to tackle the crayfish road-crossing conundrum.
"Conservationists are asking a familiar-sounding question: Why did the Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish cross the road?
One answer is, of course, to get to the other side."
Led by Greg Taylor, they've embarked on surveillance missions, staking out culverts to understand the crayfish's slippery plight and protect them from the dangers of crossing roads.
Assisting their efforts is crayfish aficionado Todd Walsh, who has been sharing his wisdom and experience to help unlock some innovative solutions in helping the crayfish.
The Mt Roland Landcare team has been experimenting with mussel ropes and ladder inventions, plotting safe passage for these beloved crustaceans.
Together, they embody the spirit of community-driven conservation, defending Tasmania's quirky wildlife with determination.
This project is part of our Member Support and Northern Slopes Landscape Restoration program and was made possible through funding from the State Government's Landcare Action Grants round 5.
Strahan Sessions - Weeds and Wildlife Workshop
Last Saturday, Landcare Tasmania and the Tasmanian Land Conservancy joined forces to host a very popular and well-received workshop in Strahan. The local community, including two new care groups, have shown a keen interest in learning about environmental weeds and our precious Tasmanian native flora and fauna.
This workshop was a tremendous success, leaving participants equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to combat environmental weeds effectively. It also fostered a deep appreciation for our native flora and fauna, highlighting the importance of creating and preserving suitable habitats for the precious wildlife of Tasmania and also how to monitor fauna movements using motion cameras..
The collaboration between Landcare Tasmanian and Tasmanian Land Conservancy proved to be a powerful force in promoting environmental awareness and conservation efforts in Strahan and beyond and builds on our Landscape Restoration project in the Ocean Beach Conservation Area.
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.
Member Spotlight: Tullah Landcare Group
From Tullah Landcare Group:
Tullah Landcare Group is a newly formed group in the picturesque tourist town of a population of approximately 202 people. We started our group as we saw the need to protect our natural landscape both the land and water around Lake Rosebery track as unfortunately the maintenance of the walking track area had been neglected and, in some parts degraded due to vandalism.
Our group also provides local residents the opportunity to work together on small projects so as to ensure their tiny town is kept beautiful for themselves as well as interstate and international visitors.
Our future plan is to work on the Tullah walking track area, identifying weeds and introducing native plants along the Tullah walking track. Our group also intends to have plant identifying markers so that people who walk along the track are made aware of both the plant's common and scientific names. We hold regular get-togethers that may include; educational workshops on different subjects, for example, weed and plant identification; and, working bees that will involve, for example, weeding and tree planting days.
Please contact Matthew on [email protected] if you would like to join our Landcare group.
Sharing member stories is part of our Member Support Program. Got a story to share? Get in touch.
AgFest was a hoot!
What a bumper Agfest this month!
So much to see and do - and our stall was bustling with interest in revegetation, wildlife, and lots of questions about weed control. Thanks to Friends of Fernglade for lending us their collection of native animals.
The University of Tasmania pavilion had over 20,000 through the door. We fit right in to its focus on sustainability, which included a vegetable growing competition, interactive multi-media displays, sustainability calculators (as part of National Science Week), Student PhD research displays and more.
A big thank you to the volunteers who came along to help; Jason Orr (East Tamar Landcare), John Atkinson (Maitland Landcare Group) Rosemary Collins (Glenore Farm Landcare Group), Don Thompson (Landcare legend), Vanessa Bleyer (Greens Beach Landcare) and Tim Reed (Soil First Tas). Thanks also to the Sustainability Team at UTAS for hosting us in their pavilion again this year, and to Rural Youth Tas for organising such a worthwhile Ag event.
This workshop is part of our Outreach Program which aims to increase capacity for Landcarers so that all our land and coasts can be cared for by the community.
Landcare Action Grants - Open Round
Applications open early June!
Landcare Tasmania is delivering the next state-wide round of Landcare Action Grants opening in June. These rounds of on-ground funding were set up by the State Government in 2018 with the support of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association and Landcare Tasmania and will now offer vital support for Landcare projects across the State.
If you are interested register here and we will send you a link to apply when applications are open.
Coming Up: Feral Cat Info Session - Triabunna
We continue our Feral Cat Community Outreach sessions with the next one happening in Triabunna. Join us for a free info session on feral cat management with some of the best people in the state!
Learn about the impacts of feral cats on wildlife and biodiversity, what you can do and recent changes to legislation. We will also take an in-depth look at how feral cats affect livestock.
Landcare Tasmania is working to reduce the impact of feral cats state-wide. Through workshops like these we aim to build the capacity of the community to manage feral cats practically, humanely and within the law. Read more about our Impact to Action approach to feral cat management.
What to bring: Your stories and experiences with feral cats on the East Coast.
Price: Free of charge! Registration is mandatory.
Speakers
Gill Basnett: Gill is the National Feral Cat and Fox Management Coordinator at the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions.
John Bowden: John is an experienced and qualified trapper with many years of experience working as a feral cat management contractor across Tasmania.
Bruce Jackson: Bruce is Tasmania’s former senior vet officer at DPIPWE and now works as a vet consultant. He has worked extensively on farm biosecurity and cat borne diseases affecting agriculture
This workshop is part of Landcare Tasmania's Landscape Restoration and Community Outreach programs funded by the State Government's Landcare Action Grants Additional Projects Round.
Member Spotlight: GANDALF
Meet Tasmania's most magical traveling Landcare Group - GANDALF
Grassroots Action Network Does Awesome Landcare Fun (GANDALF) had fun creating their name - now these dedicated Landcarers are having fun traveling around Tasmania, meeting groups who need a hand with Landcare projects.
GANDALF will be doing some weeding in Kingston over the next couple of months, as well as a trip to Ross to help plant trees on a farm.
“I’m not exactly sure what trees we’re planting, but one of the guiding principles is that the midlands actually used to be the biodiversity hotspot of Tasmania, with its vast native grasslands. So we’re hoping to replicate that with sparse planting of trees and midstorey plants," said GANDALF spokesperson Ben Mildren.
Ben said they are “Keen to get the word out! We’re still pretty new and trying to build up membership, we extend a welcome to everyone and would love to have people who are keen to travel to different communities and help out.
“One major weed we’ll definitely tackle is gorse, a European weed with yellow flowers that you can see pretty much everywhere as you drive along the midlands highway," said Ben.
Anyone wishing to get in touch with GANDALF can contact Ben HERE
Sharing member stories is part of our Member Support Program. Got a story to share? Get in touch.
Photo Competition Deadline Extended!
Conference scheming underway...
We are working hard behind the scenes creating an exciting and rich program for the 2023 Tasmanian Community Landcare Conference to be held at Spring Bay Mill this October.
Stay tuned for Early Bird Tickets, coming soon...
Launching the Huon/Channel Catchment Restoration Project
The Huon/Channel Catchment Restoration Project is underway, and we are bringing people together to boost waterway health and community engagement in Southern Tasmania!
Through on-ground work, like revegetation and weed control, and community workshops, we're bringing people together to learn and make a difference to our catchment.
From managing feral cats to sharing First Nations' knowledge, seed propagation, fauna monitoring, weed identification, and exploring carbon farming, we've got a wide range of engaging topics covered, and issues addressed.
We will be hosting an official launch of this project in June.
This project is part of our Landscape Restoration program and was made possible through funding from the State Government's Landcare Action Grants and supported by Huon Valley and Kingborough Councils.
Congratulations Robyn! Clarence Climate Champion
Congratulations to one of our amazing members and inspiring local Landcarers, Robyn Lewis, for being dubbed a Clarence Climate Champion.
The Landcare Tas team were lucky enough to spend a whole day out at Milford Forest in December last year, and were given a tour by Robyn who showed us the rich biodiverse haven she is helping to protect.
We thank Robyn for her commitment to caring for the land and for supporting Landcare Tasmania in many ways. We hope to continue to support Milford Forest Landcare for years to come!
"Join a Landcare group, clean up beaches, whatever you can do to help the environment" she said, "It's absolutely critical."
Read more about Milford Forest's rare orchids here.
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!
Regenerative Project - Property Based Group
This is a small property regeneration project in the Southern Midlands. It was a patch of extremely degraded land which has now been cleared of very old boxthorn and rubbish. This group endeavour to plant native trees and grasses in the area, providing much needed habitat for native birds, wildlife and beneficial insects in a farming area.
Landcare Tas Online Shop
Our online shop is stocked with flips, weed dabbers, cards and tote bags to purchase. All proceeds go to the Tasmanian Landcare Fund. 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
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