News

Bill's Report-Dirty Drums at Depot

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:15:00 GMT

Transcript Radio Broadcast
Valley FM 97.9 Wednesday 12.30 1.pm 2PK 1404 Thurs 12.30-1.pm
25 August 2010

Dirty Drums
Members in Parkes had a drumMUSTER at Parkes tip and a total of 4654 drums were received during the morning. Members of Coobang Valley, Alectown and Cookamidgerra Landcare Groups were the organisers on the day. Landholders did the right thing with not a single drum being rejected. Have heard that there has been some drop off of drums outside the muster and this has resulted in misuse of the service as many of these drums have contained chemical or oil and the Landcare members volunteering their time have to organize to dispose of these containers.

I urge community members to do the right thing and only drop off drums during the morning of the drumMUSTER and if there is a need to drop off drums out of these time then the drums need to be cleaned.

Coobang Valley Landcare meeting last Thursday
Members of the group held their meeting at the Landcare office unit 2 25 Church Street and the results were that they are placing a grant application in with Community action Grants for a wetlands project on Job Lane.

They will also continue with applications for a long term project on doing on ground works to slow down the creek flow on the top end of Back Creek. The Group was formed twenty years ago with the objective of a project in this area but due to lack of funding opportunities they have been doing projects at the bottom end of Back Creek upstream from Banks Crossing bridge.

With the recent rain the McGirr Renshaw Way was closed due to the amount of water that flowed down Back Creek and Goobang Creek.

The next meeting of Coobang Valley Landcare will be the AGM and will be on 16 September. And on 18 September they will be having a social night at the tennis courts on Olieview Road commencing at 5.00pm.

Landcare at the Parkes Show
Landcare will be represented at the Parkes Show at the end of August. We will be in the Feature Pavilion with the Lachlan CMA and Centroc, as well as Parkes Public School. Together we will be part of a Carbon Expo. There is a colouring in competition for children and there will be prizes for the best entries. If you haven’t got a copy of the picture to colour in head to our website at www.parkeslandcare.org.au and click on news and events.

Listeners are urged to come along and visit us at the show and catch up to what is happening locally.

Thanks to Sponsors
Thanks to our ongoing sponsors Valley FM, Radio 2Pk, NorthParkes Mines, Lachlan and Central West CMA’s, Parkes Shire Council and Forbes Shire Council.

Visit our website www.parkeslandcare.org.au and keep uptodate what is happening in Landcare in the District.

Looking at Landcare-Expo at the Show

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:48:00 GMT

Looking at Landcare 22th August 2010

Hello Landcarers.
We are on the cusp of the Parkes show and just a reminder to all Landcare members that there will be a Landcare display and that we will be needing some helpers for the stand. If you think that you might be able to spare a bit of time then give Gerald a call on 0428743846. One of the best bits of the show display will be the presence of some students from Parkes Public School to showcase their great “Energy Busters” program.

The kids will be giving a PowerPoint presentation of the great energy efficiency initiatives that they are implementing at the school.
Here at Landcare we are so proud of their efforts and those of Mrs Unger to take responsibility for the way precious resources are used, so we encourage all of you show – goers to come along to the feature pavilion and have a chat to the students about what they are doing.
Hopefully by now the colouring efforts for the colouring in competitions for the shows would be well under way in households all around the district.
I look forward to seeing some beautiful masterpieces that we will be able to display.
Registrations have recently opened for the latest Yates Junior Landcare gardening competition.
The latest competition will be to grow the biggest sunflower.
Wont this be great fun – sunflowers everywhere!
Head to Junior Landcare on the Internet and complete your registration by the 22nd October – but get in well before this to make sure you don’t miss out.
You will get your seeds in the mail at the end of October and will have until the end of February to grow them and measure their progress, logging updates on the website as you go.
After verification the winners will be announced on the 7th March.
To help you along the way, Yates and Junior Landcare have a downloadable Sunflower Challenge Project kit will all of the tips and tricks you need to know to grow the best sunflowers!
Landcare week is coming up in the second week of September and a great activity that we can all register for is to become a Climate Scientist.
Go along to Landcare Online to find out the details, but essentially what this is about is registering to record information each season about what’s going on in your own local environment.
This means recording what birds are nesting, what animals are around, what flowers are blooming and the like, so that we can all add information to what’s really happening in our world.
A great example of the way we can all contribute to learning more about our planet, whether you be young or old, a scientist or not!
Until next week, see you at a show somewhere and happy Landcaring.

Bits and Pieces of Landcare News

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:16:00 GMT

Citizen scientist
Everyone has the opportunity to help scientists study the impact of climate change on our ecosystem from their backyard or school yard.

We are encouraging everyone to participate in the monitoring of their local environment and become a citizen scientist during Landcare Week. You can monitor, collect and record data that will help shape the country’s scientific response to climate change. Become a Landcare Climate Watcher today and join landcare groups celebrate Landcare Week

To register go to www.landcareonline.com.au

Junior Landcare Sunflower Challenge Open!

Are you ready for this year's Yates Junior Landcare Challenge? Junior Landcare wants you and your family to put your gardening gloves on because it is time to discover your green fingers.

If you are under 16 years old, a class, school or part of a youth group, you can take part in the challenge by competing to grow the tallest sunflower, the sunflower with the largest head or take the most creative sunflower photo. You can register on the Yates Junior Landcare Sunflower Challenge website

You can grow your sunflowers at home or at school and will need to care for your plants during the hot summer weather. You are also required to log onto the Yates Junior Landcare Sunflower Challenge website once your flower has reached maturity to update the size of their giant sunflower and upload a photograph. The final winners will be announced in March 2011

To register and receive your fee giant sunflower seed log on to: www.juniorlandcarechallange.com.au

Registration opens 11th August 2010
Registrations close 22nd October 2010

Free seed catalogue available

Seed World has supplied several landcare groups in the past. They collect and source seeds Australia wide. Request your free seed catalogue from Gary email sales@seedworld.com.au

Old phones more trees for healthier beaches this summer

Together with MobileMuster we are encouraging all Australians to round-up their old and broken mobile phones, batteries and accessories and hand them in for recycling. For every kilogram of mobile phones received by 31 October, a tree will be planted in five key coastal areas across Australia. Mobile muster locations in Forbes are News on Rankin, Forbes Post Office, Forbes Town Hall. In Parkes, Parkes Post Office, Telstra shop Parkes, Cartridge World Parkes. For more locations in the area visit: www.mobilemuster.com.au

Have your say about the Landcare Awards

A 5mins survey has been designed to help Landcare evaluate the 2010 National Landcare Awards and make improvements. Tell us what you have to say and it could help shape the next National Landcare Awards. If you would like to participate in the survey visit www.landcareonline.com.au and click on news and it will take you to the survey.

Building A Landcare Archive - A call for landcare knowledge

The National Landcare Facilitator (NLF) and Landcare Australia Limited (LAL) are seeking the help of landcarers from around the country to help collect the knowledge that has been built by Landcare and related groups across the country since the inception of Landcare nationally nearly 21 years ago.

Landcare and related groups have built an enormous body of knowledge, much of this is contained in various ooks, reports, guides and fact sheets across a diverse range of topics and regions - it is this material that the Landcare Knowledge Archive is being built for. However, much of this material only exists in hard copy and is often not accessible electronically in one place by groups or individuals looking to access the knowledge built by Landcare and related groups over the last two decades.

The aim of the Landcare Knowledge Archive is simple - to electronically record existing knowledge from the Landcare movement and make it publicly accessible in a central on-line location and build on this in the future. When complete, people will be able to search the Landcare Knowledge Archive for publications produced in a particular region or on a particular topic.

Landcare related groups (i.e. Landcare, Coastcare, Bushcare, farming and indigenous etc) are being urged to email a PDF copy of any relevant publication that they have produced over the last two decades which represents key knowledge which they would like stored in the archive to assist current and future generations of landcarers. The material must be submitted by the group/individual responsible for its production and they must be willing to have it publicly accessible through the Landcare Knowledge Archive hosted on the Landcare Australia web site in PDF format .

The first phase of the Landcare Knowledge Archive will be open until Landcare week in September when it is envisaged that the initial material will go live on the Landcare Australia website. PDF copies of material can be submitted to the National Landcare Facilitator at landcarearchive@nrm.gov.au with an email which gives approval of the author/responsible entity for it to be made available to the public via the LAL website . The material being sought for the archive includes books, guides, fact sheets etc which have been produced Landcare community across the country. It is not envisaged that news items such as media release and newsletters would be included.

The aim in the future is to build on the Landcare Knowledge Archive as new publications and learning's are produced by Landcare and related groups across the country and work with the Landcare community to explore the application of new electronic formats for sharing knowledge .

For more information contact the National Landcare Facilitator Brett de Hayr on brett.dehayr@nrm.gov.au.

Source: landlink August 2010 issue

Grow the tallest sunflower

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:27:00 GMT

Are you ready for this year's Yates Junior Landcare Challenge? Junior Landcare wants you and your family to put your gardening gloves on because it is time to discover your green fingers.

If you are under 16 years old, a class, school or part of a youth group, you can take part in the challenge by competing to grow the tallest sunflower, the sunflower with the largest head or take the most creative sunflower photo. You can register on the Yates Junior Landcare Sunflower Challenge website .juniorlandcarechallenge

to receive your free giant sunflower seeds that you can plant in late October or early November and monitor your progress over the spring and summer months.

To register as a family or individual click on this link: http://juniorlandcarechallenge.com/Sunflower/Registration-Sunflower-Individuals
To register as a school or youth group click on this link: http://juniorlandcarechallenge.com/Sunflower/Registration-Schools-Groups

Registration opens 11th August 2010

Registrations close 22nd October 2010

‘Managing mistletoe to improve tree health’

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:04:00 GMT

‘Managing mistletoe to improve tree health’ has been the focus of a two year trial by The Hovells Creek Landcare Group on eight of their properties between Frogmore and Cowra.

With MLA funding, they have completed a two year trial, testing ways to save or improve the health of infected trees.

Trials have included no pruning, 1/3^rdpruning, 2/3^rd pruning and 100% pruning. These pruning treatments have been compared with chemical treatments using foliar sprays and tree trunk injections. “The trial began in the winter of 2008,” said project leader, Keith Hyde. “We selected Eucalypt and Kurrajong trees with mistletoe loads of between 20 and 50 mistletoe per tree. The pruning treatments have been the most effective but also the most costly way to revive tree health. The chemical treatments have been by far the most economical. We look forward to sharing our results with everyone at the field day.”

The Hovells Creek Landcare Group will be holding a Field day on Thursday September 16 to share their findings with all interested land holders and citizens.

Hovells Creek Landcare Group Inc

FIELD DAY

Management of Mistletoe

in Central West Farmland

9.30 – 3.30pm

Thursday 16 September 2010

‘Riversteen’ 4162 Frogmore Road, Hovells Creek (35 km SE Cowra)

Looking at Landcare-Bring on the Shows

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:51:00 GMT

Looking at Landcare 20th August 2010

Hello Landcarers.
We are into the show season well and truly for this neck of the woods and congratulations to Trundle this week on their 100th show. Parkes and Districts Landcare will have a display this year at Parkes, with Lachlan CMA and Centroc in the feature pavilion for the Carbon Expo. This Carbon Expo will also be happening at Condo, Grenfell and Hillston shows so please tell your friends. For Forbes a bigger stand alone Carbon Expo is being planned so stay tuned for more details there.

In conjunction with the Carbon Expos there is a great colouring in comp for the kids, which will be appearing in papers soon – or you can download it at the Parkes and Districts Landcare website. See /news-and-events/Colouring%20In%20Comp.pdf
There are some great eco-friendly prizes so get cracking with those pencils and textas kids!

Speaking of the Lachlan CMA, their Land Management section will is offering to landholders the opportunity to have their properties assessed for natural assets such as fauna habitat, connectivity and other features such as cultural heritage.

If you are interested in having an expert come out and look at your place for features such as these and to give you ideas on how to protect them then give Mike Chambers a call on 0428429090.

After the expert assessment there may be some assistance available to implement recommendations, so it may be worth your while.

A real opportunity to find out just what you have on your land and how you can protect it.

The 15th Annual Conservation Agriculture Conference and Dinner is to be held on Thursday 16th September at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga. Some of the conference speakers include; Dr John Baker, a NZ engineer, soil and agricultural scientist, Mike Ashworth, current disc technology researcher, James Hassall, Gilgandra farmer, John Ive, Yass Valley farmer and the master of soil bugs Dr Gupta Vadakattu, senior research scientist with CSIRO.

The dinner will include the 2010 Conservation Farmer of the Year Awards and an after dinner speaker. For more information, head to the CANFA website.

Habitat Action Grants are now available for individuals, groups, local Councils and organisations interested in undertaking a fish friendly project and improving their local waterways for fish.

Habitat Action Grants funded by money raised from the recreational fishing fee are coordinated by Industry and Investment (I&I) NSW and will close 5pm on 15th October.

Examples of previously funded projects can be found at: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/habitat/
rehabilitating/ahr-grants-program

Please contact program coordinators if you have any queries on (02) 4916 3926, sharon.molloy@industry.nsw.gov.au or (02) 6626 1107 or charlotte.jenkins@industry.nsw.gov.au.

Until next week, Happy Landcaring!

CARBON FARMING INITIATIVE

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:18:00 GMT

CARBON FARMING INITIATIVE Farmers who help reduce and store pollution will receive credits that can be sold in Australia and overseas under a new Carbon Farming Initiative to be set up by the Gillard Labor Government.

The initiative will provide new opportunities for Australian farmers and landholders to participate in lucrative international markets for carbon credits. Please see: /news-and-events/Carbon%20Farming%20Initiative%20140810.pdf

Labour's Green Corridors Plan

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:07:00 GMT

Hi all,

GREEN CORRIDORS PLAN
A re-elected Gillard Labor Government will invest $10 million to build the resilience of our environment to climate change.

Federal Labor will work with the 56 regional natural resource management groups to develop a National Green Corridors Plan to prepare our native plants and animals, as well as our agricultural landscapes for climate change.

Why we are doing this – the evidence

See attached /news-and-events/GreenCorridorsFactsheet.pdf ,

Interesting as it contains a commitment to better align Commonwealth and state nrm targets, among other things.

Cheers

Chris

Chris Scott

(02) 65539265

0428860639

What do you want from Landcare?

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:39:00 GMT

The 3 questions from Landcare NSW Inc for networks to address, with feedback requested:

What do you need to stimulate the re-formation or re-invigorate and maintain the viability of small local groups to address issues at the local level?
What is happening on your patch that is helping groups form?
If there were one issue/idea to take to the policy makers, what would it be?

These are questions that we would really like a response from so that we can determine the direction of Landcare NSW- our state body that represents and goes in to bat with State and Federal Government.

Please email responses to pdlsc@bigpond.com.au

Mikla Lewis (Lachlan CMA) on Wattle Day on September 1st.

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:23:00 GMT

Hi Folks

The countryside is starting to turn golden with wattles in flower, hinting at the coming of spring. The first day of spring was designated National Wattle Day in 1910, making this year the Wattle Day Centenary.

To celebrate we are holding a Wattle Walk and Talk, with lots of wattles (both wild-growing and planted) to look at and identify, and a great line up of speakers who'll talk to us about wattles as we wander. Like to try some 'bushtucker' with wattleseeds? We'll be offering these tantalising tastes to temp your tastebuds on the day.

I've attached the flyer (see /news-and-events/Wattle%20Day%20Flyer.pdf )
and if you'd like to come along, please contact me to book.

Please feel free to forward the flyer to anyone who may be interested.

If you'd like to read more about wattles you can't go past www.worldwidewattle.com

Cheers

Mikla

Mikla Lewis

Catchment Officer

Sustainable Ecosystems & Advisory Services Group

20 Warraderry St, PO Box 201, Grenfell NSW 2810
Ph: 02 6349 1201 (Grenfell - Tues and Wed)

02 6851 9515 (Forbes - Mon, Thurs, Fri)

Mob: 0428 248 325

Fax: 02 6343 2366

Email: mikla.lewis@cma.nsw.gov.au
Web: www.lachlan.cma.nsw.gov.au

drumMuster a huge success in Parkes

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:19:00 GMT

Transcript Radio Broadcast
Valley FM 97.9 Wednesday 12.30 1.pm 2PK 1404 Thurs 12.30-1.pm
18 August 2010

Drum Muster in Parkes
Members in Parkes had a drum muster at Parkes tip and a total of 4654 drums were received during the morning. Members of Coobang Valley, Alectown and Cookamidgerra Landcare Groups were the organisers on the day. Landholders did the right thing with not a single drum being rejected.

Landcare at the Parkes Show

Landcare will be represented at the Parkes Show at the end of August. We will be in the Feature Pavilion with the Lachlan CMA and Centroc, as well as Parkes Public School. Together we will be part of a Carbon Expo. There is a colouring in competition for children and there will be prizes for the best entries. If you haven’t got a copy of the picture to colour in head to our website at

www.parkeslandcare.org.au

and click on news and events.

Listeners are urged to come along and visit us at the show and catch up to what is happening locally.

We have a number of projects in the pipeline and would love for you to put up your hand and help. Anyone in the community is more than welcome to assist with these if they wish.

Landcare website.

Gerald has been doing a great job of uploading information to the website and keeping it up to date. Check out news and events, if it’s happening in Landcare you will see it there. Again, the Website address is

www.parkeslandcare.org.au

You can also follow the link to our Face Book site.to see some great photos of Landcare in action. Latest additions have been photos from National tree day held on the 1 August with plantings in PAC Park near the railway station. Trundle Soil Pit workshops and photos of the Forum in Adelaide are also there. Become a fan and add your comments, we would love to know your thoughts.

Landcare Membership Now Due.

Members have been sent renewal notices and some have already returned their membership fees.

Landcare is a great organisation to be in and it involves projects and education to improve the environment. We Liaise with Parkes and Forbes Shire Councils and the Lachlan and Central West CMA’s, other landcare groups Landholders, school children and the community.

The cost for membership is $5.00 per year and this includes the individual or it can be family membership..

Listeners can enquire by phoning the Landcare Office on 6862 4914, (the office is located at 25 Church Street above Financial Accord) or send us an email to pdlsc@bigpond.com

Hay Day Workshops at Condobolin.

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:09:00 GMT

Condobolin Landcare has a workshop coming up with several great speakers. Find out what really goes on under the haystack-why fires start, moisture content, how to preserve the hay stack and whether to cut hay or strip grain.

Follow the links to view programme
http://www.parkeslandcare.org.au/news-and-events/Hay%20Day%20Programme.jpg
And for a registration form.
http://www.parkeslandcare.org.au/news-and-events/Hay%20Day%20Registration.jpg

Political Proposals re Landcare

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:31:00 GMT

Compere- Michael Condon, ABC Illawarra, Wollongong.
NSW Country Hour: 13 Aug 2010 12.26PM
Political Landcare Comments The Coalition has announced it will boost funding to Landcare. Greg Hunt, Federal Shadow Minister for Environment made the announcement at an organic farm at Bungendore. Hunt is calling it a Landcare recovering program. Hunt says they will slash the paperwork around Landcare. Hunt also says they will also work towards a 90 percent figure for funds to spent at a local level. Hunt says they will be working towards three year funding. The Coalition's policy is connected with the Green Army of paid young volunteers to help weeding and planting. Hunt says 15,000 people is what the Coalition is seeking to establish as a standing workforce.

Interviewees:

Greg Hunt, Federal Shadow Minister for Environment [excerpt]

2NM, Muswellbrook

12:15 Southern Cross Rural News: 13 Aug 2010 12:14PM

Compere: Newsreader

Plans to reinvigorate landcare has been unveiled by the Fed Oppn but there will not be extra funding. It has promised to reduce red tape for groups by offering direct funding to landcare and by bypassing state Environment Departments. Greg Hunt, Federal Shadow Minister for Environment blames Labor's budget deficit.

Interviewees:

Greg Hunt, Federal Shadow Minister for Environment

ABC Ballarat, Ballarat

National Rural News: 13 Aug 2010 12:06PM

Compere: Newsreader

The Coalition has pledged to assist Landcare groups get funding if it wins the Fed election. Many rural communities have argued they have lost funding and power over local projects under Labor. Shadow Environment Minister Greg Hunt says Landcare groups will get assistance from a standing green army of 15,000 young people at a cost over four years of $775m and he wants more secure Landcare funds that are easier to apply for. Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has criticised the Coalition plan.

Interviewees:

Tony Abbott, Federal Opposition Leader
Greg Hunt, Federal Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage

ABC2, Sydney

ABC2 News Breakfast: 13 Aug 2010 08:48AM

Compere: Virginia Trioli and Michael Rowland

Interview with Shadow Environment Minister Greg Hunt from Townsville. Hunt says they are focusing on Landcare today. He says it is a good program with by-partisan support but it has been turned into a bureaucratic nightmare. He says they will also announce a Great Barrier Reef protection program so that farmers can help local projects stop nutrient and phosphate run-off pests and assault on the crown-of-thorns starfish. He says they will not change existing laws and calls on Fed Environment Minister Peter Garrett to come clean about his stance on the total ban of pesticides. He says the Coalition will work with farmers and local communities. He says the home insulation program is an example of monumental waste. He says the Coalition supports renewable energy and helped passed the renewable energy target so the concept of the wind farm energy announcement in Vic is good but it has to be subject to a good neighbour principle for the locals. He says the area of Corangamite have felt devastated. He says there was chaos in the Govt over the electricity tax to carbon tax.

Interviewees:

Greg Hunt, Federal Shadow Minister for Environment

ABC North Coast NSW, Lismore

Rural Report: 16 Aug 2010 06:44AM

Compere: Miranda Saunders

Saunders reports Julia Gillard, Australian Prime Minister chose Wollongbar Agriculture Research Station to launch Labor's carbon farming initiative over the weekend, under which the Fed Govt will facilitate the sale of carbon credits. She explains Landcare will receive funding to inform farmers on how the scheme works, and plays an interview with Tony Burke, Federal Minister for Agriculture who says the scheme will allow Australian farmers to access the global carbon market. He explains carbon brokers will give farmers access to the market, and farmers can gain credits for planting trees, but more research is required into biochar and soil carbon.

Interviewees:

Tony Burke, Federal Minister for Agriculture

2NM, Muswellbrook

06:40 Southern Cross Rural News: 16 Aug 2010 06:38AM

Compere: Newsreader

The Fed Govt has criticised the Fed Oppn's plans to fund Landcare groups directly. Tony Burke, Federal Minister for Agriculture, says major projects could miss out

2LM, Lismore

06:30 News: 16 Aug 2010 06:31AM

Compere: Newsreader

Julia Gillard, Australian Prime Minister was on the North Coast on the weekend, joined by Tony Burke, Federal Minister for Agriculture and Penny Wong, Federal Minister for Climate Change to announce the Carbon Farming Initiative. The policy would initiate a scheme of carbon credits, adding that she wants to include Landcare in her plan to tackle climate change.

Workshops etc in the Lachlan Region.

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:35:00 GMT

NSW Women in Agriculture WorkshopsAn invitation to all NSW Women involved in Agriculture to attend a one-day workshop, hosted by NSW Women in Agriculture. These workshops are to be held throughout NSW and are intended to encourage rural women to build leadership and representative skills, to support their communities, industries, regions and families, building productivity and commnuity resilience in a changing climate.

These workshops are to be held;
Narromine 21st August
Canowindra 3rd September
Hay 15th October

Morning and afternoon tea, lunch, dinner and accommodatino all free. For more information see the

NSW Women in Agriculture Workshops flyer or to register contact the Project Officer on 0428 242 091 or at

www.nswwia.org.au

Biological Farming and Healthy Soils Workshop

The Bland Creek Catchment Committee, Lachlan CMA and local Landcare groups present Dr Maarten Stapper, Farming Systems Agronomist, who appeared on ABC Australian Story "Back to Earth" in June 2009. Dr Stapper will be conducting a Biological Farming and Healthy Soils Workshop at the Temora Town Hall Theatre on Monday 23rd August. For more information see

Farming for Healthy Soils

flyer, or contact Tracey Robinson on 6977 4790, mobile 0427 931798 or email

tracey.robinson@cma.nsw.gov.au

CANFA Conference

The 15th Annual Conservation Agriculture Conference and Dinner is to be held on Thursday 16th September at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga. Some of the conference speakers include;

Dr John Baker, a NZ engineer, soil and agricultural scientist.

Mike Ashworth, current disc technology researcher.

James Hassall, Gilgandra farmer.

John Ive, Yass Valley farmer.

Dr Gupta Vadakattu, senior research scientist with CSIRO.

The dinner will include the 2010 Conservation Farmer of the Year Awards and an after dinner speaker. For more information, see CANFA Conference Flyer

or visit CANFA

Bland Creek Sustainable Lifestyle Expo

The Bland Creek Catchment Committee (BCCC) are always looking to ensure the health of our catchment is maintained and protected for future generations and landholders. The BCCC are facilitating a Lifestyle Expo to showcase local products and services which encourage the adoption of alternative, more sustainable lifestyle practices.

This Expo is to be held on Saturday 9th October from 9.30am to 4.00pm at McCann Park, West Wyalong. If any part of your business relates to maintaining a more sustainable future then you are eligible to have a stall at this event. There is no cost to exhibitors. For more information see

BCCC Sustainable Lifestyle Expo

flyer, or contact Tracey Robinson on 6977 4790 or 0427 931 798, Glenn Neyland 6972 2266 or Mal Carnegie 0418 370 927.

Get the kids to colour in for the Parkes Show

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:47:00 GMT

Hey Kids!

Get your pencils going and colour in the picture following the link below to win some great prizes at the Carbon Expo Exhibit at the Feature Pavillion at the Parkes Show.

Bring Mum and Dad along to learn about how to be environmentally friendly at work and at home.

Drop the picture into the Carbon Expo stand at the show on the Monday morning or post your entry to Lachlan CMA, PO Box 121 Parkes NSW 2870 before the 25^th August

Click on

Colouring%20In%20Comp.pdf