N E W S No 9 News of Torbay Catchment Group & the Special Project: Watershed Torbay June 2005 |
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 IN THIS EDITION Money set to flow Farmers go west! Nutrients in ground water a problem? Nutrients in sediments an issue? Rains cause losses Landholders take up funds Coming up! Weeds watch! Restoration plan: Community positive
Restoration plan:
Where will money
be spent?
Ring: Department of
Environment
9842 5760 or
Torbay Catchment
Group 9845 1081
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 Andrew Marshall with communications coordinator, Louise Duxbury, at the Geoscience Australia research open day Lake Manarup 9 April 2005. Exciting times! We are about to begin major on ground works in the Torbay catchment! The Watershed Torbay Restoration Plan is all but completed. A bid for funding for the key actions laid out in the plan has already been made through our regional natural resource management body SCRIPT. The comprehensive Restoration Plan, which was checked through at community workshops, reflects what were said to be the key issues along with feasible actions to deal with those issues. The first major funding is likely to come in this July! We must be prepared to make the most of this unique opportunity to get lasting benefit for our whole catchment community. The Torbay Catchment Group is working hard to set up the support needed to manage the funding and to distribute it with the minimum of red tape. Each and everyone of us can make use of this funding to help make changes to the catchment and to endeavour to meet the targets in the restoration plan! This is an important and challenging time for us! At last, after many years of raising concerns about the state of our waterways and environment |
we have a chance to take action and make a real difference! This means that as many of us as possible need to make use of these funds. There is funding immediately available for fencing and revegetation of waterways, however large or small, installation of stock and vehicle crossings and off stream water points, as well as fencing to protect remnant bushland. Landholders who have had grants previously can apply again for new projects.
Please make the most of this wonderful opportunity and help to make a real improvement to our valuable catchment!
A bus load of Torbay farmers went west for two days in early June to look over the fence at what leading farmers on the west coast are up to. The tour took in a range of sites in the Busselton and Coolup areas including work on perennial pastures, making home grown slow release fertiliser, benefits of soil amendments like red mud, the benefits of rigorous soil testing, reusing farm wastes using composting and vermiculture, and looking at why some farmers achieve high fertiliser/productivity ratios and others don't. The group was accompanied by David Weaver from Department of Agriculture, and Letisha Newman from the Water Corporation. Thanks to Dave and Letisha, to all the farmers, including Robin Flowers, Ian Mott, and Malcolm Hayes who made time to meet with us, Sasha Taylor and Barry Oates from Geocatch, Rob Summers Waroona office Department of Agriculture, Kim Beard, Malatesta's in Bunbury, and Bob Hingston, Trees South West. Tour participants will be reporting back on the tour to the next Torbay Catchment Group meeting on 15 June. All Welcome! |
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