Cradle to Coastlines - June 2022

Celebrating 100 years of Cradle Mountain - Lake St Claire National Park

JUNE 2022

Protecting and enhancing our region’s natural resources

cradle to coastlines

CRADLE TO COASTLINES

IN THIS ISSUE Page 3 Protecting our productive soils - "Keep it simple" Page 4 Coastal saltmarsh protection on the Cradle Coast Page 5 Vegetation along our waterways Page 6 Dung beetle round up Page 7 Earthworm activity Page 8 Causes of death in threatened birds of prey Page 9 How to help a platypus Page 10 Climate change research report Page 11

Giant Freshwater Crayfish photographed on a student field day in Circular Head, page 14

Foamy Creeks

Page 12 praympi reserve Page 13 CCNRM new threatened species projects announced Page 14 GFC Student field day Page 15 CCNRM team update Page 16 Events & activities

Investigating Rice Grass infestations, page 4

Dung beetle round up, page 6

Front cover: Cradle Mountain celebrations, image: Iona Flett. Story page 12.

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PROTECTING OUR PRODUCTIVE SOILS –

"KEEP IT SIMPLE”

EROSION MANAGEMENT WITH COVER CROPS Though our north-west soils are deep and productive, many cropping farmers have contractual obligations that can contribute to declining soil structure, top-soil erosion and weed impact.

The Cradle Coast NRM agricultural team have been working on some large-scale trials of multi-species cover crops to improve soil health and productivity while holding our valuable soil in place.

Val Lillico’s family, and Ian and David Charleston from Kindred worked with Cradle Coast NRM staff to develop a 3.3 ha cover crop trial following recent crop disappointments. A six species cover crop was established during January to March with additional amendments added (including local compost, calcium, and gypsum for clay banks) to improve the soil’s structure, water holding capacity and to help build soil biology.

The establishment of an Autumn multi-species cover crop between cash crop rotations can provide a simple and costeffective soil erosion management option, plus many additional soil health benefits for the longer term.

The farmers aim to establish a softer paddock preparation approach including lighter and low-impact equipment for paddock preparation to lower the cost of diesel, reduce compaction without heavy machinery, and reduce time spent working the soil into shape.

This trial is an example of the “keep it simple” cover crop option for cropping farms to include between rotations. It aims to reduce the impact of hillslope erosion by water, with multiple added benefits, and it showcases various soil amendment and species options.

The results here so far are pleasing.

Get in touch with Agriculture Project Coordinator, Ali Dugand for more information: adugand@cradlecoast.com

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1. The site was prepared with a Toolbar 2. Seed was treated with a micronutrient kick-start prior to spreading 3. Seed was applied with a spreader 4. Utilising light weight Triple K cultivator to improve seed soil contact

COASTAL SALTMARSH PROTECTION ON THE CRADLE COAST The coastal saltmarsh wetlands of Robbins Passage-Boullanger Bay provide vital feeding habitat for 23 species of migratory birds and numerous other residents. Saltmarsh wetlands are unique habitats with a wide variety of salt-tolerant plants. They are also valuable carbon sinks, provide a nursery for many fish species, and are listed as a Threatened Ecological Community.

Cradle Coast NRM has been undertaking two saltmarsh projects, one in the Circular Head area and the other in the Rubicon estuary area. Both projects are aimed at improving the habitat and protection of these important ecosystems. The Circular Head project has had two components, one is to reduce the threat of the aquatic weed Rice Grass (Spartina anglica) and the other is to work with private landholders to protect good quality saltmarsh through conservation covenants. Covenants over 47 ha are currently in the process of being secured with private landholders in the Circular Head area. This will protect these vital fringes long-term, helping to buffer the valuable agricultural land inland.

Rice Grass Treatment at Finger Point

This season’s Rice Grass treatment has been a success with 846 hectares receiving follow-up treatment while 20 hectares received their first treatment. This huge amount of work was only possible because of the dedicated Rice Grass battlers from Circular Head Landcare Group, who contributed a massive 282 volunteer hours this season. Rice Grass is treated with Fusilade Forte, a selective herbicide that does not affect native saltmarsh species or seagrasses, quickly breaks down and has very low toxicity to marine animals.

The Rubicon project is also focused on removing Rice Grass.

This season’s treatment program covered 435 hectares of followup treatment (i.e. areas that have had two or more treatments) while 119 hectares were sprayed for the first time.

During the course of this project, a “Rice Grass Free” zone has been established north of a containment line spanning from Eagle Point to Squeaking Point. This is to ensure that the important wetlands around Narawntapu National Park, and the community resources at Port Sorrell, are protected.

UTAS student Eva Knight, in collaboration with Cradle Coast NRM, has started an honours project that will investigate the chemistry of the sediments beneath the extensive Rice Grass infestations in the upper parts of the Rubicon River and Franklin Rivulet. Eva’s research will provide insight into managing the infestation and understanding what will happen when we treat and kill the Rice Grass. p. 4

Iona Flett (CCA NRM), Eva Knight and Clare Miller (UTAS) taking sediment core samples in the Rubicon River for chemical analysis

VEGETATION ALONG OUR WATERWAYS The land alongside your waterways is probably your property’s most productive, thanks to its deeper soils and higher moisture content, but it is also the most vulnerable to damage from stock impacts and flooding.

Riparian areas are easily damaged by stock that eat and trample the vegetation, destroy soil structure and release effluent in and around the waterway. Without vegetation on the batters of the waterway and on top of the high bank, the riparian land is susceptible to bank erosion and slumping in times of high flow or flood.

A good mixture of native vegetation - trees, shrubs and groundcover - is essential to provide stability to the waterway banks, as well as providing habitat for the animals (large and very small) that rely on our waterways too.

Diverse riparian vegetation with density and structure can slow the flow of the water and armour the banks in flood or high flow events. Riparian vegetation also helps filter out the nutrient and sediment contained in runoff which avoids pollution of the waterway and excess algae growth. In addition to providing a shading effect on the waterway, riparian vegetation can also provide shade and shelter for paddocks adjoining the waterway.

Isolated trees or sparse vegetation does not protect the banks and batters of the creek from erosion

Good riparian vegetation has a variety of species and includes groundcover, shrub layers and trees. Deep rooting trees on the top of the high bank provide bank strength and stability. Isolated large trees or scattered clumps of shrubs will not provide the same shelter and bank strengthening ability as a healthy and dense stand of vegetation. Natural regeneration may occur once stock and grazing are excluded from the waterway but in some instances revegetation or replanting of particular species may be required too. For example, mature trees may be present but no shrub layer, so infill planting may be recommended, particularly if seed stocks have disappeared as a result of previous management.

Good riparian vegetation has a number of layers and goes from the water's edge and across a buffer area on the high bank.

Habitat requirements for Giant Freshwater Crayfish vary depending on their age. Young crayfish prefer shallow, fast-flowing streams with bed materials such as cobbles and boulders that they use for shelter. Adults often move to slower-flowing reaches where they like undercut banks, logs and boulders to seek shelter under. In addition to providing shelter, in-stream logs and dead wood are critical for providing food. Vegetation along both banks of the waterway moderates temperature extremes and filters sediments from soil and effluent which would otherwise muddy the water and degrade crayfish habitat.

Fencing your waterway or riparian area to exclude stock means that you will need to provide off-stream watering systems and offstream shade. Troughed water is cleaner, more palatable, and easier to access for stock, and cleaner water encourages higher consumption of dry matter; keeping livestock out of creeks is a win-win for producers and the environment. p. 5

DUNG BEETLE ROUND UP With autumn coming to an end, tunnelling dung beetle activity is winding back as beetles prepare to hibernate for the colder months. Summer and autumn represent the peak of dung beetle activity in Tasmania, with winter and spring the major seasonal gaps.

During much of summer and autumn, species such as Geotrupes spiniger, Onthophagus binodis and Euonticellus fulvus have been busily burying ruminant livestock dung as they carefully lay the foundations for the next generation of beetles.

Wrapped in a cocoon of dung and soft soil, these beetle eggs will undergo development through their larval stages in subterranean tunnels under buried dung pads before emerging later in the year.

Tunnelling dung beetles provide a range of benefits in a pasture-based system. Improved soil structure and fertility, enhanced soil biology, increased grazing area and pasture productivity and carbon sequestration are just some of the benefits these little marvels provide, in addition to reducing the need to pasture harrow in summer and autumn!

Recently an enthusiastic group of TasTAFE agriculture apprentices joined Cradle Coast Authority Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator (RALF) at the Freer Farm campus for a session to learn about dung beetle function and identification.

A small amount of digging under partially buried dung pads revealed numerous tunnels extending deeper than 40 cm down into the soil profile to the surprise of most students.

Autumn also saw the beginning of the RALF dung beetle exchange program. This collaborative initiative aims to help improve calendar coverage of tunnelling dung beetle activity by filling seasonal gaps. An autumn-active species common to northwest Tasmania, Geotrupes spiniger (the Blue Bomber) is absent across much of Victoria.

Three colonies of Blue Bombers were trapped near Burnie and sent to Port Phillip and Westernport RALF, Karen Thomas, to be used for breeding and release sites. In return, Karen will provide some spring and early summeractive beetle colonies to us, later in the year. p. 6

AS DUNG BEETLE ACTIVITY WANES, EARTHWORM ACTIVITY INCREASES As dung beetle activity slows down heading into the colder months, some of the important work they do is taken on by a species of exotic pasture earthworm unique to northern Tasmania.

Deep-digging earthworms perform basically the same function as tunnelling dung beetles in a pasture-based system, with the added advantages that they are hermaphrodites (can reproduce by themselves) and they don’t fly away!

One particular species, the Blackheaded Earthworm (Aporrectodea longa) is an anecic (deep-digging) earthworm which appears to thrive under Tasmanian conditions. This species of earthworm can tunnel up to two metres down into the soil profile, and while there are one or two other species of deep digging earthworm in Tasmania (such as the distinctive Yellow Tail Earthworm, Octolasion cyaneum) they are simply not present in the numbers of A. longa in Tasmanian pasture-based systems. It has been suggested that the Van Diemen’s Land (VDL) Company may have introduced this species of earthworm to Tasmania across areas of the 250,000 acres of land granted to them under royal charter in 1826, as they appear widespread across many previous VDL company holdings in the north-west. Indeed, a survey undertaken by Cradle Coast Authority’s Dr Tom O’Malley and Dr Graeme Stevenson in 2016 demonstrated that they were in abundance across five separate sites across the region. Each of the sites had different soil types and were at a range of elevations, with DNA barcoding of samples confirming the genetic identity of the Black-headed Earthworm.

A small earthworm nursery of Black-headed Earthworms was established at a commercial beef farm nine years ago, whereby thousands of worms were dug up on the farm and concentrated into an area along a fence line. Over time, with this species living for up to seven years and able to produce seven egg capsules per year once mature, numbers in this area have increased significantly. This allows much easier collection of the species to transfer to other farms. During late autumn, Cradle Coast Authority took a group of TasTAFE agriculture apprentices up to the nursery for a field session, to learn about earthworm diversity, function and identification. Students learned to identify the Black-headed Earthworm, and were able to take some home to set up their own earthworm nurseries! Thanks must be given to Mr Peter and Richard Boland, who kindly gave permission to share this session with an enthusiastic group of Tasmania’s next pastoralists on their farm.

Black-headed Earthworms having a break from their important work in the paddock!

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INVESTIGATING CAUSES OF DEATH AND INJURY IN TASMANIA’S BIRDS OF PREY The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and TasNetworks have partnered together since 2021 to improve our understanding of the hazards faced by Tasmania’s threatened birds of prey, especially the dangers posed by human infrastructure such as powerlines and roads.

Deceased threatened birds, particularly Wedge-tailed Eagles (Aquila audax), White-bellied Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster) and Grey Goshawks (Accipiter novaehollandiae), found by TasNetworks and members of the public are transported to TMAG for necropsy and sampling. Some birds come from wildlife refuges such as Bonorong, Raptor Refuge and Raptor Care North West, following unsuccessful rehabilitation and euthanasia.

Electrocution results in burnt feathers which give off a fluorescent glow under a forensic torch

At TMAG a complete necropsy is carried out to confirm or identify the cause of each bird’s death.

Samples are collected for genetics, toxicology and dietary analyses, and specimens are accessioned into the museum’s zoology collection. Data are reported to TasNetworks and collated for inclusion in the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA). Timely reporting of causes of death enables TasNetworks to respond more quickly to mitigate hazards in high-risk areas of their network. The use of specialised diagnostic tools such as the forensic torch illustrated below, help confirm causes of death and enable targeted mitigation to be carried out.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Deceased birds of prey can be reported to: TasNetworks (132 004) https://www.tasnetworks.com.au/Forms/Report-a-wildlife-incident or transported (preferably frozen) to: TMAG Collections and Research facility Winkleigh Place Rosny TAS 7018 Phone: (03) 6165 6929 Email: curatorenquiries@tmag.tas.gov.au

Injured birds should be taken to a local veterinary practice or sent to the nearest raptor rehabilitation centre.

These include: Bonorong Wildlife Rescue: 0447 264 625 https://www.bonorong.com.au/wildlife-rescue-service Raptor Care North West: 0418 369 967 https://www.facebook.com/raptorcarenw/ Raptor Refuge: 1800 727 867 https://www.raptorrefuge.com.au/contact-us/ p. 8

HOW TO HELP A PLATYPUS We are lucky to have platypuses in most of our waterways in Tassie, with many excellent viewing spots along the streams and creeks of the Cradle Coast. Just like Giant Freshwater Crayfish, healthy populations of platypuses need diverse, intact riparian vegetation and stable river banks. They need abundant benthic macroinvertebrates to eat.

In summer, 3-4-month-old juvenile platypuses emerge from their burrows for the first time, and a few weeks later, they leave altogether and fend for themselves. This period of time is tough on young platypuses, who no longer get fed milk by their mothers, and instead, compete with family members and neighbours for food. They can lose condition and appear thin. In autumn and winter, the young platypuses will disperse across the landscape and are sometimes seen long distances from water.

If you find a platypus that is not swimming and foraging happily, there are some things to be aware of to help assess its health and requirements. As with all native animals, it is usually much better to leave it alone. Attempting to pick it up or move it could be very stressful for it. Also, male platypuses have poisonous spurs on their hind ankles, so “look and don’t touch” is the usual rule.

If you suspect that the platypus is injured, sick, very weak and thin, or entangled in plastic, then you might need to help.

The committed scientists and volunteers at the Australian Platypus Conservancy have put together Platypus Rescue Guidelines to help you decide whether your friend needs your help, and what to do. It covers techniques for picking up a platypus, identifying an adult male, transporting a platypus, inspecting a platypus for litter entanglement, and assessing a platypus’s condition.

This last one is interesting. Did you know that around half of a platy’s body fat is stored in its tail? So if you gently squeeze its tail, you can assess its condition. A chubby healthy animal will have a firm tail that doesn’t squeeze in. A thin animal will have a tail that squishes in at the edges (as in the picture).

If you think a sick or injured platypus needs help, please call Bonorong wildlife rescue on 0447 264 625 for advice.

A sick platypus found in Victoria

by APC biologists.

The tail of a thin, unhealthy platypus that was taken into care. p. 9

TASMANIAN SCIENTISTS REPORT THE NEED FOR IMMEDIATE

ACTION

ON CLIMATE The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has, as of March 2022, released all three Special Reports for this sixth assessment cycle and Tasmanian science and scientists have been at the fore.

Giant kelp forest Image: Matt Testoni

Four University of Tasmania scientists were lead authors of the IPCC Working Group II report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and among the 270 scientists around the world who assessed more than 34,000 scientific publications for the report.

“This report recognises the interdependence of climate, biodiversity and people and integrates natural, social and economic sciences more strongly than earlier IPCC assessments,” IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee said.

“It emphasises the urgency of immediate and more ambitious action to address climate risks.

Half measures are no longer an option.”

IMAS researcher, Professor Gretta Pecl, is a marine ecologist and a Lead Author of the Australasia chapter which assesses observed impacts, projected risks, vulnerability and adaptation for our region, as well as the implications for climate-resilient development.

“We found that exceeding 1.5°C warming for several decades would result in severe and potentially irreversible impacts, especially in nature. We would see species extinctions and losses of entire ecosystems, such as tropical coral reefs and temperate kelp forests."

“In Tasmania, our giant kelp forests represent a major foundational habitat for many species of cultural, recreational and commercial importance. However, climate-driven decline has seen 90% of these kelp forests lost, while around Australia over 140,000 hectares of kelp species have been lost.”

But the reports also present a range of solutions that, if applied immediately, could limit global warming. In the battle to reduce the impacts of climate change, every tenth of a degree matters and is directly correlated to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released.

For more information on UTAS’s contribution to the latest IPCC reports read ‘IPCC report calls for ambitious and immediate global action.'

To see more incredible ocean photography by Matt Testoni follow him on Instagram and check out his podcast Seacreatures. p. 10

Have you seen a big foamy pile of froth on a favourite creek and wondered why it’s there?

Us too! So we did some investigating…

FOAMY CREEKS As it turns out that off-white, and sometimes slightly smelly foam, like that you can see in the pictures above, is completely natural.

It usually occurs during a flush of rain after a dry spell. The water soaks through the soil, and also washes out organic matter that’s been sitting in pools. The water leaches out proteins and natural chemicals, like tannins, saponins and lipids. Some of the chemicals act as surfactants, affecting the surface tension of the water. This allows air bubbles to persist instead of bubbling away immediately, and form a foam.

Physically, the foam is similar to dishwashing bubbles in the sink. The jet of water pushes air into the water, and the dishwashing liquid is the surfactant that allows the bubbles to turn into a froth. Similarly, the natural foam usually forms below a waterfall, rapid or riffle, where air is forced into the water.

That is the case in Myrtle Creek in the Dial Range, where the beautiful tea-coloured organic-rich water flows dramatically over several waterfalls after heavy rain. Occasionally, the foam builds right up over the bridge and lasts for several days.

Of course, man-made pollutants can cause foam too - if the foam is slimy or smells like detergent, you may need to report it to the EPA. Credit: “Foam in the aquatic environment” (2011) by K. Schilling and M. Zessner in Water Management 45:4355-4366 and River Detectives fact sheet.

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A NEW FLORA RESERVE IN WYNYARD – PRAYMPI RESERVE Thanks to the determination of a group of Wynyard plant enthusiasts, a small area of remnant wet heathland has been transplanted to a new safe home.

The patch of inconspicuous plants was discovered on a private block on Goldie Street in Wynyard. The small area contained about 60 species of plants; many tiny, many rare and some the last examples in the Wynyard region. Realising the importance of this patch, the locals sought to have the area protected, but with little avenue for formal protection of the site, the group negotiated for the entire heathland to be translocated to a secure site nearby, with similar soils and site conditions.

Over three days, volunteers worked with the Waratah Wynyard Council as they utilised their heavy machinery to carefully scalp strips of heathland “turf” and move them to the new site which was bare and ready. Volunteers then realigned the patchwork of turf pieces and infilled and watered the plants to ensure the heathland settles into its new home. Finally, the site was fenced by volunteers to ensure it is protected.

The new site – named “praympi reserve" (pronounced “prime pee”), palawa kani for the little flowering common heath, Epacris impressa - will be revealed in the Spring with the support of the Waratah Wynyard Council. A humongous congratulations must go to Rees Campbell and Col Meyers for the huge amount of work they have put into driving this collaborative project and physically delivering such an amazing outcome.

100-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CRADLE MOUNTAIN – LAKE ST CLAIRE NATIONAL PARK On the 16th of May, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service celebrated the 100th anniversary of Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park being proclaimed as a protected area in Tasmania. The ceremony was held on a chilly wet morning, at a shelter beside the spectacular new Visitor Centre and standing stones that acknowledge the outstanding universal values of the park. palawa man Dave Gough welcomed the participants to the country of his ancestors, and talked about the continuing connection that Tasmanian Aboriginal people have to the park, a landscape that has been cared for by First Nations people for tens of thousands of years.

The first European visitors to the area in the early 1900s were struck by its beauty too. Gustav and Kate Weindorfer were some of the first settlers of the Cradle Valley, and commemorative buildings can still be visited at Waldheim Chalet and Mt Kate Hut. These settlers logged, hunted (for skins) and farmed the valley, but began offering their land to the State for preservation from 1922.

In 1927, 63,990 hectares of land, including Cradle Mountain, were set aside as a reserve. The park has grown (in size and popularity) since then, and is one of five parks that make up the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, inscribed in 1982 for its natural and cultural significance.

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TWO NEW THREATENED SPECIES PROJECTS STARTING SOON! Cradle Coast Authority have been successful in a recent funding round under the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Strategy Action Plan.

We will be starting two short projects to support the recovery of two of the region’s priority threatened species.

The first is the King Island Brown Thornbill, one of the top five Australian bird species considered most likely to become extinct within 20 years unless action is taken. The main threat to this species is habitat loss.

This project will be delivered in partnership with King Island Landcare and Birdlife Australia, and focuses on promoting the benefits of native vegetation protection to King Island landholders and land managers, both as a productive asset on farm, and as critical habitat for King Island Brown Thornbills and other native species. Later in the project, work will begin on protecting and enhancing habitat along a proposed vegetation corridor linking population strongholds for the birds.

Meanwhile, the second project will be working to reduce one of the key threats to another threatened species, the Maugean Skate. Maugean Skates live only in Macquarie Harbour, and their numbers have dramatically declined as a result of human activities on and around Macquarie Harbour since European settlement.

This project will focus on the threat that fishing poses to the skates, raising community awareness and reducing impacts on the most important parts of the harbour for the skates’ breeding. The project will also bring stakeholders together in preparation for a long-term collaborative recovery project.

A highly accurate scientific diagram of a Maugean Skate by the talented First Dog On The Moon

NOW OPEN

COMMUNITY CAPACITY SMALL GRANTS ROUND 2 A new round of Community Capacity Small Grants has just been opened to support Landcare, Coastcare, Aboriginal and Friends of groups participating in NRM activities in the Cradle Coast region.

The grants aim to help support our local community groups to continue their valuable natural resource management work on ground and through community engagement and education.

Groups from within the Cradle Coast region can seek up to $3,000 of funding to support projects which can be delivered over two years, to be completed by June 2024.

For more information and to view the grant guidelines and application form visit the Cradle Coast Authority website or contact NRM Engagement Officer Hannah Sadler hsadler@cradlecoast.com p. 13

SLOW DOWN – WATCH OUT Efforts continue in Tasmania to reduce the terrible toll that our roads have on wildlife. Despite signs, campaigns, recommendations, and the constant sad reminder that the dead animals provide, the annual death-rate is in the millions.

This includes the death of thousands of threatened species such as quolls, devils and bandicoots.

Killing a threatened species would normally attract a substantial fine; it is a serious issue.

A PWS document from 2006 said:

“Wildlife roadkill has a distinct negative effect on community morale and on tourism and Tasmania’s ‘clean green’ image.”

Cradle Coast NRM is working with Circular Head Council and other stakeholders to reduce the number of Tasmanian Devils killed on roads at Woolnorth, but this problem applies to all roads, all the time. A state-wide roadkill reduction campaign will be starting up again soon.

SLOW DOWN, particularly at night, to give animals a chance to get off the road, and to give yourself a chance to stop.

FIELD DAY FOR STUDENTS A Field Day was held in March 2022 on one of the Giant Freshwater Crayfish project sites in the Detention River catchment for students who are undertaking a TAFE course in Conservation and Ecosystem Management.

Students got to look at the riparian vegetation zone and hear from the landholder about the positive impact fencing has had on native vegetation regeneration along the corridor.

Todd Walsh also provided a practical demonstration on the habitat and lifestyle requirements of the Giant Freshwater Crayfish.

TAFE students discovering more information about the Crayfish lifecycle from expert Todd Walsh

Later in the day a similar presentation was provided to Smithton High School senior students in the classroom, including the chance to study a live crayfish specimen. It was a great opportunity for staff and students to learn more about the Giant Freshwater Crayfish, given it is the largest freshwater crustacean in the world and unique to northern Tasmania. Once common it is now listed as vulnerable under both federal and state threatened species legislation.

Giant Freshwater Crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi)

p. 14

WELCOME TO THE CRADLE COAST NRM TEAM FOX RANSOM NRM TRAINEE PROJECT OFFICER Fox has been working closely with the NRM staff, learning about their roles, various projects, and engaging with involved landowners. Fox is also undertaking a Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management.

Born and bred in the north-west, Fox has a strong affinity for the region and its natural and rural landscapes. As a palawa man, he has a passion for traditional land management, and will also be working with Parks and Wildlife Working on Country Rangers and the wider Aboriginal community to help apply cultural knowledge and techniques to the landscape once again.

Fox has been enjoying developing relationships with the staff, engaging with projects ranging from Giant Freshwater Crayfish conservation to Feral Cat control on Three Hummock Island, and looks forward to completing his studies and working on more projects with the NRM team.

KYLIE ASHLEY NRM REGIONAL CAT MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR Kylie Ashley has joined us as our NRM Regional Cat Management Coordinator. As Regional Cat Management Coordinator, Kylie will work alongside our Member councils and the community for improved cat management, to build awareness, encourage better levels of responsible ownership and provide support in undertaking compliance activities under the Cat Management Act. A Melbourne native, Kylie has strong animal welfare roots. She completed her Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Biosciences degree in 2012, looking at stress in shelter dogs as an honours student. From here she spent 6 years working in Victorian shelters, working both hands-on and in an engagement capacity as an advocate for responsible cat ownership.

CONGRATULATIONS SPENCER GIBBS

10 YEAR CELEBRATIONS! Our NRM Operations Manager, Spencer Gibbs, reached a significant work anniversary in 2021 - 10 years of employment with Cradle Coast NRM! Spence is the backbone of our team.. overseeing all the projects, answering all the questions and wrangling all the budgets – and always with a calm smile.

We would all be a mess without his leadership.

The team recently enjoyed a (delayed) celebratory lunch together - congratulations and thank you Spence! p. 15

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES WHAT

WHERE AND MORE INFO

WHEN

Revegetation Techniques Training NW 2022 for Landcare Members

West Pine Ag in Penguin, Australia In this free training event you will learn how to plan and establish native vegetation on farmland or your backyard https://www.landcaretas.org.au/revegetation_tech niques_nw_2022

Thursday, 16 June 2022

Community Capacity Small Grants Round 2 NOW OPEN

For NRM Community Groups within the Cradle Coast region, up to $3,000 https://www.cradlecoast.com/community-nrmengagement-program/

Grant closes Sunday, 3 July 2022

National NAIDOC Week

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Visit https://www.naidoc.org.au/ for event updates, educational resources & more.

3 - 10 July 2022

Australian Platypus Conservancy Platypus webinar

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/platypusinfowebinar-tickets-352392805367

Tuesday, 5 July 2022, 7pm

National Landcare Conference

Darling Harbour, Sydney and online.

Abstract submissions close Sunday 13 March https://nationallandcareconference.org.au/

23 - 25 August 2022

Rescheduled: Rural Living Round-up

Cradle Coast NRM Small Farm Living Field Day, TasTafe Freer Farm Campus, Burnie

Sunday, 13 November 2022

1-3 Spring St, Burnie, Tasmania, 7320 03 6433 8400 www.cradlecoast.com www.facebook.com/CradleCoastNRM/