ountry News Co
Water Talk Reaching Australia ’s richest agricultural region
E 12-PAUG RE FEAmTber 2015 Dece
Looking for carbon See page 9
Farming with less water — page 6 | Food production without water?— page 8
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PAGE 2—‘Water Talk’, December, 2015
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Temporary trade water welcome member for Murray Federal Sharman Stone has
welcomed the sale of 23 Gl of Commonwealth environmental water offered for temporary trade. She said there was significant interest from the irrigation community with 525 eligible bid offers submitted for the purchase of the share of the water. The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder accepted 53 offers ranging from
Sharman Stone
30 Ml to 5111 Ml. The largest purchase of 5111 Ml by a regional water broker will be distributed among 22 of its clients including 21 dairy farmers in the Goulburn Valley. ‘‘The fact that the majority of water has been sold to Victorian irrigators rather than the ‘‘big end of town’’ speculators is a positive outcome,’’ Dr Stone said. ‘‘The average price of $282/Ml is still very high for those dependent on temporary water.
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‘‘Hopefully the 45 Gl obtained through the Pipeline to Melbourne deal, which Victorian Water Minister Lisa Neville has asked Melbourne water retailers to put on the market sooner rather than later, will bring temporary water prices down.’’ Current legislation requires the CEWH to use the proceeds from the sale of water to buy back more water for the environment. The independent review of the Water Act carried out in 2014
recommended that funds from the temporary sale of environmental water by the CEWH be used for additional environmental outcomes from infrastructure works and measures. Dr Stone said she would continue to work closely with the Federal Water Minister to have the Water Act changed to enable the CEWH to use the revenue from the sale of excess environmental water for infrastructure works rather than further water buybacks that only reduced the water available for irrigators.
Public sessions tell of progress last few drop-in sessions for Thelandholders to get up-to-date with
the Connections program, are being hosted by Goulburn-Murray Water this week. The one-on-one sessions will provide landowners with information about their progress in the Connections Project and the recent independent review by consultancy business GHD. The first of the public drop-in sessions were held on November 23 in Rochester, Cobram and Cohuna. Further sessions are being held throughout the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District (GMID), finishing on December 4 in Boort, Nathalia and Rochester. G-MW managing director John Calleja said the public drop-in sessions would also ensure landowners were given information on how the Victorian and Commonwealth governments — along with G-MW — would consult with key stakeholders, irrigator and industry representatives to ensure they had a say on the future direction of the project. This week’s meetings are at: Kyabram: December 1, noon to 8 pm, at Kyabram Club. Numurkah: December 1, noon to 8 pm, at Numurkah Showgrounds’ multipurpose building. Pyramid Hill: December 2, noon to 8 pm at Pyramid Hill Memorial Hall.
John Calleja: ‘‘Have a say on future directions.’’ Shepparton: December 2, noon to 8 pm at Parklake Hotel. Echuca: December 3, noon to 8 pm at Echuca Racing Club. Swan Hill: December 3, noon to 8 pm at Commercial Hotel. Boort: December 4, noon to 8 pm at Boort Memorial Hall. Nathalia: December 4 noon to 8 pm at Nathalia Community Centre. Rochester: December 4, noon to 8 pm at Campaspe Golf Club.
Foreign-owned register he Greens have secured an T Australian-first register of foreignowned water entitlements.
It was part of an agreement to support government legislation that gives the Foreign Investment Review Board greater scope to check if sales of Australian land to overseas buyers is in the national interest. ‘‘The Greens have long been calling to drop the trigger for the FIRB’s national interest test down to total purchases worth $5 million, and I’m pleased that the government now agrees with us and is cutting the trigger from $252 million to $15 million,’’ Greens leader Richard Di Natale said. ‘‘It’s a significant step in the right direction. ‘‘We’re extremely proud to have a commitment, written into the legislation, that the government will establish a register of foreign-owned water entitlements, in addition to the register of foreign-owned land that we passed earlier this month.
‘‘As global warming and extreme weather events disrupt food production worldwide, it’s critical that we view Australia’s agricultural land and water as key national assets, not to be sold off recklessly.’’ Greens finance spokesperson Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the legislation would also pave the way to having FIRB oversee water purchases. ‘‘The Greens have not only secured a water register, but we have also secured a government commitment to review the inclusion of water asset sales in the Foreign Investment Review framework,’’ he said. ‘‘In a climate-constrained world, agricultural output is about water just as much as it is about land, the two go handin-glove. ‘‘What the Greens have achieved today is a significant win for transparency and oversight in how Australia manages our land and water.’’
‘Water Talk’, December, 2015—PAGE 3
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Murray Williamson is still waiting for a response from GoulburnMurray Water for his connection.
Irrigators Jason Andrew (left) and Ivan Routley attended the Numurkah consultation meeting. Mr Andrew is chair of the Murray Valley Water Services Committee.
oulburn-Murray Water has G fielded a steady parade of irrigators telling them to get on
‘‘Everyone is in limbo. No-one knows what is going to happen.’’ Waaia irrigator Murray Williamson said the Numurkah meeting might have been useful for G-MW, but he was not able to glean anything new from it. He said he was offered a connection proposal years ago which was unacceptable but had not heard anything since. ‘‘The way they wanted to do it, would have devalued the assets on the farm,’’ Mr Williamson said. ‘‘All we have learned today is what we already know. ‘‘It’s an information day for them, rather than for us.
Get on with the job, say irrigators
with the job, at consultative meetings held in northern Victoria last week. The water corporation has run a series of meetings to hear feedback from customers following the release of a review which was critical of a number of aspects of the Connections program. Many of the irrigators have been asking for action and a plan for the future. Katunga irrigator Ivan Routley is waiting to hear what will happen with connections to his property.
‘‘About 18 months ago, we had a public meeting at Katunga to talk about where and when we were going to get started, but I’ve never heard another thing,’’ Mr Routley said. ‘‘It just went quiet. I think they’ve come up with a solution, but it’s too expensive. ‘‘We may end up with a low energy pipeline, but there is no start date for that.’’ Mr Routley said he had been waiting for about three years. He said he just wants G-MW to come up with a proposition that landholders can look at and then get on with the job.
‘‘We’ve already wasted four years. It’s been holding up our farm development and our family for too long. ‘‘We have family decisions we need to make. The delay is all a bit sad, really.’’ Over the next few months, G-MW has promised to consult with key stakeholders, irrigators and industry representatives to reshape the Connections project. G-MW managing director John Calleja said they were opening their doors to customers to provide them with information about their progress in the Connections project and about
how consultation with the agricultural sector would help reshape its future. ‘‘During this transition period we will continue to deliver on existing commitments and also be talking to landowners about how we are prioritising the connection of primary producers and maximising the delivery of water savings,’’ Mr Calleja said. The project still has just under half the allocated $2 billion to spend and the time remaining gives G-MW the opportunity to reshape the project to ensure its success.
Water trading stops after just 24 hours ater trading out of the W Murrumbidgee irrigation system ceased after running
for only one day, on November 20. NSW DPI Water deputy commissioner Bruce Cooper said trade out of the Murrumbidgee Valley was closed following ‘‘unprecedented trading activity’’. ‘‘Trade out of the
Murrumbidgee Valley was opened just yesterday but extremely heavy trade in the last 24 hours has seen the trade limit reached again forcing the trade closure,’’ Mr Cooper said. ‘‘Allocation trade into and within the valley remains unaffected.’’ The water had been sought by Victorian and NSW Murray Valley
farmers, who were facing prices of between $250 and $300/Ml. Mr Cooper said about 90 applications for trade out of the valley were received and processed in 24 hours, totalling nearly 50 000 Ml of water, meaning the upper account limit of 100 000 Ml had been reached. ‘‘There clearly remains very strong demand for water in the
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Cooper said. ‘‘Trade was closed in early August when the volume of undelivered trade water exceeded the upper limit of 100 000 Ml.’’ The water availability in the Murray so far this year has provided market conditions conducive to trade out of the Murrumbidgee Valley, he said.
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PAGE 4—‘Water Talk’, December, 2015
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Advice for water rule changes he Australian Competition T and Consumer Commission has released its draft advice
on amendments to the Commonwealth water charge rules. This advice sets out the ACCC’s draft positions and seeks further submissions on proposed changes to the rules. The water charge rules regulate the charges imposed on rural water users in the MurrayDarling Basin. The current rules have been in place for five years and charging practices have evolved significantly over that time. The ACCC conducted eight regional forums across the basin, undertook private consultation with water service infrastructure operators, regulators and state government departments and received 28 public submissions in response to its issues paper. The draft advice sets out stakeholder views and the ACCC’s reasoning for proposals to: ➤ Promote a ‘level playing field’ by streamlining the application of the rules to apply to all infrastructure operators, by removing distinctions based on size, ownership structure and the purpose for which they deliver water. ➤ Remove overly-prescriptive reporting requirements on medium-sized operators to produce network service plans. These plans were costly for operators and little-valued by customers. ➤ Improve pricing transparency requirements so water users have confidence in how charges are determined, and how charges relate to service provision. ➤ Expand protections against charging arrangements that unfairly advantage some customers over others. ➤ Prevent discriminatory charges being unreasonably imposed by infrastructure operators when irrigators engage in trade. ➤ Reduce regulatory cost and complexity for infrastructure operators, by returning the role of regulatory determinations to the economic regulators in each basin state where possible. ➤ Merge the three sets of water charge rules into one.
Farmer Ian Mathers with a redundant Goulburn-Murray Water channel next to his Cohuna property.
Project was worth the wait
ohuna farmer Ian Mathers C says Goulburn-Murray Water’s Connections project is
‘‘magic’’. The dairy farmer is one of the innovative irrigators who used the modernisation project as a basis for self-funding a series of smarter and more efficient on-farm works. G-MW’s works included rationalising six irrigation outlets and 1 km of spur channel to create a more efficient and sustainable water delivery network. Mr Mathers’ on-farm works created a state-of-the-art irrigation system on the 477 ha property. Old infrastructure like channels that wasted water each year to leakage, seepage and evaporation were decommissioned and replaced with new efficient pipeline technology. He has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in new infrastructure, with the most important being the establishment of a 7 km pipeline with 76 riser outlets.
Mr Mathers can now control his automated irrigation system on his mobile phone and said this was providing him with countless benefits — the most significant being the labour savings. He said the combination of water savings, labour savings and irrigation efficiency attracted him to the project. ‘‘The control of targeting better tonnage rates on the soil and no maintenance of channels and spraying is just gold,’’ he said. However, Mr Mathers is the first to admit the process wasn’t fast. He first met with G-MW staff in December 2012 and signed his contract within a month. After this, he had to wait more than two years to be connected to the modernised irrigation network while G-MW worked with neighbouring landowners for contingent contracts to be signed. ‘‘It sounds like a long time but you can’t do a lot of works through summer,’’ Mr Mathers said. ‘‘We just worked around it (the wait) and all of our pipes were put
in through the two winters.’’ Mr Mathers said the project had significantly benefited his farming business, with the piping creating water savings allowing his yearly allocation to stretch further. He hoped these water savings meant he did not have to buy water on the temporary market. ‘‘It all comes back to water efficiency and that issue just keeps getting bigger and bigger. ‘‘For what you save in water, it off-sets the pumping costs, especially when temporary water is $300/Ml or more. ‘‘It’s easier to get power, it’s harder to find water, so you would rather have a power bill than a water bill.’’ Mr Mathers said the new technology would also help him save money on fertiliser costs, and he expected to increase his annual crop and lucerne yields. ‘‘Generally you wait a week until you have a bank of paddocks to spread the fertiliser all at once. ‘‘Now we will be injecting the fertiliser into the water and onto
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the paddocks 24 hours after they are grazed by the cattle. ‘‘That saves you 14 per cent of your fertiliser costs because you’re injecting it straight away rather than waiting and the more controlled application will produce better yields.’’ If these benefits weren’t enough, Mr Mathers can now irrigate a further 6.8 ha of his property via the new pipe infrastructure. ‘‘There’s another benefit from all of this that I didn’t even realise, and that’s the impact on cattle health,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve got more time to spend with the cattle and this year we didn’t lose one calf.’’ The $2 billion Connections project, funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth governments, is creating a more sustainable water delivery system in the Goulburn-Murray Irrigation District.
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‘Water Talk’, December, 2015—PAGE 5
water talk
G-MW wins at Drones in agriculture awards again oulburn-Murray Water has been G announced as the 2015 Victorian winner for the Division of Large
Businesses at the prestigious Australian Service Excellence Awards. This is the second year in a row G-MW has been awarded in the Australian Service Excellence Awards. Last year, the organisation was the Victorian winner for its Customer Experience Improvement Program. The internationally recognised awards, held by the Customer Service Institute of Australia, recognises the ingenuity and innovation of Australia’s most outstanding customer service-driven organisations and individuals. The 2015 Victorian Division of Large Businesses award recognises G-MW’s dedication to improve customer service. G-MW managing director John Calleja
said the organisation was extremely proud of its achievement. ‘‘Customer service initiatives are a priority for Goulburn-Murray Water,’’ Mr Calleja said. ‘‘We aim to continually understand and respond to the needs of our customers across the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District.’’ Customer Service Institute of Australia chief executive officer Anouche Newman said the awards were more and more competitive each year. ‘‘This year we saw an incredibly high standard,’’ Ms Newman said. ‘‘Each winning individual and organisation should be very proud of their achievement. Their award is testament to their commitment to customer service excellence and passion for creating great customer experiences.’’
LEGEND: HEALTHY CROPS APPEAR GREEN
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SURVEY MAPPING • Rapidly produce existing site surveys with high level photo imagery Goulburn Valley Water technical services general manager Steve McKenzie (left) with Connections project general manager Ian Rodgers.
New connection for Tatura’s water
atura will receive a more secure and T better quality water supply through a new $1.5 million pipeline and pump station. The new pipeline will be built under an agreement between Goulburn-Murray Water and Goulburn Valley Water to benefit people in the town of Tatura and irrigators in the surrounding district. Goulburn Valley Water’s forecasts about future increased demand for water given expected industry and population growth in the town are a major driver for the project. The agreement between GVW and G-MW brings Tatura into G-MW’s
Connections project to achieve water savings and modernise the town’s water supply. It will see a 3.3 km pipeline constructed and a new pump station installed near the town’s water treatment plant. Currently Tatura’s water supply comes from a G-MW channel which closes during the winter months, when an alternative supply is needed. GVW has committed $1 million to fund the project, with G-MW funding the balance. GMW will manage construction and future operation and maintenance of the system.
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PAGE 6—‘Water Talk’, December, 2015
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Study says less is best oulburn Valley dairy Gfarmers are being warned
that irrigating too often could result in a 20 per cent reduction in pasture growth, according to a recent study. A study directed by GoulburnMurray Water and carried out by the University of Southern Queensland observed water application efficiency by looking at one irrigated bay on nine different Goulburn Valley farms in the 2013-14 season. Farmers who participated in the study used Rubicon Water’s FarmConnect automated watering system and soil probes. Wyuna dairy farmer Russell Pell participated in the study and was also one of the first farmers in the Goulburn Valley to use the Rubicon system about four years ago. Mr Pell said the moisture meters had been invaluable, and prior to the technology he was wateringhis maize crops more than necessary. Timing is essential in irrigation management and Mr Pell said the general rule was to have the plot
(no bigger than 2 ha) watered in under two hours. ‘‘Watering is a two-prong thing: you need to know when to water and you need to water quickly.’’ Mr Pell said faster irrigation resulted in more crops and a drier pasture, and since using the moisture meters he had produced a larger quantity and higher quality of maize at a more efficient rate. ‘‘We were growing about 16-17 tonnes/ha of maize and now it’s up to 25 tonnes . . . and that’s even with a little less water, too.’’ Research team leader Rod Smith said the potential 20 per cent loss in production was due to over-saturating pastures and more farmers needed to understand that less irrigating and the correct amount of water would result in more productive pastures. ‘‘You don’t have to irrigate every seven days; you can stretch it out to 10 or 12 days and pastures will respond by putting roots down deeper, which means you end up with a much drier profile on average,’’ Professor Smith said.
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‘Water Talk’, December, 2015—PAGE 7
water talk
Willow removal ehabilitation works along the R Campaspe River near Kyneton are continuing, with the removal of willows
from two private properties. North Central Catchment Management Authority will soon begin to remove about 20 large willows from properties opposite the popular Kyneton River Walk, downstream of the Mollison St bridge. North Central CMA project manager Angela Gladman said the organisation was working closely with local landholders. ‘‘Willow trees are not native to Australia. They were introduced as a land management tool in the early 1900s to control erosion along rivers and streams,’’ Ms Gladman said. ‘‘However, it is now widely accepted that willows have a largely negative impact on Australian waterways by diverting flows (exacerbating erosion and flooding), using high volumes of water compared to native trees and reducing the natural aquatic and riverside habitat values, including that of the platypus. ‘‘As a result all willows (except for
weeping and pussy willows) are recognised by the Australian Weeds Committee as a Weed of National Significance and there is an expectation that natural resource managers around Australia, such as catchment management authorities, will undertake local planning and control activities to manage willow populations at a local scale.’’ Ms Gladman said the willow removals were part of a more widespread program complementing the efforts of the Campaspe River and Land Management Group volunteers over the past 20 years. ‘‘The extensive revegetation program along all willow removal sites throughout Kyneton will continue next autumn. ‘‘To get to these latest willows, some smaller native trees will need to be removed,’’ she said The program is part of the Victorian Government’s Caring for the Campaspe project, which aims to improve and enhance riparian vegetation along the river.
Online farm help A
n online farm water calculator is available to help farmers work out how much water is required by different classes of stock. ‘‘Calculating the total water available and the total water required by stock over this dry period will help you plan how many stock and of what class you can carry through,’’ DEDJTR land management
extension officer Heather Field said. ‘‘Once you know how much water you require, you then need to work out whether existing water resources will meet this demand.’’ ➤ To access farm water information and use the online farm water calculator go to www.agriculture.vic.gov.au and search for ‘farm water solutions’.
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New faces on board orth Central Catchment N Management Authority has welcomed three new
board members. Victorian Environment, Climate Change and Water Minister Lisa Neville has appointed Charlie Gillingham, Graham Atkinson and Richard Carter to the board, and reappointed Julie Slater for another term. Mr Gillingham is an irrigation and dryland farmer from Lake Charm, while Mr Carter operates a rural water consultancy. Both men come to the board from the North Central CMA’s Community Consultative Committee. Mr Atkinson is chair of Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation. North Central CMA chair David Clark welcomed the minister’s announcement. ‘‘Charlie and Richard bring with them great strengths in the area of water and natural resource management,’’ Mr Clark said. ‘‘Our relationship with Dja Dja Wurrung is as strong as it has ever been, and Graham’s knowledge, experience and connections to the community will only strengthen that relationship, especially in the shadow of our newly-signed
The new North Central CMA board (from left) Graham Atkinson, Dianne Bowles, Richard Carter, chair David Clark, Prue Milgate, Julie Slater, Charlie Gillingham, Julie Miller Markoff and Melanie McCarthy. partnership agreement.’’ Mr Clark paid tribute to retiring board members Stuart McLean and James Williams, and outgoing board member Laurie Maxted. Mr McLean, of Wycheproof, joined the North Central CMA board in 2000. Bendigo’s Mr Williams and Mr Maxted, of Durham Ox, joined in 2011. ‘‘Stuart has been a farmer in the region for more than 40 years and his experience on the land and as a Regional
Development Australia board member has been invaluable,’’ Mr Clark said. ‘‘In an ever more connected world, Stuart is still one of the most truly connected people I know. The knowledge those connections bring to our board allows us to gain valuable information and insight.’’ Mr Clark also thanked Mr Williams for his work. ‘‘I thank both men for their significant service to the community and the North
Central CMA and I wish them well wherever life takes them next.’’ Mr Clark said Mr Maxted would continue to contribute to the North Central CMA and natural resource management across the catchment. ‘‘I would also like to thank Laurie for his hard work. Laurie’s local knowledge and involvement with Landcare in the lower Loddon and Boort area was of great value to us and to the wider catchment.’’
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‘Water Talk’, December, 2015—PAGE 9
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PhD candidate Saras Windecker, a vegetation assessor from the University of Melbourne, was part of the team sampling wetlands.
Wetlands like the Reedy Swamp may be capable of storing large amounts of carbon.
Wetlands may be carbon kings
he carbon storage potential T of Victoria’s inland wetlands is being measured for the first
time as part of a project coordinated by Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority. Goulburn Broken CMA project manager Kate Brunt said thanks to Victorian Government funding, Deakin University scientists were visiting 100 wetlands across Victoria over the next six months to identify carbon sink ‘hot spots’. ‘‘Dr Paul Carnell and the team from Deakin University recently took samples from wetlands in the Goulburn Broken catchment, including Reedy Swamp near Shepparton, Winton Wetlands and the Cathedral Ranges near Taggerty,’’ Ms Brunt said. ‘‘They also went to Doctors Swamp near Murchison and Lake Cooper and will return to Barmah later this year.’’ Dr Carnell said there was growing evidence that inland freshwater swamps had far greater potential for storing carbon than rainforests. ‘‘International data indicates that carbon sequestration in 1 ha of wetland is equivalent to 40 ha of tropical rainforest,’’ he said. ‘‘We want to determine if wetlands here in Victoria store carbon at similar rates, including some wetlands that have been restored. ‘‘This project aims to build the
Paul Carnell collecting samples from Reedy Swamp in October. knowledge base so we can protect and enhance the amazing capacity of wetlands to store carbon.’’ The samples from each of the wetlands will be sent off for analysis. This will help identify 10 carbon storage ‘hot spots’ for further research into the rate at which the carbon is stored. Ms Brunt said a better understanding of carbon stocks and storage rates in wetlands had huge potential for prioritising activities that supported communities to deal with climate change.
‘‘By understanding the value of wetlands as carbon sinks, we’re better placed to assess our carbon footprint, prioritise wetland restoration projects and identify other climate change mitigation opportunities, such as carbon offset projects.’’ ➤ Follow the project team on Twitter with #VicWetlandCarbon or for more information visit www.deakin.edu.au/lifeenvironmental-sciences/research/ marine-freshwater-aquaculture/ marinebiology-and-ecology/bluecarbon
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PAGE 10—‘Water Talk’, December, 2015
water talk
Call to address water ‘failure’ ood security is likely to be F one of the world’s biggest challenges in years to come.
Yet there is an almost unbelievable lack of understanding and appreciation of this issue and what is required to address it, according to a Finley food producer. Graeme Pyle is chairman of Southern Riverina Irrigators, representing 1600 food producers in the Murray region of southern NSW. ‘‘Last week a national newspaper was highlighting the world population growth and the challenges ahead ensuring there is enough food,’’ Mr Pyle said. ‘‘Today we have nearly 7.4 billion people worldwide and it’s increasing at an alarming rate. ‘‘We already have a billion people suffering from chronic hunger, so what’s it going to be like in 10 or 20 years’ time? ‘‘But more importantly, what are we doing about it?’’ Mr Pyle said he read with interest the problems impacting on food security which included drought, disease, insect infestation, floods and, from an international perspective, political unrest and war. ‘‘In Australia we have another unique problem which must be addressed. ‘‘It’s the failure of our politicians to understand the link between water and food production, and the need to work harder to find the appropriate balance. ‘‘This year is a prime example of
Graeme Pyle from Finley wants better water security for farmers. what happens when the balance is not right,’’ he said. ‘‘Throughout parts of the Murray-Darling Basin — the food bowl of Australia — production is severely restricted because we have allocated thousands of megalitres supposedly for environmental purposes, yet without definitive scientific evidence of the benefits.
‘‘We’re pouring water down the system to keep the Murray mouth open, but failing to acknowledge that historically it was an estuarine system. ‘‘The whole issue is political madness that must be addressed if Australia is to play its part in solving the increasing worldwide food security problem.’’ Mr Pyle said at the same time,
the lack of water for food production was having a serious impact on people and communities throughout the region. ‘‘Mental health issues have been identified as a growing problem and there are significant economic impacts on individual businesses, both on-farm and offfarm,’’ he said. ‘‘Regional communities continue
to feel the brunt of lost production because as available water for food production dries up, so does the money on which they rely.’’ Mr Pyle said the frustration was exacerbated because governments had failed to find a reasonable balance between water for environmental purposes and food production. ‘‘From a political perspective we simply need a bit more willingness to work towards solutions,’’ he said. ‘‘From the perspective of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, which oversees the failed basin plan which is causing much of this grief, we need an acceptance that some horrendous mistakes have been made and need to be fixed. ‘‘Out here at the coalface we know that getting this Canberrabased authority to be communicative, transparent and prepared to acknowledge these mistakes is a huge challenge. ‘‘That’s why we need strong politicians who are prepared to insist that these ‘green’ bureaucrats follow their very clear mantra to deliver a basin plan which considers equally the environment, economies and the people it is affecting. ‘‘We live in hope that this can be achieved, so our food producers can do what they do best; that is, grow what we need to ensure Australians continue to have clean, green food, with enough left over to help feed starving human beings throughout the world.’’
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‘Water Talk’, December, 2015—PAGE 11
water talk
Fox-lights mimic the action of spot-lighters to trick foxes into staying away from turtle nests in Gunbower Forest.
Out-foxing foxes to save turtles
Central Catchment North Management Authority is
trialling an innovative fox deterrent light in Gunbower Forest as part of a program to help protect freshwater turtles. Turtle numbers across the northern part of the catchment have declined between 69 and 91 per cent in the past 40 years. North Central CMA Gunbower Key Asset Protection Project manager Adrian Martins said about 98 per cent of turtle eggs succumbed to predation, and foxes
accounted for 92 per cent of that figure. ‘‘Spring is nesting season for eastern long neck and Murray turtles so we are trialling several ways of controlling foxes over the next seven weeks,’’ Mr Martins said. ‘‘Baiting has proved ineffective in the trials we have done in previous years, so this year we are looking at a number of innovative techniques to complement our shooting program.’’ Fake turtle nests will be built with
quail eggs in them in high turtlenesting areas to monitor the level of fox activity in the forest. ‘‘We will also, for the first time, use fox-lights in popular nesting areas such as Safes Lagoon, and monitor their success,’’ Mr Martins said. ‘‘Fox-lights are like spot-lighter scarecrows. They emit highpowered flickering lights that can be seen from more than a kilometre away. They are designed to mimic the lights of spot-lighters. ‘‘Foxes are so clever, the theory
is they think it is a spot-lighter and steer clear. ‘‘We have set up motion cameras around the nests and the lights to see how successful they are. ‘‘Shooting will also be implemented again as an intervention measure in the state forest, concentrated around the Reedy Lagoon and Black Swamp area one night a week for the next seven weeks.’’ Mr Martins said the public was encouraged to get involved by reporting turtle sightings at
www.turtlesat.org.au ‘‘It is a great website that goes a long way in helping us protect these magnificent reptiles,’’ he said. ‘‘I also want to thank nearby landholders for their support. ‘‘Safes Lagoon is one of a number of high turtle-nesting lagoons in the area that is on private land, and the owners have been only too happy to do their bit.’’ ➤ The program is funded through the Federal Government’s National Landcare Program and is being delivered in partnership with the University of Western Sydney, DELWP and Turtles Australia Inc.
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PAGE 12—‘Water Talk’, December, 2015