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Specialising in natural resource and social planning; community consultation and facilitation; values mapping and consensus building, mediation and conflict resolution; policy development; program and organisational diagnosis and development.
Grassy Box Woodlands |
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project outline |
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(Last) Project Update: Summer 2003The end of the GBW projectTHANK YOU!Article by Judy Lambert - Community Solutions It is with both satisfaction and sadness that we are wrapping up the NHT-funded Grassy Box Woodland Integrated Management project. Being co-managers of this project has been a very rewarding experience. We are happy to have played a role in bringing together a very committed group of people who care about the woodlands that are so much part of our agricultural landscapes in Australia. We have learned from our work with the scientists, government agency staff and community groups who have been part of the project team, and we've especially valued our work with the landholders who, through their roles as Rural Liaison Officers, have been the public face, and the heart and soul of this project. It is very disappointing that we've not been able to find a new source of funding to continue the small incentive grants for on-ground work, the scientific assessments of the ecological values of remnant sites dotted across the western slopes, the opportunities for involvement with the Conservation Management Network and its place in a network of places managed for conservation outcomes, and the local and technical advice behind all our work in this project. We are strongly of the view that this mix of conservation opportunities, delivered through real farmers and graziers who know their land and their local communities, is an essential part of conservation management in rural landscapes. We'll miss the rural workshops, field days and property visits, and we'd like to say a big Thank You to all who have been involved. In particular, we'd like to thank those of you who are the stewards or custodians of these important remnants of Grassy Box Woodlands. We urge you to continue your commitment to their conservation management and hope that through the Grassy Box Woodland project we have contributed something to a shared understanding of their importance to us all. Judy Lambert, Jane Elix & Heather Pearce Final GBW GrantsThe following groups and individuals recently received grants to protect and manage their Grassy Box Woodland - congratulation to all the recipients. John and Barbara McRae - Young Toni McLeish signs off as RLO in the NorthRLO ??????? the first hurdle! Rural people, especially, love acronyms R:- Raver (to talk wildly) never! L:- Lunatic (very foolish) I enjoyed the challenge O:- Organism (any living thing) they all have a role! A new word I like "AGRICOLOGY" I'm sure we all know what RLO really means, but there have been times when some of you may have attributed the less well known meanings to my character. The characteristics that I valued most were Resourceful Rural Local Land-holder. Community Solutions gave me the Officer position for 3.5 years, in which time I have enjoyed communication with many and varied people. Each individual adding to my growth and knowledge. For that thank you all! Limited time and money meant I didn't get to all areas, please accept my apologies. The 2002 drought has beaten us, so the McLeishs are on the move to regular incomes and taps that just keep running water. We hope our practical knowledge will be of value to employers in Canberra or Orange. To those landholders we leave behind I have nothing but respect for your tenacity and resilience. I will continue to push for recognition of the ecological services you are providing to the community and suitable remuneration for those services. Good luck!!!! Kate Boyd the Bush Care Support Manager North West, at Greening Australia will be happy to support landholders trying to achieve conservation and production outcomes in the north west. Final words from Geoff Tonkin RLO in the Central WestAs the great drought of 2002 continues relentlessly on in the central west I recently read a quote by Patrick White which I think is very apt in these circumstances. He reminded Australian's "that they live ON Australia NOT in her and that every now and again She does her best to push us off" I felt this experience in the week before Christmas when, after two month of measuring only 14 mm I had a fall of 50 mm in about 20 minutes. The result? Every dam, all of which had been cleaned out, full of water (and mud) with up to a foot of sheep droppings, grass debris and sticks floating on the surface, nine floodgates to repair and numerous fences to be straightened up. In some paddocks it was as if someone had gone over the surface with a fire hose. Thank goodness for the well grassed tree line which dissects some of my slopes and the fenced off remnants where grazing has been kept to a minimum. Thank goodness for my new grazing regime where all the stock are in just five of thirty-one paddocks. Thank goodness for red grass (Bothriachloa macra), which was the first thing to shoot, and desperately looking for another fall. Challenges come thick and fast for those of us who pursue farming. Some very predictable ones like droughts and flooding but increasingly more sinister ones that raise questions about our methodology. Sure your farm might not have any apparent environmental damage but I don't believe that resolves you of your responsibility to your neighbours or your catchment. So challenge some of your own thinking on your traditional framing practices and let's make a difference before it's too late. Thank you to all those with whom I've had contact through the Grassy Box Woodland Project, for your support and encouragement. I have enjoyed the work and the contact with a large and extended network of like-minded people. Whilst ever there is interest I intend to keep the email forum running so keep in contact and send in your questions. Geoff's email address for those interested in maintaining contact through the email forum is geoff.tonkin@bigpond.com Goodbye from Ray Dowling RLO in the SouthAs I was fortunate to receive a devolved grant from Community Solutions in 1999, I was fully aware of the Taking Action Now! GWBW project. Then when, in the summer of 2000, Karen Walker had to leave her position as the Southern officer for the Grassy White Box Woodland project, I took over her role. I had known Karen as well as Kevin Thiele & Suzanne Prober, but few others in the team. It was a steep learning curve as I attended my first project team meeting in Bathurst, then the Grassy Box Woodland workshop at the Orange Ag College, and the field day & forum at Cumnock, all in three days. This gave me the opportunity to meet most of the people associated with the project and to learn more about the ecological significance of the GWBW. Special mention must be made of my colleagues Toni McLeish, Geoff Tonkin, Erica Higginson, Jane Elix & Judy Lambert. I knew then I was working with very special people .The next challenge was to acquaint myself with modern office equipment. This I also enjoyed learning all about. I soon had a computer, fax, printer, scanner, mobile phone & answering machine. Then off to TAFE to do all the courses, soon my typing speed went from 12 wpm to 60 wpm, I found I had a flair for this technology. I already had a fair knowledge of the flora of the Box woodlands from my days as a botany student & living in the Box Woodland environment most of my life. But Drs Thiele & Prober soon showed me how little I knew. I owe them & Rainer Rehwinkel so much for helping me expand my botanical knowledge. In this job one never stops learning, & the more one learns the more I am impressed at the huge diversity, beauty & survival of so many species. I now collect native grass seeds, as well as the seeds of many of the forbes & propagate them. I always knew the under-story of the Box Woodlands was full of diversity, & this project has made so many more people aware of the plight many small remnants are facing, with increased grazing pressure, weed invasion, clearing for cropping and pasture improvement. The position as RLO for the Southern region of NSW took me from the Lachlan River to the Murray River, on the western slopes. I now know just about every locality in that area, & where White & Yellow Box Woodlands are to be found. It has been very rewarding to meet so many interested people, and to form such great friendships with like-minded carers of the environment. It is especially nice to know that we are not alone in our concerns about the plight of the environment of the western slopes. Some of the projects we have funded are very significant to the survival of several endangered species. Other sites will in time be more impressive as better land management & knowledge of the environment will bring back more of the indigenous native plants. There have been many successes and some that have not been so successful which leads me to reflect that we all learn from our mistakes. It has been an honour, privilege & pleasure to work as the RLO in southern NSW for Community Solutions. Ray is happy to stay connected to those interested in GBW in his local area. He can be contacted at the address below. Ray Dowling Thank you to our RLOs!!
For any further information about this project please contact
Jane Elix & Judy Lambert and
Heather Pearce: NPWS Contact This project is funded by the Natural Heritage Trust |
CONTENTS:The end of the GBW project THANK YOU! Toni McLeish signs of as RLO in the North Final words from Geoff Tonkin RLO in the Central West Goodbye from Ray Dowling RLO in the South For any further information about this project please contact |
