Caring for country - Northern and Yorke Natural Resources ...

4all aboard
Welcoming Northern and
Yorke’s new chief
Opening of new drop-in centre at Wirrabara
A new Northern and Yorke NRM Board
and Greening Australia office and drop-in
centre has opened at Wirrabara.
New faces
Pam Pilkington
Community Member,
Crystal Brook
Pam has been a
member of the Board’s
Lower North NRM Group for the past
two years. She is also a member of
the Australian Plants Society and the
Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden
at Port Augusta.
Pam has been in farming circles all her
life and she has a passionate interest
in the care of natural resources,
particularly in terms of biodiversity and
the health of soils and river systems.
Claudia Smith
Community Member,
Port Victoria
Claudia is a long-term
resident of Yorke
Peninsula and a member of the State
Aboriginal Heritage Committee.
She is dedicated to conservation of the
natural environment with particular
concerns about vehicular access
to beaches and potential damage
to coastal native vegetation and
biodiversity.
Eric Sommerville
Community Member,
Spalding
Eric is a fifth
generation farmer,
and a member of the Yackamoorundie
Landcare Group.
He has applied natural resource
management principles on his farm
for decades and believes most farmers
are “excellent stewards of the land.”
His particular interests include soil
structure, water management, pest
management and care of coastlines.
Wayne Hutchinson
Representative of the
Department for Water
Wayne is Deputy
Director of Business
Services in the Department for Water.
His responsibilities include planning,
procurement, project management, risk
management and reporting.
Wayne will be a vital link between the
NYNRM Board and the Department on
water-related issues.
Photos: Catherine Gasmier
Caroline Schaefer is the new presiding member
of the Northern and Yorke NRM Board. She
succeeds the Board’s inaugural presiding
member, Merv Lewis, who completed his term
of office in June after six years in the position.
A Member of the Legislative Council of South
Australia from 1993 to her retirement from
parliament in 2010, Caroline and her husband,
Roy, are active grape growers in the Clare
Valley, having moved to the region in 1998
after many years of farming on Eyre Peninsula.
Caroline was one of the state’s most
experienced politicians serving as Minister for
Primary Industries and Government Whip in
the Legislative Council. She was also Shadow
Minister for Primary Industries and Regional
Affairs. Caroline held numerous parliamentary
committee positions, including six years on the
Natural Resources Committee.
“Having been involved in the agricultural
industry for many years, I have a personal and
vested interest in the health and conservation
of our natural resources,” she said.
“I am very pleased to come into the position
as presiding member of the Northern and
Yorke NRM region. It is a diverse, interesting
and productive area of our state with many
challenges and opportunities.
“While water management issues and
response to climate change are over-riding
factors that will impact on our natural resource
management and agricultural practices into the
future, there are also many localised issues with
different effects and solutions.
“I am new to the Board, but I know a
great deal of work has already occurred in
consultation with the community to develop a
regional NRM Plan and associated strategies.
“We are now into the implementation phase
with the plan and I am looking forward to
developing positive outcomes in association
with government, industry partners and
the community we serve. I will be travelling
throughout the region in the coming months
to meet NRM Board staff and volunteers and
to become more acquainted with local projects
and issues.”
Caroline paid tribute to Merv Lewis for his long
and untiring contribution to the NYNRM Board
and the regional community.
Board general manager Lynne Walden
welcomed Caroline and other new Board
members who were appointed during 2010
– Eric Sommerville, Pam Pilkington, Wayne
Hutchinson and Claudia Smith (see story left) –
and Peter White, the Board’s new Lower North
Group member.
“These people bring considerable experience
and expertise to the NRM Board and I look
forward to working with them all,” she said.
About 60 people attended the opening recently
at an event timed to coincide with the popular
Wirrabara Producers’ Market.
Greening Australia chief executive officer, Mark
Anderson, cut the ribbon to open the office
on the main road in Wirrabara. NYNRM Board
member Jackie O’Reilly highlighted the value of
the partnership with Greening Australia.
The new office will provide information about
Board projects, project development, grant
applications, plant identification, vegetation
management, revegetation, bushland
monitoring or grazing advice.
The office features an extensive library to assist
in plant identification, seed collection, farm
forestry and other land care activities.
Anne Brown, Greening Australia’s senior
vegetation consultant whose position is funded
by NYNRM Board, said the launch was a
successful and enjoyable event. It attracted
members of the community, including about 30
schoolchildren who participated in a colouringin
competition on the day.
The NYNRM Board contracts Greening Australia
to provide biodiversity management support to
community members.
Natural resource management has been
integrated within a single department following
the creation of the new Department of
Environment and Natural Resources effective
from 1 July 2010.
A separate Department for Water has also
been created.
The departments have been formed through a
merger of the Department for Water, Land and
Biodiversity Conservation and the Department
for Environment and Heritage.
A Soils Technical Advisory Panel has been
formed to help improve the health of soils
across the Northern and Yorke region.
The panel, chaired by farmer and Northern
and Yorke NRM Board member Neville Wilson,
will provide advice to the NYNRM Board, NRM
Groups, staff members and landholders on
measures to improve the physical, chemical and
biological condition of soils.
The panel comprises people skilled in soils
management. It met recently for the first time,
and will reconvene as required to address issues
referred by Board representatives or members
of the community.
Michael Richards, the Northern and Yorke
landcare facilitator, said the first task of the
panel was to prioritise issues and strategies
to improve land management by building
increased awareness, knowledge and skills
among regional land managers. Meeting
outcomes will inform project development
and delivery.
The office will be open during the regular
Wirrabara Producers’ Market and at least on
the first and third Mondays of each month.
Please contact Anne Brown in advance on
0409 684 312.
New State Government Departments
Focus on soil health
Mark Anders, Greening Australia CEO, at the launch
of the new Wirrabara NRM and GA office.
NRM Boards will continue to fulfil their key
roles of developing regional NRM plans and
undertaking NRM projects that involve local
communities.
“This is a great opportunity to streamline the
effort of the Boards and Government agencies
in NRM delivery and to further build our work
with the community,” said Lynne Walden,
general manager of Northern and Yorke
NRM Board.
Neville said the panel will work with members
of the community and industry experts.
It aims to achieve profitable, productive and
sustainable farming methods that protect soils
from the risk of wind and water erosion.
Priority areas include the hilly, high rainfall
sites in the Lower North region where grazing
practices and harvesting of field pea crops have
led to increased risk of soil erosion.
Neville said the panel was also concentrating on
improving grazing management in areas with
medium to high risk from wind erosion.
The panel will work to build awareness of
acidifying soils, increased pH testing and
selected liming of at-risk soils.
Rural Solutions SA’s soil and land management
consultant, Mary-Anne Young, said more than
270,000 hectares of soils in the region are
believed to be acidic and at risk of reduced
or failed crop and pasture productivity and,
ultimately, destruction of the soil’s clay
components.
4 Northern and Yorke Natural Resources Management Board