Archives for February 2015

Mackay Sugar and Reef Catchments restore wetland at Racecourse Mill

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Water quality is the major focus of the wetland restoration works near Racecourse Mill.
Water quality is the major focus of the wetland restoration works near Racecourse Mill.
Work at Racecourse Mill will see the reinstatement of a functioning wetland.
The works will see the reinstatement of a functioning wetland.
This Racecourse Mill project is a joint initiative of Reef Catchments and Mackay Sugar, through co-funding from Mackay Sugar and the Australian Government Reef Programme.
This project is a joint initiative of Reef Catchments and Mackay Sugar, through co-funding from Mackay Sugar and the Australian Government Reef Programme.

Mackay Sugar and Reef Catchments have joined forces to help restore a heavily degraded wetland on Horse and Jockey Road, near Mackay Sugar’s Racecourse Mill.

People using the road will have noticed foundation works beginning, with earth being moved and plants revegetated in sparse sections of the former wetland area. Catchment Solutions have been engaged as a contractor to carry out the on-ground site works.

Reef Catchments’ Peter Muller said activities would be focused on improving water quality and landscape health.

“This is an exciting project that will aim to restore life to a degraded area on the edges of the Mackay city. The restoration of the wetland will bring back water and wildlife, including birds and the native fish population, which has dwindled over the years,” Mr Muller said.

“Water quality is the major focus of the works, and the reinstatement of a functioning wetland will allow for a natural system that is able to more effectively remove pollutants from our waterways.”

Matt Moore, project contractor from Catchment Solutions, said currently water draining off the bagasse pad ran into a dam.

“The dam will be incorporated into the wetland system and enlarged to created a first flush sediment dentention basin with water plants. The system will effectively ‘clean’ the water as it moves through, removing nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen,” Mr Moore said.

Mackay Sugar will also benefit from the improvements, with access to cleaner water and a larger water storage area for the mill to utilise.

“Improved quality of land and water delivers benefits for everyone in the immediate area. Activities on the site will improve the quality of water flowing to the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens locally, as well as more widely to the Pioneer River Estuary and the Great Barrier Reef,” Mr Moore said. “The wetland will strengthen the natural landscape of the Mackay region and build resilience to support multiple uses for the long-term future.”

Mackay Sugar’s Health, Safety and Environment Manager Carissa Mansfield said Mackay Sugar was extremely proud to partner with Reef Catchments to restore approximately four hectares of land adjacent to its Racecourse Mill.

“This project benefits the environment, our Racecourse Mill operations and provides the community a picturesque viewpoint along Horse and Jockey Road.

“The joint partnership between Mackay Sugar and Reef Catchments is a real testament of our commitment towards environmental sustainability,” Ms Mansfield said.

Works on the site will continue to June 2016, with Stage 1 works expected to be completed by June 2015.

This project is a joint initiative of Reef Catchments and Mackay Sugar, through co-funding from Mackay Sugar and the Australian Government Reef Programme.   

 

Eco Barge program to clean the streets of Airlie

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Volunteers doing cleanups through the Clean Streets and Creeks program
The Clean Streets and Creeks Program aims to remove land-based litter before it washes or blows into the marine environment.

Thanks to Reef Catchments and Eco Barge, land-based litter will again be removed through the Clean Streets and Creeks Program that targets rubbish on the streets, creeks and foreshore areas of Airlie Beach.

 After many requests from the community, and through the support of Reef Catchments, Eco Barge has re-launched the Clean Streets and Creeks Program to remove land-based litter before it washes or blows into the marine environment.

Libby Edge, Founding Chair of Eco Barge Clean Seas said marine debris had many horrible impacts for marine life, including ingestion and entanglement.

“While Eco Barge and our volunteers are committed to removing marine debris through the Whitsunday Marine Debris Removal Program, the most effective way to reduce the impacts of marine debris is to prevent it ever entering the marine environment. The Clean Streets and Creeks clean-ups are therefore an important program to ensure that our precious marine life is not being impacted by local rubbish,” she said.

Each of the Clean Streets and Creeks clean-ups will focus on removing land-based litter from pre-determined streets, creeks and foreshore areas for a maximum of two hours. The Program was launched earlier this month, with 75 community volunteers participating to date, and all expectations being exceeded with 916 kilograms of litter being collected in only six clean-ups.

Kerri Woodcock, Reef Catchments Coastal Systems Program Leader said the program would play a significant role in keeping local waterways and the marine environment healthy.

“This is an unbelievable amount of rubbish, that could otherwise have ended up in our ocean and marine ecosystem. It is estimated that up to 80 percent of all marine debris has actually originated from land-based sources. Prevention activities such as the Clean Streets and Creeks Program are vital to promote an understanding of how our actions on land can impact the marine environment.”

Two clean-ups will be undertaken on the following dates in March: Wednesday 4th March and Sunday 15th. Following this, clean-ups will occur on the first Wednesday and the third Sunday of every month until November.

These clean-ups are a great way for time-restricted volunteers to get involved as this activity requires only a few hours of time. It is also a great opportunity to have children of any ages involved in the proactive prevention of marine debris.

This project is supported by Reef Catchments, through funding from the Australian Government Reef Programme.

 To find out more about the Clean Streets and Creeks clean-ups or the other programs and activities of Eco Barge Clean Seas visit www.ecobargecleanseas.org.au

Funding Announcement: New program to improve land management and condition

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Photograph of tree
Funding activities under this program will focus on good land management practices that also reduce threats to land health and condition, such as: weed control, revegetation, fire and feral animal management. Photo: Steve and Alison Pearson.

Reef Catchments has a new funding opportunity for property owners.

The grants aim to assist property owners to increase productivity, make property management easier and at the same time improve the condition and health of the land. Supported through the Australian Government, incentives are available to help property owners implement a range of management activities on their land.

Activities covered under this program will focus on good land management practices that also reduce threats to land health and condition such as weed control, revegetation, fire and feral animal management. Maintaining riparian corridors is also a high priority, as they play a key role in landscape health and improved water quality. Funding is also available for fencing vegetation types which helps better manage pastures, stock and reduce erosion risk as well as having beneficial environmental outcomes.

Kerensa McCallie, Reef Catchments Senior Project Officer said the new program works with land managers to achieve outcomes that benefit both agriculture and land condition and health.

“This program expands and complements the existing programs offered by Reef Catchments through the Australian Government Reef Programme.”

The new range of incentives will be targeted to priority areas that have been identified as critical habitat for nationally threatened ecosystems and species in the Mackay Whitsunday region.

Funding opportunities are available until June 2015.

For a full list of eligible activities, or for further information please contact Kerensa McCallie on 0429 033 541 and request an Expression of Interest Form.

These can then be posted back to PO Box 1096 Proserpine QLD 4800 or emailed to kerensa.mccallie@reefcatchments.com 

 

Feral Pig control delivers results in Rocky Dam Creek and Carmila catchments

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A helicopter involved in control of feral pigs.
Just over 160 feral pigs were controlled during approximately 9.5 hours of flying. Photo: Mark Sant.

Landholders in the Rocky Dam Creek and Carmila Catchments are pleased with the results of an aerial pig control program undertaken in December last year.  Just over 160 feral pigs were controlled during approximately 9.5 hours of flying.

The latest aerial control event complements previous events which have been undertaken annually over the past 8 years.  The control program has greatly benefited sugarcane and grazing properties with many landholders reporting reduced damage to crops and paddocks and increased productivity.

Thanks to the dedication of local landholders desperate to address the problem, they consider their contribution to the cost of one hour of flight time money well spent.  This shows with the number of local landholders participating in the program growing every year.

Reef Catchments’ project officer, Iona Flett, said the program was part of a wider regional integrated program and was essential to managing feral pig numbers across Mackay and the Whitsundays.

“Left unchecked, feral pigs can do significant damage – to the natural environment, agricultural areas, cane paddocks and grazing pastures. They also create water quality issues by disturbing riparian vegetation and sediment,” she said.

“Aerial and ground pig control is an essential part of pest management in the Mackay region. Reducing feral pig numbers delivers direct benefits to the local agricultural industry, the environment and the wider community.

“We would like to thank all project partners for their support, in particular, the farmers involved, Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Association and Mackay Regional Council staff. We hope to keep working together to establish a cost-effective program to get feral pigs under control across a wide area.”

This current project is being delivered in partnership with the landholders, Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Association, Reef Catchments (MWI) Limited and Mackay Regional Council with funding from the State and Federal Governments.

Landholders in the Rocky Dam Creek and Carmila Catchments who are interested in participating in in the coordinated Feral Pig Program should contact SLCMA on 4956 1388 for more information.

 

Reef Catchments and Whitsunday Regional Council join forces to reduce pollution flow to reef

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Three gross pollutant traps installed in the Cannonvale Botanic Gardens precinct will actively help reduce the gross pollutant load entering local waterways and the Great Barrier Reef.
Three gross pollutant traps installed in the Cannonvale Botanic Gardens precinct will actively help reduce the gross pollutant load entering local waterways and the Great Barrier Reef.

Through the Australian Governments Reef Programme, Whitsunday Regional Council in partnership with Reef Catchments have installed three gross pollutant traps within the Cannonvale Botanic Gardens precinct to reduce the gross pollutant load entering Pioneer Bay and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Jenny Whitney said Council is pleased to be involved in this great initiative which is helping to protect the Great Barrier Reef from pollution.

“The traps will stop rubbish and heavy metals contained in run off entering Pioneer Bay at Cannonvale Beach, improving the water quality flowing into the Great Barrier Reef,” she said.

“This initiative builds on Council’s commitment to reducing nutrients and sediment entering the marine park and follows Council’s recently completed upgrade of the Cannonvale Sewage Treatment Plant, which now meets the strictest environmental standards for outfall.

“Council has been working alongside Reef Catchments to install these three traps in the Cannonvale Botanic Gardens over the last couple of weeks and is pleased they will reduce gross pollutants by 93%,” she said.

Reef Catchments has provided funding for the project through the Australian Government’s Reef Programme, as well as on-ground support to facilitate the construction of the traps.

Mr Adam Folkers, Program Leader Land and Water at Reef Catchments, said the pollutant traps were part of a wider program to improve water quality and reduce the region’s environmental impact on the iconic Great Barrier Reef.

“The installation of the traps in Cannonvale will significantly reduce the level of sediment and nutrients (by 40% and 30% respectively) entering Pioneer Bay as well as capturing the vast majority of litter and other gross pollutants travelling within the three targeted waterways,” Mr Folkers said.

“Reef Catchments is proud to work with the Whitsunday Regional Council on this initiative to improve the condition of our region’s waterways.”

The gross pollutant traps are developed by Ecosol Waste Water Filtration Systems and are designed to reduce Gross Pollutants (up to 93%of materials sized >600um); Total Suspended Solids, Phosphorus; Nitrogen and Heavy Metals entering the receiving environment.

Launch of new Natural Resource Management Plan for Mackay Whitsunday Isaac

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Signing onto the new Mackay Whitsunday Isaac NRM Plan are (from left): Alice Spencer NRM Plan Coordinator from Reef Catchments; Gert Nel, Manager Environmental Services from Isaac Regional Council; Gerard Carlyon, Director Community & Client Services from Mackay Regional Council; Royce Bishop, Chair of Reef Catchments, and Dan Staley, Director of Planning and Development from Whitsunday Regional Council.
Signing onto the new Mackay Whitsunday Isaac NRM Plan are (from left): Alice Spencer NRM Plan Coordinator from Reef Catchments; Gert Nel, Manager Environmental Services from Isaac Regional Council; Gerard Carlyon, Director Community & Client Services from Mackay Regional Council; Royce Bishop, Chair of Reef Catchments, and Dan Staley, Director of Planning and Development from Whitsunday Regional Council.

This February saw the launch of a new plan to help set the bar for local natural resource management. Reef Catchments joined a wide range of stakeholders at the MECC to formally launch the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac (MWI) Natural Resource Management Plan 2014-2024.

The launch included the formal sign-on of NRM Plan signatories by diverse stakeholders who are actively committed to working together to improve future management of our region’s vital natural resources.

The MWI region joins 56 areas across Australia involved in a major move to update and develop new, locally relevant NRM Plans.

Plan development locally was coordinated by Reef Catchments in collaboration with government, industry and community groups, including the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac local governments and Traditional Owners.

NRM Plan co-ordinator Alice Spencer said the NRM Plan represented the views and aspirations of the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac community and would help make sure future on-ground NRM activity addressed the community’s priorities.

“We have tried to do the best possible job of capturing the community’s values and visions for the future of the region via extensive consultation over the last 18 months. We hope that this document helps set direction for everyone involved in managing our natural resources, so we can continue to enjoy the benefits that these resources provide us.

“The launch is an opportunity to celebrate a collaboration between stakeholders in arriving at a shared vision for the region, providing a path that will help the environment, production and development exist together in a balanced way.”

The NRM Plan sets a regional context by considering environmental, social, economic and political factors, while also identifying what the community would like to see the region look like in the future. To achieve this, a series of goals, outcomes and management actions are proposed.

“These actions were developed by stakeholders and subject to several rounds of consultation with the community,” Ms Spencer said.

By including a diverse range of people in the plan’s development, it is hoped that some collaborative and creative solutions to regional issues and challenges will emerge.

 The NRM Plan (2014-2024) is available online – CLICK HERE. 

Official signatories to the plan include:

  • Reef Catchments
  • Traditional Owners (Gia, Koinjmal, Ngaro and Yuwi-bara)
  • Queensland Government (DAFF)
  • Mackay Regional Council
  • Whitsunday Regional Council
  • Isaac Regional Council
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
  • Canegrowers Mackay
  • AgForce
  • CQUniversity
  • Regional Development Australia
  • Sarina Catchment Management Landcare Association
  • Whitsunday Catchment Landcare
  • Mackay and District Turtle Watch Association
  • Whitsunday Marketing and Development
  • Mackay Tourism

New Mackay Whitsunday waterway report card set to check the health of our rivers and reef

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Official signatories the at the launch of the new Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.
Official signatories the at the launch of the new Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership.
Geat Barrier Reef waterways.
The partnership, comprising of 27 signatories, will produce an annual report card on the health of regional waterways, identifying potential impacts on the Great Barrier Reef.

A new report card, due for release in October 2015, will highlight the health of waterways in the Mackay­ Whitsunday region – and in particular identify local impacts on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

Developed by the Mackay­ Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership (“The Partnership”), the report card will help the local community to understand more about the condition of the area’s freshwater rivers, wetlands, estuaries, coastal and marine environments.

The Partnership includes the catchments of the Don, O’Connell, Proserpine, Pioneer and Plane basins, the urban area of Mackay, the ports of Abbot Point, Mackay and Hay Point, marinas and other coastal areas. It brings together representatives from tourism, fisheries, agriculture, science, resources, industry, Natural Resource Management, conservation, Indigenous groups and all levels of government.

Report cards are a great way to demonstrate the health of a region’s waterways (including the GBR and associated catchments) based on some key indicators – and report progress towards goals and targets. They have been successfully used in South­East Queensland, Gladstone and Fitzroy to present complex scientific information in a clear way.

A multitude of factors can affect waterway health and these vary from region to region, therefore, the report card will be tailored to address the specific pressures facing the Mackay­Whitsunday area, and will be based on the best available science. It will feature a grading system, ranging from ‘very good’ to ‘very poor’ that will look at a range of indicators including water quality, and the health of seagrass meadows and coral reefs.

The Partnership has engaged the GBR Reef Plan Independent Scientific Panel to review the work to ensure the report card will be robust and accurate. Specific areas requiring remedial action will be identified, along with guidance on how these challenges should be addressed to deliver lasting improvements.

The Partnership is currently hard at work on a range of tasks, including developing a suitable report card format and determining the most effective scoring methodologies to use, that are consistent with other regions.

A website will be launched shortly, featuring project updates, case studies, and other useful information about the Partnership and its work. To find out when it goes live, or if you belong to a community group, a company or an industry body that would like to join the Partnership, please email Simone Richards, Partnership Secretariat, at simone.richards@ehp.qld.gov.au

BACKGROUND

The Partnership was launched on 1 October 2014, and comprises 27 partners:

  • Central Queensland University
  • Conservation Volunteers
  • Australia CSIRO
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Growcom
  • Isaac Regional Council CANEGROWERS Mackay
  • Mackay Conservation Group
  • Mackay Recreational Fishers Alliance Mackay Regional Council
  • Mackay Sugar
  • Mackay Tourism Limited
  • North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation Ltd NQ Dry Tropics Ltd
  • Pioneer Catchment & Landcare Inc Queensland Farmers’ Federation Queensland Resources Council Ltd Reef Catchments
  • Regional Development Australia Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday Inc Resource Industry Network
  • Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Association Inc
  • State of Queensland acting through the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection Whitsunday Catchment Landcare Ltd
  • Whitsunday Charter Boat Industry Association Whitsunday Regional Council
  • Whitsunday Regional Organisation of Councils (ROC) Whitsundays Marketing and Development Ltd

New Climate Change projections for our region

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Mackay canefields at night
In the Mackay Whitsunday region, new climate projections a very high confidence in continued increases in mean, maximum and minimum temperatures, as well as in the frequency of hot days and duration of warm spells.

The CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology have released new climate projections for Australia as a part of the national NRM Planning for Climate Change program funded by the Australian Government.

At a national scale average annual temperatures are likely to be 1.3o C warmer by 2030 than the 1995 baseline period.

Future projections about the climate are dependent on greenhouse gas emissions into the future with the IPCC and international research community establishing Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP’s). These RCP’s focus on concentrations of greenhouse gases, emissions trajectories and radiative forcing (energy absorbed and retained in the lower atmosphere). The current trajectory for greenhouse emissions is RCP8.5, which is the worst case or Business as Usual scenario. The latest report indicates that Australia could have an average temperature increase of up to 5.1 o C by 2090, as the worst case scenario. Implications for the local region are discussed in the ‘Wet Tropics Cluster report’ that can be found on the Climate Change in Australia website http://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au/en/.

Temperature increases by the end of the century may be of little consequence to some; however the implications of other changes within the climate system are having and will continue to have effects on the natural environment and society into the future.

Climate projections for the future are based on a number of global circulation models. The degree to which change will happen in a component of the system is given with confidence levels due to the agreement between models and level of certainty in expert opinion.

For the local region there is very high confidence in:

  • Continued increases in mean, maximum and minimum temperatures
  • Increases in temperature on the hottest days, frequency of hot days and duration of warm spells
  • Ongoing sea level rise
  • Continued increases in sea surface temperature

For further information visit: http://www.climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au/en/.

Seasonal Forecasting workshops a success

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Local farmers from Walkerston and Proserpine at a workshop on seasonal forecasting.
Seasonal Forecasting workshops proved popular with local farmers, providing an understanding of the climate drivers that impact on our weather.

Seasonal Forecasting workshops were held last month in Walkerston and Proserpine for interested growers, land managers and extension providers to better understand the climate drivers that impact on our weather.

The workshops also provided information on tools to use for medium-term forecasts to help improve decision-making on farm.

The workshops were an integrated effort by Reef Catchments Sustainable Agriculture and Climate programs and were held in partnership with the Qld Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry and University of Southern Queensland (USQ). Both workshops were full to capacity with over 60 participants attending the two workshops.

Professor Roger Stone from USQ commenced the day discussing climate patterns that influence the local weather and medium-term climate patterns.

These included the winds across the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), latitude of the sub-tropical ridge, the Quasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO) and the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO). Phases of the SOI can be used to determine probabilities of future rainfall and temperature while information on trends in climate and oceanic patterns available on the web can also be a useful source for making medium to longer term management decisions.

Roger continued to explain that Australia has the highest annual rainfall variability in the world, with the Mackay Whitsunday region having higher variability than other parts of Australia.

This natural variability has huge implications for those making decisions that can be influenced by the climate such as pesticide/ fertiliser use, harvesting, marketing, crop sequence or crop type.

The day progressed with examples of maps that can be accessed via the web indicating the state of sea surface temperatures and wind anomalies along the equator (that indicate trends for the SOI) and rainfall probability maps. The final sessions focussed on participants using the tools to determine the rainfall outlook linked to farm management decisions.

Workshop evaluations showed that participants found the sessions extremely useful with 88% of respondents better able to consider climate risk in their business/ industry and 76% considered that using the products discussed would assist them to determine the probability of rainfall in the season ahead. The majority (86%) of respondents also stated they would use the seasonal forecasting information presented in future decision-making.

 

 

Hardwood farm forestry trial established at Bloomsbury

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Reef Catchments Chris Dench and Peter Muller with cane grower Max McFarlane examining soils at the farm forestry site at Bloomsbury.
Reef Catchments Chris Dench and Peter Muller with cane grower Max McFarlane examining soils at the farm forestry site at Bloomsbury.

A small trial is being established at Max McFarlanes property at Bloomsbury on the O’Connell River as part of Reef Catchments Sustainable Agriculture program.

The trial site is too stoney for growing cane but will provide information on alternative crops (in particular fence posts and poles) that can be grown in those small areas on many farms in the district that are marginal for cane.

Farm forestry in the region has to date been limited. The Managed Investment Schemes saw cane land taken out of production and ultimately failing, partly due to inappropriate species. Farm forestry has also been a bitter pill for many tree growers also with Cyclone Ului damaging many trees throughout the region.

There have been some lessons learnt with species planted – one being that the trees may look good for the first couple of years, but two years to make judgement is too short; particularly with the variability in climate that can happen within the region.

Over at least the last 20 years there has been a number of schemes that have encouraged small-scale farm forestry. To date, there has been insufficient monitoring of the performance of most of these trials, however a report produced in 2009 by the Queensland government details some of the better performing taxa. This and other reports have been utilised in determining the potential best performers for the site.

The trial has been designed as a fully replicated experimental trial and includes six hardwood species. These are: Black ironbox (Eucalytpus raveretiana), two provenances of Gympie messmate (E. cloeziana), grey gum (E. longistrata) and two species of spotted gum (Corymbia citriodora ssp. citriodora and C. citriodora ssp. variegata). It is intended to monitor survival initially with the trial and with time to monitor growth (height and diameter). Other parameters that will need to be monitored include form and susceptibilities (insect damage and pathogen attack).

This trial is part of Reef Catchments Sustainable Agriculture program, with funding from the Queensland Government.

For more information contact Dr Robyn Bell on robyn.bell@reefcatchments.com