Community partnership to help flood recovery Four community-based organisations are banding together to help land managers across the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin as they start the long road to recovery.

Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) Chief Executive Officer Geoff Penton said the devastating floods might still be in force across much of the Maranoa-Balonne, Border Rivers, Darling Downs and South West but volunteers from QMDC, Landcare, Conservation Volunteers Australia, and importantly, Victoria’s BlazeAid were ready to help rural residents start the repair process.

“As everyone is aware, the region is in the grip of a major natural disaster and as community-driven and community-based organisations, we are all fully committed to flood recovery efforts,” Mr Penton said.

“The Basin Flood Recovery volunteer crews started work today, helping farmers on the Darling Downs but this effort will extend further into the Basin as more volunteers arrive, waters recede and access to impacted areas improves.

“This is a real team effort with volunteers from local communities already joining those from QMDC, Landcare Conservation Volunteers Australia and BlazeAid.”

The Australian Institute of Agricultural Science & Technology (AIAST) QLD Division Conference ‘Can Agriculture & Mining Co-Exist? – a science based perspective’ was held on 12 October 2010 in Toowoomba.

The event attracted well over 100 attendees and highlighted the challenge of co-existence for mining and agriculture.

Attendees heard from farmers, the Queensland Resources Council, and from scientists who were assisting with the development of sustainable agriculture and resource management policies for the Queensland Government.

Although all types of mining were under the spotlight, the focus of the conference centred on coal mining, and in particular coal seam gas (CSG) extraction.

Coal mining has expanded rapidly in Queensland both in the Fitzroy Basin and in the Surat Basin. Open Cut coal mining has been a major activity in Central Queensland while CSG extraction has proliferated in the Surat Basin.

A very informative Post-Event Report has been written by David Hamilton, one of our AIAST QLD Division members.

The Post-Event Report can be found at http://aiast.com.au

A forum to be held on 14 and 15 April at Maryborough Town Hall will give the community a chance to learn about opportunities for Indigenous organisations working in the environment and natural resource management sector. 

The Natural Resource Management Business & Indigenous Employment Forum has been organised by Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) and international conservation organisation Fauna & Flora International with support from the Qantas Foundation and the Department of Environment and Resource Management. 

Chris McCarthy, BMRG’s Murri Engagement and Projects Officer, said the forum will be an opportunity for people who want to engage with and learn from Indigenous organisations in the environment and natural resource management sector. 

“The forum will provide Indigenous individuals, groups and organisations with an opportunity to identify and discuss contracting needs, recruitment and employee retention challenges, opportunities for employers and employees, training needs and business management issues,” Mr McCarthy said. 

The forum will host a number of guest speakers from a number of organisations including the Bunya Mountains Murri Rangers Group and Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. 

This year, the Northern Gulf Resource Management Group (NGRMG) is initiating a long-term, region-wide environmental monitoring and evaluation project that will deliver regular annual, biannual or triannual reports on the health and change in condition of major environmental assets.

The Northern Gulf Resource Management Group (NGRMG) has been successful in obtaining funds from the State Governments’ Natural Resource Awareness Grants program to hold the Gulf’s very first Kids Environment Day on the 2^nd of September 2011 at Lake Belmore, Croydon.

Gulf Kids Environment Day will involve remote school students coming together to celebrate the environment by making presentations about local environmental issues and participating in biodiversity focussed activities such  as bird watching and bug catching. It is hoped that Gulf Kids Environment Day will become an annual event and will generate a greater environmental awareness.   The day also has a strong focus on team building and fostering the development of future environmental leaders. 

The NGRMG’s Regional Landcare Facilitator, Erica Blumson said “This is a chance to celebrate our kid’s contribution to the environment as well as fostering new opportunities to learn”. NGRMG will support schools in preparing presentations and will be inviting schools to participate in the coming weeks. Volunteers are welcome to assist with activities on the day. 

Daryl Hannah the prominent movie actress and environmental campaigner has recently spent two weeks rolling up her sleeves and getting her hands dirty in the soils of regional north Queensland. Throughout the Australian election the whole country has recently been held to ransom over issues such as regional Australia, climate change, biodeisels, ethanol, renewable energy, food security, population growth, health issues, and servicing Indigenous Australians. While these debates have consumed our political and media systems with a whole heap of talk, Daryl has simply got down, got dirty, got connected and got on with it.

 Presentations delivered at the Inaugural Reef Rescue Showcase held last month in Cairns are now available. The presentations include:

• A focus on best-practice science and engagement | NQ Dry Tropics
• Strong partnerships and sound delivery model engaging cane growers in the Lower Burdekin | NQ Dry Tropics
• An overview of Reef Rescue | Mike Berwick
• Partnerships for Practice Change | Fitzroy Basin Association
• Grains BMP program - boosting productivity and reef water quality | Grains BMP officers and participants
• What we understand and what we need to understand better: the change in research focus | Hugh Yorkston, GBRMPA
• Underpinning science to target improved practice change | Fitzroy Basin Association
• Industry-wide Reef Rescue projects - big picture projects helping out regional growers and graziers
• Milking the P's to change: powerful partnerships using performing programs, precision planning and proven practices | Rick Kowitz, Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation
• Horticulture: in partnership with the Reef | Growcom
• Healthy Country: managing the land for healthy waterways - a case study from SEQ | SEQ Catchments
• Reef Rescue success in the Wet Tropics | Terrain