Mt Buckrabanyule - Opuntioid Cacti National Coordinator visit

The National Coordinator for Opuntioid Cacti, Shauna Potter visited Mt Buckrabanyule on Friday 16th November. Ms Potter is undertaking a tour of areas in Victoria to gather information on Wheel Cactus and other Opuntioid Cacti, and the works being undertaken to control these invasive weeds.

 

Along with representatives of the local Wychitella District Landcare Group, Parks Victoria, the North Central Catchment Management Authority and the Loddon Plains Landcare Network, the gathering enabled a broad ranging discussion on the Wheel Cactus infestation at Mt Buckrabanyule from a National through to local perspective.

 

The group visited some of the core infestations on the mountain and heard from locals as to some of the issues arising from the weed and it's control

The LPLN is developing a project proposal to help control the Wheel Cactus on the mountain, which is a main infestation and source in the district. The most effective treatment for Wheel Cactus control is stem and pad injection with glyphosate.

Photos (click to enlarge) by Anthony Gallacher: Core infestation of Wheel Cactus (top), locals and representatives (middle), a large Wheel Cactus specimen (bottom).

November Issue LPLN News

The November issue of the LPLN News has been released!

The newsletter can be downloaded from the Loddon Plains Landcare Network gateway portal. Follow this link.

Northern Plains CMN joins the LPLN

The Northern Plains Conservation Management Network (NPCMN) is the newest group to become a member of the Loddon Plains Landcare Network.

The NPCMN works with communities, government agencies and non-government organisations within the regional landscape to protect, enhance and promote grassland and woodland ecosystems. This is done through recognising and supporting a workable balance between biodiversity conservation and sustainable farming. The network administers and promotes the implementation of land management techniques such as pest plant and animal control, fencing and revegetation with the aim of increasing habitat quality and extent.

The NPCMN focal ecological communities are the nationally critically endangered Natural Grasslands of the Murray Valley Plains and the nationally endangered Buloke Woodland of the Riverina and Murray-Darling Depression Bioregions.

 

"We are very much looking forward to forging a strong and inspired partnership with the LPLN into the future to help secure and manage our remaining native flora and fauna." Beau Kent, NPCMN Facilitator.

Communities for Nature Small Grants - Open

The Communities for Nature Grants 2012 Small Grants Opportunity round has been released by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

The grants are targeted towards community groups tackling local environmental issues, with funds available up to $10,000 per project. Applications close on the 19th of December 2012.

More information is available on the DSE website here.