News

Soil health community grants support carbon project

The value of native vegetation for storing carbon is well accepted by farmers as a form of greenhouse gas mitigation on their farms; but its capacity to increase soil carbon is largely unknown.

A project undertaken by Rutherglen Landcare Group has seen North East farmers conduct a series of detailed soil tests to determine the effects of different forms of native vegetation and exotic pastures on soils in the area.

North East landcare groups among Victorian Landcare Grant recipients

Twenty-six north east Victorian landcare groups will receive up to $30,000 in project grants and 10 groups will receive $500 support grants in the Victorian Landcare Grants for 2021.

The Victorian Government provides funding to support Landcare and environmental volunteering groups and networks for on-ground works, education, and capacity building projects that protect, enhance, and restore our land and natural environment.

A total of $4.09 million was provided for 206 project grants and 282 support grants across Victoria in 2021.

Grants were awarded to Landcare and environmental volunteering groups and networks that have a focus on on-ground land and natural environment improvement work.

Workshops explore the future of grape growing and winemaking

A series of workshops in north east Victoria this month will explore the future of grape growing and winemaking in a changing climate.

The Vineyards of the Future workshop series will be hosted by North East Wine Zone. This event is supported by North East Catchment Management Authority, AgBiz Assist and Agriculture Victoria with funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Supporting native species by managing carp in local waterways

A program initiated by Wangaratta Landcare and Sustainability Inc (WLS Inc) has removed tonnes of carp from the lower Ovens River in the past six years.

The work has been delivered in partnership with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (ARI) and the North East Catchment Management Authority (CMA).

Study finds Mountain Pygmy-possum eats variety of food, Bogong moth remains key

A study commissioned by the North East Catchment Management Authority (CMA) has found the threatened Mountain Pygmy-possum consumes a wide variety of plants and insects during its breeding season and its diet is not confined to the Bogong moth.

The study found the Bogong moth continues to be a key dietary item for the possum during its breeding season and in the rearing of its pouch young. It aimed to determine how important the moths and other food sources are to the possum’s diet throughout the remainder of the year.