GeoCatch NETWORK NEWS Winter 2018

GeoCatch-up | Sustainable agriculture | Upcoming events | From the GeoCatch Office | Celebrating our waterways

GeoCatch-up

Community confidence high in works to improve water... Over 75% of participants at the community update of the Revitalising Geographe Waterways program thought that the program was tracking well and were confident that it would achieve medium to long-term improvements in water quality.... Read more geocatch.asn.au Click here to check out the 2017 Revitalising Geographe Waterways Annual Report Reconnection reports for Lower Vasse and Toby Inlet... Two important technical reports into the outcomes of reconnecting waterways in the Lower Vasse and Toby Inlet have been released... Read more rgw.dwer.wa.gov.au Bay OK Gardening Workshops Two very popular Bay OK Gardening Workshops with gardening guru Neville Passmore were held in Dunsborough and Busselton on June 22 & 23. Neville shared expert tips on soil improvement and plant selection to suit our local conditions. Get advice on how to garden successfully with less fertiliser, water, money and effort, whilst also protecting local waterways and Geographe Bay by visiting the Bay OK Geographe Gardeners Resource Kit on our website. Creating habitat in Dunsborough 900 native seedlings were planted by community members on Sunday 29 th July at the wastewater pump station site in Dunsborough Lakes. Dunsborough Golf Club members did a great job helping and providing refreshments for the volunteers. In time, the vegetation will provide habitat for native fauna. Read more Study leads to targeted action on waterlilies | RGW A study into the influence of invasive aquatic weed, the Mexican waterlily on ecology and water quality of the lower Vasse River has been completed... Read more rgw.dwer.wa.gov.au Vasse Diversion Drain Works Begin - GeoCatch Have you noticed the large pile of boulders and rocks near the Vasse Diversion Drain on Bussell Highway? Keep a close eye on this site, because site preparation works are now underway for the Vasse Diversion Drain Enhancement. Read more geocatch.asn.au Demonstration gardens - a resource for the community Three Bay OK garden designs have been prepared by a local landscape architect. The designs vary to suit different budgets and tastes; there is a contemporary garden, formal garden and coastal cottage garden. One of the designs will soon be constructed on Clubhouse drive in Dunsborough Lakes so if you're looking to design a native garden, you'll find inspiration and information there to help you. Find more information on these and other local Bay OK demonstrations gardens on the GeoCatch website.

Possum Tally Thanks again to all who participated in the Autumn 2018 Possum Tally. Information gained from the Tally builds a reliable set of observation data that will improve our knowledge about where Western Ringtail Possums are found and in what numbers. Results of the Autumn Tally will be available in September. For more information about GeoCatch's possum conservation work visit our website.

Sustainable Agriculture

Revitalising Island Brook - GeoCatch The life of a dairy farmer can throw up its fair share of challenges. Never ones to shy from challenge, Metricup's Rowley and Jay Hart have taken on a different type of the challenge - partnering with GeoCatch to protect and restore a section... Read more geocatch.asn.au Great uptake by local farmers for soil testing program The 2018 Farm soil testing program led by GeoCatch in the Geographe catchment is now fully subscribed. The soil testing program provides farmers with soil testing, whole of farm colour nutrient maps and access to agronomic advice. Farmers involved in the 2017 soil testing program will soon be able to see the results of their fertiliser adjustments after tissue testing and agronomic analysis is complete. Soil testing is an important tool to help farmers make informed decision on their fertiliser use. Improving fertiliser use has been a key focus of GeoCatch, to keep nutrients on farm and out of waterways, saving farmers money and improving water quality.

Farmers get hands-on with fertiliser spreaders - GeoCatch Farmers in the Geographe Catchment gained a better understanding of the accuracy of their fertiliser spreaders at an Accuspread field day. A properly tested and calibrated spreader is beneficial for better productivity and... Read more geocatch.asn.au

New soil trial to help dairy farms reduce nutrient... A new soil amendment trial that aims to reduce the loss of nutrients to waterways has been established at one of the largest dairy farms in the south west of WA. A partnership between a Yoongarillup dairy farmer, the Department of Water and... Read more rgw.dwer.wa.gov.au

Effluent management plans for system success... Local dairy farmers are putting the final touches on their effluent management plans to ensure nutrients are captured and reused on the farm and not flowing off into our creeks and rivers... Read more geocatch.asn.au

Upcoming Events

Fertiliser Training GeoCatch is holding Fertwise Fertiliser Training for the local garden industry and turf managers in August. This is a full day of training in sustainable turf establishment and how to calculate rates of application of nutrients. Well respected turf expert from South Metropolitan Tafe, John Forrest will present Fertwise.  Register

GeoCatch Frog Discovery Night Walk with 'The Frog Doctor' Join GeoCatch for a Frog Discovery Night Walk with ‘The Frog Doctor’ AKA Frog expert Johnny Prefumo. Bring the kids for a magical winter’s night excursion. Learn about and SEE local frog species in their natural habitat. Register now as spaces are limited. Register

Register

Western R ingtail Possum Open Day! Don't miss FAWNA's Western Ringtail Open Day where you'll hear from a range of speakers on all things possums including: Possum friendly gardens Western Ringtail Possum citizen science project The regulations and the recovery program Peppies for Possums Possum bridges Responsible Pet Ownership Cultural significance Vets and their role Bookings are essential as spaces are limited.

Get involved in the Waterbug Blitz! The National Waterbug Blitz is a nationwide, citizen science, waterway monitoring event. The National Waterbug Blitz team are seeking expressions of interest for groups interested in the opportunity to receive free training on the collection and identification of macroinvertebrates and being part of a national assessment of waterway health. Find more information at the NWB website. If you're interested in participating in a training session, please complete the EOI form HERE.

From the GeoCatch Office

GeoCatch Coordinator Hayley Bain is taking a well earned break to work on her next project - a baby! Staff at the GeoCatch/DWER office farewelled GeoCatch Coordinator Hayley Bain last week as she headed off on maternity leave. We wish Hayley all the very best for the safe arrival of her new family member. The wonderful Jen Mitchell has joined the GeoCatch team to provide support whilst Hayley is away. Welcome Jen!

Celebrating our waterways

Capel River The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has been monitoring the water quality of the Capel River fortnightly since 2006. Data from 2008-2017 is presented in the table below. The data shows total nitrogen and phosphorous... Read more rgw.dwer.wa.gov.au

Carbunup River The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has been monitoring the water quality of the Carbunup River fortnightly since 2006. Read more rgw.dwer.wa.gov.au

Geographe Catchment Council | Phone: (08) 9781 0111 | Email: geocatch@dwer.wa.gov.au Website: https://geocatch.asn.au/

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