Network News
December 2022
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GeoCatch acknowledges the Wadandi Saltwater people, the Traditional Owners of this land, and recognise their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. |
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Greetings!
This year GeoCatch celebrates its 25th anniversary working in the Geographe Catchment!
We are now well and truly into the Noongar season of Birak, with warm weather and flowering plants all around. Keep an eye out for the stunning Nuytsia floribunda (WA Christmas tree), or the stunning blue hibiscus. The picture below is from our Bay OK garden next door to Busselton Senior High School.
Easterly winds often dominate the mornings during Birak, giving a crisp offshore wind and a cooling sea breeze in the afternoon. As we approach the summer solstice, the days are becoming hotter, but the nights will usually remain cooler, with the sea breeze helping to take the heat out of the air.
In Geographe Catchment, the winter creeks and rivers are drying up, with dams and waterholes still holding a good supply of water for wildlife refuges in summer.
Our GeoCatch staff and project officers have been busy as always, delivering exciting and meaningful on-ground projects across the catchment. Recent project highlights include waterwise gardening workshops, school programs to learn about the critically endangered western ringtail possum, farmer workshops, and many other projects. Catch up with all our activities below to see what we have been up to.
- The GeoCatch Team
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Celebrating 25 Years of GeoCatch |
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GeoCatch recognises achievements of rural community and launches new initiative, ‘Geographe Farmers Protecting Geographe Bay’ |
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Farmers from across the catchment were celebrated at GeoCatch’s annual Farmer Sundowner at Geographe Bay Yacht Club.
The blue water of Geographe Bay was the perfect backdrop for farmers and partners from industry and government to reflect on the collaborative efforts over the past 12 months.
The evening held special significance for several different reasons including acknowledging the contribution that GeoCatch has had in the Geographe community for 25 years, with the first sustainable agriculture project being undertaken back in 1997.
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A Year in Review 2021 - 2022 |
Our achievements over the past 25 years are definitely a collective effort, with contributions from our farming community and urban residents, all working towards a better environment in our local catchment.
At our recent AGM, we shared our achievements over the past financial year - we've definitely been busy!
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GeoCatch joins Dunsborough Primary for 10th Annual Bay OK Day |
Over 700 students from Dunsborough Primary School descended on Geographe Bay for the annual Bay OK Day. Staff from GeoCatch were on hand to help students better understand the importance of looking after Geographe Bay and the surrounding environment. Excited students started the day walking from the school to the Old Dunsborough boat ramp to take part in environmental-themed educational activities.
Now in its 10th year, Bay OK Day helps local students and families better understand the importance of Geographe Bay to our community and gives them the skills and knowledge to look after our natural environment. Over this time, more than 7000 students have participated in the program.
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Do you want to give your cat outdoor access to fresh air, allow it to bask in the sun, and observe the world while remaining safe on your property?
GeoCatch is offering a rebate for cat owners to install a new cat enclosure for their beloved feline. Eligible cat owners need to register for the rebate by 31st March, and have the enclosure installed by 30th June 2023.
For more information and to register for the rebate, click here.
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Possums for the Christmas Tree |
In the lead-up to the festive season, 52 students from Vasse Primary School constructed western ringtail possum ornaments for their Christmas trees. The craft activity used recycled honkey nuts (eucalyptus seed pods) and hand-made embossed clay wheels to create the decorations.
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Busselton and Dunsborough residents have turned their torches to the trees for the 2022 Western Ringtail Possum Tally. An increase in participation by residents in the annual Ringtail Tally has helped improve the understanding of western ringtail possum habitat in urban backyards and public open space. In its 7th consecutive year, the Tally builds a reliable set of baseline data in the Geographe Bay Catchment and across the south-west.
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Wildflower wizards turn gardeners into conservationists |
Local homeowners are encouraging birds and wildlife into their gardens by planting native wildflowers after attending a workshop held at the ArtGeo Cultural Complex. As part of the WA Wildflower and Environment Show, gardening guru Chris Ferreira and wildflower whiz Dr. Eddy Wajon presented a fascinating insight into growing WA wildflowers, turning 70 gardeners into urban conservationists.
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Garden Guardians are superheroes |
Bussleton’s Vasse-Wonnerup wetlands provide the most significant breeding habitat for black swans in Western Australia, and regularly supports over 20,000 waterbirds. One of the major threats facing these important wetlands is excess nutrient run-off from surrounding households and farms.
With funding from the National Landcare Program, South West Catchments Council (SWCC) worked with GeoCatch on a 15-month behaviour change program called ‘Garden Guardians of the Bay’, featuring local residents as ‘superheroes’ of the much-loved Geographe Bay.
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South West gardeners become waterwise for summer |
Local homeowners are preparing their gardens to survive a hot summer with water-efficient irrigation, clever garden design, and soil amendments to ensure water and nutrients are retained in the soil for plants to access. Garden Guru and WA media celebrity Darren Seinor ran a workshop at Origins Market, teaching participants about waterwise gardening in preparation for summer.
Hosted by GeoCatch’s Bay OK Gardens project, participants learned how to set up a waterwise garden and prepare for hot weather. Sharing his wealth of knowledge as a professional landscaper and certified waterwise irrigator, Darren demonstrated the process he follows when establishing a new garden or preparing an existing garden for summer.
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Plant your verge with GeoCatch |
PROGRAM FULL: after an outstanding response from local gardeners, the "Plant Your Verge" program is now full.
GeoCatch is still providing advice for people wanting to redevelop their verge. You will enjoy the benefits of growing a native verge garden, including:
– Less lawn to maintain, mow and fertilise
– Increased water efficiency
– Providing habitat for local insects, birds and animals
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Industry expert explains nutrients in your garden |
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Shannon White from Baileys Fertilisers informed participants about products they can use in their gardens to ensure plants are getting the nutrients and water they need to thrive.
He explained that gardeners with sandy soils can employ several measures to improve their soil so that the fertiliser and water applied to their gardens stays where plants can use it instead of running off into the local catchment.
“If the sand can be improved, fertiliser runoff or movement through the sand by irrigation or rain can be dramatically reduced. Your plants will see an increased benefit.”
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Friends of Reserves looking for volunteers in the Geographe Catchment |
Do you love living in the South West and our beautiful bushland? Do you have a passion for the environment and want to leave a positive legacy for future generations?
The City of Busselton is looking for volunteers to help care for City managed reserves by joining one of its environmental volunteer groups (Friends of Reserves). With 15 active Friends of Reserve groups across the district, chances are that there is one nearby to join. The Friends of Reserves groups undertake some fantastic work in the Geographe catchment, which helps to protect our rivers, estuaries and Geographe Bay.
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Upcoming Events and Workshops |
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DIY Catio (Cat Enclosure) Workshop
Creating a beautiful space for cats and wildlife in your backyard.
Learn how to build a cat enclosure, including materials, tools, design, cat enrichment, installation, and how to create a beautiful drought-friendly garden & lawn within and surrounding your catio.
• Featuring Chris Ferreira & Eco Builder Matty Noakes from The Forever Project
• Cat Behaviouralist Dr. Heather Crawford
• Catio Rebate scheme for Geographe Bay Catchment cat owners.
• Educational stalls & advice on cat ownership, wildlife, and gardening.
WHERE: Busselton Bunnings ( 115 Strelly Street)
WHEN: 11am – 2pm Saturday 4th February
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Possum Avoidance Training for Dogs
Teach your dog possum avoidance techniques with local dog trainer Asher Lindberg from Geo Bay Dog Training.
If you have possums in your backyard and have issues with your dog jumping on the fence, barking or attacking possums, then this event is for you.
WHERE: Busselton
WHEN: Saturday 14th January.
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GeoCatch Resources available for loan |
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Did you know that GeoCatch have a range of resources that can be borrowed through our Busselton office. This includes:
- Pottiputkis and belted planting buckets to help with your winter planting
- Fox & feral cats traps
- Dieback treatment kits
- Library resources such as CSIRO's latest book 'Natural Asset Farming: Creating Productive and Biodiverse Farms'.
To organise a loan of any of our resources, contact GeoCatch on 0491 069 078 or email geocatch@dwer.wa.gov.au
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Revitalising Geographe Waterways |
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Community learn about the Vasse Surge Barrier |
Around 20 community members have taken the opportunity to hear from managers of the Vasse Wonnerup wetlands on how the surge barriers operate and are managed. GeoCatch hosted the event at the Vasse surge barrier in response to community members asking how the surge barriers worked and how management decisions are made.
The surge barriers were originally installed at the exit channels on both the Vasse and Wonnerup estuaries in 1908 to protect low-lying areas in the City of Busselton from flooding with seawater during storm surges. The barriers were upgraded in 2004 to the current structure that includes gates within the barrier to allow fish movement and seawater inflows. Dave Mayger from the Water Corporation explained how the gates operated over winter months to release water flows from the catchment and over summer months to improve water quatliy and reduce the risk of fish kills.
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Vasse Wonnerup Wetlands - Improving water quality |
To find out what is being done to improve water quality in the Vasse Wonnerup wetlands, click here for an information sheet. |
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Stirling Wetlands revegetation funding success |
Great news for the Stirling wetlands, south of Capel, with GeoCatch, in partnership with Water Corporation, being successful in receiving funding through the ‘2022 State NRM Program Community Stewardship Grant’.
The wetlands provide important habitat for waterbirds including the Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) and Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) each year.
Over the past 12 months, farmers with properties adjacent to the Stirling Wetlands have been engaging with GeoCatch Project Officer, Michelle Hughes, to provide insights into their interactions with the wetlands, and along with Department of Water & Environmental Regulation's (DWER) extensive water monitoring and flora and fauna surveys, will assist with the development of the Stirling Wetlands Management Plan.
The State NRM funding will complement the Management Plan project, by supporting landholders to undertake revegetation and weed control to enhance the biodiversity values of the wetland.
A fantastic win for our local environment!
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Geographe Soil Testing Program |
The latest round of the Geographe catchment soil testing program is now well underway, with soil testing being undertaken across 39 farms covering over 7200ha of farmland. As global fertiliser prices continue to increase, the program is critical not only in reducing nutrient input into our waterways, but also for farmers trying to save on fertiliser costs.
The program provides farmers with a wealth of resources and an increased understanding of one of their most important assets: their soil. All farmers involved receive whole-farm soil testing, colour-coded nutrient maps, plant tissue testing, and access to one-on-one Fertcare Accredited agronomic advice.
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Nutrient Best Management Practices |
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After 2 years in development, the Nutrient Best Management Practices (BMPs) for beef, sheep and dairy grazing enterprises were launched in late August, by Dave Kelly, Minister for Water.
The guidelines provide farmers with practical advice on managing nutrients on-farm to optimise nutrient use efficiency and reduce nutrient loss, saving farmers money and reducing impacts on the environment.
They have been developed with input from local Geographe farmers, fertiliser and grazing industries, scientists, agronomists, and catchment groups, including GeoCatch.
To see how your farm compares against grazing best practice, email Jenelle or Michelle geocatch@dwer.wa.gov.au to receive a free, customised Nutrient Plan for your property.
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Dairy Farmers Benchmarked against new code of practice |
The latest review of dairy effluent management on South West farms by Western Dairy has shown considerable improvement in the areas of storing and reusing effluent since the last review in 2016. The review provided the opportunity to revisit benchmarking of effluent management across Healthy Estuaries WA catchments following upgrade work completed under the Dairycare project (2017–21).
Dairy effluent is “any solid and/or liquid matter from faeces, urine, wastewater from milking, cleaning and yard wash-down activities on dairy farms” (Western Dairy, 2021).
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Welcome to Amy Our, our new GeoCatch Coordinator |
GeoCatch would like to introduce and welcome our new Coordinator, Amy Oud. Amy has an extensive background working as an Environmental Scientist and Consultant with a range of government agencies, advising on some of Australia's largest infrastructure and resource projects.
Living in Margaret River with her family, Amy fits in perfectly with the GeoCatch team with her love of nature and gardening. Welcome Amy!
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We thank Jen for the 19 years she has contributed to bringing GeoCatch to the Geographe community. She has always brought generosity and willingness to every project she’s involved in. She will be greatly missed.
Jen was with GeoCatch from its outset in 1997, working on Rivercare and Coastal projects. She ran GeoCatch’s highly successful Ribbons of Blue education program for many years. School kids and teachers alike adored Jen, and when Ribbons of Blue ended, she started GeoCatch’s Bay OK schools program.
Leaving for a few years in 2014, Jen returned to GeoCatch in 2018, taking on the role as GeoCatch Coordinator. Always a mentor to staff with an amazing knowledge of all things NRM, we have been so fortunate to have Jen leading the GeoCatch team.
Congratulations Jen on your retirement, we wish you all the best in your next adventure!
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