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Network News
Winter/ Djilba 2024
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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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Dear Geo,
Although there was a delayed start to the rains this year, Djilba is well and truly here. Gardeners and farmers alike have been celebrating the damp richness that winter rain across the Geographe Catchment brings to the soil, revegetating creek lines and coastal reserves, updating their garden designs with FireWise principles in mind, building catios to protect native wildlife, and learning about new methods to look after their pastures.
Read on for all the news on what we have been up to in the Geographe Catchment.
Photo: Winter is well and truly here in the Geographe Catchment.
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Are you passionate about ensuring a sustainable future for our catchment and eager to make a difference in your community? Join the GeoCatch Board and become a representative for the Geographe Catchment community.
As a board member, you'll have the opportunity to have your say representing the community and work alongside other dedicated individuals committed to environmental conservation and sustainable agricultural production.
By joining the GeoCatch Board, you can ensure that the unique challenges and perspectives of land managers are heard and addressed. Your experience is invaluable in shaping initiatives that promote soil health, water quality, and biodiversity. This is your chance to step up, contribute to meaningful projects, and help drive positive change in our catchment.
Be the voice of the community and make a lasting impact—apply to join the GeoCatch Board today! Applications close 4.30 pm 28th August.
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Western Ringtail Possum News | |
Catio rebate now available
Cat owners are invited to access funds to install a catio (cat enclosure) to keep their cat and wildlife safe at home. GeoCatch is offering a second round of Catio Rebates worth $200 each as part of a successful Community Stewardship Grant application.
Following on from the success of the first catio rebate across the Geographe Bay catchment in 2023, the rebates are now available to cat owners living within the City of Busselton, Shire of Augusta Margaret River, Shire of Capel and Shire of Donnybrook – Balingup.
Find out more here.
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Celebrating Men's Sheds
GeoCatch are celebrating the wonderful work of our local Men’s Sheds and their efforts to protect our local wildlife, including the critically endangered Western Ringtail Possum.
For more information and to check their products including custom made possum boxes, catio accessories and bat boxes, click here.
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Catio cats on the increase
An increasing number of local cat owners are opting to keep their cats contained in catios, a fully enclosed outdoor space connected to a house that allows cats freedom to spend time outside while keeping wildlife safe. Responsible cat owners flocked into Margaret River Mitre 10 for a DIY Catio Building Workshop to learn how to build and maintain their own catio.
For more catio resources, click here.
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Students plant possum habitat
A big THANKS to students from Busselton Senior High School, Georgiana Molloy Anglican School and Capel Primary School who have helped to plant over 1000 trees in our catchment this winter.
The new trees will help to reconnect fragmented habitat that is home to the critically endangered Western Ringtail Possum.
Read more.
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FireWise gardens look great and improve safety
Is your garden Bushfire Ready? Now is the perfect time to re-design your garden and get some FireWise plants in the ground. So what is a FireWise garden?
Dunsborough Fire Station, GeoCatch, and The Forever Project held an interactive community workshop to demonstrate the principles of FireWise garden design. During the workshop, participants got to see what it takes to design and create a FireWise garden as the finishing touches were put on a brand new FireWise garden installation at the fire station.
Award-winning landscape restoration expert and author Chris Ferreira from The Forever Project demonstrated that designing a new garden or adapting an existing home landscape to be Bushfire Ready can be relatively straightforward and cost-effective.
Click here to find out more about FireWise gardening
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Watch as Chris Ferreira explains what a FireWise garden is. | |  |
Chris explains the key design principles of FireWise design. | | |
Got a group? Run a workshop!
Do you have a community group, grassroots environmental team, or even a bunch of interested neighbourhood gardeners who want to learn more about how to get the best results in your garden? Well, you can do what the Nannas for Native Forests have just done, get GeoCatch along to run a free workshop for your group!
GeoCatch’s Bay OK Gardens officer, Lisa Massey, caught up with the Nannas for Native Forests at their monthly catch-up and ran a short version of the “6 Principles of Bay OK Gardening” for the group, which came at the perfect time as they are currently undertaking some infill planting on their “pocket forest” and planning for future revegetation sites.
To book a workshop with Lisa, call GeoCatch on 0491 069 078 or email lisa.massey@dwer.wa.gov.au
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Farmers fired up about biochar
Local farmers’ interest was sparked at GeoCatch’s ‘Discovering Biochar: A Guide for Farmers, Foresters, and Gardeners’ workshop, gaining a newfound respect
and enthusiasm for biochar and how it can be incorporated in an agricultural setting.
Read more.
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Liquid gold helping farmers renew paddocks
At a recent workshop, Mark Tupman, from Productive Ecology, delved into the invisible world of biological treatments utilising compost and worm extracts, giving farmers practical techniques for incorporating compost extracts into their farming practices.
Innovative applications such as large-scale seed coating, foliar sprays, and furrow treatments for seeding were demonstrated throughout the workshop. These advanced farming techniques are helping farmers leverage the potential of natural resources for pasture production and soil health.
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Revitalising Geographe Waterways | |
Vasse Estuary sediment removal project complete
A project to remove 780 cubic meters of sludge from the Vasse Estuary to help reduce odours for nearby Wonnerup residents has been completed.
The project has been delivered through a partnership between Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) and Water Corporation, who implemented an innovative technique to remove and dispose of the sediment.
Read more
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Flood protection in Busselton bus tour
Community members are invited on a bus tour of the Geographe Catchment for a unique insight into Busselton's drainage network.
Join infrastructure managers from the Water Corporation and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to learn how this system works, the role of flood modeling, and response measures. The bus tour will visit key drainage infrastructure sites:
- Sabina River detention basin
- Vasse diversion drain
- Vasse Estuary surge barrier
- Wonnerup sand bar
Bookings are essential, book here.
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GeoCatch have a range of resources that can be loaned from our Busselton office. This includes:
- Pottiputkis and belted planting buckets to help with your winter planting
- Tree planting augers (75mm x 450mm) to fit standard drill
- 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, email geocatch@dwer.wa.gov.au, or complete the form here.
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Phone: 0491 069 078
Email: geocatch@dwer.wa.gov.au
Website: geocatch.asn.au
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