Environment

SEARCH FOR INFORMATION: Organic farmer Don McKenzie at his Jeparit property.

Posted by Weekly Advertiser in Environment on 08 Sep 2010 at 05:14 am

By MELISSA POULIOT Organic farmer Don McKenzie says research and planning will be key tools when it comes to dealing with a potential locust plague in the region this spring and summer. And the Jeparit district farmer is among many starting his quest for information now. He wants what’s best for the farm he runs in partnership with nephew Brenton McKenzie, what’s best for his neighbours and he’s not forgetting what’s best for the environment in the process. And he reckons the stakes can be too high for all concerned if they don’t do their homework. “It’s definitely not a time to panic but we do need to be vigilant and have a plan,” Don says. “And we need to all be aware of our responsibilities and work with our neighbours. We also need to be aware of the regulations out there that affect those neighbours, waterways and sensitive areas. “Really – the spraying is the simple part. It’s the lead up to the situation, knowing the legalities of what you’re doing and what could happen if you do the wrong thing that is hard.” The McKenzie farm, which produces cereal crops and sheep, has been certified organic since 2003. Don and Brenton expect to rely on bio-pesticide Green Guard as a spraying option if needed because it does not impact their organic certification. While supplies ...
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Latest Images Environment

SEARCH FOR INFORMATION: Organic farmer Don McKenzie at his Jeparit property.

BACK TO LIFE: A close-up of ‘black boys’ – grasstree Xanthorrhoea – recovering in the Grampians after the 2006 fires.

COVERED: Gumboots, wet weather coats and beanies were the order of the day at the Hindmarsh Plantout.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Residents along Mount Dryden Road near Lake Lonsdale, between Halls Gap and Stawell, said this Mount William Creek spillway overflowed for the first time in more than a decade after a major storm swept through the region last week.

JOB DONE: Grampians to Little Desert Biolink volunteers surrounded by their completed planting near Jilpanger, with the threatened swamp sheoak stand in the background.

Wildlife rescue worker Karen Cramer is spending 24 hours a day, seven days a week caring for orphaned and injured animals at her Nhill shelter. The latest addition to her menagerie are joeys Macca, left, and Wattle, rescued from the pouches of kangaroos killed on roads. Despite increasing costs, Karen has asked only for donations of tissues and other materials to help raise and nurse her extended family.

JESS WHAT I NEEDED: American volunteer Jess monitors the reintroduced Candy spider-orchid plants in Devils Garden State Forest.

HOT SPOTS: This map from Geo Science Victoria shows areas of geothermal energy in Victoria.

DIGGING DEEP: Bernie Rudolph plants a tree while other volunteers look on at the 2009 Project Platypus plantout weekend.

AFRICAN GUEST: Mrs Barry hosted chef Adut Chol and her children at last year’s Yarrilinks.

DIGGING IN: Participants in the International Students Volunteers program work with DSE biodiversity staff in the Wimmera.

TO WALK: Wimmera Catchment Management Authority is calling for volunteers to plant 2000 indigenous plants at Yanga Track, downstream of Horsham Weir.

WIGGLE IT: Worms can help reduce waste and also create fantastic fertiliser for gardens.

THE BACHELOR: One of the male platypuses captured by a study team in the MacKenzie River last week.

OUT WEST: Area covered by the Western Region Sustainable Water Strategy.

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Rocklands benefit

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 08/09/2010 at 05:03 PM

Tourism as well as flexibility in regional supply looms as a spin-off benefit from water rushing into Rocklands Reservoir.

Business operators at Balmoral have reported a growing level of interest from holidaymakers as the reservoir level h...

Birds flock to Hindmarsh

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 01/09/2010 at 02:33 PM

Birdlife arriving at Lake Hindmarsh near Jeparit has prompted authorities to start gathering fresh data about the impact of water on northern Wimmera wildlife.

Catchment officers have responded to reports that water flowing into the previo...

Landholders sessions to prepare for locusts

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 01/09/2010 at 02:30 PM

Wimmera Mallee landholders have a chance to hone their spraying skills in preparation for the spring locust threat.

Renowned crop-spraying authority Bill Gordon will speak during a series of free locust information updates at Warracknabeal...

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 25/08/2010 at 03:17 PM

How the natural landscape recovers after fire will be among hot topics at the 13th annual Wimmera Biodiversity Seminar on September 2.

Fire ecologist Kevin Tollhurst, who was part of the Royal Commission investigation of the 2009 Black Sat...

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 25/08/2010 at 03:13 PM

By MELISSA POULIOT

Bob McMaster reckons he took on Mother Nature after clearing part of his Lake Hindmarsh block for agriculture and she won hands down.

But the hobby farmer from Jeparit district isn’t bearing any grudges. He’s inspired...

Just add water

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 25/08/2010 at 12:49 PM

By DEAN LAWSON

Regional catchment monitors have predicted massive improvements in the environmental condition of stretches of the Wimmera River with water quality transforming from saline to fresh in a matter of hours.

Wimmera Catchment...

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 18/08/2010 at 05:24 PM

Wimmera catchment leaders are celebrating the ‘perfect timing’ of late winter rain and an environmental water release.

The rain places Wimmera Catchment Management Authority in a rare position of being able to halt environmental water rele...

Water for river, lakes

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 11/08/2010 at 10:23 AM

Water managers will release water into the Wimmera River and nine recreational lakes as the region reaps the benefits of completed Wimmera Mallee and Northern Mallee pipeline projects.

Water authority GWMWater will release up to 4595 megal...

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 04/08/2010 at 03:56 PM

“This was my first planting weekend, and I’ll definitely come to another.”

That was a common feeling as volunteers gathered to revegetate six hectares of land near Jilpanger, halfway between Edenhope and Horsham.

Volunteers planted 3000 t...

Posted by Weekly Advertiser from Horsham
in Environment
on 04/08/2010 at 02:40 PM

By DEAN LAWSON

Nhill’s Karen Cramer has a large and colourful extended family. Like most families, the individuals in her care are a mix of personalities – the noisy and the quiet, the rebellious and the shy.

But Karen’s extended family i...

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Environment

Latest Images Environment

Rocklands benefit

Birds flock to Hindmarsh

Landholders sessions to prepare for locusts

Fire recovery tops seminar

Win for Mother Nature

Just add water

Rain and flow – ‘perfect timing’

Water for river, lakes

Planting a sense of togetherness

Feeding young ‘family’