For the past three and a half years the Lower Blackwood Land Conservation District Committee has been working with catchment landholders to improve the health of the Hardy inlet through a range of on-ground projects.
Activities include fencing and revegetation of waterways, whole of farm soil testing, pasture tissue testing and nutrient mapping, and through Project uPtake, fertiliser trials that aim to improve confidence in evidence-based fertiliser application recommendations that optimise production whilst reducing excess run off of nutrients into waterways and estuaries.
The LCDC's Joanna Wren said 2019 was a particularly busy year with the commencement of two additional sub projects.
"The Scott River Action Plan is a project to develop, in collaboration with the Scott River farming community, a set of feasible, farm-scale and land-use specific management options to improve water quality without compromising agricultural productivity.
"The Lower Blackwood Values Study aiming to understand drivers and barriers to riparian restoration on private properties with the district."
All work (with the exception of Project uPtake) has been funded through the Regional Estuaries Initiative (REI) - a four-year, $20 million Royalties for Regions program to improve the health of six South West estuaries being delivered in partnership with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DEWR).
The uPtake project is jointly funded through the Regional Estuaries Initiative and the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.
"Local landholders have enthusiastically engaged in all the projects to date with approximately 36km of fencing completed or allocated to protect waterways and remnant vegetation; the planting of 14ha of riparian vegetation; and the whole farm soil testing or planned testing of 63 properties."
The Scott River Action Plan and the Land Values Study Report are scheduled for release prior to the REI program completion in June 2020.
"Land holders have already seen the benefits of their work through improvements to farm infrastructure; improved biodiversity and wildlife corridors; and reduced bank erosion; plus the wider community benefit of contributing to the improvement of water quality in the Blackwood River and its tributaries."
There is still currently funding available for eligible landholders to fence off their creeklines and drains. Contact Joanna Wren at the Lower Blackwood LCDC to find out more via joanna.wren@lowerblackwood.com.au