Archive for February, 2016
Log onto Landcare – Paddi, Harry and David’s Voiceovers
February 25th, 2016 | 
Author: We began 2016 with a windfall when our treasurer, Marilyn Gray, attended the Peel Chamber of Commerce & Industry event and won us an advertising package on Coast/6mm Radio!
We wanted to use our airtime to encourage our community to be involved in natural resource management, so we approached three ‘community champions’ of our not-for-profit organisation to speak our words for us.
Paddi Creevey, Harry Nannup and David Rennie lent their voices to a campaign which features three individually spoken 30 second radio commercials, closing with the tag ‘Log onto Landcare’ and our website.
Their voices have such power and passion, we wanted to share the commercials with you here:
Posted in 
Green Growth Plan – Andy Gulliver 6mm Interview
16 February 2016…Listen in to the radio podcast of Peel-Harvey Catchment Council chairman Andy Gulliver with Radio 6mm Focus On The Peel host Paddi Creevey & The Drive Through host Peter Rowe. This program aired earlier this week and focuses on the Green Growth Plan public forum and how members of the public can have their say on the future of the region. As Andy Gulliver says in this podcast ‘…let’s be an informed community that contributes to its own future!’
For the podcast, click here.
For more information, including how you can make a submission, click here. The draft documents in the Green Growth Plan are open for public comments until 8 April 2016.
Clean Up Peel Waterways – 1-31 March 2016
Clean Up Peel Waterways is an initiative running during March 2016 which sees eighteen (18) community groups and supporters coming together to improve the health of the Peel Waterways.
If you are interested in attending a Clean Up Event, please find an event close to you and contact the co-ordinator of the particular event.
You can view the entire program here:
Click here to download the PDF flyer.
Clean Up Peel Waterways is coordinated by the Friends of Rivers, Peel with principal supporter Peel-Harvey Catchment Council.
Community Members Gain White Cards
Community member Baron Kelly (centre) and Peel-Harvey Catchment Council project officers Johanne Garvey and Jordon Garbellini with their national White Cards.
11 February 2016…Eight local Noongar community members have recently completed training and gained their national CITC White Card (Construction Induction Training Card) in an initiative of the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council (PHCC) designed to build their future employment capacity in Natural Resource Management.
The White Card covers the National Code of Practice for construction work which has been endorsed by Safe Work Australia. It covers risks and hazards in the workplace and delivers a nationally consistent approach to construction training given to workers across Australia.
“There is more opportunity for jobs with a White Card – it’s for life,” said local community member Baron Kelly.
PHCC chairman Andy Gulliver said the risk assessment training covered is applicable for on-ground works such as those undertaken by the PHCC and the Noongar community members on Landcare projects.
“White Cards from any Australian state or territory are recognised nationally and are a key factor in accessing jobs. The practical training addresses a barrier identified by our community. It benefits both the PHCC and the participants of the course as we can do more together to manage the catchment’s natural resources.” said Andy Gulliver.
The White Card is usually gained in an on-line course, however the PHCC worked with WA training provider Aveling to conduct the skills-based training face-to-face with the Noongar participants. This was tailored to suit participants’ needs.
Andy Gulliver said the White Card provides WHS and skill requirements linked to working on country and would also broaden opportunities for other employment.
“The White Card opens options for employment for community members and specifically enables them to work safely at on-ground projects. They can use their new White Cards to access work with us on country and also with local employers who require their staff and contractors to hold a White Card,” he said.
This project is supported by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council through funding from the Australian Government.
ENDS
Media Contact: Jane O’Malley, Chief Executive Officer, Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, Jane.Omalley@peel-harvey.org.au , (08) 6369 8800
Free Workshop for Farmers Affected by Fires
9 February 2016… A 2013 fire that destroyed Jeff Pow’s South West WA farming enterprise has become the catalyst for an innovative support program to be offered to local landowners. Mr Pow will share his insights at a free two day workshop at Waroona CRC on the 15th and 16th February. Participants will be helped to plan the regeneration of their land and farming enterprise.
The workshop, hosted by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, is designed to provide knowledge, tools and techniques for landscape scale property planning. Peel-Harvey Catchment Council chairman Andy Gulliver said the natural resource management body recognised support was essential in the aftermath of the fires, and was pleased to be able to present the ‘After the Fire’ workshop in partnership with the ‘Making More From Sheep’ program from Australian Wool Innovation and Meat & Livestock Australia.
“Mr Pow realised his personal farm recovery experience would benefit others and has joined presenter Darren Doherty who has local and global expertise in landscape recovery. The free program will start as a two-day workshop in Waroona, then follow-up with online support and a second event which will be held in November,” said Andy Gulliver.
He said the program would explore and present realistic options for consideration by attendees as they plan for the future.
“Darren Doherty has world-wide experience in the profitable and regenerative retrofit of broad acre landscapes and is acclaimed as a pioneer in this important field. The combination of Darren’s expertise and a South West WA famer’s own experience presents hope and opportunity for our own community and environment which both have been severely impacted by recent events,” said Andy Gulliver.
Details of the project, which is supported by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme, can be found at www.peel-harvey.org.au. Landowners can register or find out more information by calling Luke Rogers at the PHCC on 6369 8800.
ENDS…
Media Contact: Jane O’Malley, Chief Executive Officer, Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, Jane.Omalley@peel-harvey.org.au , (08) 6369 8800
Shorebird 2020 Count Critical
Bill Howard, Barbara Sing, Jaci Dimmack and Astrid Gwynne during the 2016 Shorebird Count.
9 February 2016… Up to 70 passionate volunteers braved the heat last weekend to take part in the nation’s largest Shorebird 2020 Count.
Members of the community, tertiary institutions and agency staff recorded up to 60,000 migratory and resident shorebirds, including those that have flown from as far as Siberia.
Birdlife WA Peel Branch and the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council coordinated the count across 17 different sites, covering 26,000 hectares of the Peel Yalgorup system’s Ramsar-listed Wetlands.
Andy Gulliver, chairman of the PHCC, said the count was an essential part of maintaining the globally recognised Ramsar listing of the region’s Wetlands.
“The Shorebird 2020 program provides reliable data on shorebird populations. The results have showed our region is important on a global level and this led to the listing of the local Peel-Yalgorup wetlands under the Ramsar convention.
“The volunteers – many of whom have committed to the count for a number of years now – are a key component of this. The PHCC, together with Birdlife WA Peel Branch, actively recruits and trains them in standard methodology which assures the reliability of the annual count.”
Bob Paterson, convenor for the Birdlife WA Peel Branch/Mandurah Bird Observers’
Group said the 2020 Shorebird Count was one of the most critical events on the group’s annual calendar.
“We’ve been monitoring annually for a number of years and consequently are one of the very few groups who have a consistent source of data on the region’s shorebirds. This data is used by the Department of Fisheries, Parks and Wildlife and others to help develop strategies. Data from previous Shorebird 2020 counts has been used by Birdlife WA to inform the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Perth and Peel strategic assessment process and the resulting Perth and Peel Green Growth Plan currently out for public review.”
Andy Gulliver believes we can help secure a brighter future for these remarkable shorebirds by educating stakeholders, gathering information on how and why shorebird populations are changing, and working to grow the community of people who care about shorebirds.
“As it is home to many visiting migratory shorebird species, the Peel-Yalgorup Wetlands are the perfect place to monitor any population changes. Tracking local data over time helps us to understand the effects of changed activities along the flyway. The support and commitment of local volunteers makes this possible.”
As well as raising awareness of how incredible shorebirds are, the national Shorebird 2020 program conducts annual counts at over 150 key shorebird areas in order to detect national population trends and to discover what is driving any population changes. This project is supported by the Peel-Harvey Catchment Council through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.
ENDS
Media Contact: Jane O’Malley, Chief Executive Officer, Peel-Harvey Catchment Council, Jane.Omalley@peel-harvey.org.au , (08) 6369 8800
