Port Phillip and Western Port Landcare Awards
Local Government Caring for Land- Nillumbik Shire Council
The leading lights of our local environment were recognised today when the winners of 2010 Port Phillip and Western Port Landcare Awards were announced at a celebration held at Zinc, Federation Square, Melbourne.
The 2010 Port Phillip and Western Port Landcare Awards celebrate the environmental contribution that individuals, community groups, schools and councils make to the environment undertaking activities that improve the quality of land but also influence, educate and inspire others to make a difference.
The winners were presented by Doctor Kate Auty, Victoria’s Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability and special guest Doctor Rhonda Galbally AO former CEO of Our Community.
One of the inspirational stories from the awards is that of the Nillumbik Shire Council whose work post February 2009 bushfires not only helped its landholders rebuild but also helped to restore a sense of community and belonging through its community activities.
While focus on much of the bushfire recovery, environmental recovery was often also in the forefront of many landholders minds because healthy land can mean healthy waterways, protection from the elements and home for birds and animals. Hand in hand with environmental recovery are the practicalities of refencing, protecting stock and stopping weeds, all of which requires resources and manpower. It is these elements the Shire of Nillumbik’s work focused on.
The Shire of Nillumbik includes the communities of Christmas Hills, St Andrews and Strathewen, which were all affected by the Black Saturday fires in 2009. In the aftermath of the fires it became clear to the Shire that fire recovery including restoring the landscapes, (including areas of State and Regional habitat significance) needed to occur hand in hand with social restoration of the community.
126km of roadsides within Nillumbik were affected; 70km of which is classified as being of very high or high conservation significance, and private land consisting of commercial farmland, hobby farms, rural residential living and bushland properties. Many landholders lost not only their homes, but also machinery and equipment previously used for land management and landcare activities.
The Shire led activities in conjunction with four key landcare groups and friends groups to ensure functional restoration works were undertaken, while also building community strength through shared activities.
This included preparation of property plans to aid with environmental recovery, development of NRM fact sheets, information about fire impacts on land and support through a Rural Extension Officer. Outside of these activities were partnerships with the groups which enabled landholders to share stories, identify needs of the community, provide support and assistance to help restore these communities through action.
The lasting legacy of the project will be the shared knowledge and kinship built through the community oriented program.
Port Phillip and Western Port Regional Landcare Coordinator Doug Evans says “the Shire of Nillumbik recognized very early on that rebuilding the environment could not occur without rebuilding the community. Their programs and their approach was designed to create a real community around recovery and this award recognizes this achievement.”
All winners will now be nominated for the Victorian landcare Awards in 2011.
Winners of the 2010 Port Phillip and Western Port Landcare Awards:
Individual Caring for Private Land- Janet Truscott and Grant Murray, Mornington Peninsula
Individual Caring for Public Land- Vicki Boyle, Belgrave
Primary Producer Caring for Land- Faye Tuchtan and Graham Wood, Bass Coast
Community Group Caring for Public Land- Friends of Merri Creek, Urban to North of Melbourne
Community Group Caring for Private Land- Labertouche Landcare and Sustainable Farming Group
Local Government Caring for Land- Nillumbik Shire Council, Nillumbik (from Kinglake to Eltham)
Young People Caring for Land- Balnarring Primary School, Mornington Peninsula
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