Lismore City Council's first Rural Landholder Initiative field day for 2019 has proven popular with local landholders and is booked out.
The Rural Landholder Initiative is a major project within Council's 10-year Biodiversity Management Strategy that aims to restore and enhance biodiversity assets on private land through landholder education and incentives such as small grants.
The field days provide landholders with expert advice and practical assistance to improve their properties for biodiversity and productivity, as well as creating a valuable opportunity for landholders to network with one another in a friendly and informal setting.
Council's Environmental Strategies Officer Vanessa Tallon said this year's first event – a Rainforest Restoration, Propagation and Frog Habitat Field Day this Friday – booked out in no time.
"The topics we cover are things that landholders are dealing with every day. We invite experts who pass on practical techniques to assist landholders and demonstrate how they can tackle some of the issues that are common to many North Coast landholders," Vanessa said.
"It's all completely free with lunch included and it's a great learning experience for those who come along. We have had great success with the Rural Landholder Initiative and always get very positive feedback about the field days because they are practical and provide really worthwhile information and on-ground skills for our local landholders."
The second free event – Planning Your Restoration Project Field Day – is on Friday, 24 May at The Channon from 9.30am to 3pm (free lunch included).
This field day is for rural lifestyle landholders looking for practical help to plan a restoration project. It will involve a practical look at how planning approaches and techniques are used by a local landholder and the Tuntable Landcare Group restoring rainforest habitat on two dynamic and challenging creek bank sites.
A minimal chemical injection method for camphor will be demonstrated and discussions of best-practice and low-chemical weed control will be highlighted. The final session of the day will allow landholders to speak individually with a range of natural resource management experts and mentors to identify priorities and limitations on individual properties.
Landholders are encouraged to come prepared to seek practical input into their own property plan or restoration projects.
Topics covered are likely to include:
- Best-practice weed and low chemical control options.
- Erosion management and stabilisation.
- Waterways and wetlands management.
- Farm forestry opportunities.
- Stock and fencing management.
- Improving fish habitat.
- Restoration and regeneration options.
- Monitoring and documentation.
- Costing and resourcing projects.
- Additional funding, benefits and partnerships.
Bookings for the field day are essential. Phone Lismore City Council on 1300 87 83 87.
