Greening the Greta Valley

Funding Source: Victorian Landcare Grant via North East CMA

Timeline: December 2022 – November 2023

Funding received: $18 500 (exc. GST)

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Project Description

This grant provides funding of our Group to undertake numerous activities over 12 months:

• One event
• Monthly email newsletters
• Development of site revegetation plans for 10 members for our winter planting program
• Plant 100 new paddock trees
• Run a revegetation program targeting planting of 1800 native plants in our landscape over Winter 2023
• Project management, book keeping and reporting.

Revegetation Program

We are pleased to announce we have received funding to help support our members to undertake general planting projects on their property in 2023. There is no funding available for fencing under this grant. The objective of our program is to get all our members out planting more native plants in our landscape.

The conditions of the funding are:

– Plants can be planted anywhere on your property into existing fenced or stock free areas, including gardens.

– We have funding to help members develop a list of suitable species for revegetation for their property, or you can develop your own list and submit it to the group if you are confident in your plant selection.

– Minimum plant order is 50 plants, maximum plant order is 200. If you require more than 200 plants, we will happily help you order them at cost price (approx. $2.50 each).

– We will also supply appropriate guards for your planting projects to match the number of plants you have ordered. Additional guards required by members can be supplied at wholesale price.

– Plants must be native and indigenous to the North East area. Download order from or email Sally on sally.day@gretalandcare.org.au to have a copy emailed to you. Please consult the full list of species produced by Park Lane if you are after something specific.

– Due to price increases for both plants and guards, we have had to put up our co-contribution price.

For plants and milk carton guards supplied, the contribution will be $1.50/unit

For plants with corflute or 45cm cardboard guards, the contribution will be $3.00 per unit. 

– Plants will be made available for collection in May 2023.

– You will need to plant your tubestock over winter and all plants must be in the ground by 31^st of August 2023 to ensure that they settle in before the following summer. You will need to send in photos of your completed planting and the surrounding fencing by 30^th of September 2023.

Moyhu Walking Track

Our Group has been pleased to help support the development of the walking track from the Moyhu township to the King River. This has been created with the assistance of local residents and by the Rural City of Wangaratta, through inkind and cash contributions to the project. It has been a terrific project demonstrating the value of collaboration and working together with a common goal.

Highlighting our local favourites… Our aim is to complete some targeted planting alongside the walking trail to highlight some of our beautiful native species that we have available in our area, with signage identifying each of the plants. A concept plant for the walking track has been developed and some spot spraying has been completed in preparation for planting

Outcomes

With the assistance of saved group funds and this grant, we were able to host four events this year:

Community clean up day, Moyhu Walking Track on 26/5/2023. This was a hands on workshop with two tractors and a flat bed truck and an army of onground volunteers cleaning up lopped woody weeds on the north side of the Meadow Creek roadside reserve. We removed wild Prunus, White Cedar, Desert Ash, dead Elm trees, Poplar suckers and more! We are grateful for the funding for the weed control provided by the Rural City of Wangaratta, with a fantastic job of managing the woody weeds by Garry and Kylie Kneebone of G&K Weed and Vermin Control.

Community planting day & AGM, Moyhu Walking Track on 18/6/2023. We had 18 members attend this session on a very drizzly Sunday morning! Despite the bleak weather, the crew successfully planted 180 plants along the Moyhu Walking Track to create our Landcare Botanic Garden. This was followed up by two planting sessions to finalise the areas along Boggy Creek (25/7/2023) and the King River (3/8/2023).

Wild Dog Program community information session, Myrrhee Hall on 26/6/2023. 38 landholders attended this presentation with guest speaker Scott Stow (Wild Dog Controller from DEECA). We learnt about the patterns of behaviour from the dogs, reporting sightings and methods of control.

 

 

 

Breakfast with the Birds, with guest ecologists from the Sustainable Farms Team (ANU) on 12/11/2023. 32 landholders enjoyed breakfast at Greens Road Reserve, Glenrowan and then a leisurely walk and bird watch through the reserve and roadside.

Revegetation outcomes:

– Larger site plans were developed for 15 individual properties, with minor planting plans (<50 plants) developed for an additional 10 properties . Several properties had multiple planting sites on each property. Revegetation plans developed using local Revegetation Guides and EVCs for each property.

– A total of 6165 tubestock were planted across a total of 30 sites! This formed the basis of our winter revegetation program and helped many members top up and create new sites on their properties. To achieve this higher revegetation target, the Group also contributed some of their own saved funds and we also received a grant for 500 trees through the 15 Trees Program. A selection of photos are included below.

The group also planted their 100 new paddock trees across 13 properties and five landholders purchasing an additional 100 guards at cost price to self-fund their paddock tree endeavours.