Protecting and enhancing our rivers field day
May 2018
Antia Brademann – Cooma Waterwatch
It takes about 200 years for a tree to develop medium sized hollows needed by animals such as antechinus, possums, gang gangs and bats. Not all trees make hollows, for example willow trees never develop hollows no matter their age, but native species found in our local riparian zones do.
Riparian zones are those areas of the landscape directly adjoining rivers, creeks and drainage lines.
Maintaining well vegetated riparian zones on your farm will help to filter run-off and improve water quality, store carbon, provide biodiversity and habitat, connect the landscape as well as provide shelter areas and drought refuge for stock.
Yet, our ribbon gum floodplain woodlands, once widespread have now been extensively cleared and so we are missing out on the benefits they provide!
The Protecting and Enhancing our Rivers Field Day, held at Numeralla last month, was well attended by locals interested to learn more about riparian zone functions and how to identify local plant species. The day featured a walk through a ribbon gum floodplain woodland and a visit to a revegetation site to discuss the best planting methods for the local area.
Anyone who has tried to grow plants on the Monaro knows that given the cold winters, hot summers, variable soils and little rainfall that are experienced, getting plants established can be a difficult task. Best practice methods discussed included those in the Upper Snowy Landcare Network’s newly published ‘Native Tree and Shrub Planting Guide’. This guide has been specifically developed to assist landholders and can be found on the Upper Snowy Landcare Network’s website.
The field day hosted by Numeralla Landcare and supported by South East Local Land Services, Catchment Action NSW, Cooma Waterwatch, Upper Murrumbidgee Landcare and the Upper Snowy Landcare Network, was a good example of the way that these groups work collaboratively to build capacity and improve land management across the region.