Parliamentary Secretary for Water, Dr Mike Kelly MP recently launched a fact sheet dealing with groundwater and which has been prepared by the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Coordinating Committee.

This fact sheet discusses groundwater in a simplified way, emphasising the relationship between groundwater and surface water. Topics discussed include:

Caring for our Country Business plan and target review surveys:

Did you apply for funding under the 09-10 business plan, or do you want to comment on the future Caring for our Country targets?

You can help improve the information and application processes by completing a short online survey at
http://www.nrm.gov.au/index.html.

The survey will remain open until midnight, Wednesday 8 July 2009.

Director of Parks, Conservation & Land, Jane Carder, today called for Canberrans to report any sightings of yabby nets or traps in ACT rivers and streams, after 2 male platypuses were found drowned in an illegal opera house yabby net at Angle Crossing, south of Tharwa.

“It is disappointing to see people are still illegally using these nets to catch yabbies, even though all enclosed nets, like the opera house nets, have been illegal in the ACT for over eight years under the ACT Fisheries Management Act 2000,” Mrs Carder said.

GINNINDERRA CATCHMENT GROUP

WATERWATCH AND FROGWATCH PART TIME COORDINATOR POSITIONS

CAN BE COMBINED INTO ONE FULL TIME POSTION

The Ginninderra Catchment Group Inc. (GCG) is seeking to employ two part time Coordinators or one full time Coordinator to lead implementation of its community based Waterwatch and Frogwatch programs.

Convenor of Friends of Mt Majura Park Care Group, Waltraud Pix, was recognised as ACT Volunteer of the Year in the Environment category at the Awards Ceremony held on Friday 15 May.

Recognition was given to Conservation Volunteers- David Walsh, Jim Hayes, Linda Ellis, Ken Thompson and Ken Jorgenson; for thier untiring effort and commitment to volunteering in the ACT.

CVA volunteers dominated the Environment category of awards at the NRMA Volunteering ACT Volunteer of the Year Awards.

Goulburn TAFE is offering a Farm Planning for Sustainability course which is accredited under the Australian Government’s FarmReady program. The course will be offered in Semester 2, 2009. While the course costs $775, farmers can access up to $1500 under the FarmReady government grants program to attend the course as well as to cover travel, accommodation and childcare costs.

The course will be run over a series of 6 one-day workshops. 

The course covers:

Birrigai Theatre, Tidbinbilla

Take a trip to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve during National Volunteer Week to reflect on a year of the Volunteer Interpreter Program and thank the Volunteer Interpreters for the huge contribution that they’ve made.

Nominations are now open for the 2009 ACT Landcare Awards.

The Awards are open to farmers, Landcare and Parkcare groups, businesses, schools, youth groups or individuals who are involved in helping the Territory manage the environment.

The ACT Landcare Awards are part of the 2009-2010 National Landcare Awards with State/Territory winners from each category automatically becoming finalists in the National Landcare Awards in 2010.