DECember 2022

From the Upper Merri Landcare Facilitator

Welcome to the latest newsletter from the Upper Merri Landcare Facilitator and the Merri Creek Management Committee. Please find below information on local initiatives, opportunities and funding.

To subscribe see link below.

If you would like to share photos, events, updates and projects through the Upper Merri Landcare News. Please email through your submissions to: chriscobern@mcmc.org.au

Recent Events

Upper Plenty Primary School Junior landcare - nesting boxes

Students from the Upper Plenty Primary School recently installed the nesting boxes that they built in bushland along the nearby Dry Creek. The boxes will provide important artificial homes for native animals including sugar gliders, ringtail possums, parrots and owlet nightjars.

Funding for the nesting boxes was kindly donated by AV Jennings and the Lalor Urban Landcare Group.

UP-MC Landcare Group Weed Information Session - Gorse & Blackberry

The Upper Plenty-Merri Catchments Landcare Group held a very informative Weed Management Information session on Saturday 3rd December about controlling Gorse & Blackberry on your property.
Speakers from Mitchell Shire Council, ABZECO Land Management and Upper Merri Landcare covered topics that included; identifying gorse and blackberry and the different control techniques, funding and incentives for weed control and your responsibilities as a landholder to manage declared noxious weeds.

The event was the first for our brand new Upper Plenty-Merri Catchments Landcare Group and was kindly supported by the Wallan Environment Group.

Coming up in 2023

Rabbit Control - Bunnies in my Backyard - 5 February 2023

Are you having problems with rabbits on your property?
Join Macedon Ranges Shire Council and Victorian Rabbit Action Network (VRAN) presenter, Tim Bloomfield, for a field visit and information session on how to manage rabbits on your urban property.

In this workshop, you will:
listen to a rabbit control expert
create awareness about how to eradicate rabbits with integrated pest management control methods
look at potential control techniques that can be applied on an urban property.

This event will be held on Sunday 5 February 2023 from 9:30am-11:30am, to register go to - Rabbit Control - Bunnies in my backyard

Healthy Land, Healthy Horses Equiculture Workshop - 4 March 2023

Internationally acclaimed UK author and expert on horse property management, Stuart Myers is coming to Victoria for a series of land management workshops for horse owners.

A one day workshop will be held in Beveridge on 4 March 2023.                                                            Email elyse.kelly@mitchellshire.vic.gov.au for more details and booking information.

For more details on Victorian workshops visit the Equiculture website.

Farm Chemical Users Course - 18 and 25 March 2023

A two day Farm Chemical Users Course will be held in Whittlesea township on 18 and 25 March 2023. The course will qualify participants for the Agricultural Chemical Users Permit (ACUP.

Email landcare@whittlesea.vic.gov.au for more details and booking information.
Participation fees will be subsidised. Mark the dates in your diary!

Funding & grants

The Seedling Bank - grant applications now open 

Since 1996, National Tree Day has seen Australian communities plant almost 26 million trees. The Seedling Bank aims to further support these dedicated volunteers with their planting efforts by providing financial support where seedlings are needed most.

The program supplies native seedlings to schools and community groups around Australia. Financial grants are awarded directly to successful applicants to get seedlings in the ground and help restore our unique Australian landscape. So far, 90 groups have received funding through The Seedling Bank and almost 39,000 seedlings have been planted around Australia.

The Seedling Bank supports projects both big and small throughout the year, as we believe every day is Tree Day.

Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party - Community Grants 

The Victorian Serrated Tussock Working Party (VSTWP) is providing community groups and organisations with the opportunity to apply for grants to manage serrated tussock.
Grants of up to $5,000 (GST excluded) are available to deliver a project which meets the priorities and criteria outlined in these guidelines.
Please see the guidelines and application form below, which includes how to submit the grant application, contact details and the criteria for assessment.

Grants are currently open for application: 
Apply here: VSTWP Community Grant Application form
Guidelines here: VSTWP Community Grant Guidelines 

Wildflowers of the month

Local orchid enthusiast Paul Piko photographed these delightful native orchids flowering recently in the bushland areas around Hidden Valley. From left Diuris sulphurea, Calochilus robertsonii and Chiloglottis valida.