Inaugural Mt Pleasant Farmers Market
The first Farmers Market at Mt Pleasant was held on the morning of Feb 4. Around 2000 people attended to buy fresh local produce from 35 stalls.
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Water Sampling
Community water sampling has been taking place in the region for more than a decade. Landcare Groups, Schools and Volunteers regularly feed information into a database that is managed by the SABDB NRM Board's Greg Lundstrom. Recently Greg spent the morning with volunteers Smith and Murphy collecting samples along Long Gully Creek north of Mannum. Water in the Murray where the creek empties into the main river registered around 500 EC units, but a few kilometres upstream, water in Long Gully Creek registered 85,000 EC units. Seawater is around 60,000 EC units.
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Landmark Field Day - Monarto South
EHMPCG attended a field day at the Thiele property at Monarto South.
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2011 AGM
The EHMPCG AGM was held at the Tungkillo Hall on November 4th. Andrew Allanson, Kevin Eglinton and Cathie Davies were welcomed to the committee.
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Guildford Grass Field Day
Tungkillo landholders heard from consultant Andy Cole about the control of Guildford Grass (Nut Grass) in their pastures. The event was held on the property of Greg and Deana Mildren. The most difficult part of the day was finding a stand of the grass because of the Mildren's excellent pasture management.
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T P Bellchambers Reserve in Flower
Flowers of the reserve taken 14th September 2011
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Monarto Conservation Park in Flower
September is a great month to visit mallee conservation parks. With two good years of rains the parks have rewarded walkers with a fabulous display. Photos were taken on 08.09.2011
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Pacific Hydro Windfarm Tour
Pacific Hydro bussed interested parties to their Clements Gap facility to observe a working wind farm first hand. See the story in our September newsletter.
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T P Bellchambers Reserve
This reserve on Wachtel Road, Apamurra has had significant volunteer time spent on it over the past two years. The rare plants that it protects have responded with a spectacular show of flowers. Olearea pannosa var pannosa is reduced to around 1000 plants on roadsides in the SAMDB and is listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act.
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Mannum Tourist Centre Volunteer Trip - July 2011
Volunteers from the Mannum Tourist Centre recently toured the region on the route of the Murraylands Self Drive Eco Tour. Along the way they discovered many of the hidden treasures of the region and heard about environmental issues that EHMPCG grapples with. Highlights included a stop at T P Bellchambers Reserve to view the rare Silver Daisy Bush and Shell Hill Reserve. Lunch was hosted by Marne River Olives where volunteers tried their hand at picking with the electric comb.
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Ranges to River Volunteer Day - Meldanda
The Ranges to River Group of the SAMDB NRM Board recently met at Meldanda to celebrate the work done by volunteers in the region. Welcome to Country was performed by Peramangk representative, Ivy Campbell. SAMDB NRM Board member Emily Jenke was guest speaker. Chair of the community group responsible for Meldanda, Ross Elliker, took the visitors on a tour of the facility.
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Rabbit Proof Fencing
Caloote Area Landcare Group have banded together to pay for and erect mesh to exclude rabbits from T P Bellchambers Reserve at Apamurra.
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2011 Mt Pleasant Show
The weather for this year's Mt Pleasant show was perfect and attracted a huge crowd. As always, EHMPCG had a stall in the NRM tent and Harry and Steve were kept busy all day speaking to enthusiastic landholders from Willunga to Whyalla about weeds.
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T P Bellchambers Reserve
T P Bellchambers Reserve is an area of just a few acres of remnant vegetation north of the Mannum Palmer Road at Apammurra. The reserve contains a small number of the EPBC listed (vulnerable) Silver Daisy Bush. Formerly known as the quarry reserve, the area has been refenced to exclude motorcycles, which have proven to be the main threatening process to the plants. The project has attracted funding from the SAMDB NRM Board Threatened Flora Recovery Team and State Government Community NRM Grants to undertake the rehabilitation work. On 17th February a short ceremony was held to unveil an enterpretive sign outlining Thomas Paine Bellchambers' contribution to the environment. Volunteer and EHMPCG Committee member Gavin Smith has provided the impetus and much of the work for the project, which has been underway for 12 months to date.
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Rain in December
2010 has been remarkable after such a long dry spell lasting nearly a decade. Streams ran, roads and houses flooded and considerable damage was done cutting the Murray Bridge to Mannum Road.
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2010 AGM
The annual general meeting of the EHMPCG was held at the Tungkillo Hall on Friday 5th November. The Tungkillo ladies put on their usual fantastic spread before the meeting. Guest speaker Tim Stubbs put forward the Wentworth Group's suggestions for environmental water in the Murray Darling Basin.
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Tungkillo LCG Farm Walks
Tungkillo Landcare Group has held three successful farm walks in recent weeks showing off work done on several properties in the area.
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Roaring 40s Wind Farm - Waterloo
Mid Murray LAP recently organised a fact finding tour to a recently completed facility on the state's mid north. The tour dispelled many of the myths associated with wind turbines.
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Flinders Uni Environmental Management Course
Students from Flinders recently visited Glen View at Springton to observe conservation actions taken by landholder and chair of EHMPCG, Geoff Keynes. Establishment of windbreaks, fencing off of creek lines and planting of random paddock trees were just three issues dealt with on the day.
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Tungkillo LCG 21st birthday - 31st July
Another wet day at the Tungkillo switching station. A big turnout got over 600 trees planted.
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National Tree Day - August 1st
Conditions were cold and wet at Apamurra but a dozen or so intrepid folk turned out to plant 70 trees in the reserve and along adjacent roadsides.
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Tungkillo LCG Aboriginal Art Tour
The Tungkillo Landcare Group toured the local area with author Robin Coles to view aboriginal sites in their local area.
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