02.02.2012 Funding applications

EHMPCG has applied to Canberra for grants from the newly established Biodiveristy Fund that will provide $946 million nationally over the next six years. Projects submitted are to establish a wildlife corridor from Mt Beevor to Tolderol, Revegetate the escarpment near Reedy Creek and to restore ephemeral wetlands in the Sedan area. Successful applicants will be informed in April.

02.02.2012 Malleefowl food plants

Plants will be made available free of charge to landholders in the Ferries McDonald Road and Garwood Drive areas on June 2-3. Lots of 50, 100 or 200 will be supplied with guards, hardwood stakes and soil enhancement materials. Residents will be reminded through the local community newsletter.

02.02.2012 Malleefowl survey dates

Malleefowl Monarto have released dates for their surveys at Monarto South this year. Volunteers are sought for the weekends of 14-15 April, 5-6 May and 26-27 May.

2.12.2011 Community Action Grant

EHMPCG is one of just four organisations in the SAMDB to have won a Community Action Grant through the Australian Government Caring for our Country program. The $18,900 project has been to attack boneseed on ten properties in the Jutland area. EHMPCG will combine forces with the SAMDB NRM Board in an attempt to erradicate the weed of national significance from this area.

14.10.2011 Tunkgillo LCG upcoming events

November 5 A working bee will be held at Roskhill Scrub to attack weeds.
November 12 A birds morning will be held at Roskhill Scrub.
Contact Bruce Munday for details - Check our News Page for the latest newsletter.

30.09.2011 EHMPCG AGM

The EHMPCG AGM is scheduled for Friday November 4th at the Tungkillo Hall. Dinner will be provided by the Tungkillo Progress Association from 7:00pm. The AGM will begin at 7:45pm. Guest speaker, Mike Grieg will give an account of conservation activities he has been involved with in Africa, Scotland and Australia.

09.09.2011 EHMPCG Community NRM Grants

EHMPCG has won two State Community NRM Grants. The first is to provide equipment for bat monitoring at Monarto Zoo. The equipment will be used in both the volunteer programs and the Aboriginal Learning on Country program. The second grant is to provide 2000 malleefowl food plants to residents living near the parks on Ferries McDonald Road. Plants will be grown from locally sourced material.

09.09.2011 Kanmantoo Callington LCG Grant

The KCLCG has won a state Community NRM Grant for threat abatement in the Callington Hill Grassland Reserve. Rural City of Murray Bridge Council provided support with the application. Work will begin immediately on treating bridal creeper in the reserve.

09.09.2011 Monarto Residents Assn Wins Grant

The Monarto Residents Association has received a State Community NRM Grant of $6750 to conduct a series of malleefowl surveys in 2012 on private land between the parks on Ferries McDonald Road. This follows a successful survey of the northern sections of Ferries McDonlad CP conducted by the community in late August. Three nests were located in an area not previously surveyed.

01.09.2011 MMC Roadside Marker Scheme

EHMPCG with the cooperation of the SAMDB NRM Board and the Mid Murray LAP are assisting the Mid Murray Council with the establishment of their first roadside marker scheme. The small blue markers are placed on roadsides at sites where significant vegetation occurs signalling to road crews not to disturb plants in those areas.

01.09.2011 Guildford Grass Field Day

A field day will be held on September 24th at Tungkillo to explain the most efficient way of eradicating this unproductive plant from pastures. Check our newsletters page for a flyer.

01.09.2011 TP Bellchambers Reserve in flower

TP Bellchambers Reserve has rewarded volunteers with a brilliant show of daisy flowers on the rare and protected Silver Daisy Bushes that the reserve protects. See our image galleries page for details.

01.09.2011 Reveg on entrance to Mannum

The entrance to Mannum is being revegetated with local native species by volunteers. The former motorcycle track has been closed off and planted out to enhance the existing vegetation.

1.09.2011 Monarto Heritage Agreements extended

176 Monarto Aesthetic Heritage Agreements have been extended by the Minister for 30 years under the same terms as the original agreements. EHMPCG staff played a key role in providing information to DENR for the rollover with the support of the SAMDB NRM Board.

01.09.2011 Tungkillo Landcare Group AGM

The TLG AGM will be held on September 9 at the Tungkillo Hall. you are encouraged to bring along your before and after photos. See our newsletter page for a flyer.

30.08.2011 Eco Tour back in print

The Murraylands Self Drive Eco Tour proved so popular that the first print run disappeared in weeks. The new improved version is now available from the Mannum Tourist Centre. Thanks to Shane Strudwick from Discover Murray for his time in arranging the reprint.

29.06.2011 Monarto Heritage Agreements

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will shortly announce that it has extended Monarto Heritage Agreements on 174 titles in the Monarto area. These agreements were placed on properties in the early 1980s to protect vegetation for aesthetic purposes. EHMPCG has been advocating the extension of the agreements for a number of years and has provided recommendations to DENR staff.

29.06.2011 Ferries McDonald Road Cost Blowout

A report tendered to the Rural City of Murray Bridge council meeting of 27th June shows that there has been a substantial cost blowout in the sealing and realignment of Ferries McDonald Road from an original estimate of $2.1m to $4.9m. A combination of bringing the road up to appropriate B-double standards and meeting the stringent requirements of the EPBC Act were responsible for the increased costs. Council has so far been unable to source the additional funding to undertake the work. Local environmentalists have hailed the delay as a victory for the preservation of malleefowl in the area.

29.06.2011 Funding secured for 2011-12

Despite radio reports in recent weeks of severerly reduced funding, EHMPCG can report that it has secured adequate funding for the 2011-12 financial year. On ground works programs are slightly reduced from the previous two years, however incentive rates will remain unchanged.

27.05.2011 Pacific Hydro Wind Farm

Pacific Hydro is planning to build 57 turbines in the hills to the east of Eden Valley to Keyneton. P-H has been in discusions with residents. EHMPCG has met with company representatives to discuss a range of issues arising from the plan. P-H plans to run two drop-in information days in June. Details will be advertised in our June Newsletter.

27.05.2011 Monarto Heritage Agreements

Monarto Heritage Agreements were put in place in 1982 to protect the aesthetics of the Monarto plantings. Those plantings today represent a significant area of habitat for declining bushland birds. EHMPCG has worked with DENR staff for several years to arrange for the agreements to be extended for a further 30 years. Owners of properties in the area with MHAs attached to their properties will be informed of the extension in the next few weeks.

02.05.2011 Next Caloote Area Landcare Meeting

Max and Jacqui Merckenschlager invite members and others to their property at 10 Borchardt Road Caloote for the next meeting of CALG. A shared lunch at 12:30pm on Sunday May 22nd followed by the meeting. You are encouraged to bring boots for a walk through the DENR and clifftop reserves.

15.4.2011 ANU Long Conversations Project

EHMPCG has hosted a meeting of community leaders with a team of academics from Australian National University. The Long Conversations Project aims to provide greater access to climate scientists. Better links to scientific data will result in better decisions made by communities in dealing with climate change. Contributions are sought from the public on the web site www.longconversations.net

08.04.2011 ERD Court Visits Dorset Reserve

Recently the ERD Court inspected Dorset Reserve. The case is considering the suitability of a 97 unit development on the unvegetated section of the reserve.

08.04.2011 Bus Tour

The Marne North Rhine Saunders Catchment Group recently held a bus tour which followed the route of the Self Drive Eco Tour. Despite some roads being closed due to weather damage the tour was able to visit sites at Shell Hill, Wongulla and Milendella.

08.04.2011 Fencing Bellchambers Reserve

Caloote Area Landcare Group volunteers have erected mesh around the TP Bellchambers Reserve at Apamurra to exclude rabbits. This should allow the restoration process to proceed more quickly. Check our Recent Activities page for photos.

23.03.2011 Athel Pine and Tamarix National Group

Athel Pine is listed as a Weed of National Significance (WoNS). The national task force recently visited the Murray Bridge NRC and spoke with project officers from the SAMDB and Local Action Planning Groups.

23.03.2011 Final CAP Meeting

The Nature Conservancy and Greening Australia has held their final Conservation Action Planning meeting for the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges. Fourteen different organisations including EHMPCG have contributed to the plan which should be finalised in the next few weeks. GA's Todd Birkenshaw and Jo Spencer have coordinated the development of the CAP. The plan identified a dozen critical assets in the region and has developed strategies to assist in their preservation.

23.03.2011 ANU Long Conversations Project

Australian National University has approached EHMPCG to participate in their Long Conversations Project. They wish to talk to a cross section of the community in the SAMDB about Climate Change. The meeting will be held at the Murray Bridge NRC on the evening of Monday 11th April. For more information contact Steve Coombe on 8531 2077

23.03.2011 Ranges to River Volunteer Celebration

The Ranges To River NRM Group of the SAMDB NRM Board is celebrating the contribution of all its volunteers at a barbeque lunch on Friday 15th April at Meldanda (Cambrai Area School's out door education facility). For more information call Deb Wilkinson or Miranda Leckie at the Board on 8532 1432.

21.02.2011 Plant List Updates

Check out our updated Downloads page. Click on Plant Lists and see ten new plant lists for sites in our area.

17.02.2011 Caloote Area Landcare Group

Caloote Area Landcare Group are holding a meeting at 9:30am on March 5th at the Caloote Landing. Morning tea will be provided and you are welcome to stay for lunch (bring a plate). There will be a tour of native vegetation in the Caloote area.

17.02.2011 TP Bellchambers Reserve Ceremony

Over fifty dignitaries, guests and members of the Bellchambers family today celebrated the naming of the T P Bellchambers Reserve at Apamurra, near Palmer. Present at the event were grandsons of Thomas Paine Bellchambers, Trevor and Phillip. Phillip had travelled from his home in Queensland for the ceremony. Member for Schubert, Ivan Venning assisted Phillip Belchambers in the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate his grandfather's contribution to the understanding of the mallee environment.