Connecting Country is a unique landscape-scale project which aims to increase, enhance and restore biodiversity across the Mount Alexander shire. The project is being run by the community and involves a wide range of groups and agencies. Read more >
*Call for Grant Applications by Connecting Country for Innovation, Maintenance & Improvement
As part of Connecting Country’s 2010 on-ground actions program, funds are available to support innovation, maintenance and improvement for landscapes in the Mount Alexander Region
There are 2 rounds of funding remaining in 2010, and an ongoing invitation to let us know what you would like funding for in your local area.
Funding opportunities:
- September – Closing September 21st – Innovation and Maintenance – Up to $100/ha is available, for pasture renovation and biodiversity, as outlined below.
$50,000 available in total. - October/November – Landscape Improvement Projects
To be announced. (Apply for one or both grants)
The priority for 2010 funding is to improve the management of Yellow Box tree areas, (in good or poor condition), where yellow box is or was a common tree species. The area can include creeks/waterways/creek flats as well as plains/slopes/hills areas. Other native plants which do or did live with the yellow box trees can regenerate or be planted to improve biodiversity and landscape resilience.
Up to $100/ha is available. Your project will encourage your ideas on ways to improve:-
- Grazing management – to spell and regenerate native grasses and vegetation with on-farm benefits such as wind breaks, drought resistant native pasture, and preventing salinity.
- Pest plant and animal control – if an area you want to regenerate is under more pressure than what your normal control methods would cover.
- Resting already fenced land, to create an area for regeneration/wind breaks/farm trees
- Developing land for new pasture improvement in exchange for the fenced off land to be spelled for regeneration.
- Management for revegetation and/or natural regeneration particularly developing understorey
- Fencing maintenance – around remnant/regenerating vegetation
- We are open to your ideas.
CONTACT: The Connecting Country team – 5472 1594, info@connectingcountry.org.au or make an appointment to call into Office 14, The Hub, 233 Barker St (Entrance in Templeton St).
* The priority vegetation for Connecting Country’s 2009/2010 funding is Yellow Box Woodlands.
View the distribution of Yellow Box Woodlands across the Mt Alexander Region as a layer over Google Maps. Click here.
* Assistance with 2nd Gen Landcare Grants
Connecting Country is offering to assist your group with 2nd Gen Landcare grant application forms. Read more..
* Applications sought for nest boxes.
Thank you to everyone who has applied for a nest box site.
We would love to hear more from land holders in the NE of the Shire, e.g. Harcourt to Sutton Grange, Metcalfe and beyond.
For your chance to have nest boxes placed on your property read more here
*Visit our interactive mapping portal.
The Community Web Mapping Portal is a cutting edge program that utilises Google Maps technology. The program allows you to pinpoint a specific location on the map and then type in information about your observations of natural phenomena at that location. You can record sightings of flora and fauna, register weed infestations, record a revegetation site or a site of remnant vegetation.
Register a username and password when you visit the portal.
Alternatively you can download our record sheet here, fill it in and return it to us and we’ll load your observations for you.
* View CC’s new Monitoring Blog here.
This site has been created to support the collection, analysis and sharing of environmental monitoring information across the Connecting Country project.
The featured species for the month of May are the “Red Robins”. There are 5 different species commonly encountered across the Mt Alexander Shire. Read all about the fabulous five on The Monitoring Blog.
