The Central Tablelands Local Land Services 2017 funding and grants program is investing $1.6 million to support resilient and productive landholders, landscapes and communities, with applications open from July 24.
In a previous funding round Bathurst farmers Emma and Michael Grabham teamed up with Central Tablelands Local Land Services to fence off an important area of remnant vegetation while also improving grazing management on their property, Peronne.
According to Emma and Michael, applying for a grant and working with Local Land Services was very worthwhile.
“We’ve fenced off a 151 hectare area of remnant vegetation on the back boundary of our property between Peel and Wattle Flat,” explained Michael.
“We had a problem with feral goats. You couldn’t spell the paddock because the goats would eat off the feed as soon as it came up. The country was under constant grazing pressure.”
An incentive grant from Local Land Services helped fund the construction of goat proof fencing in late 2016 to protect remnant vegetation, improve grazing management in the adjacent paddocks, and help remove goats from the area.
Excluding livestock from this area of grassy Box Gum woodland at the head waters of the Pennyweight Creek, is allowing native species to regenerate.
“It’s a nice piece of natural bushland containing Yellow Box, White Box, Stringybark, Kurrajong, Black Cyprus and Black Thorn, which is also habitat for the Bathurst Copper Butterfly.”
“You can already see the difference where there is vegetation starting to come away. Over time we expect the natural shrub layer to start to return. Long term I don’t expect we will put major grazing back on this block, even at the end of the ten year Local Land Services agreement.”
Peronne has been in Michael’s family for generations and he has a special attachment to the natural beauty of the place.
“I think it’s fantastic to protect these sites and I would love to do more conservation work because there are areas on the property that are not ideal for grazing, but have high conservation and beneficial habitat value. Funding is the hardest obstacle to overcome so the support from Local Land Services has been very useful.”
The 2017-2018 Central Tablelands Local Land Services funding and grants program is investing $1.6 million to assist farmers, landholders, and community groups across the Central Tablelands. The program is supported through funding from Catchment Action NSW and the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.