Any Wimmera resident can improve how sustainably they live.
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That is the message Horsham Urban Landcare Group is promoting, after it received a $5750 state government grant to stage several education events.
The organisation is one of 19 in the region to receive funding under the 2019-20 Victorian Landcare Grants program. The grants will be delivered through the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority.
President Jessica Kuhne said the project was known as Healing Gardens For Health And Wellbeing Through Biodiversity.
"We are bringing over a naturopath from Western Australia to teach three weekend classes," she said.
"One centres around native bees and their habitat, and how we can create ecosystems in our own backyard to help them stay alive.
"We will also have a healing garden tour through the Patch at the Salvos, where the naturopath will be talking about the different flowers and herbs people can grow in their backyards."
Mrs Kuhne said the Patch, a community garden based on Horsham's Lynott Street, started in 2018. She said community interest in sustainable practices had grown since this time.
Related: The Wimmera's sustainable homes
"It doesn't matter if people have a big or a small backyard, everyone do a bit of land care," she said.
"There are a lot of different things that fit into land care other than planting trees, such as having a garden bed in your backyard with some herbs or a nesting box for birds."
North-east of Stawell, the Concongella Landcare Group will use the $16,170 it has received to fence off two blocks of native trees, known as remnant sheoak.
Related: Jallukar Landcare Group wins award
President Malcolm Nicholson said the group had 12 members, mostly farmers, and covered an area reaching Campbells Bridge to the north and Landsborough to the east.
"It's important to fence off the remnant vegetation... to exclude the stock out of them so they can regenerate and the birds can come back," he said.
"We will also put some belts of shelter trees on a couple of different properties. They are mostly put on the southern side of the paddock to give stock shelter. It also improves our biosecurity because it gives us a double fence."
Other groups being funded include:
- Stawell's Project Platypus to implement a direct seeding trial, involving local seed collection and targeted weed control;
- Hindmarsh Landcare Network to implement a nest box program to increase habitat for hollow-dependent species in revegetation sites;
- Upper Hopkins Land Management Group to enhance the waterways through two properties at Willaura North, including the planting of 4000 trees and creating a biodiversity corridor; and
- Rupanyup Landcare Group, Horsham East Landcare Ag Group, the Wimmera River Improvement Committee and Natimuk Urban Landcare Group have each received $500 Victorian Landcare Support Grants to continue their operations.
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Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
