Annual Forum 2007 Program

Murrumbidgee Landcare

Landcare Partnerships

Narrandera Ex-Servicemen's Club
August 16th - 17th

Hosted by the Central Riverina Landcare Network.

Field trip Thursday 16 Aug 12.30pm

Bus to leave Narrandera Ex-Servicemen's Club at 12.30 pm, returning at approximately 5.00 pm. Places on the field trip will be limited to 50 people. Field trip will include:

Rockdale Feedlot, Rockdale Beef Pty Ltd.
Will Cowley, Chief Operating Officer with Rockdale Beef, will take us on a tour of their feedlot. The feedlot is managed and operated by a team of experts committed to the humane treatment of cattle and protecting the natural resources of the property.
Narrandera Fisheries Centre
The Narrandera Fisheries Centre, including the John Lake Centre, is a major NSW Fisheries facility. Important research is conducted into fish species of the Murray/ Murrumbidgee/ Darling River systems. The Centre is also a major breeding facility for native fish, including endangered species, for release throughout NSW. Adam Vey, a fish expert with the Department of Primary Industry, will lead us on a tour of the Centre, addressing issues relating to native fish and river health.
Narrandera Wetlands
The Narrandera Wetlands are an exemplar for Landcare Partnerships. The Wetlands have been made possible through a highly successful collaboration between the Narrandera Landcare Group, the Narrandera Shire Council and the local indigenous community. Gary Hutchinson, Chair of Narrandera Landcare will lead us on a tour of the wetlands.

Dinner & Keynote Thursday 16 Aug 6.30pm for 7.00pm

The Annual Forum dinner will be held in the Auditorium of the Narrandera Ex-Servicemen's Club.

7.00 pm		Welcome to country.
		Michael Lyons, Wiradjuri people, Narrandera.
		Host’s welcome. Wendy Jennings, Chair, Central Riverina Landcare Network.

7.10 pm		Dinner keynote address:

"It's working! The benefits of Landcare, research and regional delivery partnerships"

Dr David Freudenberger from Greening Australia and the CSIRO will describe the biodiversity and ecosystem service benefits of Landcare from a researchers perspective. David has been involved in numerous research-farmer-regional delivery partnerships during his 15 year career with CSIRO. He will describe, with a bit of 'show & tell' some of the remarkable diversity that is returning to revegetated sites and fenced remnants in the Murrumbidgee, Murray and Lachlan Catchments.

Annual Forum	Friday 17 Aug 8.30am to 5.00pm

8.30 am	Registrations - tea & coffee
9.00 am	Welcome to country Host's welcome. Wendy Jennings, Chair, Central Riverina Landcare Network.
9.10 am	"Murrumbidgee Landcare, our Annual Forum & Landcare Partnerships." Peter Holding, Chair, Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc.

9.30 am	Keynote

	Kevin Goss, CEO Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre Ltd. "Farming for the future in altered landscapes" » Farming for the future in altered landscapes ( 1,373 KB) In this key note address, Kevin will recall 30 years of experience with dryland salinity programs, sustainable agriculture policy and the landcare movement. His journey has brought him back to lead a new R&D venture on Profitable Perennials^TM for Australian landscapes. Working with farmers, is it possible to develop, with farmers, livestock enterprises and cropping rotations, integrated with new woody crops, that are more sustainable, more adapted to climate change, and beneficial to biodiversity and water conservation?

10.15 am	Session 1: Farming adapting to change

	Chair: Jim Pratley, Professor of Agriculture, Charles Sturt University.
	Graham Strong, "Regenerative Farming." Healthy Soils Symposium: A report by four landcare farmers who attended the Natural Heritage Trust supported Healthy Soils Symposium. Mason Crane, Senior Research Officer, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University, "Empowering farmers to adapt to change in a more environmentally aware Australia."
11.30 am	Session 2: Managing for climate change

	Chair: Alison Bowman, Department of Primary Industry, NSW.
	Rohan Nelson, CSIRO, Farm Management, "Reframing the climate change problem: the adaptive capacities of rural communities." Mark Ritchie, CO2 Australia. "CO2 Australia Mallee Carbon Sequestration Program: Making $ out of Change" Rob Youl, CarbonSMART Landcare Australia Limited. John Francis, Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority.
1.00 pm	Lunch

1.45 pm	Session 3: Conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes
	Chair: Ross McDonnell, Regional Manager for Western Rivers Region, Parks and Wildlife Group, Department of Environment and Climate Change.
	Dr Rebecca Montague-Drake, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University, "Conserving biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes: Insights from two large-scale natural experiments." Elisa Tack, PhD researcher, School of Environmental Science, CSU, "Conservation of wildlife in agricultural landscapes." Mark Sheahan, Conservation Planning Officer, DECC, "Targeting stewardship - what sites for what outcomes?"
3.00 pm	Session 4: The power of collaboration: Landcare partnerships.

	Chair, John Dalton, NSW State Landcare Co-ordinator.
	Garry Hutchinson, Chair, Narrandera Landcare Group and a member of the Wetlands Committee to present on the community collaboration to establish the Narrandera Wetlands. Rosie Smith, Bush-Stone curlew project, Murray Catchment Management Authority. Bev Smiles, National Parks Association, "Forging the Links:government, community and scientists working together for conservation outcomes." Dr Rohan Nelson will present results from the morning session: "How do we view our adaptive capacity in the Murrumbidgee."
3.00 pm	Plenary

	Professor Allan Curtis, Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University.

	"Don't take if for granted!: recommitting to the future of volunteer landcare." » Don't take if for granted!: recommitting to the future of volunteer landcare. ( 3,049 KB)

4.55 pm	Thanks & farewell. Peter Holding & Wendy Jennings

* Program subject to change without notice.

For more information, contact:

Wendy Jennings
Chair, Central Riverina Landcare Network
ph.0427 273 079
email. rosebud6@bigpond.com

Peter Holding
Chair, Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc
ph. 0409 049 477
email. pholding@murrumbidgeelandcare.asn.au

Marion Benjamin
Executive Officer
Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc
ph.02-6925 7718
email. mbenjamin@murrumbidgeelandcare.asn.au

Download program

You can download the program by clicking on the attached file below. The file is in PDF format. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read this file.