Landcare in the Meander Valley
In October, Landcarers from all over Tasmania gathered for the 2021 Tasmanian Community Landcare Conference in Launceston.
One of four field trips took people to the Meander Valley, to showcase the work that eight Landcare Groups have done in the Meander Catchment in 2021.
To make these projects happen, Landcare Tasmania has partnered with the Tasmanian Government through the Landcare Action Grants Program, with additional funds from donations to the Tasmanian Landcare Fund by the JM Roberts Charitable Trust.
Attendees of the field trip looked at a number of sustainable farming properties, willow removal, and riparian restoration and listened to presentations from Forico’s Adam Crook, Australian Hemp Council president Tim Schmidt and Herbert Staubmann of Habitat Plants Nursery.
The first stop on this trip was the banks of the Meander River, off Birralee Road, where attendees looked at revegetation sites of the Quamby Bend Landcare Group and private forestry company Forico.
Farmers of the Quamby Bend Landcare Group have controlled willows and other weeds on over 10 km of the Meander River north of Westbury over the last 20 years! These projects have been supported by Landcare Tasmania and have helped greatly to reduce the impact of floods and stabilize riverbanks by planting native vegetation instead.
They have put an amazing effort in planting out even steep river banks that they often had to access from a boat.
In 2021, the Quamby Bend Landcare Group got together with Forico, and planted over 2000 native plants to provide a biodiverse habitat and reduce erosion.
It was great to see this project in action.
Recent months have been a real challenge, due to late and reoccurring high water levels that threatened to wash the new plants away.
Next stop - lunch! A delicious lunch was provided by 41 Degrees South Salmon Farm.
Attendees also learnt about the environmental practices of inland fish farming including their system to clean water from the fishponds by running it through a wetlands area.
The next stop was Woodlands, just west of Deloraine, where farmer Tim Schmidt grows beef and a variety of crops.
Tim is also the president of the Australian Hemp Council, and told attendees about his hemp growing business.
He is selling his own grown hemp as oil and other products in shops and on markets in Tasmania, as well as through his online shop, The Tassie Hemp Shop.
Tim has used different methods to stop erosion of the Meander River that flows through his farm, including heavy structures built from rocks and trees.
He also planted over 1300 plants this year, funded through Landcare Tasmania.
These plantings will provide biodiversity benefits as well as benefits for the farm through shelter for stock and beneficial insects.
Herbert Staubmann from Habitat Plants Nursery in Liffey used Tim’s planting to demonstrate to us how to make such a planting a success!
