After wrapping up a successful project earlier in 2024, SGLN received a second round of funding to continue our work offering support for property owners interested in enhancing a dam/dams on their property. To read about the first round of the project and case study click here
After an EOI process a new case study site was selected. A site visit was conducted with wetland ecologist David Carew. David offered advice and options that would enhance and protect the dam as well as fit into the future planning of the farm. During the site visit David also identified the current flora species and recorded frog calls. After the visit David provided Patrick with a full list of suggested enhancements and a species list for revegetation. The key elements to the project will be fencing off, and the revegetation of the area surrounding the dam with a focus on aquatics and ground cover. Landholder Patrick will be propagating many plants on his own as a way to reduce costs. In the future he plans to fence and revegetate the gullies that lead into the dam. We look forward to seeing the progress at this site at our next field day.
Enhancing Your Farm Dam Planning Field Day
Due to the benefits to both biodiversity and farm productivity we hope to help as many landholders as possible take steps towards enhancing their dams. This workshop aimed to help landowners make a step by step plan for their own dam with achievable goals and practical steps that they could get started with at any time.
We also visited a nearby property to look at a dam enhancement project completed approximately 10 years ago. This project was assisted by funding available from Melbourne Water. If you are in the Melbourne Water catchment area and would like to find out more about available funding please contact your facilitator Jane@sgln.net.au
Presentations from the day are shown below.
South Gippsland Landcare Network (SGLN) is leading the Green Dams Project, with sponsorship from Food & Fibre Gippsland under the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub. Deakin University is a partner in the Vic Hub. This project also received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
