Funds to help heal the Peel

03 Oct 2017

Eliza and baby Ruby, Peter Dawson, Coreena, Julie Clancy, Regional Landcare Facilitator Felicity Chittick, Oz Fish Unlimited’s Anne Michie, with Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce at the launch of the Oz Fish on the Peel – Anglers for Habitat project.

Pictured:  Eliza and baby Ruby, Peter Dawson, Coreena, Julie Clancy, Regional Landcare Facilitator Felicity Chittick, Oz Fish Unlimited’s Anne Michie, with Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce at the launch of the Oz Fish on the Peel – Anglers for Habitat project.

 

The Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, was pleased to launch one of 18 Landcare Small Grants which target sustainable agriculture and biodiversity projects in the region.

 

Mr Joyce announced $5000 in Federal Government funding for the Oz Fish on the Peel – Anglers for Habitat – a project which aims to aims to assist the removal of rubbish and invasive weed species from in-stream and riparian areas at the Jewry St Weir, Peel River in Tamworth.

 

Work on this project also includes planting of suitable native species in the area as well as ongoing maintenance such as watering and weeding.

 

It is one of more than a dozen Landcare projects worth $120,000 being funded across four local government areas in partnership with Tamworth Regional Landcare Association (TRLA) and North West Local Land Services.

 

The Australian Government is investing $1 billion to help support better natural resource management across Australia through the National Landcare Program.

 

Mr Joyce said this rehabilitation work will go a long way to rejuvenate the local ecosystem while protecting the Peel’s threatened species of Eel Tailed Catfish, Silver Perch and Murray Cod.

 

He said it will also help boost local populations of fish such as Yellowbelly for the benefit of local and visiting recreational anglers.

 

“This is going to help us regenerate the banks of the Peel, regenerate the habitat for fish and fix up the river so families can come down and throw a line in,” Mr Joyce said.

 

Representative for not-for-profit fishing conservation organisation, OzFish Unlimited, Anne Michie, is heading up the Peel project.

 

She said the funding will help pave the way for a healthier future for local waterways.

 

“We’re really appreciate the funding made possible through the National Landcare Program,”

Ms Michie said.

 

“We’ve had great help from all our volunteers, they’ve done great work already.

 

“We want to take it all the way to Lake Keepit… it might take us 10 -20 years but that’s our long term vision to get it back similar to what it was before.”

 

Other groups also benefiting from this latest round of funding include Currabubula, Gowrie and Moore Creek Landcare, Tamworth Mountain Bikers Inc and the Coledale Communal Garden Group Inc.

 

Mr Joyce thanked all organisations responsible for the time and effort provided to secure these grants for the New England.

 

“I congratulate everyone for their hard work to get these projects off the ground and wish them every success with their future plans,” Mr Joyce said.

                     

Full list of successful projects under latest funding:

  • Currabubula Landcare: Cleaning Curra Creek

  • Gowrie Landcare:

  • Tamworth Regional Landcare Association: Woodlands & Waterways

  • Moore Creek Catchment Landcare: Daruka Riparian Restoration

  • Moore Creek Caves Trust: Riparian Reveg Expansion

  • The Pub Angling Group: Carp We Don’t Keepit 2018

  • Dryland Cotton Research Association Inc:

  • Tamworth Mountain Bikers Inc: Parkland enhancement, weed control & Cultural Tour

  • Upper Mooki LandCare Inc: Crashing through Grass Ceilings

  • Moore Creek Catchment Landcare: Greening the Catchment

  • Tamworth Regional Landcare Association: Assisted Species Migration Stage 1: Site 1 & 2

  • Tamworth Regional Landcare Association: Building Habitat Workshops

  • Gowrie Landcare:

  • Tamworth Regional Landcare Association:

  • Coledale Communal Garden Group Inc: Traditional Bush Plants Project

  • Oz Fish Unlimited Ltd: Oz Fish on the Peel – Anglers for Habitat

  • Cotton Info / Cotton Research & Development: Improving the distribution uniformity of fertiliser spreaders to optimise fertiliser (urea) application

  • Oz Fish Unlimited Ltd: Oz Fish for Keepit – Anglers for Trees

 

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