After wrapping up a successful project earlier in 2024, SGLN received a second round of funding through Food & Fibre Gippsland to continue supporting 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
In the second year of the project a case study dam will be established on a farm in Arawata. There will also be a focus on farmer education, with a training workshop and a public field day.
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 the landowner 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. Patrick will also 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 Workshop
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.
It was held in Hallora in late November 2024. Participants heard David Carew about the benefits of plants in and around dams, including improved water quality for stock, and increased biodiversity. David covered how to establish plants in the different zones from shallow to deeper and which species are appropriate for which area.
Kirby Leary, SGLN’s Project Officer, and David then took participants through a process to develop a plan for dam enhancement works on their property, with advice about all aspects from fencing, revegetating through to monitoring.
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 McKenzie-Smith, Jane@sgln.net.au.
Presentations from the day are shown below.
Field day coming up in May 2025
A field day will be held in Arawata at the case study dam in May 2025, to share the story and results to date. It will be advertised closer to the time on the events calendar on this website, or via our enewsletter (sign up below if you don’t already receive it).
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.
