erosion control

MEDIA RELEASE

25 August 2010

 

Over 120 attended the recent Erosion Control Grader workshops at Greendale, Railview and The North Australian Pastoral Company’s Marion Downs stations, proving that erosion control is a major priority to graziers in the Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) region.

 

“It was great to get the response that we did - the graziers that attended these workshops are responsible for the management of 6 million hectares of land in the Desert Channels Region,” said Industry Liaison Officer and event organiser Colleen James. “The future of erosion control in western Queensland is in good hands.”

 

The expert erosion control advice came from the Northern Territory’s Darryl Hill who has studied erosion for more than 40 years and has run grader workshops right across the Australian rangelands.

 

“The financial benefits of erosion control measures can be very unobtrusive,” said Darryl Hill. “What may seem time consuming in the short term will alleviate many costly repairs in the future. The washout is the result, not the problem.”

 

Darryl highlighted the importance of taking that extra time at the design stage to ensure that roads and tracks are having a minimal impact on the environment. He explained the importance of flat bottomed drains, check banks and diversion banks.

 

“Rather than the traditional V drain, the flat bottomed drains reduce the velocity of the water flow, carry a greater body of water and are easier to install and maintain,” said Mr Hill.

 

After some theory, the hands-on workshops had attendees using dumpy levels to measure contour lines and understand water flow across the landscape. The grader was then used to create the banks that had been pegged out.

 

“It was a really good day and well worth attending,” said John Schutt of Tralee Station, Tambo.

 

After the good season we have seen across the Desert Channels region, more effective and cost-efficient firebreaks were also a major topic, with chemical use, slashing and grading some of the options talked about.

 

Other presentations included ‘Ground Cover and Pasture Condition’ with DEEDI’s principal scientist for grazing lands David Phelps, ‘Poisonous Plants’ with DEEDI’s Jenny Milson and health checks with North West Queensland Primary Health Care’s Health Education Reaching Blokes nurses Lauren Chimes and Kristyn Middleton.

 

The workshop is an initiative of the Desert Channels Landholder Support Service Project and was funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for Our Country and the Queensland Government’s Blueprint for the Bush Programs. Workshop partners included The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), The North Australian Pastoral Company and North West Queensland Primary Health Care.

 

For more information please contact Colleen James at DCQ on 07 4652 7826 or email colleen.james@dcq.org.au.