in process of being updated.....

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16 Mar 2024 - Neridah organised additional funding for SCAGI. Through social media she was able to apply for a cash injection by Keep Tassie Wild to support tree planting activities on the Conservation Area.  SCAGI acknowledges the generosity of Keep Tassie Wild in supporting us to achieve our restoration goals.

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14  Mar 2024 - Neridah is undertaking behind the scenes governance work, preparing a SCAGI Operations Manual (OM) and consolidating intranet file sharing for the committee. This work is greatly appreciated by the committee and will help SCAGI's prosperity.

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12 Mar 2024 - Kez, Quentin and Allison have been potting up seedlings for the next working bee.

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23 Feb 2024 - Quentin contacted Parks and Jenny the Coordinator of Friends of Freycinet offering SCAGI's assistance on Schouten Island with weed management. Jenny replied that she can't give him an answer on your proposal.  Friends of Freycinet still needs to sit down with Parks Freycinet staff and organise a program for the year.

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5 Feb 2024 - We received from Donna Stanley an up-date of key points of contact (in order) at Parks:

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• Alena Hrasky, Ranger in Charge Freycinet Field Center – for day to day matters, planning and works associated with the boomgate and volunteer activities (this may change in due course but for now Alena is the contact).

• Brian French, Parks and Reserves Manager North East Coast.  Brian is Adams permanent replacement. He only tarted late 2023 and getting across all issues for both Freycinet and St Helens Field Center areas.  Please cc Brian into any non day to day matters relating to Seymour.

• Donna Stanley, Regional Manager North.  Brian reports directly to me and Alena also (through Brian).  If you’re not happy with how things are working with Alena or Brian, then come to me.

• Will Joscelyne, General Manager Operations and Business.  If you’re not happy with how things are working with Alena, Brian or me, then go to Will.

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3  Feb 2024 - Daniel made another attempt to get access to Google Workspace for not for profit organisations.

Unfortunately I had to give up while receiving reoccurring error messages and will have to start the process from scratch at a later stage.

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2 Feb 2024 - Neridah sent out the minutes of the committee meeting to the all members present.

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1 Feb 2024 - We had a successful committee meeting at Aurora with all present between 4 and 6pm.

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27 Jan 2024 - Neridah initiated a SCAGI committee meeting, to be held at Aurora on the 1st of Feb. Please forward possible agenda items for discussion by next Wed. to Neridah.

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24 Jan 2024 - Daniel complied with the ACNC Charity Register requirements, submitting SCAGI's annual report to ACNC.

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16 Jan 2024 - Landcare Tasmania sent out a renewal notice for the 2024 membership for SCAGI. Daniel transferred $40 for 2024 on the 17 Jan.

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12 Jan 2024 - Shelby Pinkerton, organiser of last year's School Group working bee, responded to Quentin's request for suitable photographs for publishing. She endeavored to get back to us. 

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6 Jan 2024 - Adam Cruse continued to to flail mow the open areas on the south western side of the 4WD access track he started at 7am for 9 hrs.

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3 Jan 2024 - Quentin received some encouraging emails, following his synopsis of 2023.  - see below​

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Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a Restorative New Year.

 

Firstly, thanks to the Committee for all their work through the year.

Thank you to Neridah who took on the role of Secretary and Cheryl who joined the Committee and to Kez and Andy for their long service to the Group.

Thanks also to all the Group Members and our supporters for contributing to our efforts through the year.

 

I am writing this on Schouten Island and only have limited internet so unable to access our website with all the details of what we have accomplished through the year.

Please forgive me for those I miss.

 

We share a common history with Schouten. 

A rich First Nation Heritage, a past of whaling, residual workings of the convicts in the coal mines with abandoned shafts and tram lines, abandoned farmland now reserved for conservation.

Most importantly the restoration efforts in both places to rid them of gorse and other weeds and restore them to their original natural state.

The Friends of Freycinet, who have assisted us over the years, continue to care for Schouten helping it restore to a pristine paradise and are a great inspiration to me.

 

This has been a year of consolidation and diversification.

 

The Environmental Management Plan for Seymour was completed by Helen Morgan of Bushways Environmental Services with a lot of help from Daniel.

 

Donna Stanely PWS Regional Manager North endorsed our Gorse Eradication Strategy for the Seymour Wetlands.

 

We have had a number of working bees with Friends of Freycinet, Utas Landcare Society and a group of School Students on a World Expeditions Schools trip, helping tend the trees and deal with gorse.

We have contained the gorse with help of Adam Cruse slashing, Tim Reid Agricultural Spraying, Freycinet PWS spraying, BODC weed team and recently Amanda Brooks now with Will and Melissa Ferguson at Grindstone.

After a discussion with Amanda at the Landcare Conference she offered to spray at Seymour in return for help across the fence at Chain of Lagoons and the Ferguson's again donated the chemicals.

We are very grateful to Amanda and the Ferguson's and hope this can be an ongoing arrangement.

Thanks to the Group volunteers, Ben Wall and Paul Peacock who assisted with the spraying and to David Quon how supplied water.

 

We managed to plant another 100 native trees grown from locally collected seeds.

We had seed collection and propagation workshops run by Ruth Mollison in conjunction with Landcare. 

Hopefully this will result in an ongoing supply of local trees for the Wetland Area.

 

With an increased presence of feral deer causing damage to the trees we enlisted Ant Singline to eradicate them.

This is an ongoing project and if anyone sees deer, please let Ant at Chain of Lagoons know.

 

We have worked constructively with Andrew Nugent at the Bird in Hand Vineyard.

He has allowed us access to Doctors Creek to take water samples after we attended a workshop run by Landcare on how to do so.

Andrew has met with Group members at the dam site and taken us to the new weir in the Creek.

When there was concerns about the water flow in the Creek Andrew allowed us access to the flow metre.

Andrew and David Quon met and discussed re-vegetation on the western side of Doctors Creek.

We look forward to building on this relationship.

 

We have had some successes and failures with Grant Applications.

Thanks to Neridah for all the work she did for the Tas Community Grant which unfortunately we did not get.

We also missed out on the Bendigo Bank Sponsorship. Now they have a Branch in St Helens and so rejected us as we are in the BODC Municipality.

 

Grants to be acquitted this year include two from Landcare, one from FRRR and one from Highways and Byways.

We are also to get a final donation from the Earth Ocean Network who wound up the organisation during the year.

Many thanks to EON for their long running support. You will be missed.

 

We have been involved with the NE Coast Shore Bird working Group and continue to work with them for the protection of the endangered shore birds.

 

Sadly, a long-term supporter and original initiator of the Seymour Wetland Restoration Michelle Mentz died in a car accident at the beginning of the year.

It is our intention to put a Memorial Plaque for her in the wetland under some of the trees she planted and cared for.

Maybe the anniversary of her death 19th January would be an appropriate day to do this?

 

At our AGM we discussed the importance of Succession Planning for the long-term continuation of a Group. 

 

At his years inspirational Landcare Conference held at the Triabunna Chip Mill the Group Award was given to the Mount Rolland Landcare Group.

Over the last year they have renamed the Group, have a new Committee and through a series of workshops, Field Days including a Music Festival they have more than doubled their membership.

Maybe we could discuss some of these options at our next Meeting.

 

Again, thanks to all and best wishes for the Festive Season and coming year.

Look forward to connecting in person.

 

Kind Regards, 

Quentin

Quentin Smith
President 

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