In Memory of Tim

25/10/2010

Two sites at the base of Mercers Hill , Longwood .

Susan Sleigh DPI grant & Susan and David did the site preparation for the Mercer family since Tim's death .

Sprayed with herbicide two weeks earlier.

One site was re-seeding a failed site planted in the 2005 drought year.

Soil moisture was good , so lets hope we get follow-up rain .

Organic farming and Direct Seeding

25/10/2010

Robbie at Longwood is a strictly NO CHEMICAL farmer.

He has redesigned his farm with 25 metre corridors around the entire boundary and 2 corridors up the centre of his property . This year we sowed another 6.5ha . His revegetation works link neighbours Davies and Seach . Together they have created 50m ( each giving 25metres) wide corridors in some places , running several kilometres linking unused roadways , the railway line , roadsides and remnant creek lines, in a continuous chain.

Susan Sleigh DPI grant & Grey Crown Babbler Project .

Dhurringile Prisoners erect the fences.

The grass was very long this year and grazing the areas to be sown with sheep had not worked .

The tractor slashing method was used again , Robbie didn't have time to slash before we came so Rob H . helped out . First he tried slashing after we sowed but the soil we turned over clogged the slasher so we reverted to the slash then seed method. Earth mites may be a problem but there has been good follow-up rain since we sowed.

Neighbours combine to create extra wide corridor

11/10/2010
Jane Davey and Libby& Roy Search , adjoining landholders in Longwood, have combined to fence 40metres wide each side of a disused lane way , creating an extra wide corridor and habitat for grey crown babblers which have been recorded breeding in the area.
Durringile Prisoners erected the fences.
Susan Sleigh DPI Grant , Grey Crown Babbler project.
Charles boom sprayed both properties and the grass have not quite 'turned' when we were seeding.
Libby came with us in the car to help navigate around the properties and we enjoyed a good chat !
Rain started falling as we were packing up so the seed was off to a good start.