This workshop held at the Rye Park Memorial Hall and local properties in May 2014, was one of three held in the Lachlan catchment.

Craig Sponholtz, a designer builder and teacher of land restoration and erosion control techniques from the USA, was invited back after 2 popular workshops in 2013, including one at Frogmore.

Funding support came from LLS South East, through LachLandcare and the Regional Landcare Facilitator Program. Tea breaks and lunch were provided by the Rye Park Hall Community Group.

The Craig’s workshops focus on passive water harvesting, erosion control and stream restoration practices, using techniques that harness natural hydrology to self-repair riparian zones and watersheds. The program for the day was adapted to suit the unpredictable and inclement weather. The initial session was indoors, followed by a field visit to a local property, followed by a final indoor session as the weather closed in. Some key points from the workshop were:

• Good land management is the first step to controlling erosion.
• Degradation of a catchment, is the cumulative effect of the management decisions taken by every landholder within the catchment.
• Erosion is something that the average farmer can repair themselves with the materials available on their farm once they have a basic knowledge of the symptoms and causes of landscape degradation and how nature heals itself.
• A focus on management practices that prevent erosion in the first place is better than having to cure erosion as a result of detrimental management practices.

Feedback from the 24 local landholders who attended was very positive. They would like to have follow up, practical land restoration sessions to implement the techniques learnt during the workshop. Landholders were keen to implement on ground action on their own properties.

The Rye Park Workshop was organised by Boorowa based Landcare Support Officer, Heather McLeod.

The notes on the following website have been provided by Dryland Solutions Inc (USA) and Watershed Landcare at Mudgee.  http://www.upperlachlanlandcare.org.au/publications-downloads/erosions-control-workshop-notes

Erosion

Hovells Creek Landcare is a farm family based, not for profit, community group located in the central west region of New South Wales, approximately 40 km to the south east of the regional town of Cowra and approximately 300 km to the west of Sydney.

The members of the Hovells Creek Landcare Group live and/or work on farm or lifestyle properties bounded by the Lachlan River and Wyangala Dam to the north and east, the Boorowa River catchment to the west and the Reids Flat Road to the south (see the location map).

The benefits of Landcare Group membership include:

• A supportive environment to address Landcare / natural resource management issues,
• Access to considerable local knowledge and experience,
• Assistance with planning and executing Landcare projects,
• Participation in joint applications for Landcare funding support through HCLG,
• Access to an established community forum and friendship group.

Membership is open to landholders and to persons of all ages with an interest in Landcare, natural resource management and rural property management in the area.

Membership fee of $33 (inc GST) pa covers the year or part year between one AGM and the next AGM, which is held in November. Renewal of member ship is due and payable by the date of the AGM.

How to apply for membership:

• Talk to a current member,
• Come to a HCLG meeting or activity as a visitor or friend,
• Then click here to download, complete and submit the application form.

Hovells Creek Landcare is a member of:

Hovells Creek Landcare collaborates closely with:

K2W

The Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala Link is a major landscape corridor, connecting the sandstone forests of the Greater Blue Mountains with protected areas and treasured habitats on private land in the upper reaches of the Lachlan River catchment. The area is one of extraordinary natural diversity, rich in Aboriginal and post-settlement heritage.

The Kanangra Boyd to Wyangala (K2W) Link is vital to the long term survival of many species that are native to the Great Eastern Ranges. It provides a natural corridor used by migratory species as they move between the temperate woodlands of the central and southern slopes and tablelands, and the forests of the Greater Blue Mountains and beyond.

Find out more at https://www.upperlachlanlandcare.org.au/about/map-of-area/83-main/82-k2w

The properties on which the members of the Hovells Creek Landcare Group live and work are generally bounded by the Lachlan River and Wyangala Dam  to the north and east, the Boorowa River catchment to the west and the Reids Flat road to the south in the central west region of New South Wales, Australia. The epicentre of our Landcare Group membership and project area is the roughly the intersection of Frogmore Road and Bennett Springs Road at Hovells Creek.

Latitude -34.0390

Longitude 148.8874

Nearest town: Cowra, NSW (approx. 40 km)

Nearest village: Wyangala Dam, NSW

NSW Local Government area: principally Boorowa Shire

NSW Natural Resource Management area: South East

Location