eNews #22

• 18th October - Koala Feed Tree Volunteer Planting Event
• 22nd October - Click with Confidence (Walcha)
• 23rd October - Guyra Seasonal Farmer Update
• 25th October - Weeding for Weaving at Black Gully
• 8th November - Black Gully Festival
• 12th November - 2025 AGM & Member Muster
• 3rd December - Click with Confidence (Uralla)

The highly anticipated Black Gully Festival is set to kick off on Saturday November 8th at the scenic Black Gully Reserve (behind NERAM on the north and south sides of the creek).

This free, family-friendly event celebrates the vibrant spirit of Armidale as the weather warms up.

Live music will take place on two stages from 10.00am to 7.30pm with a maker’s market, food vans, arts and science activities, clothes swap, crafting, and creek bug collecting.

An entertaining experience for all ages, the 2025 festival will present ‘How to Weather Together’, a major exhibition exploring what climate adaptation looks like when guided by the concept ‘weathering’.

What can burying old cotton undies tell us about soil health?

Quite a bit, according to UNE soil scientists Assoc Prof Lisa Lobry de Bruyn and Dr Ivanah Oliver.

They’ll be at the Black Gully Festival on 8 November to share insights from their book (currently in development), and invite locals to discuss soil experiences and ideas for better soil engagement.

From 20–26 October, tens of thousands of people across the country will take part in Australia’s biggest citizen science event—spending 20 minutes counting the birds around them and helping BirdLife Australia take a national snapshot of how our feathered friends are faring.

If you haven’t already registered, sign up now to join the fun and go in the draw to win fantastic prizes including an Olympus camera package, Lyfer birding gear, an acoustic sound recorder from Faunatech, and more.

To find out more and to register, click here. 

Have you spotted this weed?

Serrated Tussock is currently in season (spring/early summer) and poses a significant threat to our local environment.

Holistic Management Co-op hosting 8 events across Australia in October and November.

The Holistic Management Co-op is hosting free on-farm field days throughout October and November to launch Regional Impact Groups (RIGs) - an initiative designed to provide a group of like minded people in your region, connecting Australian producers, who want to make improving landscape health and productivity easier.

The On-Farm Days will bring producers together to experience peer learning firsthand along with the value of regional gatherings supporting improved land management and Ag business management.

"Action separates the dreamers from the achievers, we want our Impact Groups to help producers convert what they know, into action, so they achieve what they want " says Helen Lewis, CEO of the Holistic Management Co-op.

We’re pleased to share that the Third Edition of the much-loved Pasture Plants of the Slopes and Tablelands of NSW, by Lewis Kahn, Belinda Heard and Wal Whalley, is now available from Southern New England Landcare.

This field guide contains 70 common plants found in the Tablelands of NSW, their common features and characteristics, with detailed pictures of the plants. 

Southern New England Landcare has been proud to support the authors in sourcing funding and preparing this updated edition.

Please note, this edition will be available in hard copy only at this stage.

Price: $25 each + GST.

Please contact the SNEL office to order your copy.