The Pondcast

Sep 26 2023

The Pondcast Podcast artwork

In this series, we take a look at what a Catchment Management Authority does, a few of the projects the organisation is delivering on the ground, meet some of the passionate people working to deliver those projects and hopefully along the way, give you an insight to how we are protecting and enhancing the land, waterways and biodiversity of the Glenelg Hopkins Region of South West Victoria.

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

Integrated Italian Buckthrown control

Sep 26 2023 8 mins

We are back out on the Tyrendarra flora reserve with Robin Adair controlling Italian Buckthorn. This introduced exotic plant is playing havoc in the reserve, and as Robin points out in this episode, managing takes some integrated solutions – herbicide is one, but fire might be one of the best.

Reinstating the forgotten woodlands

Oct 26 2022 21 mins

On a drizzly windy spring day, we found members of the Friends of the Forgotten Woodland on a roadside, planting banksia, sheoak and sweet bursaria plants. They were establishing a new seed orchard to ensure the remnant native vegetation will always be in the landscape of the Victorian Volcanic Plains. The group GPS plots and note the provenance of every tree they plant, which is h

The entirely unpalatable Italian Buckthorn

Jun 28 2022 13 mins

Italian Buckthorn - the woody weed with tasty red berries is beginning to encroach on our landscape. In this episode, Glenelg Hopkins CMA's Tania Parker is our in the field with expert Robin Adair and his offsider Kym, discussing how to control this entirely unpalatable introduced species.

Tossing golf balls into grasslands with ARI

Jan 17 2022 22 mins

In this episode we are out in the grasslands tossing golf balls into quadrats with researchers from the Arthur Rylah Institute. Brad Farmilo loves talking grassland ecology, and he’s passionate about the projects being undertaken not just ticking boxes about how many kilometres of fences have been put up or plants planted. Instead, he is all about creating and providing useable a

Don Rowe - winning trophies for treeplanting

Nov 25 2021 14 mins

In this episode we meet Victorian Landcare Awards Australian Government Individual Landcarer Award winner Don Rowe, from Maroona. This award acknowledges the significant contribution made by an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to Landcare. Don Rowe is a local landholder, community member and leading Landcarer in the Upper Hopkins area around Ara

Searching for the Bittern

Nov 22 2021 15 mins

In this Pondcast we are talking all about bitterns. We talk to project manager Jacinta – who explains the project behind finding the elusive Australasian Bitterns. These shy, long-necked birds who sway with the rushes, fly south for the winter each year from the NSW rice fields. And meet siblings, Riley and Macey from Portland, who noticed a weird noise coming from the swamp at t

Discover Discovery Bay

Aug 17 2021 15 mins

Find out why the coastal area of south-west Victoria is so internationally important, not just for its geologically significant wetlands, but also for the role it plays as a round-the-world holiday destination for a group of birds from Siberia. Glenelg Hopkins CMA's Glenelg Estuary Discovery Bay Ramsar site coordinator, Gavin, takes us for a wander on the sand dunes and around the

Restoring the grasslands

Apr 18 2021 23 mins

Native grasslands on roadsides are often driven past without a second thought, but a passionate group of people are taking an active role in restoring these endangered plant communities and having great success balancing the ecological, community and agricultural values of the region.

What's soil got to do with it?

Mar 10 2021 14 mins

Soil used to be seen as the enemy in natural resource management (NRM), and there was once a great divide between the farming community and those authorities who sought to improve the environment. But things have changed - and now agriculture and NRM can work hand in hand for beneficial outcomes for everyone - with Richard taking care of the admin.

Why native fish need ladders and hotels in our waterways

Feb 24 2021 13 mins

We met the dynamic duo getting stuff done along the waterways of the Glenelg Hopkins CMA region – Steve and Alex. These two are responsible for putting things IN the river, like fish hotels and ladders, delivering environmental flows along the waterways, and probably most importantly, talking to people about the river and engaging with the communities along it.