$1 million available to landholders in the lower Hawkesbury-Nepean

The Hawkesbury Lower Nepean Landscape covers the area below the water supply dams and includes the Camden, Penrith, Hawkesbury, Baulkham Hills local government areas and parts of Hornsby, Gosford and Singleton.

Paul Bennett, Acting Landcape Coordinator with the HNCMA, said landholders should contact the landscape team on (02) 4587 0050 if they are interested in funding for the following targeted activities:

• Fencing river and creek banks from stock and providing alternative off-river stock watering systems
• Revegetating degraded river and creek banks with local native plants
• Carrying out strategic soil conservation works to reduce nutrients entering waterways
• Managing the invasive weed boneseed
• Protecting and enhancing floodplain wetlands

"A key focus for our funding this year is reducing nutrients entering local waterways. We are offering landholders help to repair degraded landscapes affected by issues such as erosion and scalding to stop sediment and nutrients entering our creeks and rivers," said Mr Bennett.

"We are also interested in working with landholders to protect and restore floodplain wetlands in the Hawkesbury Lower Nepean region. Funding is available to fence wetlands, provide alternative stock water, control weeds and establish local native plants to enhance important wetland areas.

"We are particularly keen to hear from landholders with wetlands in the Colo Valley, Wheeney Creek, and the Macdonald Valley," said Mr Bennett.

The HNCMA is also targeting the weed Boneseed over the next year as it is a Weed of National Significance and western Sydney has been identified as a containment line to prevent further spread westward.

Boneseed is closely related to bitou bush and is regarded as one of the worst weeds in Australia because of how easily it invades native bushland.

"We would like to hear from any landholders who have boneseed (see photo) as we are trying to eradicate it from western Sydney."

Another high priority for the HNCMA is the Putty and Upper Macdonald River catchments where landholders will be offered help with projects to fence riverbanks and manage highly invasive weeds such as blackberry. 

"Work in these two catchments aims to protect the adjacent World Heritage Area," said Mr Bennett.

Landholders who are interested in finding out more or want to receive a free site assessment should contact the Lower Hawkesbury Nepean landscape team on (02) 4587 0050.

Media contact: Peter O'Malley 0414 611 792