Regional Stories

Regional Story
	Bringing them home Around one hundred years ago, skeletal remains of two Iningai Elders were taken from their country, housed in boxes and subjected to scientific study. Now, due to the efforts of the Iningai Custodians, they have finally come home.
	Botanic walk boost More than a decade of dedication and hard work by Barcaldine couple, Marie and Sid O’Dell was vindicated on Monday when the Barcaldine Regional Council’s Botanic Walk was officially opened by the Member for Gregory, The Honourable Vaughan Johnson.
	Landcare gong for DCQ Desert Channels Queensland has continued its enviable record of being a champion of Landcare with recognition at the Queensland Landcare Awards ceremony at Government House on the first day of spring.
	Funding cuts are bitter medicine The ramifications of Australian Government’s funding cuts have again rippled across the Central West with the recent removal of Desert Uplands Committee representation from the Board of Desert Channels Queensland.
	Gidyea Thickening Field Day On July 31 a field day was held at Toobrack looking at the problems of gidyea thickening and encroachment on grasslands. The day was organised by the Cooper’s Creek Catchment Committee and covered thickening and encroachment, what works and doesn’t work, and the effect on productivity.
	Common Sense the Winner at Wild Rivers Forum A complete turnaround in approach to the discussion of the impending Wild Rivers legislation exposed the majority of concerns and goals of all parties involved are shared. Common ground and common sense were the winners at a July Wild Rivers forum held in Longreach.
	Wild Rivers on agenda in Jundah Wild Rivers was a hot topic at the recent Cooper’s Creek Catchment Committee Information Day in Jundah.
	Naturally Resourceful in Boulia Ladies from across western Queensland braved the cold to attend DCQ’s Naturally Resourceful Women’s Workshop at Boulia from 16 to 17 June.
	Garden gurus gather in May Everything from plants to pots, solar energy to seeds, grey water to growing vegetables was on show as Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) hosted its first Waterwise Garden Expo from 22 to 23 May at the Longreach Civic Centre.
	Legends, larrikins and Landcare set for Longreach The Queensland Landcare Conference 2009 is set to live up to its theme “Legends, Larrikins and Landcare” with conference organisers confirming Landcare Legend and grazier Jeff Campbell as a key note speaker for the three day event.
	Uni comes to Longreach School was in at Desert Channels Queensland last week when it partnered with Rangelands Australia to host the graduate diploma course, Sustainable Rangeland Production Systems and Regions in Longreach from the 20th to 24th April.
	Innovations attract graziers from across the central west Producers took the opportunity to benefit from each other’s experiences at the inaugural Blackall Innovations Forum run by the Blackall Bestprac Group, Desert Channels Queensland and Grazing Bestprac, which attracted over 90 people from across the central west.
	Wild Rivers Debate With the Anna Bligh Labor government re-elected, the promise to give Wild Rivers status to the Georgina, Diamantina and Cooper systems has ignited immediate concern and debate.
	Environmental awards with a gold lining It was a case of a gold medal presenter for gold medal worthy achievements as environmental leaders and innovators in the region were recognised at the Nissan Central West Industry Excellence Awards 2009.
	Rivers Protection Alliance Formed On the 4th March 2009 in the lead up to the Queensland election an alliance was formed between graziers and environmental groups to work for the legislated protection of the near-pristine Channel Country Rivers.
	The signs are good in the west A collaborative project between Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) and local councils is set to increase awareness of important natural resource management (NRM) issues in the region through a series of interpretive signs.
	Getting smart with water More than one hundred years of water use wisdom was tapped into at a recent information gathering day in Longreach for the innovative WaterSmart project.
	South American invader The South American pest plant, coral cactus, is consolidating its spiky foothold in the region after ideal winter rain in 2005.
	Indigenous Cultural Heritage The protection, restoration and management of significant Indigenous sites in the region has the strong support of Longreach-based Desert Channels Queensland with the release of $150,000 under its Indigenous Cultural Heritage Program.
	Mitchell grass dieback To anyone living in Mitchell grass country, the impact of severe drought conditions on this most hardy of grasses is as plain as the nose on your face.
	Water mix for latest threat Trials are currently underway in the Longreach area on the use of water-based chemicals for the control of an emerging economic and environmental threat to the region, cactus. As well as trying different chemicals, the trials include experimenting with the application rates and techniques.
	Kids’ cure get cap and hand The six kids of the tiny school at Windorah won caps for themselves and two ‘hand’ chairs for their library with their innovative solutions to local land management issues.
	Airborne reconnaissance finds front line Thirteen hours in a Robinson R44 helicopter has left Brett Carlsson very confident that he has mapped all the Parkinsonia south of Windorah and identified the furthest spread of this Central American invader down the Cooper channels.
	Landcare Bursary helps under 35s Three highly motivated and energetic land-carers are being given the opportunity to attend the upcoming State Landcare Conference in Mackay as part of Desert Channels Queensland’s annual Landcare Bursary.
	Bringing funding expert to the West Community members across the Desert Channels Queensland region were given the ‘good oil’ on how to source funding at the recent ‘How to win funds and influence a panel’ workshops run jointly by DCQ and the National Landcare Programme.
	Camels or cattle? The first of about 12,000 camels were brought into Australia in 1840 to assist in the exploration of the arid interior. They were used to carry people, supplies and wool, and as draft animals pulling wagons and coaches and whipping water from remote wells.