Eyre Peninsula Grassroots Grants awarded

News article |

Close to $130,000 will go towards landscape management projects on Eyre Peninsula, under the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board’s Grassroots Grants program.

EP Landscape Board Manager of Planning and Business Support, Susan Stovell says the range of projects submitted this year for the grants program, demonstrates the community interest in looking after or connecting with Eyre Peninsula’s environment.

“The applications received this year were quite diverse, ranging from the establishment of a native garden and meeting place at the Samaritan College in Whyalla, through to introducing the concept of carbon farming, carbon accounting, and baseline measurements with women in lower Eyre Peninsula, or trialling new methods for pigeon control in Elliston,” Ms Stovell says.

“One of the more exciting projects funded was a project with the Wirangu and Nauo Traditional Owners who will be working with the Firestick Alliance to run a three day workshop in the region. The workshop will see the exchange of traditional and contemporary knowledge, to work towards a common understanding of the benefits and challenges of cultural burning, and its role in managing landscapes in a holistic and sustainable manner.”

South Australian Native Title Services says cultural burning is a traditional holistic approach to managing the landscape based on an intimate understanding of Country and place.

Their project will be led by Wirangu and Nauo Traditional Owners, with Victor Steffenson from Firesticks Alliance to introduce the theory of cultural burning, facilitating the exchange of cross-cultural knowledge between the Traditional Owners, emergency service agencies, government agencies, local government, and relevant stakeholders to promote a collaborative approach to fire and land management.

Also awarded a Grassroots Grant is WoTL (Women Together Learning) who will be able to continue working with women in the Cummins community.

WoTL Executive Officer Kim Blenkiron says this grant will support women to build their agronomic skills by participating in a crop walk and a workshop on farm carbon management.

“Managing carbon is an area that the Cummins WoTL group believe will impact their farming systems in the future and want to start learning about what they can do now to be prepared,” says Ms Blenkiron.

“These events are very welcoming and cater for women with a variety of skill and experience levels. They allow women to connect with others in their community with similar interests so they can continue to support one another’s learning after the day.”

Eyre Peninsula Grassroots Grants awarded
Participants from a 2023 WoTL crop walk also funded by a Grassroots Grant.

For the Wudinna District Council, their successful grant will support stage two revegetation works at Pildappa Rock.

“Wudinna District Council is grateful to the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board for their continued support, through the Grassroots Funding Program, and the receipt of $15,000 from the 2024 funding round,” says Council’s Economic and Community Development Manager, Glen Christie.

“We were fortunate to have received funding from the 2023 round, which supported the installation of irrigation and vegetation at Pildappa Rock, rounding out Stage 1 of the site’s redevelopment.

“The 2024 Grassroots Grant funding will go towards new directional and interpretative signage at Pildappa Rock, as part of the Stage 2 redevelopment. Council hopes that this signage will add to the visitor experience by providing additional information on this magnificent Eyre Peninsula location.”

Landscape Officers will work with Council and students from Karcultaby Area School on planting more than 1,000 trees at Pildappa Rock next week as part of the stage 1 works and to coincide with National Tree Day.

Eyre Peninsula Grassroots Grants awarded
Stage 1 revegetation and irrigation works at Pildappa Rock.

The 13 successful projects involve at least one of landscape board’s priority areas of water, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, pest plants & animals and the community.

Projects have been funded under two streams of funding for the 2024-25 grants:

  • Small Community Grants for up to $5,000 (GST exclusive) and
  • Large Community Grants for up to $15,000 (GST exclusive).

These projects will be undertaken over the next 12-18 months. To see updates on projects, subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter.

Grassroots Grants are offered annually in each of the State’s landscape board regions, as part of the Landscape SA Act 2019, funded by the Board levy.

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