KI Grassroots Grants in 2023-24

The 2023-24 KI Grassroots Grants helped landholders and community groups do a range of projects on Kangaroo Island including:

Arum Lily Control, Lashmar Conservation Park

Recipient: Friends of Dudley Peninsula Parks and Wildlife

This grant supported volunteers from the Friends of Dudley Peninsula Parks and Wildlife group to remove arum lilies from 4 ha of Lashmar Conservation Park through volunteer working bees and a weed contractor. 

Saving critically endangered Beyeria bush pea from extinction by weed invasion and kangaroo browsing

Recipient: Threatened Plant Action Group

This grant supported the Threatened Plant Action Group (TPAG) to restore critical habitat of Beyeria bush-pea (Pultenaea insularis). Volunteers from the mainland removed 100 kg of weeds invading Beyeria bush-pea habitat, such as bridal veil and bridal creeper, by hand and spraying along 4 km of roadside vegetation. Four exclosures were built in Beyeria Conservation Park to protect 87 Beyeria bush-pea plants from grazing by macropods, including KI kangaroos and Tammar wallabies. TPAG will monitor these sites long-term to assess the long-term survival and condition of Beyeria bush-pea plants in treated areas compared with untreated areas.

Overcoming nutritional barriers to liming

Recipient: Timber Creek Landcare Group

This grant supported the Timber Creek Landcare Group to establish a trial investigating options to overcome lime induced manganese deficiencies. The trial was undertaken at three demonstration sites with bare earth, foliar and granular treatments. The trial sparked significant interest in the local farming community. As a result the local industry group AgKI has successful sought funding for a five year project through Meat Livestock Australia to further investigate treatment options.

Improving KI's weather station network for farmers and community’s benefit

Recipient: Agriculture Kangaroo Island Incorporated

This grant enabled the local industry group Agriculture Kangaroo Island (AgKI) to install a weather station with a soil probe on western KI. The new station has extended AgKI’s monitoring network to 11 weather and soil stations across KI to cover the extensive variation in both weather and soils across the island. The data is freely available on the AgKI website and monitors temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, fire danger index and soil moisture. The new station will provide accurate and timely weather data for CFS/DEW (from a fire management perspective), and the sheep blowfly eradication project.

Revegetation      

Recipient: Landholder at Cassini

This landholder was supported to rebuild shelterbelts on their property that were lost in the 2019-20 bushfires. The landholder planted 965 native plants over 1 ha and protected them with 1.08 km of fencing. The shelterbelts will reduce erosion, improve biodiversity and create shelter for stock. 

Clay spreading non-wetting infertile sand

Recipient: Landholder at Stokes Bay

The landholder was supported to sow 50 ha of perennial pasture including phalaris, veldt grass, plantain, clover, serradella and biserrulla. When combined with the rotational grazing management of their pastures, they now have a permanent perennial pasture for generations to come. This pasture will improve soil health and reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss.

Planting and protecting seedlings for shelterbelts

Recipient: Landholder at Middle River

The landholder was supported to rebuild a shelterbelt that was burnt in the 2019-20 bushfires to improve biodiversity and provide shelter for stock. The landholder built a 1.7 km fence to protect 2 ha and planted 1200 native shrubs and trees to rebuild the shelterbelt. Once the area was fenced the landholder found burnt stringy barks grew new shoots and wattles and banksias began to germinate within the area.

Deep Creek fencing

Recipient: Landholder on Dudley Peninsula

The landholder was supported to build a 900m fence along Deep Creek to protect native vegetation, prevent water erosion and improve water quality and stock management. This continued the work they have been undertaking over the past 25 years where they have fenced 85 ha along Deep Creek, enabling the return of reeds and native vegetation to improve water quality and preventing salt scald and erosion. Read more about this project here.

Perennial pasture

Recipient: Landholder at Cape Borda

The landholder was supported to sow 55 ha with perennial pastures to reduce soil erosion, improve soil fertility and accelerate carbon storage. Species sown included summadorn cocksfoot, kainui cocksfoot, six point chicory, advanced AT phalaris and fescue.