KI Grassroots Grants in 2022-23

The 2022-23 KI Grassroots Grants helped landholders and community groups do a range of projects on Kangaroo Island including:

Back paddock wetland revegetation and stock/vehicle access crossing

Recipient: Kangaroo Island Community Education - Parndana Campus

This grant supported 30 agricultural students from Kangaroo Island Community Education - Parndana Campus, to remediate a previously cleared low-lying area of a paddock with an old natural watercourse. Rural Operations students in year 11 and 12 constructed a 300 m fence around the area and built a vehicle crossing. Students from year 7 and 8 then worked with the Board's KI Native Plant Nursery Manager to plant 200 native plants over 0.5 ha to revegetate the area.

Controlling weeds with drones

Recipient: Landholder in Gosse

The landholder was supported to control African boxthorn, salvation Jane and African daisy over 100 ha to reduce fuel loads and bushfire hazards and increase pasture productivity. This work trialled using a drone to control the weeds in areas which are steep and inaccessible on their property.

Shelterbelt revegetation and access control in Duncan

Recipient: Landholder in Duncan

The landholder was supported to create three shelterbelts to replace those lost during the 2019-20 bushfires. The landholders planted 1,000 native plants in the shelterbelts which were sized 0.23 ha, 0.36 ha and 0.36 ha. They also protected the new shelterbelts with fences 0.23 km, 0.36 km, and 0.47 km in length.

Interpretive signage Emu Bay foreshore

Recipient: Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network

This community group was supported to develop and install four interpretive signs at Emu Bay to connect people to the natural environment there. The grant was used to interview five specialists speaking about the local native animals and plants displayed on the signs. These interviews were then connected to the signs via a QR code so someone looking at the sign can watch the interview as well.

Shoal Bay coastal rehabilitation project

Recipient: Birdlife Kangaroo Island

This community group was supported to continue their revegetation efforts over 2 ha of land on the northern shore of Shoal Bay. The grant was used to plant a further 600 native plants there to improve coastal and bush bird habitat and prevent erosion and weed invasion in the coastal area.

Bush kindy for bush birds

Recipient:Kangaroo Island Children's Services

The local kindergarten was supported to deliver KI Bush Kindy to 60 preschoolers and connect them with KI bird through activities including:

• identifying bush birds through 9 surveys at Cygnet Park and uploading data collected to the Birdlife Australia database
• printing 660 Birds of KI booklets and distributing 61 of these to KI preschoolers
• painting and installing 60 bird boxes at family homes across Kangaroo Island with support from Birdlife Australia, Raptor Domain and Kangaroo Island Dance School
• undertaking an excursion to Raptor Domain
• creating bird-friendly habitat at the Kingscote kindy through the installation of bird houses and planting of bird-friendly native plant species.

Land Care Fencing

Recipient: Landholder in Seddon

A landholder in Seddon was supported to protect 7.94 ha of burnt, regenerating native vegetation and windbreaks from stock by replacing 2.238 km of fencing burnt in the 2019-20 bushfires.

Increasing the population of barn owls on Dudley Peninsula

Recipient: Landholder on the Dudley Peninsula

The landholder was assisted to install 12 owl nest boxes around the Dudley Peninsula to support the breeding of barn and boobook owls in the area. It is hoped that by increasing owl numbers they will be able to reduce mice and rat numbers following the removal of feral cats from the Dudley Peninsula. Remote cameras were placed near the owl boxes to record their activity.

Data for Purpose — making dolphin research effort count

Recipient:Kangaroo Island / Victor Harbor Dolphin Watch

This community group was supported to undertake 10 photographic surveys at Dashwood Bay and North Cape to gain a greater understanding of common bottlenose dolphins and shortbeaked common dolphins. 150 volunteers were involved with photographing the dolphins and later identifying them individually using their distinctive dorsal fins and body markings. This was undertaken as part of a longitudinal study which is developing understandings and custodianship of bottlenose dolphins and shortbeaked common dolphins and their habitats.