Making connections For Nature

Your patch and your nature conservation actions are part of a bigger picture. Controlling weeds on your property can minimise their spread onto neighbouring reserves and linking areas of native vegetation across properties can provide important corridors for wildlife. In this section, find out about ways to connect with others, learn from others and make your conservation efforts more effective (and more fun!).

⇒ Join our regular For Nature Catch Ups including workshops and garden tours
⇒ Access advice and planning specific for your property.
⇒ Loan equipment to make the job easier.
⇒ Cost share your conservation work through funding opportunities.
⇒ Connect with contractors who can carry out work on your property.

Registering with For Nature keeps you up to date on information, events, workshops, field trips and garden tours and connects you with like-minded people caring for nature in the Margaret River region. It will also keep you informed about funding opportunities, incentives and loan equipment that will make conservation action a whole lot easier.

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Find Inspiration

Gain Knowledge

For Nature knowledge

Join our workshops, garden visits and catch up events

For Nature is running regular Catch Ups where you can learn and connect with experts, like-minded people and Nature Conservation staff. The catch ups include talks, field visits and workshops.

Our 2021 events are generously funded by the Augusta Margaret River Shire through its Community Resilience Grants Program. View the list of events below and click on each event to find out more and reserve your spot. More events coming soon!

2021 Events for Semi-rural and Rural Landholders

Wicking Beds and Waterwise Gardening Workshop. Join us for a practical workshop exploring how to make successful water-wise wicking beds, with options for all backyards and all budgets. Discover a self-contained, raised-bed food growing solution – whether you’re renting, have limited space, have grass or trees competing with your garden, or if you are just tired of constant watering! This workshop will be held at the Margaret River Community Garden and facilitated by Laura Bailey from Margaret River Organic Farmer, who has been experimenting with wicking beds for years.

Date: 10am – 12pm, Sunday 10 October 2021
FREE event, please reserve your spot as places are limited – you can do so here.

Open Nature Gardens Weekend. Visit eight inspiring nature and wildlife gardens over one weekend in the Margaret River region. Tour the properties, meet the gardeners and learn how to create a nature friendly, water-wise, sustainable and ecologically-rich garden packed with habitat for wildlife and pollinators. From bush blocks and rural properties to suburban and coastal gardens, there’s something for everyone! Visit all 8 gardens over the weekend, or pick and choose the ones of most interest.

Date: Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 October 2021
Venue: 8 superb gardens in and around Margaret River
Tickets $10 per person, all profits going back into nature conservation in the community

Grants available now for conservation work on your property

If you live in the Margaret River region, you may be eligible to tap into grants totalling $90,000 to carry out conservation work on your property. The work can include weed control, fencing of remnant bushland and waterways to exclude stock, revegetation to restore biodiversity, and dieback management activities.

Once you register with the For Nature program, you can apply for grants on a 50 per cent cost-share basis, meaning we’ll match every dollar you spend on conservation activities (including the value of your time and labour). A pool of $30,000 per year is available in 2021, 2022 and 2023 thanks to funding from the West Australian Government’s State Natural Resources Management Program and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River. “This is a really exciting part of our new For Nature program, where we can chip in financially to help landowners achieve some fantastic conservation outcomes,” said For Nature Program Officer Peta Lierich.

To apply, download and fill out the expression of interest form. Then, return it to us following the instructions on the form. Please note, there is a limited number of cost sharing arrangements we can fund. Each expression of interest will be assessed with priority given to properties that fall within high value conservation areas or address key conservation issues.

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Advice, planning and assessments for your property

As part of the For Nature program, cost-sharing arrangements are also available to carry out biodiversity assessments and plans on your property. They’re designed to help you understand the values, threats and conservation management activities needed at your place.

If your property is eligible and in a high priority area, we can cover half of the cost of the biodiversity assessment and plan, which is carried out by a qualified environmental scientist with extensive experience in the Margaret River region – all thanks to generous funding from the Shire of Augusta Margaret River.

To apply, download and fill out the expression of interest form. Then, return it to us following the instructions on the form. Please note, there is a limited number of cost-sharing arrangements we can fund.

You may also like to consider signing up for Land for Wildlife, a voluntary scheme to encourage and assist landholders to provide habitats for wildlife, coordinated by the Department of Conservation, Biodiversity and Attractions.

For Nature: connections

Locals who can help

Get in touch with local contractors who can assist with conservation action on your property on a fee-for-service basis.

CLICK HERE for our contact list of people who can help, including local landcare nurseries and contractors in speciaities including weed control, revegetation, feral animal control, tree lopping and mulching, and wetland restoration.

For Nature

Equipment Loan

For Nature loans out a range of equipment free of charge to make getting the job done a little easier. Please email our For Nature program officer Peta Lierich at [email protected] to request a loan of equipment listed below. Please include your name, address and contact details; what equipment you would like to loan; and the dates you require it for.

Weed spraying  

  • 100 litre chemical weed spraying unit for use on a quad bike or ute
  • 15 litre backpack spraying unit
  • 5 litre handheld spraying unit for smaller jobs
  • Protective gloves and goggles, plus disposable coveralls for high volume spraying

Planting equipment

  • Pottiputkis (planting tool, pictured) designed for tube stock planting efficiency, with double spring trigger closing mechanism and adjustable jaws for depth of planting
  • Auger for prepping your planting site with pre-dug planting holes
  • Kidney buckets for carrying seedlings
  • Pruning tools including tree loppers, secateurs and hand saws
  • Mattocks for tackling compacted ground, mallets for driving in stakes and hand trowels for small scale planting

Tree treatment kits

  • Dieback kits which include tree injectors, buckets used to fill injectors with solution, and fungicide designed to control the spread and impact of dieback (fungicide is environmentally safe with low toxicity to animals)
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