Land managers can now access a brand new, free, online tool in the fight against drought to plan best management and use of water resources on farm.

The Water Evaluation Platform (WEP) was developed as part of the Water Smart Dams project and enables users to choose the most effective dam infrastructure strategy, based on their local climate, budget, and water needs.

Our staff feature for the month of July is Jacquie Lucas

Jacquie is one of Wheatbelt NRM’s longest standing team members, having worked across all areas of the organisation except finance since 2010.

Currently a Project Manager with the Sustainable Agriculture team, Jacquie has worked with this team since 2018.

Feral and pet cats across Australia are killing millions of native birds, reptiles, and mammals every day.

One pet cat recently wiped out an entire Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo breeding site, killing breeding females, chicks and destroying eggs.

We can turn the tide by keeping cats indoors, providing outdoor enclosures (catios), using deterrent collars, and sterilising pets to protect our native wildlife.

Wheatbelt NRM is offering support for landholders through pest control, fencing, and habitat restoration. Together, we can preserve Australia’s unique biodiversity.

Are you a primary producer?

A new survey is now live to understand what’s getting in the way of producers participating in the restoration economy.

As part of our larger Paradigm project which is exploring the potential financial benefits emerging from the restoration economy, this survey aims to get producers’ perspectives on their knowledge of current revegetation markets, namely the Carbon Market, the Nature Repair Market and the Biomass Market.

Take Survey Now

Wheatbelt NRM’s Noongar Boodja Rangers have recently completed a major restoration effort in Aldersyde, planting more than 15,000 native trees and shrubs as part of a partnership with Carbon Positive Australia.

The Noongar Boodja Rangers carried out site preparation and planting over several days in June and July, making the most of optimal soil moisture and seasonal conditions.

Wheatbelt NRM ran a mini webinar series exploring Farm Water Management best practice in the Wheatbelt between the 15th and 17th of July.

Links to our YouTube recordings of these Zoom meetings are now available.

Register now for the 9th National NRM Knowledge conference in Cairns - 8-12 September

Early bird rates are open until 2 August.

Celebrating 25 years of the regional NRM model in Australia, the conference theme is ‘Changing landscapes and new horizons’ reflecting where NRM Regions Australia are now, and where they want to go.

Check out this month’s staff feature, the lovely Maren Lavery. Maren is our go to person in the office, with eight years on the team if you need to find something Maren is the women to ask. Our Talent and Assets Coordinator Maren said she is most proud of the awesome team of coworkers she has helped put together and the exciting projects the team has in the pipeline gong forward.

Wheatbelt NRM met with Cooperative Bulk Handling (CBH) and the Avon Regional Organisation of Councils (AROC) late last month to further progress the strategic management of corellas in the Avon River Basin.

Much was discussed and work is now underway to roll out a co-ordinated plan which will work across the five AROC shires in an attempt to better control corella populations to help minimise the damage they cause.

3 years and 3 rounds of applications for funding, 38.5km of new fencing has been installed and over 46,000 biodiverse native seedlings have been planted as a part of the “Restore – Recovering Wheatbelt Landscapes after Fire” project.

Wheatbelt NRM are looking for landholders interested in becoming part of a project which aims to improve bushfire response time.

The project is part of the IGNIS mission which involves NASA and ECU engineering students and staff investigating the link between lightning and bushfire ignition.

Late in May the Noongar Boodjar Ranger team and Wheatbelt NRM met with NASA and ECU where they were invited to become involved in the project.

The project will involve installing up to 14 ground stations across private property in the Wheatbelt to record lightning data, pinpointing strike locations and assessing the likelihood of the strike igniting a bushfire.

The colder weather is on its way and so are the cockatoos!

As we head into the coming winter months, so begins the great Carnaby migration in time to prepare for breeding. Read about what our black-cockatoos require for breeding, along with what we can do for you to bring them back to your area!

Our Healthy Environments team has a new Project Delivery Officer, welcome Cenyce Vincent.

Cenyce has an Environmental Biology and Commerce degree from Curtin University as well as hands-on experience with field research, project coordination and has volunteered with Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and the Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre.

We are excited to introduce our new Aboriginal NRM project Manager Divya Labrooy.

Divya brings to the team strong experience in environmental science, Indigenous engagement and conservation project management.

Having recently worked in koala habitat restoration projects in NSW, Divya is passionate about supporting Aboriginal communities, strengthening biodiversity outcomes and building capacity for sustainable land management.

The Future Drought Fund is investing in five Nuffield scholarships that are specifically available to study drought resilience and support innovation. These scholarships will support applicants to build drought resilience expertise, adapt innovative technology and practices from overseas and share these learnings to advance Australian agriculture.

Applications close 16 May 2025.

The Foundation For Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) is offering grants to support communities to activate and strengthen local climate solutions with applications closing on the 24^th of June.

There are two streams of grant including ‘Small and Vital’ which offers small grants up to $10,000 and targeted larger leverage grants up to $50,000.

A Prepare and Recover stream is also offering grants up to $25,000.

Our buzzword for the month is Nature Repair Market.

The Nature Repair Act 2023 came into effect on December 15^th 2023 and was the first step in creating a legislated, national and voluntary biodiversity market where Biodiversity Credits can be earned, bought and sold.

Read the full story to learn more about how the Nature Repair Market may impact the Wheatbelt

The Wheatbelt NRM Noongar Boodjar Ranger team have been busy over the past month continuing their important work within the community including preparing the Northam cemetery in the lead up to ANZAC day 2025.

The task is one the Ranger team is proud to be a part of, ensuring those who had served our country are given this small token of remembrance.

We honour those who gave so much to those of us who do grow old in this fantastic country we call home.  May they rest in peace.

On a poignant note, Wheatbelt NRM is farewelling Carla Swift, our current Business Development Manager.

Carla’s work within and through Wheatbelt NRM has spanned several decades starting out in a Landcare role as an environmental science graduate in 1999 working throughout the Nungarin-Merredin district.

As part of our native grass feature, during the month of May we are shining the spotlight on Windmill Grass.

Love it or hate it, Windmill Grass is a WA native which has been historically maligned, but has potential as a summer feed option.