FOUNDED in 1989 as the ‘Blackwood Catchment Coordinating Group’ by a group of local residents concerned about the declining health of the Blackwood River, the Blackwood Basin Group (BBG) today maintains this focus on community-led land management to improve the health of the wider catchment.
The BBG has always been not-for-profit, therefore relying on funding from external sources that involve time and resources to apply for each year.
The majority of this comes in the form of State and Federal Government grants, with others including Shire support grants, deceased estates that want to contribute to the environment or individual foundations with the same interest.
This reliance, however, means the BBG has to ride the waves of highs and lows of government landcare priorities while trying to maintain a constant presence in the local community and provide opportunities to protect our natural assets.
Historically the Australian government contributed baseline funding to Landcare groups each year, so the BBG was able to uphold project injections into the entire Blackwood Catchment from Dumbleyung to Augusta.
Unfortunately this is very much the past: in the last decade, funding for such projects were slashed and government priorities towards Landcare work to protect and improve our environment have been tightened to strangling point to reflect nothing like the funding was.
Consequently the BBG has had to now narrow its focus and on-ground work to the middle catchment zone only (Kojonup to Nannup), and must hunt and gather all funds project by project.
The structure of these applications commences with an interest or idea either from the community or a traditional Landcare solution such as fencing and revegetation of salt-affected creeklines or native bush, and an application being sent into the funding body.
These applications not only comprise of a 12 page document outlining organisation details, aboriginal consultation processes, project details and activities, but are also accompanied by a detailed budget of costs.
These are allocated to items such as; on grounds works (e.g. fencing materials and seedlings), media and promotion (e.g. newsletter, website maintenance), administration- maximum $2000 for 18months of project life (e.g. insurance, financial audit) and project management (e.g. wages for project officer).
The project management component is often limited to a maximum of 10 per cent which, for a $50,000 grant, amounts to $5000 to go towards wages of a project officer for the next 18 months.
This, as you can imagine, runs out very quickly after which the BBG has to dip into historical saved administration funds. These savings, however, have been drained to the point where the organisation that celebrated 20 years of Landcare work last year was looking at closing doors in December.
“The final detail in the budget is a measure of in-kind contribution that has to equal to or exceed the amount which we are applying for and includes input from the farmer to undertake the labour of fencing and planting seedlings, as well as using machinery like a tractor,” project officer, Sara Dulex said.
“So, as you can see, the local community play a pivotal role in attaining and delivering these projects on private property.”
Finally the entire process can take months to be assessed and outcome notification received. For example, multiple applications developed and lodged by project officers in May won’t receive notice until November, hence the BBG are relying on current projects and activities to continue employment of the staff.
Currently funding opportunities are heavily oversubscribed with not only other landcare offices throughout the entire state scavenging for the same funds, but also agencies such as Department of Agriculture and Department of Parks and Wildlife, as well as many other grower groups and not-for-profit organisations.
“Although we apply for funds each year from the government, we are by no means a government agency and definitely do not have access to a steady stream of government funds that we can stockpile and hand out as we would like to,” Ms Dulex said.
The fluctuating staff members at the BBG are a compassionate and involved bunch that share a focus and passion for protecting and enhancing our local natural resources to secure a future for our native flora and fauna along with valuable agricultural land.
“We are simply a group that aims to inspire and support our community to manage the Blackwood Basin’s natural resources for a sustainable, resilient future, as our vision states,” Ms Dulex said. “We will continue to attempt to obtain funds project by project to continue this legacy.
“If you would like any more information or would like to know more about what the Blackwood Basin does please contact Felicity, Sara or Joby on 9765 1555, visit the BBG website www.blackwoodbasingroup.com.au, see our Facebook page or come in and see us at 19 Bridge Street Boyup Brook.”
