Webinar - Landcare advocacy and engagement in 2026

When - Tue, 9 Jun, 5:30pm - 6:30pm AEST

Where - Online Event https://events.humanitix.com/advocacy-and-engagement/tickets

Landcare Victoria Inc.

Contact host(Opens in new tab)

Description

Landcare in Victoria is surging. Participation has nearly doubled in just 12 months. As Victoria’s leading grassroots movement, we now have 90,000 volunteers working to protect our farms, waterways, and biodiversity. While the community that Landcare Victoria supports is more active than ever, we are surviving on 2015-level budgets, and we can’t expect to protect our state’s future on a decade-old budget.

As outlined in our 2026 Election Prospectus - without a commitment of $111.9 million to transform our network - or at minimum, $68.4 million to maintain it - healthier farms and thriving ecosystems are at critical risk. In fact, without this investment, key programs are slated to end by early 2028.

This webinar for Landcare Victoria members will provide an overview of the 2026 Election Prospectus and provide an update on the advocacy efforts being taken by the organisation in the lead up to the 2026 election. It will also discuss the ways that landcare volunteers can engage with MPs and candidates. You can help us get landcarers voices out there - in your communities, in the media and in the halls of parliament. Let’s show all sides of politics that our work - and our landscapes - are essential.

Powered by

Tickets for good, not greedHumanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity

Online Event

Online event is being held via Zoom. The access link will be sent via email prior to the event.

When:- 6th June, 2026

Where:- The Mechanics, High St Trentham

Time 11.30am - 3.30pm

Booking: Places are limited, so if you’re interested please register at https://trybooking.com/DLKMH

Hepburn Shire Council, the Healthy Coliban Catchment partnership together with local environment groups invite you to an event to celebrate the end of a three-year project to restore habitat of the Bright-eyed Brown Butterfly along the Coliban River in Trentham.

Trentham and District Landcare have been working in partnership with Hepburn Shire Council to restore the Chinese Spring area located directly opposite the Mechanics. This event will be hosted by Hepburn Shire Council and will include a smoking ceremony by the local Djaara Djaara people.

Afternoon tea and a light lunch will be provided.

When

Thursday 28th May 2026

starting from Hepburn Springs

Overview

Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung People) warmly welcome you to Nyerna Djayi Wurreka (Listening to Country Speak) along the Argyle Spring trail.

As part of Reconciliation Week, join Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung People) for newly upgraded Argyle Spring Cultural Walking Tour - a guided 2-hour experience along the 2.8 km Argyle Spring trail that invites you to connect deeply with Djandak (Dja Dja Wurrung Country).

Through Nyerna Djayi Wurreka - Listening to Country Speak, Djaara will share knowledge, stories, and cultural perspectives that bring the landscape to life. Along the way, you’ll pause at designated points to reflect, learn, and experience artwork created by Djaara artists, each piece offering a meaningful connection to place, history, and culture.

This is more than a walk - it’s an opportunity to listen, learn, and build understanding together.

The experience will conclude with a relaxed afternoon tea (supplied), an opportunity to connect with others in the community.

All are welcome.

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/argyle-spring-cultural-walking-tour-and-afternoon-tea-by-dja-dja-wurrung-tickets-1985346185886?aff=AprilEmail

When - 25th May 2026

Time - 6pm - 7pm

Webinar- Registration Required

In our second webinar for 2026, we will be discussing how landscape rehydration techniques can be applied to the damaged, degraded forests of the Central Victorian Goldfields to help restore the ability of the land to absorb and hold water.

Over centuries of mining, logging, grazing and damage caused by human activity, the soil in these forests has been turned upside down and lost the nutrients and water-absorbing properties that allow it to function properly. Rain sheets off the forest floor instead of being absorbed into it to enrich the plants and fungi and aid decomposition. Mass erosion is causing further damage to waterways and upsetting the stability of the system. 

Techniques long used in agricultural settings to help reduce erosion and replenish soil have now been successfully applied in severely degraded forests, including at our Spring Plains Pilot Demonstration Site. 

In this workshop-webinar we will talk about the application of these techniques, how they are being used in both natural and agricultural settings and how they will be used in our new Goldfields Forest Restoration Project, demonstrating regeneration techniques across the region.

This webinar will be run in a more interactive style than usual, with participants invited to take part in open forum discussions at points throughout the presentation. All are welcome and no prior knowledge of the topic is required to participate.

Book now, as places will fill quickly! A recording will be available on our website and YouTube channel afterwards for those who couldn't make it, but please only register if you can attend the live presentation, as places are limited and the recording will be shared with all Biolinks subscribers afterwards.

Date: Monday 25 May
Time:6-7pm (AEST)
Location: Online via Zoom

A dedicated Question and Answer section with our presenters provides you the chance to ask your questions and there will opportunities for group discussion throughout.

Register Now

Your presenters

Dr Paul Foreman is an Ecologist and Botanist with over 35 years of experience in a range of technical, strategic and management roles across Victoria and Australia. Paul has worked in State and Local Government, as well as Trust for Nature and Bush Heritage Australia, and established his own consulting business in 2009. Paul completed his PhD on the role of Aboriginal burning in grasslands and was the inaugural Chair for Biolinks Alliance.

Dr Chris Pocknee is an Ecologist at Biolinks Alliance, with a passion for understanding the threats facing native fauna and ecosystems and how we can address these issues. Over the past four years Chris has established and delivered the ecological monitoring program at our Spring Plains Pilot site, and is part of the team expanding these activities through our new large-landscape projects. Chris relishes collaborative ecological work and is passionate about empowering communities to conserve and recover local biodiversity.


Our webinars book out quickly -so make sure to register today. If you're no longer able to attend, please do us a favour and cancel your registration. You do not need to register just to receive the recording. We recommend you add the event to your calendar at registration to make things easier for joining at the start time.

All the best,
The Biolinks Alliance Team

Banner Image: A gully pond in a degraded and mining-damaged Goldfields forest, catching water and slowing flow to aid absorption. Credit: Cameron O’Mara

Register Now

Bright-Eyed Brown Butterfly Restoration Project - Planting Day

Chinese Spring, opposite the Mechanics Trentham

Time 10am - 12.30pm

Trentham and District Landcare, in conjunction with Hepburn Council and NCCMA, will be holding a planting day to continue the restoration of the Chinese Spring are located on High Street.

This will be the final planting of approx 200 tube stock to improve the biodiversity of the area to support the butterfly, endemic to the area. The planting will be followed by a sausage sizzle to thank all our wonderful members and their friends.

Please ensure your register your interest to assist with planning.

Booking:        Places are limited, so if you’re interested, please register at https://www.trenthamlandcare.org/  or https://www.trybooking.com/DLGOT or use the QR code :-

‍ ‍

The Mechanics, Trentham

Wednesday 13th May 2026

9.30am - 11.30am

Bookings Essential via Eventbrite

Wildlife-friendly or firewise? Learn how to balance both in your garden. Join local experts for practical tips, followed by a morning tea!

Can you create a beautiful, wildlife-friendly garden that also helps protect your home from bushfire?

Join the Council's Biodiversity Officer and a CFA Vegetation Management Officer for a practical, down-to-earth session exploring how to balance habitat and fire safety around your property.

Many popular “gardens for wildlife” ideas can clash with firewise advice. This session breaks it down simply, helping you understand what works, what to reconsider, and how to make confident choices that support both biodiversity and bushfire safety.

You’ll hear real-world insights from local experts, compare “Gardens for Wildlife” recommendations with CFA landscaping guidelines, and pick up practical tips you can apply straight away, whether you’re starting from scratch or working with an established garden.

After the session, stick around for a free morning tea and a chance to chat with CFA, Council staff, and other locals.

Come along, get inspired, and take a simple step toward a safer home and a thriving, wildlife-friendly garden.

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/landscaping-for-wildlife-and-bushfire-morning-tea-trentham-tickets-1986511484325?aff=AprilEmail

Trentham and District Landcare will be partnering with NCCMA to hold an interactive stall on the Saturday. We will be asking visitors to participate in becoming River Detectives, using microscopes to look closely at what bugs are living in the local waterways. The program enables visitors to understand, appreciate and care for their local waterway through engaging, cross-curricular, citizen-science activities including water quality testing and water-bug sampling.

Landcare and NCCMA have been instrumental in working to improve the water quality in Trent Creek at the Chinese Spring location in the centre of Trentham. This project has been also focusing on increasing the biodiversity for the Bright Eyed Brown Butterfly, thought to be in decline prior to the project.

Come and chat to the NCCMA team and learn about our waterways and how they impact the overall health of our environment.

“The biodiversity footprint of Australian agriculture and the role of private land conservation”

• Newham Hall 24th April

• 1292 Rochford Rd Newham

• 7.00pm start, 6.30 for wine and nibbles

 To register use this link:  Register

 By:

Dr Carla Archibald a Lecturer in Environmental Sustainability and an ARC Early Career Industry Fellow at Deakin University. She studies how food systems and biodiversity are connected, using maps and social research to understand how agriculture both supports and impacts wildlife habitat across Australia, and to develop practical solutions that benefit people and nature.

The talk:

The future of wildlife in Australia isn’t just protected in national parks, it’s shaped on private land, by the decisions we make every day, from the paddock to the plate. In this talk, Carla explores a simple but important question: how much wildlife habitat is impacted by the food we produce, and what does that look like on our supermarket shelves? Drawing on maps of over 1,300 Australian species and 38 agricultural commodities, she reveals how different foods leave very different footprints on nature. She then shares how approaches like conservation covenants, land management programs, and sustainable farming practices can help support biodiversity on working farms and across private land, even as climate pressures and demand for food continue to grow.

Working Bee

Chinese Spring opposite the Mechanics, Trentham

10am - 11.30am

A working bee will be held to continue to improve the habitat for the Bright Eyed Brown Butterfly which is located in the area.

We will continue to remove the weed load and improve the biodiversity in the area to support the survival and distribution of this butterfly.

Please remember your sturdy shoes, gloves and a hat.

We look forward to seeing you on site at the Chinese Springs.

A working bee is planned as we continue at the Chinese Spring site for the restoration of habitat for the Bright Eyed Brown Butterfly.

Please wear sturdy shoes, a hat and don’t forget your gloves. Landcare are able to provide a range of tools to assist in the works to be completed on site.

As always we value your support and look forward to seeing you then.

The Healthy Landscapes program.

Supported by Hepburn Council Shire and the Stock Sense Team.

There is an opportunity to attend a free fencing workshop on the 20th March in Daylesford. 

Together with Healthy Landscapes, the Stock Sense team have an upcoming free Fencing Workshop featuring two experienced fencing contractors.

Participants will learn how to install new fencing and maintain and repair existing ones. The Stock Sense team will also lead a discussion on the importance of biosecurity and the critical role fencing plays in it. 

Where: The event will take place in the Daylesford region

When:  Friday, 20th March from 9:30am to 3:30pm.

 Registration:

To Register click on the link: https://zfrmz.com/VXbNr8hg35bDjmOqeHDc  

Trentham and District Landcare will be hold their AGM on the 25th Feb 2026 at the Pig and Whistle Hotel.

This is an important meeting in our calendar and, as well as providing our report for 2025 financial year, we will also be talking about the future for developing plans for Trentham and District Landcare. A key focus is on enhancing biodiversity and improving habitat in and around the Trentham area.

We are also thrilled to have John Walter (Malmsbury Landcare) as our Guest Speaker, talking about the Pollinator Project and how this relates to the work we are currently undertaking in both the Chinese Spring area and the Snowgum Rehabilitation project in collaboration with Hepburn Shire Council.

We do look forward to seeing you there. Your ideas and feedback are always welcome.

We will continue to undertake maintenance work at the Chinese Spring site, meeting at the High St bridge opposite the Mechanics.

Works will include clearing of fallen debris and tree branches, weeding of the jute matting site and preparation for the continued planting along the waterway to Forest Rd.

Please remember to bring your gloves, sturdy shoes and a hat. Our equipment officer, Tony Davis, has tools you are able to utilise on the day.

The Victorian Gorse Taskforce (VGT) is trialling the establishment of Community of Practice networks — local support groups designed to strengthen collaboration, knowledge-sharing and on-ground action for gorse control.

With that in mind, Dianna Dawson, Executive Officer of The Gorse Taskforce, would love to invite you (and your members) to an Upper Campaspe Gorse Community of Practice planning session, happening during the GROW Festival in Kyneton on 20 February.

This session will be a relaxed and practical opportunity to:

·  Share success stories from current gorse projects

·  Explore ideas for future collaboration and funding bids

·  Help VGT understand how it can best support your local efforts — whether through demonstration days, one-on-one site visits, technical advice, ambassador mentors, or grant and funding guidance

While there’s already plenty of great land and riparian management happening across the region, this session is about stepping back and taking a more strategic look at long-term gorse control, with the aim of establishing ongoing Community of Practice groups for the Upper Campaspe area.

The discussion will be led by Peter Sporle, VGT Committee member and Gorse Control Coordinator with Pipers Creek Landcare.
Peter is welcome to be contacted prior to the event:

Email: sporlepeter1177@gmail.com
Mobile: 0448 401 372

What: Upper Campaspe – Gorse Community of Practice planning session
Where: VGT Exhibitor Marquee, GROW Festival (Kyneton)
When: 2–3pm, 20 February 2026

Please let Diana know if you’re interested in attending by 15 February 2026. You can contact her at diana.dawson@vicgorsetaskforce.com.au or on 0488 081 918.

We’d love to see a strong mix of Landcare volunteers, landholders and project leaders in the room.