- Introducing our new CEO, Hugo Hopton and new Councillor, Tony Sharley

- Ecotourism For Nature- Water For Nature: people & places- Researcher and volunteer profiles- Parting words from Ian Atkinson, outgoing CEO

Summer 2016 Newsletter of Nature Foundation SA IncPrinted on 100% recycled paper

[ SAVE | PROTECT | RESTORE ]

Ecotourism For Nature:Developing ecotourism ventures to save, protect and restore SA’s natural biodiversity

SUMMER 2016 APPEAL

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Hello members, friends of NFSA and supporters. We were very pleased with the response to our last appeal and thank you to those who supported it. The amount

raised was at the higher end of our appeal results (other than our Vital Works Appeal results of course).

There were comments passed about the number of different creatures in the stomachs of cats being quoted from a discredited source. Just to assure you, we did not quote from any such source, our figures came directly from identifying the stomach contents from over 500 cats taken from our property Witchelina over the last three years. What is not commonly understood is that we are not talking about poor little pet cats that have wandered off into the bush, these are wild animals that could have a lineage of well over 300 generations.

Our new appealWith virtually no income from governments these days, the resource industry reeling and corporate dollars being largely unavailable, NFSA has embarked on ecotourism enterprises to create another income source – hence our summer appeal, Ecotourism For Nature. The Foundation has purchased properties with funds from the ‘public purse’, so it is fitting that those substantially restored properties should be available for members of the Foundation and the public to enjoy the wonder of these very special places. Also, the Foundation needs to develop income streams to continue its work. All activities on our properties are, and will be, very carefully managed to minimise human impact on these sensitive areas. Along with the two existing walking trails on Hiltaba Nature Reserve, we will be developing trails commemorating the work of our founders Barbara Hardy, Mark Bonnin and David Cleland, also we recognise the work of our first secretary Betty Lewis and her husband Bob. Whilst this is a most appropriate legacy, the five walking trails are stunning attractions even if those enjoying them have no specific knowledge of the Foundation or its founders. We are developing walking trails on Witchelina also, but another amazing feature on both properties are the 4WD tracks – simply awe-inspiring. I challenge anyone to have experienced a sight more amazing than the ridge-top tour on Witchelina where the wonderment of the Willouran Ranges are revealed. The wildflower tours are also beautiful events.The infrastructure, developed with your support at both properties, is very very substantial, and both can cater for many visitors and researchers at the same time.

Resignation of our CEOThe Foundation was a little taken aback when our CEO of three years Ian Atkinson resigned recently. Ian has been very involved in the further development of the Water For Nature (WFN) program that commenced back in 2008 at the height of the Millenium Drought. Many highlights have been achieved during the life of WFN but one of our proudest was the delivery of over 3 gigalitres (GL)

of environment water to private and community wetlands along the Murray in the last (financial) year of Ian’s tenure. Ian will take up a position at International River Foundation in February in Brisbane where he has family. Thank you Ian for the work you did for the Foundation.

Enter our new CEOThe Executive had some immediate interest from three excellent candidates and after an exhaustive process is very very pleased to announce that the successful candidate is Mr Hugo Hopton.

There is a full article on Hugo’s background on page 4 of this newsletter but the qualities that attracted us, all of which were very strongly supported by the most senior executives in DEWNR and some five other sources important to NFSA, are Hugo’s excellent proven strategic thinking, planning and delivery of outcomes skills, his ability to work hand-in-glove with his President, Executive and Council, his great capacity to create excellent staff relationships, his intimate knowledge of State and Federal governments in the environment sector, and his proven excellent income-producing skills. These factors make Hugo an exceptional choice for the Foundation.

I also wish to welcome a very famous South Australian, Tony Sharley, to our Council. Tony hit the headlines for his outstanding wetland conservation program at Banrock Station Winery. He is known the length of the River for his tourism expertise and community work, his highly regarded relationships in many areas of the State and Federal governments, and his work as a Board Member of the RAA.

Front coverWhat a wonderful painting, one of two donated by Robert (Alfie) Hannaford for our Christmas Dinner auction. We thank him for his wonderful support and thanks also goes to Alfie’s wife and fellow artist Alison Mitchell, artist Alyson Parsons and the other very generous donors.

Thirty-five years oldThe year 2016 is the Foundation’s 35th anniversary. Not only will we dedicate a walking trail to our most important member, Barbara Hardy, and other founders, but there will be other special events to be announced in the near future. We have spoken of a Perpetual Trust Fund for the Foundation for a time, but a huge effort, once Hugo is in place, will commence with a view to putting the Foundation on a firmer financial footing.

This year will also see the professional development of a Volunteers For Nature entity. We set out to put this in place 12 months ago but unfortunately it is yet to materialise into the viable force your Council knows it can. Also, we will continue to forge relationships with the Earth Sciences Faculty at Adelaide University and the Design Faculty from UniSA, and encourage geoscience ecotourists from overseas, in particular the United States.

I trust you will enjoy 2016 and I hope our paths will cross at future Foundation events.

Bob LottPresident

President’s Letter BOB LOTT, PRESIDENT

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DEVELOPING ECOTOURISM VENTURES TO SAVE, PROTECT AND RESTORE SA’S NATURAL BIODIVERSITYThe 2016 Summer Appeal will use funds generated to develop ecotourism ventures that will support conservation outcomes on our properties.These days nature charities need to think ‘outside the square’ when it comes to fundraising. An exciting way to do this is through the development of carefully planned and managed ecotourism ventures. Beyond being a way to generate more funds, ecotourism ventures allow others to enjoy our nature reserves and the wildlife they support.

The challenge is to develop ventures that help us in our conservation efforts (rather than hinder) and which do not negatively impact on our precious reserves and wildlife. Nature Foundation SA is working hard to achieve an appropriate balance between ecotourism and conservation.

One of these ventures is the development of walking trails at our properties. Last year we launched the Betty

and Bob Lewis and Warren Bonython walking trails at Hiltaba Nature Reserve. Our Ecotourism For Nature Summer Appeal will help us develop the Barbara Hardy Walking Trail on Witchelina Nature Reserve, our largest property consisting of 421,000 hectares of arid land 30 km north-west of Lyndhurst in northern SA. This trail will serve as a fitting tribute to Dr Barbara Hardy AO, the co-founder and past president of NFSA and one of our treasured patrons. We hope you will consider a tax-deductible donation to this appeal on the donation slip below. For more information on ecotourism opportunities on our properties, visit www.naturefoundation.org.au/ecotourism

2016 SUMMER APPEAL

ECOTOURISM FOR NATURE

Donation Form | Ecotourism For Nature

I would like to donate: $60 | $120 | $250 | $500 | $1000 | Other: $ _______

I would like to pay by credit card (tick type below) EFT OR My cheque/money order is attached.

Mastercard VISA AMEX Diners Name on card: _____________________________________________

Card no |__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__|__| Expiry date (MM/YY) |__|__|__|__| CCV No: __|__|__

Name/s: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________________ Postcode: ____________________________

Suburb/town: ____________________________________________________________ Telephone: ___________________________

Email: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) BSB:105900 Acc No: 963747240 Name: Nature Foundation SA Inc.

Description: (add in name)

We recommend that you email NFSA at naturefoundationsa@nfsa.org.au to advise of the EFT transaction

Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible.

Please post to:Nature Foundation SA Inc. PO Box 448 Hindmarsh SA 5007, or Phone 8340 2880

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TONY SHARLEY JOINS NATURE FOUNDATION SA COUNCIL AND IS NEW CHAIR OF THE WATER FOR NATURE COMMITTEETony has recently completed four years as the General Manager of the Riverland’s regional tourism body, Destination Riverland.

Tony grew up on the Murray River at Renmark and completed degrees in natural resources management at Roseworthy Agricultural College, Canberra University

and a Master’s Degree in Applied Science at Monash University.

He is a passionate Riverlander who also serves as a Director on the boards of the RAA, RiverSmart Australia and the Conservation and Hunting Alliance of SA.

His career has included positions with Primary Industries SA and the Murray Darling Basin Commission, playing key roles in water reforms that have helped to shape healthy river reforms today.

More recently Tony was manager of Banrock Station Wine and Wetland Centre and led the process of listing the Banrock Station Wetlands as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.

In 2009 he was awarded by his peers in the Riverland Tourism Association for the Most Outstanding Contribution by an Individual.

Tony’s interests include spending time with family and friends on the Murray River and restoring their Templeton wetland with his neighbours. Tony loves the outdoors, fishing, hunting and camping, and is currently developing a four-day guided walk on the Murray River.

NATURE FOUNDATION SA IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE APPOINTMENT OF HUGO HOPTON AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER. President Bob Lott says, “Hugo has a most impressive background which is ideally suited to the role of leading our organisation and managing our work in all its complexity. We believe Hugo will take Nature Foundation SA to an even greater level of recognition and achievement”.

Hugo’s most recent role was Regional Manager, Natural Resources SAMDB based in Murray Bridge, where he led delivery of the programs of both the SA Murray-Darling

Basin NRM Board and DEWNR for the community and government. Prior to this he was General Manager of the South East NRM Board and CEO of the South East Catchment Water Management Board.

After completing a Bachelor of Science (Forestry) degree at the Australian National University, Hugo began his career as a forester in the South East and Fleurieu Peninsula, moving on to work as the manager for State Flora and revegetation program manager within Primary Industries SA. He is an Executive, Chair, Member and Founding Member of numerous boards and committees including the Murray-Darling Basin Coordinating

Committee and the Murray River SA Alliance (Founding Member for both) and NRM & Catchment Boards (Executive).

Throughout his career Hugo has worked with communities and industries in land conservation, primary production, native vegetation management and water management. He has strong relationships with government departments within South Australia and the Commonwealth, and with local government and the NGO sector. Outside of work, Hugo has a broad range of interests including spending time with his family, camping, walking, gardening and building rock walls.

Hugo says he is thrilled to be joining NFSA. “I am very much looking forward to helping the Foundation and its significant member and volunteer base build on its most impressive achievements to date.”

NFSA Council and staff wish Hugo a warm welcome and very much look forward to working with him into the future.

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The appeal to save wildlife used to be much simpler. When the WWF produced their giant panda logo with the plea to ‘Save it before it becomes extinct’, the result was a multi-million dollar success story as people recognised the plight of pandas and contributed what they could to help rescue these and other precious creatures. The threat of extinction was enough to make generous people want to become involved to prevent such a dreadful outcome.

Move on a few decades, and labelling a species as vulnerable to extinction is no longer an effective plea for its preservation but a death sentence. Why? Because, as species get rarer, they become more valuable – not for themselves but as components in disgusting wildlife trades involving collectors, the pet trade, trophy hunters, carvers and spurious ‘medicines’. Rhinoceros horn, nothing more than modified hair, is now worth more than its weight in gold, either to decorate the dagger handles of Middle Eastern warlords or as a supposed aphrodisiac in Asian medicine, which values bits of tiger similarly. The more international measures try to prevent the sale of ivory, the higher its price climbs on the prosperous black market.

Conspicuous consumption now includes the boast that you have secured for yourself, in one form or another, the remains of the world’s rarest animals. The rarer animals get, the more their value rises in this sinister wildlife trade, which is one of the big three illicit international markets along with drugs and armaments.

How then, do we save our wildlife? What will work if appeals are losing their power?In the sixty odd years that I have been involved with conservation, I have seen nothing more hopeful than properly conceived and managed ecotourism ventures. Many colonies of the great apes of Africa were destined for extinction at the hands of villagers who killed them for bushmeat and destroyed their forests to create marginal farms. Then ecotourism stepped in. Wealthy Europeans, Americans and Australians now pay handsomely to see

these wild creatures, and the villagers have much more to gain by protecting them than by seeing them die. The same is true closer to home for orangutans, where ecotourism voyages are sustaining whole communities of their carers, and funding the purchase of large tracts of rainforest, without which these apes are doomed.

Whale watching, swimming with whale sharks, bird watching, museum expeditions – the diversity of ecotourism ventures is growing, and with it comes the protection of vital habitat along with regulations to protect the animals involved and commercial ventures whose very existence depends on their practitioners making sure that the wildlife at the heart of them prospers.

Ecotourism brings together the rarest of our wildlife with the people who value it for the right reasons, and, properly managed, the money happily spent by ecotourists pays for the conservation, research and management required to ensure that wildlife and habitat are kept secure.

Nature Foundation SA now owns and manages some of the most important wild habitat in South Australia. We are dedicated to preserving it and its wildlife, some of which is rare and vulnerable. We want others to enjoy these things, too, but in ways that help rather than endanger all that is precious about them. So we have begun to explore carefully managed ecotourism ventures on our properties, bringing people who value wildlife to these important places where their contributions will help us to research, manage and protect the habitats and wildlife that all of us know are important.

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PRE-EUROPEAN MAMMALIAN ASSEMBLAGE OF THE NORTHERN FLINDERS RANGES AND THE CHANGE IN HABITAT DIVERSITY, FROM A SUBFOSSIL OWL PELLET AND GHOST BAT SCAT DEPOSITRESEARCHER: JESSIE-BRIAR TRELOAR, HONOURS PROJECT, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE

What was the purpose of this project?Australia has the worst mammal extinction record in the world. The arrival of Europeans and pastoralism in Australia caused severe and rapid changes to ecosystems, resulting in a decline in mammal species over a short timeframe. The purpose of this project was to see what mammals were originally present in the northern Flinders Ranges before European settlement and if the habitat diversity has changed. Subfossil deposits provide a snapshot of past small mammal assemblages and are common and widespread across Australia.

I examined subfossil deposits of bone and fur in owl pellets – the regurgitated undigestible remains of an owl’s gut(pictured). I also examined some ghost bat guano from the same site at Aroona Dam near Leigh Creek. Both the owl pellets and guano were dated using radiocarbon dating, which placed them at over 600 years old.

Summarise the results of your projectTwenty-two species of mammals were identified from the

subfossil deposits. Over 50% of mammals are no longer found at the site. This sharp decline in mammalian diversity is likely due to the impact of European settlement and changes in habitat, largely through livestock grazing reducing groundcover vegetation, an important food and shelter source for native mammals. Also, the introduction of feral cats (established in the area by the 1860s) and foxes (introduced in the early 1900s) following European settlement added further pressure. The lack of groundcover vegetation meant that native mammals had no place to hide from these introduced predators, which were able to easily prey on them.

What is the most exciting thing about this work?I was most excited about learning the age of the subfossils using radiocarbon dating, which showed that the subfossils were between 680 and 1560 years old, representing some of the original mammals of the northern Flinders Ranges before the impacts of European settlement. It was like going back in time!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?RESEARCHERS NATURE FOUNDATION SA HAS SUPPORTED IN THE PAST.Nature Foundation SA caught up with Dr Marco Sacchi, who earned his PhD with the help of an NFSA postgraduate grant in the early 2000s. Marco says his PhD, ‘The effect of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation on the survival of the herpetofauna in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges, SA’, helped him “decisively in getting into

the desired field of conservation work that I had always aimed for”. Marco’s research produced a number of conclusions including that the original herpetofauna still persist in the southern Mount Lofty Ranges and that habitat fragmentation apparently has not affected species richness in region, although he found important differences in occurrences of individual species across remnant vegetation patches (with a significant association between species richness and patch size).

Marco, who now lives in Switzerland, went on to found his own NGO, Naturnetz (translates to Nature Network, www.naturnetz.ch). With a head office in Zurich and four regional offices throughout the country, Naturnetz employs 20 staff, 12 interns and 350 conscientious objectors (young men who opt for an alternative to doing army service in Switzerland). With an average of 8-10 field teams operating at any time of the year, the organisation conducts about 350 different conservation projects annually. As Marco says, “I consider myself very lucky to be able to help make a difference and contribute to conservation. Ultimately all thanks to my degree and the organisation that helped me finance it.”

RESEARCH FUNDED BY NATURE FOUNDATION SA

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Ric with his good friend Trevor Brettig at Hiltaba Nature Reserve during a volunteering trip. Photograph by Jan Madeley.

RIC WILLIAMS

Volunteer Profile

What type of volunteering do you do for NFSA?Whatever I can when asked. I helped at Witchelina Nature Reserve at the first working bee, and was the first ‘manager’ at Hiltaba shortly after it was purchased and have helped out up there on several occasions with my good mate Trev Brettig. I have assisted with some of the Adelaide-based tasks for the Water For Nature program, including painting a trailer-mounted pump, again with Trevor, and gathering and loading secondhand pipework, purchased from a farmer in the Adelaide Hills. We have also helped at a working bee near Waikerie.

The majority of my volunteering has been as a member of the Friends of Nature Foundation SA, helping with the various events and regular functions we hold every year, including two recent very successful sausage sizzles at Bunnings in Mile End that raised approximately $3700. Maintenance and upgrading of the garden at head office in Hindmarsh is another project we have commenced, involving trimming of the overgrown bushes and shrubs, removing invasive plants like watsonia and olives and replacing them with indigenous Australian groundcovers and understorey plants, also refurbishing the irrigation system.

How and when did you become involved with NFSA?I can’t remember when I first joined NFSA, but I think it was about 20 years ago. I was in the visitors building at Belair National Park browsing through the pamphlets while waiting to be served, one of which was for the then National Parks Foundation of South Australia. I had never heard of it so I took the pamphlet home and read it all and thought I would like to be part of their work. I joined straight away.

Shortly after, I received an invitation to the formal opening of a new park called the Mokota Conservation Park, which NFSA had purchased up near Mount Bryan. I thought

that was pretty special seeing that I had only just joined. I booked a seat on the bus that was going from Adelaide and had a lovely time talking to the other members and feeling very welcome. The weather deteriorated quite rapidly after we all arrived (rain and very strong wind), but it was still a most enjoyable day and a great introduction to NFSA and the things they did.

What do you enjoy most about volunteering at NFSA? What is one of your most memorable experiences?The very rewarding time spent working with like-minded people who are passionate about the environment. There are so many wonderful people with very interesting stories and experiences to tell. It is a great pleasure to meet them and do life, share a laugh and a passion. I also love listening to and talking to the many dedicated environmental scientists I’ve meet along the way. Without them the world would be a much poorer place.

Also, I particularly enjoy visiting Hiltaba Nature Reserve, the Gawler Ranges are beautiful – the colours, skies, etc. Every visit is a highlight and memorable.

What do you think is the key message behind what NFSA does?The very important need to care for our wonderful natural world, without which we wouldn’t last very long and actually stepping forward and doing something about it. NFSA is really good at this, as are all the other environmental organisations I am a member of. South Australia is very good at it!

NFSA’s support of students and the awarding of scholarships also strongly defines its commitment to the natural world and its preservation. NFSA achieves a lot with a little. I am proud to be a member and to help with the objectives.

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WATER FOR NATUREEstablished in 2008 during the Millennium Drought, Water For Nature (WFN) has been helping to redress the loss and stress to the ecosystems and habitats along the River Murray that do not receive water from other sources

such as government environmental watering programs. Nature Foundation SA’s long-term agreement with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to deliver up to 10 gigalitres (GL) of environmental water over five years was the first of its type in the Murray-Darling. In 2014/2015 the WFN delivered 1.1 GL, this financial year we are on track to deliver 3 GL. Crucially, NFSA has only been able to do this work with support from dedicated and enthusiastic stakeholders in River Murray communities who help manage our now 25 sites.

The overall premise of Water For Nature is beautifully simple – just add water – but one of the most remarkable thingsabout the program is the diversity of the sites in terms of their scale, aims, the people and organisations involved, and the method of water delivery. This diversity was on full display on a recent visit to a few of our WFN sites.

Ramco River Terrace lies between the Murray River and Ramco Lagoon, 7 km downstream of Waikerie. Here, incredible work has been done by NFSA volunteers Roger and Raelene Schmitke, lapsed garlic and lucerne irrigators who are quite literally devoted to conservation work in many forms. Roger has co-opted his mates at the Waikerie Men’s Shed to help out with reburbishing second-hand pumps and pipes and also to convert a college rowing trailer into one specifically designed to transport pipes and sprinklers around the Riverland to various WFN sites. Working with the Schmitkes is Karen Bishop, Riverland West Landcare Project Officer, who is clearly excited by what she terms the “amazing growth” of the black box and coobah saplings she has witnessed here as a result of watering.

Watering of the Ramco Lagoon was started by Karen and her late husband Philip (‘Bish’), who was a volunteer for the local Ramco Wetland Group as well as a member of Riverland West Landcare with Karen. At the beginning of the project, Bish converted their own small pump to do the work at the site, checking on it every two hours for a number of weeks. Later, NFSA was able to supply the Bishops with a more efficient and less high-maintenance pump.

Roger and Raelene also manage another watering site on the northern side of the Waikerie Ferry, utilising a second-hand pump that Roger has repaired and maintained, his

decades of working on the land making him the ideal person to look after things at the site. Roger’s dedication is matched totally by Raelene, who is known to work from dawn til dusk with barely a break. Chatting with this couple as the sun set on Waikerie that evening, it was clearer than ever that our organisation simply could not do the work we do without people like the Schmitkes and the Bishops.

The next day we met a farmer who, perhaps initially reluctant to allow environmental watering on his land, now enjoys seeing the transformation of the riverbanks and floodplains, telling us he was surprised by how the vegetation “greened up” in only one to two weeks, with the gums turning a vibrant green. As we stood on top of the hills overlooking the wetter floodplain, he and his son chatted and pointed to places they thought could do with some more watering, their growing enthusiasm obvious.

Then there is Riversleigh Lagoon, just downstream of Lock 2 west of Waikerie, the site of the first new WFN project for 2016. This parched lagoon on private land has been without water since the floods of 2012 and the black box and coobah saplings that regenerated after the flood desperately need a drink. It is also hoped that partially filling this large lagoon will keep some very weary and dehydrated river red gums hanging on. Landowner Bronwyn told us when she and her husband John bought the property over 30 years ago, the lagoon would be filled three out of four years but suffered badly during the prolonged Millennium drought. She noted that the marvellous re-filling of the lagoon during the 2010-2012 floods after a decade of dryness led to a burst of life in the water below her home, where the noise of regeneration would sometimes be “deafening” in the evenings. This WFN project will see 300 ML pumped into the area over the

AN INITIATIVE OF NATURE FOUNDATION SA

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Raelene & Roger Schmitke, NFSA volunteers and Water For Nature supporters. Kristian and Bronwyn watch as water flows into Riversleigh Lagoon, west of Wakerie.

PEOPLE & PLACES KATHY SHARRAD

next two weeks. The NFSA crew watched excitedly as an SA Water crew set up the pumps (lent to us by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority) and the water started flowing just in time for Brownyn and John’s son Kristian, visiting from Los Angeles, to witness the drenching of dry land once again.

Further upstream the Mighty Murray is Calperum Station, a pastoral lease near Renmark managed by the Australian Landscape Trust comprising 242,800 hectares of open mallee bushland and Murray River flooplains. Calperum Station covers the western half of the Chowilla Floodplain, adjacent to the Murray River National Park. Watering here aims to reverse the long-term decline of floodplain vegetation communities, to provide seasonal temporary wetland habitat and to sustain extensive regeneration of river red gum, black box and lignum seedlings following the 2010-2012 floods. NFSA has worked closely with chief ecologist and manager Dr Peter Cale to deliver environmental water to multiple sites on the property. One of the benefits of working with Peter and his team at Calperum is that as well as maintaining and running the pumps and other irrigation equipment, they undertake ecological monitoring at the watering sites, providing us with important data on the effect of watering on native plant and animal species. Despite the ‘simple’ premise of water = growth, we still need cold, hard facts and figures of what is happening in order to secure funding for the WFN program. In fact, we are working hard to secure funding that will help pay for extensive biological monitoring at all of our sites; so far we’ve only been able to do basic vegetation response monitoring at six sites.

Nature Foundation SA also has a great relationship with John Silvia, Parks Manager at Loxton Waikerie Council, who showed us around the watering site on the Loxton riverfront. Through John, NFSA utilises council pumps that John maintains and manages, rigging them up to sprinklers our innovative CEO bought second-hand online. John even uses his own tractor to move heavy things around. Also is Jonathan Leske, Environmental Officer with the Renmark Paringa Council who has teamed up with local landowner and irrigator Kate Strachan to manage the WFN project at Johnson’s Waterhole, which is on council land but adjacent to Kate’s property. Busy with her own irrigation work, Kate takes time out to move pipes and sprinklers around and enjoys the serenity of the now-filled lagoon of an evening.

During the trip, we took the opportunity to present Bruce and the Pike River Land Management Group with a ‘Water For Nature Champion’ award for their fantastic commitment to the WFN watering projects they help us manage. One of these sites is Duck Hole, a 15 hectare

wetland that has been filled with environmental water to create habitat for waterbirds and to support riparian vegetarian on the adjacent floodplain. Bruce explained that he had marvelled at the dramatic response of waterbirds to the re-filled waterhole, citing one evening when the water’s surface was completely covered with birds. When asked why he and his team do what they do, Bruce was refreshingly honest, admitting that as irrigators they had “a bit of a vested interest” in seeing healthy wetlands and floodplains around the river. “Healthy wetlands equal healthy river, and that’s good for us,” he said.

And this is the power of WFN – our work is not “just” for the benefit of trees and animals but is inclusive of the needs and interests of other non-environmental groups including Riverland irrigators. The benefits of our work have flow on effects (pardon the pun). Healthy wetland environments are important on environmental, economic and cultural/social fronts, providing optimal environments for flora and fauna, improved water quality for human consumption, agricultural use and opportunities for recreation and tourism. WFN is truly a team effort and Nature Foundation SA is not only grateful but humbled by the dedication and commitment of our WFN stakeholders in the Riverland. We look forward to working with them for many years to come.

Below left: Bruce Hewett accepts the award of ‘Water For Nature Champion’ on behalf of the Pike River Land Management Group from our former CEO Ian Atkinson.Below right: John Silvia, Parks Manager at Loxton Waikerie Council, at the Loxton Riverfront WFN site with the sprinklers going.

Johnson’s Waterhole, before and after filling with environmental water.

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The Nature Foundation SA Christmas Dinner, held at Adelaide Oval on Saturday 5 December 2015, was a resounding success, raising over $27,000. The John Halbert Room provided an ideal setting for our 138 guests to enjoy scenery of both the Adelaide Oval and Parklands. Everyone enjoyed a three-course meal and delightful background music by local musician Rainbow. Beverages were provided by our generous sponsors Wines by Geoff Hardy and West End. At the end of another positive year in environmental conservation for NFSA, President Bob Lott took the opportunity to provide a brief overview of our achievements and thank all of our supporters for their contributions.

The evening provided three main giving opportunities – our Wine Wall, where guests purchased a numbered cork and took home a donated wine, the silent auction of items including paintings by artists Alison Mitchell and Allyson Parsons, accommodation vouchers, prints, tickets to shows and other items, and our live auction of two wonderful paintings by Robert Hannaford, generously donated by the artist and bought by members of the Thompson family. The paintings are of scenes at Witchelina Nature Reserve, the evocative ‘Emus at Witchelina’ is our Summer Appeal 2016 image and looks fantastic on the front cover of this newsletter. A huge thank you to everyone who attended, donated and supported NFSA.

Lachlan Wilkinson from consultancy JBS&G was awarded the Environmental Practitioner of the Year 2015 from the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ). Lachlan had heard about the work Nature Foundation SA does in the Significant Environmental Benefit (SEB) space through Steve Milne, a consultant who works closely with NFSA SEB partners Beach Energy and Senex. He was so impressed with Steve’s report of NFSA’s 2015 SEB Restoration Ecology Forum held at Hiltaba Nature Reserve organised and run by our SEB Business Development Manager Caroline Nefiodovas, that he decided to donate his winnings to our organisation. Lachlan said, “I have been aware of the work of Nature Foundation for several years now, in particular their role in working with resource sector companies to deliver environmental offsets. I have seen the increasing use of environmental offsets, not always with success. Offset proposals only deliver real environmental benefits if they are strategic, based on priority conservation needs, have a clear set of objectives, and provide for ongoing science-based management. Nature Foundation’s SEB program ticks all these boxes and is an excellent example of the innovative role not-for-profit organisations can play in nature conservation”.

Lachlan Wilkinson presents Nature Foundation SA President Bob Lott with his prizemoney for being awarded the EIANZ 2015 Environmental Practitioner of the Year.

Nature Foundation SA President Bob Lott auctioning off the Robert Hannaford paintings, generously donated by the artist.

NATURE FOUNDATION SA 2015 CHRISTMAS DINNER RAISED OVER $27,000

ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTITIONER OF THE YEAR DONATES PRIZEMONEY TO NATURE FOUNDATION SA

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Nature Foundation SA Councillor and Honorary

Secretary Susie Herzberg OAM.

Maureen Wright OAM and her husband Barrie are long-time supporters of Nature Foundation SA. Photograph courtesy of the Northern Argus.

The NFSA staff (in and out of the office) have delivered time and time again – they deserve our praise and your continued support. Highlights for me are the successful Grand Working Bees, the Treasure Hunt For Nature and Water For Nature. However, it is important to reflect on some of the less glamorous achievements that are key to this organisation’s long-term success, which include the improvements in our Occupational Workplace Health & Safety procedures where the simple aim is to make

sure everyone (volunteers, staff, visitors, researchers, contractors, etc) gets home safe. More improvements can be made in this area but I am confident the Council understands the imperative to make changes, and has everyone’s safety in mind. Our success in attracting funds to pursue the organisation’s aims has been steady if not spectacular, as some of our traditional funding sources have declined. A lot of work goes into putting together attractive propositions.

Water For Nature has been a particular focus of my efforts as the Council wanted the program to grow every year, and it needed to grow quickly if we were to achieve the scale needed for it to be self-funding. This year we have already applied over 10 times as much water for environmental benefit as we used in my first year here. With success in attracting funding for staff and equipment initially, and then the dollars for actual water delivery from the Commonwealth, we have been able to get NFSA into a position where it is the leading non-government organisation in the country. Decisions about if WFN should continue to grow are not mine to make but I leave confident that the program is now big enough to deliver great outcomes without being a serious drain on NFSA’s financial resources.

I’d like to say thank you to everyone I have worked with over these three years. We haven’t always agreed but even the arguments have been informative. NFSA has a great ‘get the job done’ attitude that just needs careful guidance and support to achieve even more in its desire to work with and inspire others to conserve, restore and sustainably manage South Australia’s natural biodiversity.

NATURE FOUNDATION SA COUNCILLOR SUSIE HERZBERG AND LONG-TIME VOLUNTEER MAUREEN WRIGHT RECOGNISED IN AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS LIST 2016Nature Foundation SA is very fortunate to have amongst its committed supporters the likes of Susie Herzberg and Maureen Wright, and we congratulate them both on their well-deserved recognition in this year’s Australia Day Honours List.

Susie Herzberg OAM, Councillor and Honorary Secretary, was recognised for her great work in the community, serving on numerous boards including the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, the South Australian Housing Trust, the Patawalonga Water Catchment Board, State Cycling Committee, KESAB and the SA Wine Industry Association Environment Committee. As well as her work with NFSA, Susie is on the board of the Playford Memorial Trust and of several private companies. Susie has been an NFSA Councillor since 2006.

Maureen Wright OAM and her husband Barrie have been incredible contributors to the work of NFSA and to South Australia, particularly in the Riverland community. Maureen and Barry are also part of our dedicated team of rotational managers who look after our remote properties Hiltaba and Witchelina. Maureen and Barrie were working up at Witchelina when NFSA staff contacted Maureen to congratulate her on her achievement. We thank them both for their efforts and we are looking forward to the outcomes of their work on the Ecotourism Committee.

PARTING WORDS FROM OUTGOING CEO, IAN ATKINSONI am very proud of our achievements over the last three years and leave NFSA with quite mixed feelings.

11www.naturefoundation.org.au

Contact naturefoundationsa@nfsa.org.au or phone (08) 8340 2880

NATURE FOUNDATION SAEVENTS CALENDAR 2016

The views expressed in Nature Matters are not necessarily those of Nature Foundation SA Council or staff.

Patron & Donor Liaison Dr Barbara Hardy AOPatron Dick Smith ACPatron Reg NelsonPresident Bob LottVice President David Moyle AMHon Secretary Susie Herzberg OAMHon Treasurer Nicholas EdwardsCouncillors Dr Rob Morrison OAM

Dr Bob Sharrad AMChris ReedSuzanne RiddingMillie NichollsTony Sharley

Chief Executive Officer Hugo HoptonConservation Programs Mgr Alex Nankivell SEB Business Dev Mgr Caroline NefiodovasFundraising & Marketing Mgr Patrick MentzelCommunications Kathy SharradAccountant Georgie FiedlerAdministration & Marketing Coordinator Natasha HarperWater For Nature (p/t) Craig Ferber Friends of NFSA President John Sibly AM

Nature Foundation SA Inc

32 Holden Street (PO Box 448), Hindmarsh SA 5007Phone: (08) 8340 2880 or 1300 366 191Fax: (08) 8340 2506

Email: naturefounationsa@nfsa.org.auWebsite: www.naturefoundation.org.au

2016EVENTS & VOLUNTEERING CALENDAR

WATER FOR NATURE OPEN DAYRegister your interest - date TBA

All members and supporters are invited to join us on a tour of our Water For Nature sites, approx. 250 km NE of Adelaide near Renmark/Loxton in the River-land. Water For Nature is gearing up for another hugely successful year. Come along to find out how it all works!

HILTABA GRAND WORKING BEE Thursday 28 April to Sunday 1 May #

Hiltaba Nature Reserve, our second largest property, is 700 km NW of Adelaide. Work alongside of NFSA staff and ecologists in conservation and/or mainte-nance projects. Includes a day off to have a look at the property and our ongoing projects.

Book early - limited places!

NATURE ROUND-UP Thursday 14 April at Holden Street Theatres

Come along to hear about our conservation work and the various research projects we fund. Meet and greet fellow nature lovers and conservationists.

PARA WOODLANDS PLANTINGFriday 17 June & Saturday 18 June

Come to Para Woodlands, 5 km NE of Gawler and help us revegetate this area with native grasses and other plant species.

To register, contact Dragos Moise (Para Woodlands restoration ecologist) on 8336 0913 or email dragos.moise@sa.gov.au

DENE CORDES Dene Cordes PSM, long-time Nature Foundation SA volunteer and member of the Friends of NFSA, awarded Fellow of the Foundation.

Dene was raised in Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, which is where his love for the environment developed. He enjoyed a 40-year career with the National Parks & Wildlife Service (the National Parks Commission when Dene joined) and was awarded the Public Service Medal for service to National Parks in 1990. Through his role in community liaison in the National Parks Commission, Dene assisted in the establishment of NFSA (then called the National Parks Foundation of South Australia) in October 1981,

along with inaugural president Dr Mark Bonnin and Dr Barbara Hardy AO.

Dene has served as a Secretary and on Council for over 10 years. In 2009 he was asked to assist in forming a Friends group for NFSA, of which he became inaugural president.

NFSA congratulates Dene on his award and thanks him for his tireless contribution over the last 34 years.

D At Holden Street Theatres - Date TBA

12 www.naturefoundation.org.au