Latest news with #LocalLandServices
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Officer makes 'rare' discovery hiding in Aussie grasslands: 'Special find'
While monitoring habitat for a critically endangered bird in NSW's south, an officer from Murray Local Land Services stumbled across some unexpected treasures from another ground-dwelling bird. In two separate nests, clusters of large, dark green emu eggs were found, with the agency describing the discovery as "rare" and "special". Photos of the nests were shared on social media, with the service explaining the officer was originally in the area to observe the plains-wanderer, a quail-sized bird that typically weighs between 40 and 95g. Instead, they spotted 19 emu eggs between the two nests – with each egg weighing up to 700g. 'While out monitoring plains-wanderer habitat, our NRM Land Services Officer stumbled across not one, but two emu nests!" the post read. 'These giant ground nests are a rare and special find – just another reminder of the amazing wildlife hiding in our native landscapes." The nests – shallow depressions in the ground lined with grass, leaves or twigs – are built by the flightless bird's males, who take on the role of incubating the eggs and guarding them from predators. Female emus leave the nest after laying the eggs, and males take over all parental responsibilities. While the eggs are a marvellous sight, the unguarded nests left some viewers wondering where the dad could be. Huge nest in Aussie outback leaves travellers stunned It's not just emu nests stopping people in their tracks. Several weeks ago, two adventurers were 4WDing on an outback road in South Australia when they came across a huge nest on the ground measuring roughly four metres in diameter. The nest belonged to a malleefowl, a shy and seldom-seen bird roughly the size of a chicken. While it's rare to find the large nests in Australia, several of them can be spotted along the red dirt road, known as Goog's Track. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Incredible transformation after grim 7.6 tonne find in Aussie river: 'Serious challenge'
An incredible transformation has taken place at a beloved Australian traveller region, after local community groups, recreational anglers, and government agencies worked together to clear a major waterway of mountains of decades-old debris. Over a few months in late 2024, the collaborative effort managed to free the Capertee River in the New South Wales Central Tablelands of illegally dumped items, including a whopping seven car and truck chassis, that had likely lain on the riverbed for decades. Announcing the impressive feat this week, the Central Tablelands Local Land Services said the feat is the latest endeavour in the area to support the recovery of native and endangered fish species and reconnect 24.8 kilometres of upstream river habitat. This will enable native fish to migrate, breed, and thrive in a healthier aquatic ecosystem, a NSW Local Land Services spokesperson told Yahoo News. "The most serious challenge was removing the car and truck components whole," the spokesperson said. "A five-tonne excavator made little progress, so a local who has heavy-duty cranes — from the Australian Train and Railway Services — was subcontracted. "While only one to two chassis were expected to be removed, there were multiples underneath, resulting in seven being removed to make the river navigable for fish. "After the removal, the bank of the river was reshaped to a more stable geomorphic form. All bare earth was covered with a biodegradable jute mat. Remaining timber was placed around the toe of the bank, and the slope was revegetated." Between August and October 2024, NSW Local Land Services led a major habitat restoration project along nearly 25 kilometres of the Capertee River, aimed at reconnecting the waterway and supporting the recovery of native fish species, including the endangered Blue Mountains Perch. The work involved a series of staged on-ground efforts — from arborist work and site preparation to the removal of dumped vehicle chassis and native planting. Dead eucalyptus branches were first cleared by the North East Wiradjuri Company in early September to ensure site safety, with the timber later reused to create in-stream habitat. Primary earthworks followed, along with the careful removal of car and truck chassis — a more complex job than expected, with seven vehicles eventually lifted from the riverbed by a subcontracted heavy crane operator. These abandoned vehicles had become significant barriers to fish passage. Calls for major change after 'devastating' find among bones 'Worst trash wave ever' hits beach renowned as Aussie favourite 10-tonne find on Aussie beach highlights devastating issue To manage environmental risks, Local Land Services implemented a detailed erosion and sediment control plan, including silt curtains and geofabric bunds, while also preparing for potential oil or fuel contamination, though no spills occurred. The site was stabilised and revegetated following the removal works, with bare earth covered in jute matting and leftover timber repurposed for bank reinforcement. Volunteers from Capertee Valley Landcare completed planting works in October to help restore the area's ecological function. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Aussies warned over fines up to $5,500 for illegal bush trend as winter bites
As winter properly sets in across the country, Australians are being reminded about where it is and is not acceptable to take firewood from. Last week, Yahoo News reported on the Queensland government's alert urging residents not to take wood from the state's national parks, with one ute driver caught on camera filling up his tray with logs. Now, the Hunter Local Land Services, a division of the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has taken the opportunity to also warn people there are no exemptions, and significant fines are in place for anyone caught "removing timber or disturbing vegetation" on the state's Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) network. On Thursday, a Local Land Services representative told Yahoo News there had been "recent examples" in the Murray region, prompting the warning. Late last month, Murray Local Land Services' Peter O'Shannassy said "a significant rise in the number of illegal firewood removals" had been recorded. "While permits are available to collect firewood from selected state forests, Local Land Services does not issue permits for wood collection, and we want to make it very clear that removing either standing or dead timber is not allowed... under any circumstances, and action will be taken against those who are caught," he said. "It takes 100 years for the tree hollows to form, and less than 20 minutes to destroy." TSRs are sections of publicly owned land in NSW that were originally set aside to allow farmers to move their livestock, such as sheep or cattle, across the countryside. Today, TSRs still serve an important role by providing space for emergency grazing during droughts or tough conditions, as well as supporting conservation efforts. Many TSRs contain valuable vegetation and habitat for wildlife. "Stock routes are important in dry times for the movement of livestock and are also an extremely valuable refuge for many rare and endangered native plants and animals," an online warning read. "Fines of up to $5,500 can apply to people caught carrying out illegal activity on TSRs under the Local Land Services Act 2013." Collecting firewood from TSRs is illegal because fallen timber is essential for local ecosystems. It provides shelter and food for numerous different species of insects, birds, reptiles, and other native wildlife. Taking wood unlawfully not only can negatively impact the environment, but it also reduces the value of the land for farmers who may rely on it during emergencies. In short, TSRs are a shared natural resource that supports both agriculture and biodiversity, and they need to be protected. Critical reason behind unusual sight in Aussie trees Incredible discovery at beloved Aussie national park after tragedy Incredible way cardboard teepees fight 'crisis' in national park In Australia, it's also illegal to remove trees, whether dead or alive, from national parks. Deadfall logs, branches and leaf litter aren't waste — they serve as critical habitats and nutrients. They feed many insects, fungi, mosses, and lichens, which in turn support birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Removing them clears away vital shelter and breeding grounds, damages soil health, and impedes natural decomposition, undermining ecosystem function. Legally, the consequences are severe. In Queensland, for example, offenders face on‑the‑spot fines of about $1,378. Worse still, court action can result in penalties of up to $137,850 for a first offence, and up to $413,550 for subsequent breaches. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
ABC News
17-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Farmers in arid region re-introduce native seeds to remote outback rangelands
While many farmers are continuing to wait for rain during record-dry conditions, some in the far west of New South Wales are focused on being rain-ready. As part of the Perennial Pastures Resilient Rangelands project, a small group of farmers are working with Local Land Services NSW at a site on a remote station north of White Cliffs to see if they can re-introduce native seed. Ecologist Hugh Pringle worked with the group and said rangelands were severely degraded after a century of poor administration and management. "Rangelands are rangelands because the rainfall is low and unpredictable, and rainfall drives the whole system," Dr Pringle said. "So if you're wasting raindrops in an arid system, you've got no chance of running a primary production business." Local Land Services senior land services officer Paul Theakston said the pastoralists had come up with a plan to slow the water down when it rained and make it meander through the landscape, rather than just rush off and create gully heads. "This area that we're looking at was fairly degraded in terms of very low ground cover," he said. "The water would just sheet off and there was no real infiltration of that water." The demonstration site was created about two years ago on an 80 hectare site at Yalda Downs, 85 kilometres north of White Cliffs. Using a grader, a series of banks about 150 metres long was made to create water ponds. "They pond water to a depth of about 8 centimetres, and then they release that water into the next pond to an 8 centimetre depth, and it just continually does that," Mr Theakston said. About 13 kilograms of native seed was sourced and sowed across the area, which was a difficult and expensive exercise. Ten different species of perennial grasses and shrubs were chosen, including windmill grass Chloris truncata and native millet Panicum decompositum. While dry times have hit, Local Land Services hopes with ongoing monitoring it might see more results from the various regeneration treatments. Yalda Downs' Richard Wilson, who hosted the demonstration site on his property, said they were already pleased with the results. "The thing that we're trying to fine tune is the most effective small changes in building the ponds — ripping, the height of the ponds — and a whole range of different things including seeding, like we did, and excluding stock to see what partial management and grazing management can do," he said. The work the group has been doing will form part of a poster presentation at an upcoming international rangelands conference in Adelaide. "We are keen to publicise the outcomes of these trials because there has been very little done in the past in outback NSW," Mr Wilson said. Originally from Zimbabwe, Dr Pringle has been working in pastoral regeneration in Australia for the past 25 years. He said the energy of local pastoralists when it came to rangeland rehabilitation was "mind-blowing". He has been working with pastoralists in the region since 2016, using the ecosystem management understanding (EMU) tool he developed with colleague Ken Tinley. They first developed their EMU approach in the Gascoyne and Murchison regions in Western Australia, and estimated they had worked with more than 1,000 people across Australia. Their unique approach is that they see farmers as knowledge holders and then apply their own holistic ecological knowledge. He said the method had come as a result of their early work in Africa when they did not have many resources. "[We didn't have] all these nice tools we've got today. 'I'll just go sit down with the local tribal people and talk to them and learn from them and get the answers to all the questions I have,'" he said. Today Dr Pringle divides his time between White Cliffs and Namibia in Africa, where he supervises doctoral students while performing similar regenerative work. The Perennial Pastures Resilient Rangelands project is supported by Local Land Services through funding from the federal Future Drought Fund.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Incredible before and after shots show a major triumph in fight against $100 million problem
Feral pigs are one of Australia's worst introduced threats, unleashing an estimated $100 million economic burden on Australia's agricultural sector every year. Causing serious crop damage, feral pigs also kill livestock and compete with numerous native species. Their impact is felt by both farmers and conservationists, and the species also contributes to the spread of disease. In NSW, where it's estimated feral pigs occupy 60 percent of the state, the issue is particularly dire. While it's generally accepted that feral pigs will never be completely eradicated in Australia — from the mainland at least — pockets of the country have managed to drastically shrink their numbers. In Yetman, on the NSW Northern Tablelands, 1,243 were culled last year across two properties occupying 1,900 hectares, through a combination of aerial shooting, trapping and baiting programs. Incredible before and after pictures show a vast improvement in vegetation growth along a dam after the pigs' removal. A spokesperson for the Local Land Services (LLS), the Department of Primary Industries division that manages feral pigs, said the pictures show efforts are working. "These pictures highlight the results of ongoing, coordinated feral pig control and a reduction in the number of pigs in the area," they told Yahoo News Australia. "The pictures themselves are a before and after shot of a farm dam. The after shows a lot less damage from feral pigs and increased vegetation growth in the area." Primary producers Jack Pearlman and Rowan Wood joined forces with LLS from February to September last year to manage populations in the area, which included 98 trapping days. Jack said he'd never have suspected he had so many feral pigs on his property, until he consistently caught pigs in traps every day. "It's labour-intensive work but ... [it] showed me the impact you can achieve through longer control programs," he said. "What's scary is that they're still around, and if we didn't do these control programs or receive the support from LLS, we wouldn't have known how large the problem was until it was too late." Unexpected way pristine Aussie island wiped out invasive threat Shocking outback footage highlights $300 million Aussie problem Predators forced out with fence covering 2,000 hectares Last month an additional 2,431 pigs were culled as part of a large-scale aerial operation that targeted 78,711 hectares across 41 private properties in Yetman and Wallangra. A land of steep gorges and open croplands, the region has seen a rise in feral pig activity in recent years. Landholders had previously reported issues such as tracks, digging, wallows, and damage to fences, as well as harm to crops, hay and stored grain caused by the pigs. But Rowan observed fewer pigs and less visible damage this harvest compared to previous years. He said the damage they can do to crops "is massive" when they group. "They can wreck it in a week," he said. "If you turn your back for just six months, that's all it takes for their numbers to spiral out of control." Conservations say the impact of feral pigs in Australia can't be understated, but in certain areas extermination efforts are having real successes. In a huge win, authorities now believe they have effectively eliminated pigs from Kangaroo Island, where they previously ran amok in plague proportions. Once over 5,000 of the introduced pests roamed Kangaroo Island in South Australia, but there are now thought to be virtually none left. During the horror 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, which tore across more than half of the island, it's believed feral population pig numbers were also reduced by an astonishing 90 per cent — an unexpected but welcomed outcome. The president of the Australian Pig Doggers and Hunters Association (APDHA), Ned Makin told Yahoo last year how the country's hunters, farmers and regional landowners are desperately calling for a more nationalised approach. He believes pig population numbers have surged to as high as 40 or 50 million. Makin said that in 2024, hunters had eradicated over four million feral pigs. He said the figure alone debunks official government statistics which suggest there are 3.5 million of the pests nationally. Largely, the onus has fallen on locals and landowners in affected areas to eliminate the non-native species, which Makin likened to rodents, in that they are extremely prolific breeders, clever, adaptable, and eat virtually everything. He suggested the country could benefit from a subsidised hunter's scheme, which may in turn entice others to join the cause. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
