Snowy River Interstate Landcare Committee Inc - SRILC
East Gippsland and Southern NSW
Ando/Bibbenluke/Cathcart and Creewah
ABC Landcare Group ceased operation in 2018. Affected landholders and Members may join nearby Groups or Snowy River Interstate Landcare Committee.
The ABC Landcare group covered the areas of Ando, Bibbenluke, Creewah and Cathcart on the southern Monaro. The group formed in 1995 and incorporates sheep and cattle grazing on the open plains as well as smaller lifestyle blocks in the forested area of Creewah. Soil types include the rich and fertile basalts and sandy-clay granite based soils.
Tributaries include:
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Bombala River
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Undowah River
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Coolumbooka River
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Native Dog Creek
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Pickerings Creek
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Dragon Swamp Creek
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Badgerys Creek
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Hains Creek
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Horsey Swamp Creek
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Foleys Creek
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Cotterills Creek
Land use in the area is diverse and includes:
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Merino sheep
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Prime Lambs
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Beef Cattle
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Cropping – Winter cereals and fodder
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Private forest (softwood)
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State forests
Natural resource management issues being tackled by the group relate to revegetation, soil erosion, sodic soils and weed control, including serrated tussock, African lovegrass, willows and broom.
Group History
Due to their location on the treeless Monaro plains, a major focus of the ABC group has been the decline of remnant native vegetation. In response to this the group developed, in conjunction with the University of Western Sydney, a 10-year Revegetation Plan and a Landscape Management and Conservation Plan. The group were successful in securing funding for three years through the National Landcare Programme (NLP). This project involved revegetation of 20 000 native trees and shrubs across 20 properties, each year for the period 2006-08.
A project to protect Pickerings Creek, was funded through NLP, and a willow removal and revegetation along a stretch of the Bombala River was funded through the Bombala River Rehabilitation Plan.
Willow management and river rehabilitation has been progressing along the upper Bombala River, thanks to the efforts of a number of concerned Creewah residents. The ABC Landcare group received funding through Envirofund for ‘Bombala River Headwaters: Willow Control Stage 2’ (2005) and ‘Bombala River Headwaters: Stage 1’ (2003)
These projects have led to the management of willows along upper Bombala River. Due to the significant reaches of native riparian vegetation along the river in the Creewah region, revegetation following this reach should occur naturally. The group received funding in 1999/00 through the Snowy Genoa Catchment Committee for ‘Willow Removal on Native Dog Creek’. In 1999-2002 Natural Heritage Trust funding enabled ‘Undowah Creek Rehabilitation’, resulting in willow removal along 2km of the waterway.
The ABC Landcare group prioritised weeds (pasture and environmental) as one of the largest issues and have held several field days, including a serrated tussock and African lovegrass information day and a native grassland and weed identification workshop. Interest in harnessing the native pasture resource for revegetation following weed control led to the group hosting a ‘Harvesting Native Grass Seed’ field day, in conjunction with the Monaro Grassland Conservation Management Network.