Welcome to the NQ Dry Tropics page dedicated to the Upper Burdekin and Cape River catchment areas. The central town in this area is Charters Towers which is also home to our Community Support and Engagement Facilitator Ann McKenzie. Part of Ann's role is to support natural resource management in the local area and also to keep this web page up-to-date. Ann welcomes your feedback or suggestions.

Writing Winning Grants Training Opportunity

NQ Dry Tropics is pleased to invite project staff and volunteers from community natural resource management groups to attend Writing Winning Grants training.  This course will be delivered by the Australian Institute of Community Practice and Governance. 

Where: Townsville - Metropole Hotel conference room 
               Chaters Towers - (TBA)
When:    Townsville - 9:00am 22nd of May 2009
               Charter Towers - 1pm 21st of May 2009 
Cost:      Free for Community NRM Members

For more information contact peter.arthofer@nqdrytropics.com.au

Carbon field day a success – to be repeated in May 2009

The Dalrymple Landcare Committee Inc. in conjunction with NQ Dry Tropics last year held a field day all about carbon. The one day field day was part of the NAPSWQ Clarke River & East Burdekin Project that has been running in the region for the last two years. Guest speakers were Dr Beverley Henry, Meat and Livestock Australia, Dr Chris Stokes, CSIRO Townsville and Dr Steven Bray, DPI&F Rockhampton

Various aspects of the carbon debate were discussed including carbon interactions that occur within the northern grazing regions.

Event sponsors included NAPSWQ, NQ Dry Tropics, DLC, MLA, DPI&F and CSIRO.

The forum was so successful that Dalrymple Landcare Committee are planning to bring the guest speakers back to the region for another round of meetings in May 2009. 

For more information contact John Nicholas from the Dalrymple Landcare Committee on either phone (07) 4761 5170 or email john.nicholas@dpi.qld.gov.au.

In March 2008 Ann visited the Ravenswood Landcare group meeting at Kirkton.  Here are some photos she took while having a look around Kirkton. 

Since 2004, when Redcliffe Pastoral Company purchased Kirkton, considerable effort has gone towards improving the land condition.  With the use of a cutter-bar and through seeding they have removed woody weeds such as chinee apple and established an improved pasture.  Wet season spelling and well managed grazing has helped produce the results seen in these photos.

Students support Seaweek

Charters Towers State High School students participated in this year’s Seaweek (1-7 March) by planting trees around their school. Recognising the importance of trees in catchment management school students from a range of grades took time out during the lunch break to dig a few holes and plant some native trees and shrubs which will hopefully grow to enhance the school yard and attract wildlife.