News Item

Landslips – Information Field Day

October 26, 2011

A large number of landholders gathered at Community College Gippsland to hear expert advice on how to repair their damaged properties and equip them to better cope with heavy rain.

Guest speaker Roger Wrigley, Engineer and academic with over 30 years experience says   “It’s an inescapable fact that under climate change scenarios, you’re going to have high-intensity rainfall events, extended periods of dry. Clearing in areas that were historically covered by thick forest, has mobilised a lot of water and revegetation is one way to stabilise the land.

Farmers are desperate to avoid a repeat of this winter.

“Loss of production. Loss of top soil. Loss of nutrient as a result and the sediment into waterways, so you’re losing water quality,” said Dan Spencer, Community College Gippsland.

No matter what preference a landholder has for solutions there is a need for planning at a farm level to make sure those investments are appropriate and timely. These days there is a lot of technology available to assist farm decision making.

Of critical importance is the need to avoid the temptation of immediately looking at earthworks rather than integrated solutions. Time spent planning and evaluating options can be more rewarding than pushing dirt around.

This free forum was an initiative Community College Gippsland, the Baw Baw Shire Council, Tarago Sustainable Farms, Landcare and Baw Baw Native Plants. 

A new brochure has been developed to assist landholders who have landslips on their properties following our wet winter and are available free from all Baw Baw Shire customer service centres.

Roger Wrigley speaking at McMillan Campus

Roger speaking with landholders at the Athlone property

Roger Wrigley

For further information contact:

John Brereton
Community College Gippsland
Ph: 5622 6000