Initial works have wrapped up at the first ‘Keeping it in Kin Kin’ demonstration site off Sheppersons Lane in Kin Kin.

A partly eroded creek line and lower-slope land slump have been fenced for improved stock management and over 2500 native plants planted to assist in stabilising soil on the site.

Land owners Jeanette and Bruce Glasby said they have had concerns for some time regarding areas of erosion caused by fast flowing flooding events in sections of Wahpunga Creek.

“After heading along to some Noosa Landcare landholder workshops we decided to discuss our concerns with Landcare staff and this project eventuated. We were particularly interested in connecting our mature stands of remnant rainforest that our family have preserved, including beautiful mature specimens of the endangered Southern Penda and Giant Ironwood Trees,” said the Glasby’s.

The project is an on-ground demonstration site for the larger ‘Keeping it in Kin Kin’ project, which aims to preserve the productive yet highly erodible soil resources of the Kin Kin catchment.

Due to both current and historical activities, the entire high sloped western section of the Kin Kin catchment is particularly susceptible to erosion, hill and creek bank slumping, much of which ends up in the Noosa lakes system after high rainfall events.

As part of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation-funded ‘Keeping it in Kin Kin’ project, a new state of the art light detection and ranging imaging (LIDAR) assessment will be able to pinpoint exactly where the most active erosion hot spots are in the Kin Kin catchment. The results of the LIDAR analysis are due in January with a community workshop presenting the findings scheduled in late February.

Noosa Landcare’s Rachel Lyons said the works undertaken on the site demonstrate that productive grazing operations can go hand in hand with protecting valuable soil resources, improving local water quality and enhancing biodiversity values.

“The Glasby’s have been operating a grazing enterprise on the property for many years and have been implementing excellent pasture management regimes during that time. This project largely complements their efforts and it has been great working with them,” said Ms Lyons.

“We would like to thank Noosa Landcare’s Steve Husband and Rachel Lyons for their organized efforts on our project and to Lucas Reid and his Green Army team for the great planting job. We would also like to thank the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation for enabling the project to occur,” said Bruce and Jeanette Glasby.

The works were made possible through private contributions by the Glasby family, the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation and tree planting undertaken by Noosa Landcare and the Commonwealth Government’s Green Army team facilitated by Campbell Page.

Kin Kin catchment landholders who wish to learn more about getting involved in the ‘Keeping it in Kin Kin’ project can contact Rachel Lyons at Noosa Landcare (07) 5485 2155. Future community workshops and field days are planned with project partners Country Noosa and the Kin Kin Community Group.