As an Executive member (Secretary) of the Tarlo/Middle Arm Landcare Group each year, Lynette has been the major driving force behind the Group’s long, continuous and successful delivery of Landcare projects. Lynette’s planning and organising expertise has been pivotal to Tarlo/Middle Arm Landcare group’s endurance and achievements. She brings a droll sense of humour and a clarity of vision to the executive, as well.

This group works over four sites, each with its unique challenges. On the group level, Lynette’s work includes co-ordinating the work schedules, communication and distribution of all the necessary Landcare materials to the membership. Through her friendly and confident approach, she has encouraged the growth of the group by recruiting new members.

Communication and liaison with landowners and land managers is a job in itself. The group has concentrated on working on Crown Land as much as possible, as, in their area, the Crown is a major grower of weed species. Other liaison challenges occur, for example, at one site, one side of the Tarlo River is under the care of Goulburn-Mulwaree Shire but the other is controlled by Upper Lachlan Shire. The four main sites that the group works on each have their own interesting challenges as well, ranging from finding the specific techniques needed to control particular weeds to hungry horses eating their way through the plantings.

In addition, Lynette has been instrumental in getting the Community Nursery established at Middle Arm Hall, with many challenges ranging from getting a grant to refurbish the long-drop toilets to modern standards, to setting up water tanks so that the Nursery irrigation is separate from the water supply to the Hall and toilets. The Nursery is valuable not only for being able to provide local plants at little or no cost, but also as a place where special plants that would not be commercially available, can be grown.

Her work on preparing funding applications for regional and state funding sources is integral to the group’s ongoing work and Lynette has also worked on developing and assessing a number of remediation management strategies as part of creating a model for site management that they can use and share with other organisations.

Also significant has been Lynette’s willingness to represent the group at local and regional meetings and forums. Such networking helps to bring in new ideas and also to access resources and expertise from outside the small group.

Here is a short video about Lynette https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXaqD1P8VSA