Hunter Region Landcare Network

Work Wisely on Weeds Webinar

A webinar explaining how to use Terry Inkson’s online electronic Garden Escapees and Invasive Weeds of Bushland and Reserves book.

Capacity building - LEP-028-001

The issue

‘Garden Escapees and Invasive Weeds of Bushland and Reserves’ is a book by Cessnock City Council Biosecurity Management Coordinator Terry Inkson. Many Landcarers have a hard copy of this book but were unaware of the electronic version. This e-copy hosts multiple hyperlinks on each page, allowing readers to navigate to the numerous websites linked to weed identification and control, making bush regeneration much easier whilst simultaneously upskilling Landcarers. Landcarers are often seeking localised, reliable resources to assist them in identifying and treating weeds on their Landcare sites. Many Landcarers were not aware of this reliable and accessible resource.

The solution

Hunter Region Landcare Network hosted a ‘Work Wisely on Weeds Webinar’ where Landcarers were able to watch a live demonstration on how to use this electronic resource fully, and receive instruction and feedback on how to use this resource in real time. A PowerPoint presentation was followed throughout the webinar, with step-by-step instructions on how to use the e-book. Both the recorded webinar and the PowerPoint presentation were made available to Landcarers after the live webinar, allowing them to access this at any time, providing all Landcarers with knowledge and confidence on how to best utilise this book, and therefore access more information on weed identification and treatment.

The impact

This webinar equipped Landcarers with the knowledge, skills and confidence on how to access and use Terry Inkson’s ‘Garden Escapees and Invasive Weeds of Bushland and Reserves’ online book. With this newfound knowledge, Landcarers have access to more weed identification and treatment information at their fingertips – both in the field and at home, allowing them to better understand and treat weeds on their Landcare sites. With the webinar and PowerPoint presentation both available online, Landcarers can refer to this at any time, and share this with other people in the Landcare community.

Author: Meg Drinan

Key facts

  • Landcarers were made aware of the electronic copy, and how to use it.
  • The webinar was recorded, allowing Landcarers to re visit and practice the skills taught, or allowed those not available in real time to access this resource at a more convenient time.
  • Landcarers were more confident using the electronic version of the book after the webinar.