Murray Local Land Services was pleased to host the NSW Roadside Environment Committee meeting in Albury on 10 and 11 August 2015.

Committee members got to hear about and see the wide range of successful partnerships and projects being delivered on roadsides and travelling stock reserves (TSRs).

Key highlights and reflections from the tour and meeting included recognition of the:

1. Immense value and history of the linear reserve network including roadsides and travelling stock reserves for pathways and connectivity across the landscape.
2. Challenges for public land managers to manage linear reserves with competing interests, in particular balancing productive, conservation, social and cultural values and uses of TSRs which receive no core funding to support management other than grazing permits.
3. Impressive outcomes for both biodiversity enhancement and productivity by actively managing grazing of reserves through use of travelling stock – a win for both the livestock owners and the environment.
4. Incredible partnerships and goodwill of so many key stakeholders working together, sharing  knowledge and delivering projects including the Noxious Weeds Advisory Committees, Local Government, Local Land Services, Office of Environment and Heritage, Roads and Maritime Services and other  agencies.
5. Need to continue to invest in the capacity and skills of land managers and contractors in accessing current information and best practice advice on linear reserve management.

Projects showcased included:

• Red Guide Post Campaign – a comprehensive cross local government project helping land managers work together to stop the spread of noxious weeds by alerting road users and roadside workers to areas of noxious weed infestation.
• Murray Local Land Services – ‘Connected Corridors Project’ funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program  and NSW Catchment Action to improve native vegetation connectivity in the central Murray region - supporting revegetation, environmental weed control and active management of native vegetation on both private and public land.
• More than just a long paddock – managing biodiversity on TSRs in the NSW Riverina – an Australian Government funded project on TSRs in the Murray and Riverina LLS that is improving the biodiversity outcomes of over 8000ha and 60 TSR sites by direct seeding understorey; controlling environmental weeds; reducing invasive pests including rabbits, foxes and Noisy Miners, and utilising strategic grazing with travelling stock to actively manage and improve sites.
• Award-winning “Roadside Vegetation Implementation Project- Linking, Thinking and Acting: Roadside Vegetation in the Murray Catchment” – a regional project involving 12 councils and a range of projects to increase awareness of the value of roadside vegetation through Council staff and contractor training, signage, developing Murray Roadside Management Guidelines; on-ground works including enhancement through direct seeding of 142km of medium conservation value roadsides and environmental weed control completed for 180ha of roadsides to control carpet weed (Galenia pubescens).