Jason Condon – Managing acid soils – setting the foundation for soil-driven system improvement
Peter Fogarty – Farm tracks, trails and drainage
Peter Fogarty is a member of the SKN and in June 2018 he presented at a farm tracks, trails and drainage field day alongside staff from Local Land Services, Waterwatch and the Soil Conservation Service. Peter’s presentations cover why it is worth putting thought into track design and construction, understanding soils and hydrology, planning track location, managing erosion and runoff.
Track Design and Management for webinar nov 27_current.pdf
Forest Roads
The following webinar has been produced jointly by SKN and LLS PNF to support the NSW Code of Practice for Private Native Forestry but will be of interest to forestry practitioners across a wide range of operations and locations.
PNF Track Design and Management for webinar apr 4 current.pdf
Designing and creating waterway crossings on rural blocks and farms
Drainage line crossings are high risk locations for erosion and damage to habitat. Conventional culvert crossings are prone to interrupt and concentrate flows, resulting in scouring of stream bed and banks on the downstream side. Culverts are also susceptible to blowing out in big floods. Bed level rock crossings represent a cost effective, long term solution which provide greater protection from erosion of the drainage line bed and banks and do not interfere with stream flows. This video shows the basics of where and how to install a bed level rock crossing.
Unsealed tracks and trails connect directly to the drainage system at stream crossings. On one hand crossings present a significant risk to water quality and aquatic ecology and on the other hand they are a point of weakness in the track system due to risk of flooding or bogging up. There are therefore many benefits to getting crossing construction and maintenance right. In this webinar and webguide, SKN member Peter Fogarty takes us through the different kinds of waterway crossings and the key considerations in planning and constructing sound crossings with the aim of minimising the risk to water quality and aquatic ecology.
https://riversofcarbon.org.au/designing-waterway-crossings
Pam Hazelton – An understanding of the effect of soil properties on the environment provides horizons for careers in soil
Pam Hazelton is a member of the SKN and in May 2019 she delivered a guest lecture to 3rd year environmental remediation students at the University of Newcastle. Pam’s presentation began with an important message that soil is the environmental link between the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and the geo-sphere. Pam then focused on soil characteristics which can lead to difficult situations for engineering and remediation including sodic soils, soil erodibility and slaking, shrink – swell soils, saline and acid soils. The lecture is split into three parts for uploading here.
SKN_Pam_Hazelton_lecture-for-UoN-22052019_part 1a
Sally McInnes-Clarke – Citizen science or science citizens? Transferring soil knowledge in the NSW Soil Knowledge Network
Sally McInnes-Clarke is the project manager and secretary of the SKN. In November 2018 she delivered this presentation at the Soil Science Australia National Soil Conference in Canberra. Sally’s presentation was a quick summary of the vision, goals, SKN activities and platforms for engagement including workshops, field days, videos, social media and online resources. The SKN experience demonstrates a successful pathway to capture corporate soil knowledge and share it with the next generation of land managers. See the links below for a pdf of the abstract and also the slides.Roy Lawrie – Webinar Understanding NSW Soil Profiles
Roy Lawrie – The soils beneath Australia’s first successful wheat crop: evidence from archaeological sites at parramatta
SKN member Roy Lawrie delivered this presentation in November 2018 at the Soil Science Australia National Soil Conference in Canberra. This presentation describes soil properties at archaeological sites around the agricultural settlement at Rose Hill (later Parramatta). Investigations and phosphorus levels suggest that cropping may have only been successful for a couple of years. See the links below for a pdf of the abstract and an abridged version of the slideshow.