The Tarcutta Valley Landcare Group was one of the first Landcare groups to establish in NSW. Despite our long history, in recent years the involvement of many landholders in Landcare shrank to a level that led to concern for its future in the current form. This was due in part to lack of support from a Landcare Coordinator and in part due to fatigue of long-serving committee members. At a Landcare meeting held in February 2016 a motion was moved to notify the community that the Tarcutta Valley Landcare Group would fold at their Annual General Meeting in June, unless the group received committed community support and an executive committee.
For the group to thrive, we needed to refresh our understanding of the common concerns held by the community and ask landholders what support they required from a Landcare group. Two things happened: first, we gained support of key members of the community who rallied together to spread the word that the group was folding; and second, a Landcare think tank was conducted where farmers spoke openly with other farmers about shared issues, and through sharing ideas they developed solutions together. This effectively provided direction for the Landcare group.
