Council hosted the launch of the ACT Natural Resource Management Plan - Bush Capital Legacy: iconic city, iconic natural assets by Simon Corbell MLA, Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water on 21 October 2009 at Greening Australia’s Community Nursery in Aranda. The event was also an opportunity for the recent success of Greening Australia’s ACT Land Keepers Program at the 2009 Banksia Awards to be formally acknowledged.

The ACT NRM Council met for its final meeting of 2009 on Tuesday, 1 December 2009.

Council continued discussions around identifying new and alternative mechanisms for increasing investment in natural resource management in the Territory. Council has requested further development of options for establishing an independent environment trust for the ACT and developing packages of projects suitable for marketing to companies and organisations be prepared for consideration at their next meeting.

Council reviewed progress against the priorities areas identified in February 2009. Some of Councils’ major achievements include:

• Hosting of the Inaugural Knowledge Roundtable in July and development of a knowledge forum to beheld in early 2010;
• Programs and workshops being undertaken with the Indigenous community, including the development of NRM Indigenous curriculum for ACT schools in partnership with the ACT Department the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water and the Department of Education and Training;
• Ongoing dialogue with key Government and community partners;
• Implementation of a project reporting data base; and
• Research and development of alternative mechanisms to attract funding to natural resource management in the ACT.

Council will develop a new set of priorities for 2010 at its first meeting in 2010.

Council considered a revised draft of the Terms of Reference and further refined the content to include suggestions from Australian Government representatives. Once finalised and agreed to by all members the Terms of Reference will be submitted to Minister Corbell for consideration and endorsement.

In partnership with the United Ngunnawal Elders Council, the Council, the Department of Environment Climate Change Energy and Water and the ACT Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs will be hosting an Indigenous Cultural Heritage and Natural Resource Management Site Awareness workshop from 1st to 4th December. The workshop will cover traditional culture and life, Indigenous cultural landscapes and Indigenous Natural Resource Management. Interpretative field trips to sites of Aboriginal significance will be included.

Council will meet again on Tuesday, 16 February 2010.