Caring for country

Flora and Fauna

1. Steve is a key community member in opposing the Telstra Tower and highlighting the impacts of EMR on the environment and health.
   
2. We have spent over $20,000 in conducting rain-forest regeneration with long-term locals and legendary bush regenerators: Paul and Suzy.
   
3. All non-farming land is under a conservation agreement, so it is protected for future generations.
   
4. Our farm is ACO certified Organic (#1218).  We do not use synthetic chemicals as is evidenced by the moss, frogs, dung-beetles and biodiversity.
   
5. Steve donated significant time to the ‘Caring for Country’ programme when it existed, involving numerous Elders of the Bundjalung.
   
   
6. We are a long term member of local land-care.
   
7. Prior to European settlement, there were many rocky places that habitat called home.  Our rock walls provide shelter for bandicoots, lizards, frogs, snakes, spiders, antechinus and other critters.
   
   

Energy

1. Huonbrook Valley has 6KW of solar panels.
   
2. We have several solar hot water systems.
   

Water

1. We have a 30ML water licence.  What does this mean:
   
   1. 1000 Litres = 1 meter cubed of water.  30MegaLitres would fill an area 10m x 10m x 30m or about 30seconds of normal creek flow per year.
      
   2. This water can be used for irrigation, livestock, human consumption and personal use and is also registered as a public drinking water supply.
      
   3. The water supply is connected to a FIRE TRUCK fitting at our front gate, to be made available for use by the rural fire brigade if anyone in the valley should be unfortunate enough to experience a fire.
      
   4. During times of drought, residents of the valleys with empty rain-water tanks are welcome to collect drinking water in 20L drums or bottles when we are open to the public.
      
   5. We are one of the few in the Northern Rivers who have NOT sold our water license to Coke-a-Cola, despite the financial incentive!
      
   6. We have not and will not place the water into plastic bottles.  We may in future do a small-scale glass bottle exchange, but our approval to bottle will focus on boutique alcoholic beverages.  
      
   7. Our water license was instrumental in stopping CSG in these valleys as we worked with SCU to baseline the water table.  Essentially as a deterrent and in legal action. We have a copy of the SCU baseline report, which acts as an ongoing deterrent.