The MCG is the Molonglo Catchment Group - a group made up of Landcare and Parkcare groups and individuals that take on-ground action to improve and protect their local environment. The Group cares for the 200,000ha catchment by encouraging its residents (about 130,000 of them) to get involved in Landcare activities. Encouragement is not all that is on offer though - the Group also provides assistance with securing funding and resources to implement on-ground works.

The Molonglo Catchment Strategy River Restoration project provides a subsidy to landowners to help them improve the state of the catchment. The MCG has partnered with Greening Australia to deliver the project and Angela Calliess, the project officer who has assisted landowners to access the subsidies, has reported that 'So far there have been 70 landowners involved in on-ground works and they have achieved a great deal. By the time they've completed all their works they will have revegetated or enhanced nearly 200hectares of land, restored over 27km of riparian area and established more than 325hectares of perennial pasture.' Landowners have also been able to secure subsidies for shelterbelt plantings that provide shade for stock and increase on-farm biodiversity. Involvement in the River Restoration project is a simple introduction to the Kosciuszko to Coast project that aims to establish landscape-scale vegetation links between the Australian Alps and the coast.

Through the support of a Catchment Coordinator, funded through the Australian Government's Caring For Our Country program, the MCG has implemented a catchment-wide strategy developed in collaboration with member groups. This has led to several projects, including the M-CHiP project - a water-quality monitoring program run by a dedicated team of volunteers from the upper reaches of the catchment on the Molonglo and Queanbeyan Rivers to the confluence of the Molonglo with the Murrumbidgee River. The monthly measurements are compiled each six-months to produce an assessment of the catchment's health, and over the longer term, measure the effectiveness of on-ground projects.

The MCG also recently released a weed information pack, distributed to landholders within the Cooma-Monaro Shire portion of the catchment to assist with the identification and control of weeds.

For more information about the Molonglo Catchment Group or how to get involved visit www.molonglocatchment.com.au or contact the Catchment Coordinator, Zoe Wood, on 6229 7715 or coordinator@molonglocatchment.com.au.