Projects and programs
We support local people to improve the health and productivity of their area.
West is Best — Living and working in Western NSW
If you are looking for a great place to begin your career, want to take the next step in your working life, or are ready for a change or new opportunity, Western Local Land Services offers meaningful career options across a number of areas of expertise.
The Western region offers the perfect mix of an active or laid-back lifestyle, affordable property and housing and a true sense of community – making it the perfect place to call home.
Read more about new career opportunities in the Western Region and discover why West is Best.
Screening our streams
Fish-friendly screens save farm businesses water, time and money, while also contributing to the health of the river system. Fish-friendly screens do not slow water delivery rates and along with native fish, larvae and eggs, the screens also stop any floating weeds or debris entering the pump.
The Screening our streams project provides support to landholders in the Western region for the installation of a fish-friendly screen on their pump intake, saving native fish populations while simultaneously improving the quality of water delivered to their property.
Find out more about this project and see if you're eligible for up to $5,000 to install a fish-friendly screen by reading our project guidelines and submitting an application.
The Land Services Program
The Land Services Program offers a new approach to property planning and rural enterprise mentoring in the Western region, and is suitable for landholders interested in building their capacity, innovation and learning from their peers and industry experts.
The Program, which began in 2018 with three businesses in a pilot program, runs over two years or eight 'quarters' and operates under a case officer approach, which pairs participants with one of our staff members who will provide support and guidance through the program. In addition, a range of mentors have been identified to match the particular enterprise and landscapes of the participants.
Click here for further information and resources on the program.
Pastoral Poddy
The Pastoral Poddy is a podcast for landholders community members and industry on all things pertinent to the rangelands of Western NSW. The Pastoral Poddy is free to listen to on all major podcast apps — please search for 'Pastoral Poddy' on your usual podcast platform.
Click here to access the episodes and please share them with a mate!
Pest animals
Wild dogs are a significant problem in Western NSW, causing significant losses to livestock enterprises, with consequent economic and social impacts. There can also be considerable impacts to the environment and cultural heritage values of the region, through predation on small to medium sized native fauna species, which may be endangered and important totems for Aboriginal communities.
Seasonal predator program
The seasonal predator program is a large-scale aerial and ground baiting program, targeting wild dogs, foxes and feral cats, carried out in autumn and spring. Landholders that are not involved in a pest management group or Landcare group are encouraged to join their local group and participate in coordinated programs.
Professional Wild Dog Controller Program
The Professional Wild Dog Controller Program is a joint effort between Western Local Land Services and pest management and Landcare groups. Through the Program, professional wild dog controllers work with landholders across a diverse landscape to protect livestock, the environment and control wild dog numbers in the western division.
Western Tracks collaring project
The Western Tracks collaring project is a collaborative research project to improve the management of wild dogs and feral pigs in flood and associated country of the Paroo, Cuttaburra, Warrego and Darling River systems in the Western Division. The project has been driven by landholders and stakeholders who want to develop a better understanding of wild dog and feral pig movements in the Western region.
White Spaces
The White Spaces project aims to inform all landholders of their pest animal responsibilities and use a range of strategies to incorporate non-participants into group programs.
For further information on the programs or projects, and for information on managing pest animals more generally, contact our Regional Pest Animal Coordinator, Brooke Anderson on 0436 475 814 or brooke.anderson@lls.nsw.gov.au.
Monitoring Pastures with Drone Technology
The Monitoring Pastures with Drone Technology project (2021-2023) aimed to increase landholder’s capacity to adopt drone technology and apply it in agricultural and natural resource management applications, both current and emerging. Additionally, the project aimed to assess if affordable and commercially available drone technologies are currently suitable for adoption in Western NSW.
The project found there is ongoing interest and suitability in using the technology for increased efficiencies in land management. Find out more about this project and its findings via this case study.
The project was assisted by the Australian Government’s Smart Farms small grant program.
Regional landholder and Aboriginal community survey
Every three years, we coordinate separate surveys with the landholders and Aboriginal community members within our region. The surveys are designed to assist the Western Local Land Services Board and staff with identifying opportunities and trends, with the information to help us plan our activities and priorities for the years ahead.
Click here to view the reports on the surveys that were carried out in 2020, 2017 and 2014.