supporting your farming innovation with independent carbon farming soil and land services
about us
Bootstrap What?
IS THIS REALLY ABOUT SHOELACES?
Bootstrap Environmental Services was named in honour of the work and following philosophies of theoretical physicist Geoffrey Chew. In short (as it gets a bit thick on theoretical physics!), bootstrap theory reflects a couple of important things: interconnection between things and feedback loops that are self-sustaining. It is based on the idea that nature cannot be reduced to separate entities as reductionist science will have us do, but has to be understood entirely through self-consistent feedback loops... in a nutshell.
We think that grounding ourselves here is vital to understanding landscapes and soils as intrinsic living systems affected by our management. The philosophy implies that making changes to one part of the system will have an effect on other parts of the system as a whole. It is an ecological systems approach.
Our Amazing Clients
YOUR SUCCESS, OUR SUPPORT,
MEASURABLE RESULTS
Clients have benefited from the highly professional, proficient and independent role that Bootstrap Environmental Services has played on their projects.
So how can we help?
Clients seek out our specialist services and capacity to work with complex methodologies such as under the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) Australian Carbon Credit unit (ACCU) Scheme - carbon farming, for research and trials knowing they are working with us as leaders in this space.
There's more for land managers.
Our clients are trained by us to observe and read soil and landscape health indicators and use soil health assessments consistent with best practice, with sound basis in science, requiring minimal resources, that are clear on interpretation of results. We use this language to generate a dialogue toward improving farm resilience and demonstrating the success of your innovations via monitoring and measurement. We've worked with you one on one and in groups to assess and interpret your soil and landscape health.
We can work with you, what niche do you need filled?
We are independent and work collaboratively with very diverse clients including the carbon farming sector, farmer groups, universities, government, research organisations, not for profits, individual land managers, the corporate sector, and fellow professionals and practitioners. We've worked with people on short half day consults through to long term projects spanning years.
A
Projects and Capacity
COLLABORATIVE AND PROFICIENT
Some key projects involving Bootstrap Environmental Services
Projects sampling soils under the government's ACCU Scheme - ex Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) - including a world first: a soil carbon project in Australia to be issued carbon credits under a regulated scheme that goes toward meeting Australia's emission targets
Projects monitoring and soil sampling under DAFF - Action on the Ground - Carbon Farming Futures Program
Salinity investigations monitoring, evaluating and reporting
Technical assistance on geo-technical investigations
Lachlan CMA Catchment Health & Soil Monitoring (CHASM) Project
Numerous complex monitoring and evaluation reports
Health and safety management systems for remote area and high risk field work
Pro bono industry contributions
Soil Carbon Industry Group (SCIG)
The Soil Carbon Practitioners Industry Group (SCIG) collaboration of Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) soil carbon project actors
Subject Matter Expert to Education Sector
Review and develop qualifications, carbon farming skill sets and related units of competency
Co-Author FAO - Global Soil Partnership
Working group to develop feasible and regionally contextualised guidelines for measuring, mapping, monitoring and reporting on SOC that can be adapted locally to monitor SOC stocks and stock changes to support management decisions
Previous Professional Experience in a Technical Capacity includes working for NSW government Office of Environment and Heritage in the Scientific Services Division, Soil Sciences Branch.
Technical contributions include:
State of the Catchments (NSW)
Monitoring, evaluation and reporting program. Assessing the condition of soils in NSW.
Soil Carbon Benchmark Matrix
NSW Office Of Environment & Heritage (OEH), Hydro-geological Landscapes (HGL's) in various Catchments and LGA's
Goulburn Hydrogeological Landscapes
Capertee-Lithgow Valleys Hydrogeological Landscapes
Hydrogeological Landscapes for the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority, Western Sydney
Ask Me Anything
WITH LADY CORER, ADRIANNA MARCHAND
Why soils?
Always, even after years of practice, it has been because the learning never ends. Soils are incredibly complex living systems, much like our bodies or galaxies. For me it all started some 20 years ago when my teacher taught us about soil organic matter and turning soil into 'chocolate cake'. I was hooked!
Today it is because healthy soils and landscapes are vital to our future. I get to meet extraordinary people that are some of Australia and the world's leading innovators. I then get to pass that on to you!
What's the big picture?
In agriculture, soils managed in ways that invigorate function and life. An approach to food and farming systems that limits external inputs and waste, dependence on fertilizers and aims to regenerate soil, increase biodiversity, improve water cycles, enhance ecosystem services, increase resilience and strengthen the health and vitality of farming and communities.
What is going to change agriculture?
Solutions that are simple yet are in harmony with the complexity of natural systems. The ability to gain an understanding will depend on our own human intellectual density per hectare. Here we aim to contribute to your intellectual compost. We have a commitment to fill our landscapes with people that hold as many ideas, innovations, adaptations and most importantly, actions as possible.
A Landy Story
A LADY CORER, A LANDY AND AN OPEN FIELD
This is more a story about a ute and a great Australian explorer. I know, you were likely expecting something about vibrant healthy soils and dirty fingernails, there's more of that across the website.
Have you heard about the last true Australian explorer?
This bloke was Len Beadell. Working as a surveyor for the government, he built the legendary network of roads that exist in the rugged outback today. Len opened up over 2.5 million square kilometres of Australia and he did it all in his virtually unbreakable Land Rover. Len was a Landy nut!
In the early 1960's Len and his construction party finished one of the most remote tracks in Australia, the Connie Sue Highway. The road was named after Len and Anne Beadell's daughter Connie Sue, who actually spent 5 months of her infant life living "on the road" in the harsh Australian bush as a baby during this time.
What has this got to do with the bootstrap story? Glad you ask...
Today, Connie Sue and Mick conduct remote area trips into the western deserts of Australia. Remote area trips that the Bootstrap Environmental Services Defender ute is well used to! The Bootstrap Defender was used by Connie Sue and Mick on their Beadell Tours for some time. That's a lot of kilometres! It is then, a part of Australia's history and it's traveled a long way to your paddock!
There's more, but we'll save it for the paddock or you can send us a few words now.