Logan and Albert Conservation Association
Keep your eyes open for koalas on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October.
In an effort to get an up to date picture of koala distribution and also to raise awareness of koalas in urban areas the survey is principally targeting Beaudesert, Boonah, Brisbane, Esk, Gatton, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan and Toowoomba. However LACA and RSPCA Qld would like to hear about any koala sightings throughout the State.
"It's important for us to get an accurate idea of numbers so that we can monitor if there's a growth or decline," said RSPCA Queensland's Wildlife Coordinator Janet Gamble. "As our population grows we're pushing further and further into their habitat."
This habitat destruction means koalas have to travel on the ground as they hunt for suitable eucalyptus leaves or mates. They then face the additional threats of motor vehicles, dogs, road barriers and fences, all of which have an impact on their lives. However Ms Gamble said the situation was not total gloom and doom. "I believe we can live together. All we need to do is show a little common sense consideration and compromise." Said Janet Gamble
Ms Anne Page, President of the Logan and Albert Conservation Association who have joined with the RSPCA to organise the census, said "We have very little information on where koala are, particularly in the south west and this a great opportunity for anyone to help koala conservation by simply going out into their backyard or nearby bush and looking and listening and letting us know if they see any koala."
The census is an ideal opportunity for all Queenslanders to participate in a vital conservation project. People are asked to phone in their koala sightings (dead or alive) to 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Koala Phone In
When: Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October.
Where: Throughout Queensland, but principally targeting
Beaudesert, Boonah, Brisbane, Esk, Gatton, Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Maroochy and Toowoomba.
Phone: 1300 ANIMAL ( 1300 264 625) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The QPP has been developed to significantly improve the way planning schemes are prepared and implemented throughout the state, delivering the following benefits.
They are supposed to deliver for the community both greater certainty and clarity for users and the community and enhanced community involvement and understanding of planning schemes.
As a community member please review, evaluate and report back to the government body how you feel about these proposed changes. The feedback form which is available here guides to measure your level of agreement with a series of statements..
Closing date for feedback: Monday 23 November 2009 Your completed response form is to be returned to
Draft Queensland Planning Provisions feedback
Department of Infrastructure and Planning
PO Box 15009, City East Queensland 4002
Fax: 3234 1279 Phone: 1800 153 262
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A public memorial for passionate Queensland naturalist Ric Nattrass will be held at the Queensland Museum at South Bank on Saturday morning, 24 October 2009.
Ric founded the Queensland Frog Society in 1990, also the Australian Dragonfly Society and the Ipswich Koala Protection Society.
Ipswich City Council named a stand of old growth forest at Bellbird Park the Ric Nattrass Environmental Park in honour of his advocacy work and recognition of his enormous contribution to conservation and the environment.
The Australian Frog Society's president Glen Ingram paid tribute to him in the society's Spring newsletter. "Over his life Ric has made thousands just as passionate about the living world as himself," Mr Ingram wrote.
The memorial will be held in the Whale Mall at the Queensland Museum from 11am.
Copies of his book and posters will be available, with proceeds going to his estate.
Ric was held in very high regard by the many individuals, groups, associations, and government bodies he met with on a regular basis. People from diverse walks of life - indigenous, government, conservation, science, tourism, as well as the wider community - will miss Ric's incredible depth of knowledge, larrikinism, laughter and sense of ethics. Read more at his website http://drivingyouwild.net.au/
We are planning to work at these sites eack weekend Saturday 17 October to Saturday 05 December 2009 8.00am to 11.00am
PLEASE BYO DRINKING WATER, wear appropriate footwear, gloves and hat.
Bringing a bucket or two - if you can - it will help speed up the watering process
Please see the attached Working Bee Schedule for the remainder of 2009.
VERESDALE-Scrub_Working_Bee_Schedule_Oct_Nov_2009.xls
Thank you for your continued interest in the Veresdale Scrub Project. New helpers are always welcome. We would appreciate your contacting Carla beforehand unless you are coming along with a 'regular' helper.
Contact Carla Parker Phone: 5543 2414 or 0408 785448 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Koalas and SEQ Climate Change Management Plan
Actions to support SEQKA - South
Queensland's attempt to build what it calls "Australia's greenest dam", is about to be put to the test. Green groups and local residents have long argued the project would result in serious environmental damage and one particular issue we are focussing on is the plight of the Australian lungfish.
ABC 7.30 Report from 5 October 2009 provided an opportunity for community , government and scientists to present their views. The only existing fishway in the world that's been designed for the lungfish is at Paradise Dam, and so far, that's failed to work effectively. Why would Traveston be any different? Burnett Water, the dam operator,applied to have the case adjourned - It will recommence Monday 9 November 2009.
Part of the transcript appears below from http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/ where you can also watch a video of the program.
The Healthy Country project is supporting communities, farmers and scientists to work together to improve water quality in South East Queensland catchments and Moreton Bay. An estimated average of more than 315,000 tonnes of sediment is discharged to Moreton Bay each year from various sources across South East Queensland. The four-year Healthy Country project focuses on ways to reduce sediments and nutrients entering our waterways locally and in the Bay. The focus is on three priority catchments, Logan and Bremer Rivers and Lockyer Creek.
Following the Healthy Country launch ceremony, site visits to current projects within the Bremer focal area were conducted which provided an opportunity for the Minister and local landholders to discuss projects associated with stream rehabilitation, improved production practices and gully remediation.
On the 6th July, 2009, the Royal Society, the Zoological Society of London and the International Programme on the State of the Ocean facilitated a Coral Reef Crisis meeting to identify key thresholds of atmospheric carbon dioxide needed for coral reefs to remain viable.
The meeting consisted of a workshop and a presentation by Dr John "Charlie" Veron, introduced by Sir David Attenborough. There is a powerpoint presentation available for download from and you can view the 61 minute presentation from here.
http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=3093#
Charlie Veron is best known as the author of the three volume Corals of the World. He is also the senior author of the major electronic products Coral ID and Coral Geographic. Veron is the author of 100 scientific articles, including 14 books and monographs, on subjects ranging from climate change, molecular biology, palaeontology, coral identification, biogeography, coral reefs, conservation, marine science policy, marine science history, cell biology, reptilian physiology and biography. He is former Chief Scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science. He has discovered and described 20% of all coral species of the world. He has worked in all the major coral reef regions of the world, participating in 66 expeditions and spending 7,000 hours scuba diving.
He continues to work in many different fields although he now concentrates on conservation and the effects of climate change on coral reefs.
Download or access the presentation from this link. http://www.coralreefresearch.org/html/crr_rs.htm
Charlie Veron is also a contributor on this CLIMATE CHANGE PORTAL. See his reef coments here. http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=151
ABC Fora is the result of an exciting new editorial partnership between the ABC and US web group www.fora.tv. Combining content sourced by the ABC from talks events all over Australia with the international material provided by fora.tv, ABC Fora will bring you the most engaging and interesting speeches and debates from all over the world.
Farming has become an occupation and cultural force of the past. Michael Pollan's talk promotes the premise -- and hope -- that farming can become an occupation and force of the future. In the past century American farmers were given the assignment to produce lots of calories cheaply, and they did. Listen to the talk here.
In the past century American farmers were given the assignment to produce lots of calories cheaply, and they did. They became the most productive humans on earth. A single farmer in Iowa could feed 150 of his neighbors. That is a true modern miracle.
"American farmers are incredibly inventive, innovative, and accomplished. They can do whatever we ask them, we just need to give them a new set of requirements." The same applies to all farmers who are willing to reflect and review current practices and are interested in real sustainability.
SAVE THE FROGS! is an international team of scientists, educators, policymakers and naturalists dedicated to protecting the world's amphibian species: the frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians.
Frogs are going extinct NOW - worldwide - in Australia and locally in our area in South east Queeensland. The rapid loss and disappearance of amphibian populations in recent decades is undoubtedly one of the most tragic losses of biodiversity our society has ever witnessed, and is one of the most serious environmental issues of our time. Loss of biodiversity has far reaching implications.
We can all help by reducing our individual impact on the planet, by sharing our concern with others, and by making our politicians, our representatives in government aware of our concerns.
One very useful action - of benefit to human health as well as other species is to avoid the use of toxic pesticides. From the forum we read that pesticides and herbicides are toxic chemicals that generally undergo little to no testing on amphibians prior to their being approved for use. Unfortunately, the law of gravity has it that many of these pesticides end up in waterways, where amphibians live and breed. To make matters worse, amphibians have permeable skin that is highly absorbent.