The Bugle - 20 April 2007
In news this week
Regional NRM group stories Government updates- Dial into the plans for the crocodile
- EPA feed the wildlife with ARF support
- DPI&F officer awarded for operation farm clear
- NRW checks its free publication stocks
- AgSIP 13 holds Economic Valuation Workshop
- Landcare Queensland bookshop restocks its shelves
- Banksia Environmental Awards bloom once again in 2007
- Pest plant comes out of hiding
- Toddler mauled in dingo attack
- Eureka Awards officially open with new climate change category
- Get a job in NRM!
Regional NRM group stories
Rainforest recovery the focus of forum
More than 130 rainforest enthusiasts are expected to descend on Brisbane for the Queensland Rainforest Recovery Forum, being held 25-27 July at Griffith University.
Featuring academic and community rainforest experts, the forum will look at issues such as rainforest conservation in the Daintree, the macadamia recovery plan, community rainforest restoration, fire in rainforest communities and the impacts of climate change.
The Forum is being coordinated by SEQ Catchments in partnership with the Australian Government, the Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies and Landcare Queensland.
Along with dozens of community rainforest experts, speakers include Mike Berwick, Mayor of Douglas Shire Council; Bruce Boyes, Land and Water Australia; Associate Professor Carla Catterall, Griffith University; Dr Don Sands, Honorary Fellow CSIRO; Dr Bill McDonald, Queensland Herbarium; and Professor Roger Kitching, Centre for Innovative Conservation Strategies.
Registration for the two day forum is only $60 for community group staff and volunteers and $120 for everyone else. Field trips, which will run to the Gold Coast hinterland or Sunshine Coast hinterland are an additional $40 per person. Modest subsidies are also available to assist with travel from rural and remote parts of Queensland.
Further information (including a registration form) is available on the Landcare website, by emailing kerri@landcare.org.au or on 3211 4413.
Government updates
Dial into the plans for the crocodile
Environment Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr has called for calm debate over proposed changes to the crocodile management plan and encourages north and far north Queensland residents to have their say.
Ms Nelson-Carr said the plan, currently out for public comment, would look at the best ways of managing crocodile populations for the next 10 years, taking into account the recent trend of increased sightings.
Ms Nelson-Carr said a crocodile cull would only lull people into a false sense of security, as recent research has shown them to be highly mobile creatures.
Changes to the management plan will have human safety and the protection of these native species in mind, with one suggestion in the review being to fine people who disobey no swimming signs in National Parks. The proposed fines are the result of people swimming in these known habitats at their own peril, ignoring instructions from rangers.
The review is a draft and nothing has been set in stone, so it is important for people with concerns to make a submission.
Copies of the plan can be found on the EPA website and submissions close on the 4 May 2007.
EPA feed the wildlife with ARF support
Normally the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asks people not to feed wildlife, but the cassowary population in Far North Queensland has been under tremendous pressure, especially since Cyclone Larry devastated their feeding areas. The EPA has been running a feeding program for the cassowaries since Cyclone Larry hit the area.
Three officers based at the rehabilitation centre at Garners Beach run by the Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF) currently manage 50 feeding stations. These feeding stations will ensure cassowaries at risk, are supported until the natural habitat recovers sufficiently. The EPA also uses the feeding stations to draw birds away from high-risk urban areas back into the rainforest - away from roads and dogs.
A partnership between the EPA and ARF to manage the rehabilitation of cassowaries at Garners Beach is an outstanding example of community involvement and support for an endangered species.
The EPA and ARF have had a formal agreement over the past 12 months in which the ARF manages the Garners Beach cassowary rehabilitation facility, providing a full-time caretaker and a community volunteer program. The rehabilitation centre is a vital part of the on-going effort to maintain the cassowary population and to learn more about how to help sick, injured and orphaned birds get better so they can be returned to the wild.
Environment Minister Lindy Nelson Carr said "This has become a truly community effort and I want to express my deep appreciation for the support so many people and organisations such as the Australian Rainforest Foundation have given, especially over the very difficult past twelve months."
Visit the EPA website for further information.
DPI&F officer awarded for Operation Farm Clear
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) officer Jim Turnour has received a special commendation for his role in the Cyclone Larry relief effort. DPI&F recently held a series of awards ceremonies at which more than 300 staff and community members were acknowledged for their significant contribution to the clean up and recovery effort.
DPI&F Minister Tim Mulherin said he personally thanked Jim Turnour for his leadership of the highly-successful Operation Farm Clear.
Jim Turnour set up and led the program, liaising with industry and other government agencies to ensure its smooth running for the benefit of those local producers hit hardest by Larry. Farm Clear crews removed broken and dangerous trees, reopened access and ensured pests and diseases did not gain a foothold.
The initiative assisted 306 beef farms, 220 cane properties, 134 banana farms, 107 tree horticulture properties, 70 dairy farms, 87 forestry properties, 35 non-tree horticulture properties, 10 fisheries, one poultry farm and 70 mixed farming businesses.
Work is continuing to finalise assistance to the last remaining affected properties. The current wet weather is delaying some work, but all work is expected to be finalised by 30 June 2007.
For more information visit the DPI&F website.
NRW checks its free publication stocks
The Department of Natural Resources and Water (NRW) recently published a list of free publications put out by the Department for the period October to December 2006. The list provides a great starting point for people wanting publications related to the management of land, water and trees.
Titles are grouped under eight titles: Information sheets; Land series fact sheets; Landholder Guidelines; Newsletters, alerts and magazines; Pest management publications; Pest series fact sheets; Water publications; and Water series fact sheets.
Titles for this quarter include: Landholder's guide to vegetation clearing; Natural state magazine, no.10, 2006; Pest patrol activity book; Protecting your grazing future - warning brochure; Regional vegetation management code for brigalow belt and new tablelands bioregions; Burnett Basin resource operations plan - November 2006; and Drilling for water - W16.
This list contains information on where to acquire the publications and it is on the NRW website.
AgSIP 13 holds Economic Valuation Workshop
Note: There has been a change of venue.
Natural resource managers, policy developers and decision makers are invited to attend an Agricultural State-level Investment Project (AgSIP) 13 Economic Valuation Workshop at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts 420 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane on Tuesday 24 April.
The AgSIP 13 project has developed a range of material on the costs and benefits of improving NRM outcomes in regional Queensland.
This information can be used to develop an economic valuation of regional investment strategies and projects. The aim of this workshop is to highlight the need for such information and provide a practical framework in which it can be applied.
For further information email Sue Woodfield or by phone on 07 4930 6828.
For more information about the project visit the Central Queensland University website.
Wetlands updates
Positive steps to protect wetlands
Wetland lagoons are popular fishing, picnicking and swimming spots and are an important local resource. Volunteers are helping to protect these important wetlands all over Queensland.
At Gracemere Lagoon in Central Queensland, Fitzroy River and Coastal Catchments and a group of volunteers will help build a temporary fence to keep cattle from a revegetated area, install erosion control matting and plant a variety of native trees, shrubs and grasses in the area.
Mr Karl French, the Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) team leader said "These wetlands are important as reserves for fish, turtles and also as habitat for numerous bird species."
The project is one of a series that CVA has carried out in conjunction with the Fitzroy River and Coastal Catchments group and is aimed at regeneration of the wetlands on the Fitzroy River floodplain.
"Planting trees is a great reward as you get to see the fruits of your labour and know that you have had a hand in doing something positive for the environment," Mr French said.
Mr French said planting along the banks of the lagoon helped keep the water cooler, reduced evaporation and helped to prevent erosion.
Natural resources news
Landcare Queensland bookshop restocks its shelves
Landcare Queensland recently launched a virtual bookshop, providing a great starting point for people wanting publications related to the landscape; environmental politics and policies; and plant and animal identification.
More than 40 titles are available including: An Inconvenient Truth, Peter Andrew’s Back from the Brink; the Discovery Guide to Outback Queensland; and Tracks, Scats and other Traces.
New titles for this month include: A Big Fix by Ian Lowe; Australian Timbers by Ashley Sewell; Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia; Managing Horses for Small Properties; Noosa Native Plants; the Australian Green Grants Guide and the Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds.
The new book listing will also feature a special offer on Landcare Queensland red bucket hats.
View the booklist online on the Landcare bookshop website (new booklist available early May) or phone 07 3211 4413 for more information.
Banksia Environmental Awards bloom once again in 2007
You can now enter the Banksia Environmental Awards 2007 – ‘Solutions through Convergence’ which is about merging technologies, resources, expertise and knowledge to make greater strides in preserving our environment and reduce the impact of climate change.
Award categories include international, education, local government, community, indigenous and the ever popular people’s choice.
Entries close 8 May 2007.
Further information on categories, guidelines and eligibility can be accessed at Banksia awards website or emailing the Banksia Environmental Foundation or on 03 9684 4667.
Pest plant comes out of hiding
Now is a great time to look out for one of the nastiest environmental weeds, the madeira vine, as it comes out of hiding during its annual flowering season. Typically the weed can be difficult to identify as it blends into background vegetation, so now is the time to act. Madeira vine will continue flowering for the next few weeks, making it much easier to identify.
This class three declared plant, commonly known as "lamb's tail" because it produces long cream coloured flowers that hang like a lamb's tail, can quickly cover surrounding trees and shrubs, killing them by smothering. The vine has fleshy lime green leaves and produces warty tubers which fall off and are easily spread by water, machinery and animals.
Visit the NRW website or contact Biodiversity Queensland to find out more about this and other pest plants.
Toddler mauled in dingo attack
A four-year-old girl was attacked by a dingo on Fraser Island this week.
It happened about 3.45pm while she was playing near her father's car. A Fraser Island paramedic treated the girl.
The attack came almost six years to the day after a nine-year-old was mauled to death by dingoes near Kingfisher Bay Resort, on 30 April 2001. On 17 November last year, a three-year-old had a lucky escape from a dingo that stalked and attacked him. Some nearby men at a barbecue, heard his screams and came to his rescue, chasing the dingo.
According to dingo experts, the problem is dingoes are being fed at tourist centres on the island. People need to leave the wild dogs alone and stop feeding them, as they are potentially putting children's lives at risk.
Story from the Fraser Coast Chronicle
Eureka Awards officially open with new climate change category
In a national first, the Australian Museum announces two exciting new prizes for climate change. The two new categories mean there are 20 prizes worth more than $200 000 in the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes this year. The Eureka Prizes are Australia's most comprehensive science awards and the country’s biggest national reward scheme for research into environmental sustainability issues.
The new $10 000 Eureka Prize for Innovative Solutions to Climate Change will highlight responses to climate change developed through scientific research; the development of new technologies or products; or advocacy/awareness programs designed to encourage behavioural change.
The new Eureka Prize for Young Leaders in Environmental Issues and Climate Change will reward scientific or technological leadership by a young Australian aged 21–30. The $10 000 prize, provides a unique opportunity for a study tour to the United Kingdom to meet with leading British scientific authorities.
The Eureka Prizes began in 1990 and award excellence in the categories of Research and Innovation; Leadership; School Science; and Science Communication and Journalism.
Entries and nominations in the 2007 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes can be made on the Australian museum website.
Entries close on 4 May 2007. Finalists will be announced in July with winners revealed at a gala award dinner in Sydney on 21 August 2007.
Get a job in NRM!
Are you interested in working with Queensland's regional natural resource management bodies? Then head to the Regional Groups' Collective website where current job opportunities are now available. Be sure to check back regularly to ensure you don't miss out on the job of a lifetime!
Here's a sample of what's on offer:
Regional Groups Collective
Position/Contract Title: Sustainable Agriculture Partnerships Manager
Location: Negotiable
Salary: $70 000+ (to be negotiated)
Term of Appointment/Contract: 12 months
Thought for the week
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Mary Schmich, "Chicago Tribune", 1 June 1997 in a piece now known as "the Sunscreen Speech" which has been made into a record by the film director Baz Luhrmann
We welcome your contributions and feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions for The Bugle please contact Carl Glen or Shona Strachan.
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The Bugle is a weekly newsletter published by Community Partnerships, the Department of Natural Resources and Water, highlighting regional NRM activities around Queensland.
Last updated 09 January 2008