‘Today is the day we stop building on the floodplain’ says online petition
Broadwater resident Sophie Morgan-Smith has started an online petition to reject the development proposal for 60 house blocks at Rileys Hill Rd , Broadwater. This land is a floodplain that was 5.33 metres under water in the February-March floods in 2022, Ms Morgan-Smith said.
Big smiles at ‘big shed’ opening
Located at Nymboida Camping and Canoeing, the big shed offered many residents a safe place to stay following the catastrophic bushfires which devastated the region in 2019 ... “We housed locals in the cabins, and very importantly, Nymboida Camping and Canoeing provided a space for people to come and share their experiences and stories with others who understood": Laena Stephenson.
That Camp Street levee!
Harold Flett. So Donald had a well above average total of rainfall in the Spring of 2022. Official rainfall records inform us of 365mm for the months of August through to end of November. That is a considerable amount of rain in four months, resulting in many flooded roads, crops and a decent “run” down our local Richardson River ... The first real chance to have our town levees challenged since the erection of them in the years following the “one in a hundred” flood of January 2011.
SA’s primary industries continue to experience record-breaking growth: Scriven
The release of the Primary Industries Scorecard 2021-22 illustrates the resilience of the sector in overcoming Covid 19, extreme weather, floods and bushfire events, the Russian invasion of Ukraine along with Chinese trade tensions to generate a revenue of $17.3 billion in 2021-22, an increase of 12% and accounting for 51% of the South Australia’s merchandise exports: Claire Scriven.
SA Liberals need to get onboard Team SA on Murray-Darling Basin Plan: Close
The SA Liberals misguided opposition to voluntary water buybacks risks undermining South Australia’s position ahead of Friday’s Murray–Darling Basin Ministerial Council meeting. A united South Australian position is crucial when dealing with the unwillingness of the NSW and Victorian governments to deliver the 450 gigalitres promised when the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was agreed to: Susan Close, SA Deputy Premier, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water (SA).
Peat fire keeps bushfire advice in place for Gingin localities
Firefighting volunteers are monitoring a sprinkler system set up due to the February 4 bushfire getting into peat, which means it will produce smoke for some time ... “Peat has a high carbon content and is naturally porous": Department of Health.
New alliance calls for emergency funding for rural roads: ALRTA
The newly-formed Rural Road Alliance is calling for an emergency funding package totalling nearly $5.5 billion in the upcoming Federal Budget. The alliance ... been formed in response to the critical challenges facing Australia’s rural road network in the wake of recent flooding and high rainfall.
Flood study review set to start
The Echuca Moama Torrumbarry Flood Study currently underway will be updated with new data from the October 2022 flood event ... “This will enable potential future flood mitigation measures, warning systems and triggers to be developed based on the latest information”: Campaspe Mayor Cr Rob Amos.
Rethinking methane: renowned scientist Professor Frank Mitloehner on GWP*, GWP 100 and climate neutrality
Prof Mitloehner's presentation covers a range of issues relating to methane and carbon dioxide in terms of global warming, climate neutrality, GWP100, GWP*, implications for the livestock sector and action to reduce global methane emissions.
Sky is the limit for rare flightless bird: Griffin
NSW Minister for Environment James Griffin said the population of one of Australia’s rarest birds, the Lord Howe Island Woodhen, has increased five-fold in four years, and more than doubled within 12 months ... "The NSW Government’s rodent control program is a world first for a permanently inhabited island, and the results for the biodiversity on Lord Howe are remarkable": Minister Griffin.
People and industry must be at centre of Basin Plan: VFF
The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) says people and industry must be at the centre of discussions during next week’s meeting of state and federal water ministers on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan ... “The MDBA’s report card doesn’t look at the impact on jobs, on food production and on communities that have resulted from water buybacks and broader Basin Plan implementation”: VFF President Emma Germano.
Bushfire learning, policy and management opportunities: John O’Donnell
John O'Donnell finds that the Treasurer's recent essay opens up an opportunity to discuss whether Australia has in fact learnt and implemented lessons from the Black Saturday bushfires and ways to improve economic and management outcomes for Australia in relation to bushfires.
Suspected Avian Botulism outbreak
A deadly disease that attacks water birds, known as Avian Botulism, is suspected to have struck at Bells Swamp on the Bridgewater-Maldon Road in Neereman, 10 or so kilometres from Maldon. Bird rescue teams, including Victorian Wildlife veterinarians and volunteer regional wildlife lovers, spent the weekend searching the swamp for dead and unwell birds.
Country is the classroom
Rod Moss. Bernadine Johnson, Ricky Ryder, Aureole Perkins, Therese Johnson and Arthur Webb are wandering in search of the purple-flowered plant awele awele, the bush tomato. Looking for bush tucker was a weekend pursuit. How gratifying to see these activities continuing apace in the formal structure provided by Children’s Ground/ Ampe-kenhe Ahelh.
Ash Wednesday – 40 years
It must never happen again. February 16, marks 40 years since Ash Wednesday when 120,000ha in the heart of the SE was destroyed by fire. The inferno was fanned by 110km winds in 44C temperatures and killed 14 South Easterners, including Lucindale’s Brian Nosworthy, Peter O’Leary and Andrew Lemke.
Firefighters survived burn overs
Lucindale CFS brigade captain Andy Cane recalls being 18 on Ash Wednesday ... “There was scrub everywhere, and the fire was going that fast. We didn't even see it until it came over the top of us”: Lucindale CFS brigade captain Andy Cane.
‘Everybody deserves to come home safely’: Commercial seafood industry launches national safety program, Sea Safe
Seafood Industry Australia (SIA), the national peak-body representing Australia’s commercial seafood industry, in conjunction with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), have launched Sea Safe, a program designed to improve the culture of safety in the commercial seafood industry ...
New monitoring program shows wildlife booming across NSW State forests: FCNSW
Forestry Corporation of NSW has launched a program across eastern NSW to monitor native plants and animals in State forests, finding a strong recovery in spring after previous droughts, fires and floods ... “We have already detected a number of koalas, yellow-bellied gliders, parma wallabies and quolls, which are all threatened species": North Coast Senior Field Ecologist, Mark Drury.
Major recovery works funded
Three projects in the Upper Murray have received funding under the third and final round of the Local Community Projects Grants program. The sand scrape greens at the Corryong golf course will be replaced with state-of-the-art synthetic turf ... Tintaldra Recreation Reserve is thrilled to have received funding for the revitalisation of the community facility ... Upper Murray Region Community Catering Hub to construct a shed ...
Ardlethan astronomer shares his passion for the stars
Big skies, free of light pollution were major factors that led quietly passionate amateur astronomer John Stevenson and his wife, Tracy to move to Ardlethan from Bribie Island a couple of years ago. And now he is sharing his interest and knowledge in Ardlethan Astronomy nights, with the first held last Saturday.
Ministers asked to fight for rural communities
“Don’t forget how hard we fought to get an effective socio-economic neutrality test.” That is the message from the community-based Speak Up Campaign, which is encouraging state water ministers in New South Wales and Victoria to ensure the agreed test is applied before any more water is recovered ... “All the indications suggest Ms Plibersek wants to reintroduce water buybacks, despite the massive social and economic damage from previous buybacks": Speak Up chair Shelley Scoullar.
Marigold madness at Caroona Yamba
When Ray Smith took it upon himself to grow flowers to beautify the dining room at the Uniting Caroona Yamba aged care home, he never imagined he’d be dealing with a ‘mutant’ Marigold. But in an extraordinary ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ esq case, that is exactly what happened, when a single Marigold plant grew to more than four times the size of the seedlings with which it was planted.
