Land & environment

The start of the popular salmon run along the State's west and south coasts this month is hotly anticipated by Western Australian fishers but carries with it an increased risk of shark encounter, with ocean users reminded to put safety first.

John O'Donnell identifies the multiple barriers to effective low intensity or ecological maintenance burning of forest areas across south east Australia and opportunities to address these.

The Game Management Authority (GMA) has announced the arrangements for the 2022 duck season, including changes to the start times, daily bag limit and hunted species ... State Member for Bendigo, Maree Edwards told the Times that she has read the GMA’s release regarding the decision to open duck hunting this year and feels it is imperative that the Government takes significant advice from the GMA.

Gabrielle Duykers. A unique Kingston art project will see participants fashion miniature lobsters out of ocean rubbish, in the hopes of increasing public understanding on the dangers of plastic pollution. The project is part of the Fringe on Tour Festival which will visit the coastal community from March 4 to March 6.

Storms which hit Narrandera in January remain vivid in the minds of locals, with flooding still the hot topic of conversation among many who had a first hand experience of the storm disaster ... residents talked about the same things happening back in 2012 and said nothing had changed.

Alesha Millard. In its 52nd year, one of the world’s longest paddling races, the Massive Murray Paddle, was held last week ... The paddle commenced in Yarrawonga on February 21 and headed to Tocumwal for the first night – a 93km paddle. Paddlers also passed through Picnic Point, Moama, Torrumbarry and Murrabit, before finishing in Swan Hill on the 25th. The five-day event saw paddlers completing a 404km set course.

The costs in human and animal suffering, infrastructure, farmland, wildlife, the list goes on, is immense. What makes it so appalling is that, with good planning, both in terms of infrastructure, such as dams, and planning laws restricting development on floodplains, much of this horrendous waste and loss could have been at least mitigated, and, I suspect, in many cases, avoided altogether.

The current flooding in Lismore and Nimbin, and associated power outages, have affected Council’s water supply and sewage systems. Residents are asked to conserve water as much as possible as we are currently unable to replenish water reservoirs. Nimbin has approx. 24 hours of water supply left based on normal usage rates and residents are asked to conserve water.

Elizabeth and Hayden Steele made sure they built their Colorbond home on Casino's Coraki Rd above the one-in-100 flood height. That was two years ago, and like many people in the area they were surprised when floodwaters lapped at their doorstep.

In Beef Town, cattle are proving to be a problem. Disorientated and lost in the floods, cows have been spotted in backyards and in the streets of Casino.

The current flooding across the Richmond Valley, and associated power outages, have affected Richmond Valley Council’s water supply at Broadwater and Rileys Hill. The council’s water-sewer team is working hard to find the break affecting the water supply.

Emma Pritchard. Major flooding is occurring throughout the Northern Rivers region this week after high moisture and a low-pressure system generated widespread rainfall. Yamba was among the hardest hit with the coastal town recording 532.6mm of rain in the 48 hours to 9am on Tuesday morning.

Manager Water and Wastewater Operations Brie Jowett said the extreme weather had washed soil and debris into creeks and rivers that flow into Council’s water treatment plants and caused power outages at the plants and several water pump stations ... Council has been tankering water into Uki but flooding and no road access is preventing deliveries.

There are approximately 7.5 million hectares of forest in Victoria, and 94 per cent of Victoria’s native forests are in protected areas that cannot be harvested or are unsuitable. Of this amount, VicForests has access to 417,000 hectares and we only harvest 2500-3000 hectares annually. This is nominally equivalent to 0.04% of all forested areas ... Thorough preparation is undertaken prior to harvesting, and VicForests puts special protections in place for priority habitat and species of concern if found in coupes.

Australia’s most trusted rural charity, Rural Aid, is urging farmers to register with the organisation for disaster assistance, in the wake of the devastating floods in Eastern Australia ... Growers watched on helplessly as their beloved crops were swallowed by rising floodwaters. Graziers risked their lives to move stock to higher ground, as rivers swelled to record highs.

A patch of underwater land in the Gulf of Carpentaria could hold several trillion cubic feet of natural gas or hundreds of millions of barrels of oil – at least that’s what a company with the rights to drill it for exploration is saying.

The Australian Government has released the final report of the review into the second phase of the $1.1 billion National Landcare Program (NLP). Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud and Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the NLP is achieving positive outcomes for Australia’s unique environment and natural resources while supporting jobs in Australia’s agriculture sector.

The first Tasmanian Wild Fallow Deer Management Plan brings together existing and contemporary management strategies to form a single point of reference for deer management in Tasmania. The growing number and widening geographic range of wild fallow deer in the State continues to have increasing economic, environmental and public safety impact.

About 1.3 million tyres reach the end of their life each year in Tasmania, most of which ends up in landfill or stockpiles. Some of these tyres are now being processed into crumb rubber and blended with bitumen for use as asphalt in the State road maintenance program.

NSW Farmers Lismore Branch Chair and macadamia farmer Warren Elvery said there would be major losses as a result of the flooding, which was the worst he had ever seen ... “We had 347mm of rain overnight and all of the work we’ve done building up our soil and getting ready for harvest could all be for nothing."