Land & environment

John O'Donnell analyses recent positive US policy developments and land management commitments aimed at confronting the US wildfire/ bushfire crisis and finds that there is much Australia might learn from the US strategy.

Native plants and a safe, usable site will eventually replace the abandoned Collingwood Tin mine site near Cooktown with a partnership between Traditional Owners and the state government.

Forest & Wood Communities Australia is calling on the Andrews Government to close the loophole in the Sustainable Forests (Timber) Act 2004 (Vic) which has enabled activist vigilantes to devastate the livelihoods of regional Victorians. FWCA answers some further questions from ARR.News.

As I have consistently said, science, facts and non-emotive debate are what is needed when it comes to making the big decisions about the future of our primary industries – or indeed any public policy decision. Unfortunately the same view is clearly not held by anti-forestry ideologues, including those Labor governments in both Victoria and Western Australia who have decided to shut down their sustainable forest industries without any discernible evidence to do so.

Chris Oldfield. Lucindale will never run out of fire water again thanks to a group of local farmers, backed by Naracoorte businesses, Rotary and Lions Clubs. A tank of around 100,000 litres boasts a fully equipped bore, offering a permanent water supply to protect the area. It is just over a year since Lucindale ran out of water fighting the January 11, 2021, Blackford fire.

Gabrielle Duykers. More than 7000 hectares of land has been burnt and about 6000 livestock lost in the aftermath of a car fire that lost control on New Year’s Eve. The inferno was sparked when a vehicle caught fire and set grass alight in Wrattonbully at around 1.30pm on Friday, December 31.

“This is the beginning of a new era for farmers and the wider community on the Liverpool Plains, ending years of uncertainty. From today, this land will be actively managed by the Local Land Services on behalf of the government to safeguard the areas with environmental and cultural significance”: Paul Toole, NSW Deputy Premier. ARR.News has questions for the Deputy Premier and Minister Saunders.

Born and bred local Efsta Konidaris’ newest hobby has been taking the Barkly by storm! The keen mountain biking local is well known for her businesses Tennant Creek Emporium and Total Sports, and it was by chance on a ride she took a photo with her phone and the social media reception went viral.

Brendan grew up at Trevenson Park horse stud in Baringhup, working with his dad ... Brendan has been a member of the CFA since he was 16-years-old and has been the Captain of the Baringhup CFA for the past 23 years, making Brendan the longest serving Baringhup Captain.

Hundreds of fish died including Murray Cod, Golden Perch, Bony Herring and Australian Smelt as well as Murray Crayfish in a disastrous black water event in Bundidgerry Creek near Narrandera late last week.

Ali Bohn. 2022 looks to resemble a regular season with businesses wanting to put 2021 behind them and look to a more positive year ahead. The Bridge took a moment to catch up with some local businesses for their feedback on how the summer trade has been tracking.

Hepburn Shire Council is continuing to support recovery efforts in the community following a thunderstorm that damaged homes and property in and around Creswick and Clunes on 5 January. “The intensity of this storm caused widespread damage to homes, farms and public land in the west of our Shire. Our preliminary estimates are around $10m of damage to Council assets alone, and around $25m damage to crops” : Hepburn Shire Mayor, Cr Tim Drylie.

Consumers are increasingly demanding proof of their seafood’s sustainability and they are turning to a range of seafood certifications, rating programs and indexes to inform their purchases. Globally, there is a growing number of initiatives to guide consumers. But they are not all created equal, nor do they measure and report on the same parameters.

Now electric vehicles can cross the Nullarbor Plain thanks to BiØfil, a world-first EV fast charging system that is fully off-grid, self-contained and powered by used chip (vegetable) oil from roadhouse deep fryers. On Sunday 16 January 2022, BiØfil was installed at the Caiguna Roadhouse, approximately 370 km east of Norseman and 370 km west of the South Australian border, making it one of the most remote EV fast charging stations on the planet.

The Dryandra Woodland National Park, near Narrogin, 180 km south-east of Perth, is the first national park in WA's Wheatbelt region ... Converted from a State forest to a national park, Dryandra is a key stronghold for some of Australia's rarest and most vulnerable wildlife including numbats, woylies, brushtail wallabies, chuditch, quenda and the mound-building malleefowl.

Australia’s $900 million citrus industry could face serious production and market access risks if the industry is not adequately prepared to manage future biosecurity threats. A new five-year national biosecurity program, CitrusWatch, is a collaborative effort that is designed to protect the citrus industry from harmful exotic pests and diseases.

Forestry Australia is calling on the Western Australian Government to release scientific evidence in justification of its decision to end native forest harvesting. Forestry Australia President Bob Gordon said the association was concerned the decision to end native harvesting was not based on science, demonstrated poor understanding of WA’s world-class forest management practices and would result in increased imports of wood products from countries with lower management standards.

With unpredictable weather being experienced due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Tiffany in the north, many might be wondering where Tennant Creek’s new $17 million radar is.

A  number of Baringhup residents are concerned about the possibility of Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) closing the embankment at Cairn Curran Reservoir and the surrounding picnic and swimming areas. Local resident, Kerrie Jennings told the Tarrangower Times, “It would be good to achieve some clarification from GMW on their current proposal and reasoning. Also, are GMW truly open to local community input, and should we lose a much-loved part of Cairn Curran, is there an alternative visitor plan within an acceptable timeframe?”

Jamie Heffernan. When Kevin Moloney and Janetta Stones opened their BnB known as The Little Cottage (or TLC), in Maldon last year, they wanted to add a few points of difference ... One point of difference was the inclusion of a minibar in the cottage. “Who doesn’t love a mini bar?” Janetta explained.

William Bay National Parks Association has been recognised as the community group that only downs tools in driving hailstorms in the depths of winter ... WBNPA is believed to be Denmark’s most active and longest-serving community group in contributing towards a nationally and internationally recognised national park.