Post of the Day
Land-based bird populations are at risk of local extinction
A new report finds that land-based bird populations are becoming confined to nature reserves in some parts of the world — raising the risk of global extinction — due to the loss of suitable habitat.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180920203241.htm
Today’s Celebration
Independence Day – Armenia
National Day – Saudi Arabia
Shubun no Hi / Autumnal Equinox Day – Japan
Grito de Lares – Puerto Rico
Shubun no Hi / Autumnal Equinox Day – Shinto
Restless Legs Awareness Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/restless-legs-awareness-day/
Celebrate Bisexuality Day – https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/celebrate-bisexuality-day/
More about Sep 23 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_23
Victoria
The Melbourne creeks the EPA doesn’t want you to swim or fish in
Victoria’s environmental watchdog is warning Melbourne residents not to enter the waterways west of the city as it continues to investigate contamination from firefighting foam.
Budj Bim aerial seed bombing could see return of the tiger quoll
At 6,600 years old Budj Bim National Park pre-dates both the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge, but decades of western farming have turned parts of the ancient Aboriginal settlement into a shadow of its former self.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-23/aerial-seeding-budj-bim-world-heritage/10289682
How fire could unlock suburbia’s ‘hidden treasure’ of wildflowers
Conservation workers say they have discovered a wildflower never before recorded in Melbourne’s suburbs – and predict it could be the tip of a botanical iceberg.
Council eyes fortnightly household waste collections
Bayside council is considering collecting residents’ household bins every fortnight and wants residents to dispose of food waste in green recycling bins to cut the amount of rubbish going into landfill.
Queensland
Climate change vs Australia’s oldest-running flower festival
Toowoomba’s Carnival of Flowers kicks off this weekend in the middle of trying weather conditions.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority director quits over potential conflict of interest
Margie McKenzie’s diving company was subcontracted to perform crown-of-thorns starfish removal work
How to use Queensland’s new container recycling scheme
Queensland’s new container recycling scheme begins on November 1. Will it be ready? And how will you claim your 10-cent refund.
Green threat: ‘Change your business or we will break it’ [$]
Greenies have their sights set on a new target in a campaign of illegal direct action that threatens to disrupt Queensland’s multibillion-dollar coal exports.
Most powerful players in Aussie politics [$]
Peter Gleeson
Green activism has never been more powerful in Australia. It’s a force of nature, fuelled by rich-lister financial backing, much of it coming from overseas
Green warriors nothing more than lawless ratbags [$]
Courier Mail editorial
Greenies will today launch the next phase in their war against Queensland’s coal industry and it’s time to call this out for what it really is – industrial warfare. And it’s time to say enough is enough.
South Australia
Jumping warning as 500 trolleys found off Port Augusta wharf
So many shopping trolleys have been dumped off a wharf in a regional South Australian city that the local council warns of a “significant risk of injury” from jumping off it and into the sea.
Solar scammers zapped by the Minister
Sneaky solar companies are trying to cash in early on SA’s world-leading $100 million home battery scheme — prompting an official warning for householders to be wary of potential scams.
Northern Territory
Forget drones — this wedge-tailed eagle captures bird’s eye view with camera
A wedge-tailed eagle that previously featured in a Birds of Prey show is trained to carry a camera, with trainers saying he is helping to inspire the public about eagles and the environment.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-23/eagle-eyed-view-over-outback-australia/10285372
Western Australia
Meerkit stolen from Perth Zoo found ‘very stressed’ but safe more than 100km away
A four-week-old meerkat is recovering after being found by WA Police at a house in the Wheatbelt town of Beverley, two days after it was taken from its enclosure at Perth Zoo on the eve of its public unveiling.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-22/stolen-baby-meerkat-recovered/10293996
Sustainability
Experts unsure if Ocean Cleanup is going to rid the seas of plastic
Ocean Cleanup believes it can halve the Pacific Garbage Patch in just five years, but experts warn it could be a distraction from the true causes and cures of plastic pollution.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-23/ocean-cleanup-great-pacific-garbage-patch-plastics/10285938
New battery gobbles up carbon dioxide
New technology developed at MIT could use carbon dioxide captured from power plants to make a new kind of lithium battery.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/miot-nbg092118.php
Cooking with wood or coal is linked to increased risk of respiratory illness and death
Burning wood or coal to cook food is associated with increased risk of hospitalization or dying from respiratory diseases.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180921092447.htm
Nature Conservation
Thousands march on Whitehall to call for end to ‘war on wildlife’
Protesters including Billy Bragg and Chris Packham take to central London to demand pro-wildlife policies
Ocean acidification may reduce sea scallop fisheries
Each year, fishermen harvest more than $500 million worth of Atlantic sea scallops from the waters off the east coast of the United States. A new model created by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), however, predicts that those fisheries may potentially be in danger.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/whoi-oam092118.php
Land-based bird populations are at risk of local extinction
A new report finds that land-based bird populations are becoming confined to nature reserves in some parts of the world — raising the risk of global extinction — due to the loss of suitable habitat.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180920203241.htm
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