Hi All,
I know many of you already subscribe to Noosa Parks Association Friday Environment Forum Newsletter but I’m sending this through for those who haven’t seen it. The presentations are always informative and worth attending. The Newsletter is also a good read.
Cheers,
Jude
| Friday Environment Forum at the NPA Environment Centre on April 26, 2024 The Fire Ant Threat Reece Pianta, Invasive Species Council  Preserved Red Imported Fire Ant (Photo: Invasive Species Council)“The sports ground is closed. The playground is not open to the public. Our BBQ has been cancelled. We found fire ants (Solenopsis invicta).”This will be the new Australian experience if fire ants continue to breach containment and spread across Australia. At the next Friday Environment Forum on April 26th, Reece Pianta, Advocacy Manager at the Invasive Species Council, will describe the fire ant threat which could be a multi-billion dollar hit to Australia’s economy. Fire ants are three times more venomous than other stinging insects and their attacks can be fatal. Overseas, fire ants are causing agricultural land to become unviable. These invaders are creeping further north threatening the Sunshine Coast lifestyle and environment. The Invasive Species Council has advocated for fire ant action over the past twenty years – now is our crucial last chance to avoid a fire ant future. Come and learn how concerned we should be about this threat and what can be done now, before it is too late!Everyone is welcome at the Noosa Parks Association Environment Centre, 5 Wallace Drive, Noosaville on April 26. The forum starts at 10:30am and morning tea is available at 10-10.25am. Entry is $5 by tap & go at the door which includes morning tea/coffee. Join the bird observers at 8.30am in the carpark for interpretive birding. |
| Friday Environment Forum Plan 2024May 10 Health and Climate Change: What’s the link?: Sharon CampbellMay 24 Marine Life at Old Woman Island – Gary Cobb, Nudibranch CentralJune 14 The Wild at Home: a history of bird feeding in Australia – Russell McGregorJune 28 The importance of environmental groups – for children and adults – Spencer HitchenForums are on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the monthEveryone is welcome at our forums. Please send us your ideas for future speakers and topics. Send to Fridayforum@noosaparks.org.au |
| Birding at Wallace Park on April 12 Angela Farnswarth captured these amazing images while on the Bird Observers walk on Friday morning before the last forum. Thanks for sharing.. You can join the Bird Observers with Valda McLean at 8.30am before each forum in the Environment Centre carpark. |
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| Morning tea on April 12A good crowd joined us for morning tea before the forum to celebrate David McKelvie’s 90th birthday. Thanks to Kathy Sweet and the FEF Team for organising and providing the yummy food! |
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 Fantastical Sharks & Rays competitionOver 1,500 young Australians used the power of their imagination to create artworks as part of our Fantastical Sharks & Rays competition, in partnership with the Australian Museum. Ten talented artists’ creations have now been chosen to inspire some of Australia’s most artistic minds, including Black Douglas and Ken Done. Congratulations to Arwen Brown, Inara Wilson, Maya H McDowell, Leah Djikic, Gryff Nolan, Zara Pease, Eightrelle Escalona, Oliver McIntyre, Barnaby Snow and Iluka Michel! Two of the winning artworks from the Fantastical Sharks & Rays Competition. Left: Leah Djikic, 11 and Right: Iluka Michel, 9 |
The Southern Ocean has the cleanest air on Earth.  The world-famous atmospheric gas monitoring station at Kennaook/Cape Grim on the north-west tip of Tasmania. CSIRO“The strong westerly winds that buffet the Kennaook/Cape Grim air monitoring station have travelled thousands of kilometres over the icy Southern Ocean, making air measured here some of the cleanest in the world,” said Dr Ann Stavert, senior research scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), which jointly manages the site with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM).The station also plays an integral part in the world’s climate change research, chronicling stratospheric ozone depletion as well valuable weather and climate information such as temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity and solar radiation. These measurements are particularly important as they define how the composition of the global atmosphere has changed, and how it continues to evolve.The power of the windHarnessing these wild winds is one of the largest wind farms in the world, Woolnorth Wind Farm. It’s 84m above sea level with a viewing platform in the ferocious gusts that literally takes your breath away. Visitors who tour the farm are treated to a sensory symphony as the crashing waves serenade the coastline.Indigenous landsKennaook/Cape Grim is part of the ancestral lands of the local Indigenous Pennemuker people, and shell middens scattered along the shores mark where they lingered over millennia.The Cape Grim massacre in 1828 devastated the local population and caused their near extinction. Today, the Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation facilitates site visits and cultural immersions upon request to educate visitors about this devastating history. Thanks to efforts like this, the Pennemuker people’s culture is re-emerging, along with a revival of the local language. |
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 https://noosamatters.com.au/If you live in Noosa Shire and you have not already done so, go online to read Noosa news and information from independent writers, supported by community groups. Covering planning, environment, council and lifestyle matters. |
| To find out more about volunteer opportunities email : fridayforum@noosaparks.org.au or ask one of the FEF team at the next forum. |