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Minister won’t step in over alleged logging breaches

An audit found Forestry Corporation breached greater glider search rules 188 times in eight weeks.

NSW’s environment minister has refused to intervene amid fears the government’s own Forestry Corporation could be illegally destroying the den trees of endangered greater gliders.

Penny Sharpe has voted against a motion, brought by the Greens in parliament, calling for the suspension of logging in nine state forests while investigations are carried out.

The motion was made after an audit by conservation groups found the Forestry Corporation had breached new greater glider search rules 188 times in just eight weeks.

The rules for pre-logging surveys were tightened in February after the corporation admitted it had been looking for nocturnal gliders during the day, when the animals would have been asleep inside their hollows. read more

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Environment Initiatives

Tweed Shire Council has lots of opportunities for you to have your say about Sustainability and Environment initiatives, including:

Energy Access and Poverty plan

Electric Vehicle Charging in the Tweed

Community Action Network May Sustainable Food

Climate Change Adaptation reference Group

For More information go to TSC website

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CEC at Kinship Festival

The Caldera Environment Centre will have a stall at the Kinship Festival on May 25 at Knox Park.

Come and check out our range of environmental books and grass roots products, such as stainless steel clothes pegs, water bottles and native plants.

As well as Plant ID and children’s books, we have the recently launched book: The Forest Wars, by ecologist David Lyndenmayer.

Architect, Rebecca Whan will demonstrate the ancient method of Earth Bag building

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The Forest Wars

Professor David Lindenmayer AO, in his new book, The Forest Wars, lifts the lid on destruction of native forests by government corporations and logging industry that is making bushfires worse, killing wildlife and costing taxpayers millions, for the sake of woodchips for export.

David Lindenmayer reveals an unholy alliance between state forestry, the timber industry and unions. Loggers routinely breach regulations, and industry intimidates anyone who questions what they are doing. Worse still, even where native forest logging is supposedly ending, efforts are being made to continue it under a different name. Forests purify our drinking water. Forests are our best hope to reduce carbon emissions. Forests preserve biodiversity. It’s time we realised the value of leaving our native forests standing. read more

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State Government Koala Strategy

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From our friends at North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) a flyer to encourage your response to the State Governments Koala Strategy. The most important thing to emphasise is habitat. We need to see an end to native forest logging as in Western Australia and Victoria. Currently logging is happening in the proposed Koala National Park. Submissions due 26th April.

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TSC, Increased Roadside Weed Management, 3 Year Contract

Weeds, along with habitat loss and feral animals, are the top causes of the loss of biodiversity in NSW.

Cnclr Nola Firth: “We in the tweed are responsible for one of the most diverse places in Australia and one where we have the most threatened species.

“Despite this weeds are proliferating along our road side and the floods have spread seriously invasive weeds such as devils fig. Many in the community are concerned about the issue.

“In response to this urgent situation a it is proposed that council accept the quote from Rous County Council for a full weeds team and their equipment for three years.

“Such an investment will make a major difference to the protection of the integrity of our highly important and greatly loved natural environment.” read more

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Draft Growth Management and Housing Strategy

Passing this on from The Northern Rivers Guardians.

Friends:
A few weeks ago, we alerted you to Tweed Shire Council’s Draft Growth Management and Housing Strategy that was exhibited for public comment. The draft raises many questions about what the shire will be like in the future, including how to best preserve the region as we know it. Re-zoning of different areas and other significant changes are in the strategy, including plans for development of most areas of the shire. If you haven’t yet looked at the document in detail, here is a link: 
https://www.yoursaytweed.com.

The deadline for submissions was 22 March, but if you have comments on the draft that you have not sent in yet, please send them in asap. We understand that late submissions will be considered—as long as they aren’t too late in arriving. Please follow the link above for more information on the draft and on making a submission. read more

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March for the Forests

Sunday 10am Gather at Riverside Park. Lismore

Will you March in March in Lismore with us?

 We can protect our native forests, restore our landscapes, expand our plantation base and create thousands of jobs in the regions.

We need a national strategy to guide this important work, and we need to move urgently – to 100% plantation timber and an end to broadscale land clearing before the next federal election. 

make sure you bring your friends and family along too!

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ePetition: Increase Penalties for Urban Forest Tree Vandalism and Recognise Trees as Natural Assets

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY – ePetition:

To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, In November 2023, Lane Cove witnessed the worst act of environmental vandalism in its history. Nearly 300 trees and plants were illegally removed from Council-owned bushland in Longueville. Local governments received more than 1000+ reports of trees being damaged or killed in the previous 12 months. Our urban forests are under threat. These acts also put a financial burden on already cash-strapped councils. It’s time to take stronger action against those who harm our environment. Current fines for tree vandalism in NSW are $3,000 for individuals and $6,000 for companies, compared with recent reforms in the ACT imposing fines up to $80,000. We ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to significantly increase penalties for urban forest tree vandalism. Councils lack resources for thorough criminal investigations, hindering effective prosecution. Despite the illegality of tree vandalism under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, only 19 cases were prosecuted from 2018 to 2022. We the undersigned petitioners also ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to amend the NSW Local Government Act to include trees in Councils’ asset registers as ‘natural assets’, allocate a budget for a collaboration of councils to undertake pilot projects to integrate natural capital/asset reporting in balance sheets and develop natural asset data capture and management standards. Recognising trees as ‘natural assets’ helps us appreciate their true value including their role in combating climate change and preserving biodiversity. read more

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Caldera Update

Both state and federal governments are responsible for decisions which erode environmental protection. 

The Caldera Environment Centre is supporting environmental protection groups, Fridays4Forests, North East Forest Alliance, Northern Rivers Guardians to call for immediate action to protect native forests and species habitat, for their intrinsic ecological, biodiversity and carbon services.

On Friday 8th March from 11.00 outside Justine Elliott’s
South Tweed office.

The ‘ March in March for the Forests’ is in Lismore on Sunday 24th of March.

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A Sad Decision for Nationally Threatened Species – “This judgement means that it is valid to roll over Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) forever-more based on data collated in 1997″

NORTH EAST FOREST ALLIANCE:

“Justice Perry ‘s judgement of today in North East Forest Alliance vs The Commonwealth of Australia is that no contemporaneous [‘at that time’] assessment is required before extending Regional Forest Agreements beyond the originally intended 20 years, noting:

the question of whether or not to enter into or vary an intergovernmental agreement of this nature is essentially a political one, the merits of which are matters for the government parties, and not the Courts, to determine.

NEFA objected to the Governments extending the North East NSW Regional Forest Agreement in 2018 based on 1997 data, without requiring a new assessment, it is therefore extremely disappointing that after a 5 year legal battle this process of not requiring a contemporaneous assessment has been legally validated, NEFA President Dailan Pugh said.    read more

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Birdlife Northern Rivers

Public education plays an important role in what we [Birdlife Northern Rivers] do. We have placed signs at important roosting, feeding and breeding sites from the Tweed River in the north, to the Port Macquarie coast and at inland areas identifying significant Regent Honeyeater habitat. Additional signs, posters and Bird Routes brochures have been developed to raise awareness of migratory and resident shorebirds.

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Update Regarding Caravan Park proposed on Pottsville Koala habitat

Notice from proponent’s lawyers, 3rd April 2024, an on-site “… conciliation conference under section 34 of the Land and Environment Court Act 1979 (Conciliation Conferen… If the matter is not resolved at the Conciliation Conference, the matter will proceed to a hearing at a date to be fixed.”

S34-Notice-of-Concilliation-Meeting-Potsville-Caravan-Park-DADownload

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Development Application no. DA23/0302 (112 sites, reception, managers residence and pool). 

A development application has been lodged by Design Build Instruct Pty Ltd seeking development consent for a caravan park (112 long term sites), reception, managers residence and pool at Lot 2 DP 815370; No. 1126 Pottsville Road, Pottsville. Tweed Shire Council is the consent authority for the application.  read more

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Black Cockatoo Film and Talk

Black Cockatoo Film and Talk

There is a Black Cockatoo Crisis!

Brunswick Valley Landcare present a film fundraiser: ‘Black Cockatoo Crisis – the extinction clock is ticking on our Black Cockatoos.’

Including a short talk on our own Northern Rivers, Glossy Black Cockatoos, and Glossy Squad.

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Community Information Session, ‘Cudgen Connection’

Despite this subject development proposal being prohibited on State Significant Farmland (SSF), and promises there would be no further development on the Cudgen Plateau SSF the Cudgen Connection proposed development has come to life yet again.

Proposed development:

“As you are aware we have a proposal for a $300M+ health, education and essential worker housing precinct for the Tweed and Northern Rivers community.  

The concept proposes essential worker housing, a mental health hospital, childcare and retail to support essential workers, a bus interchange, community hub, university campus, private hospital and medical suites and medihotel.  

“It will expand the services offered by the neighbouring Tweed Valley Hospital and adjacent Kingscliff TAFE, to create a world class health and education precinct on a 5.7-hectare site at 741 Cudgen Rd.   read more

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Tweed Shire Council – Conservation Strategy: Help shape the future of the Tweed’s natural environment.

A draft of the Tweed Shire Council Conservation Strategy is now available for review.

“The Conservation Strategy will guide Tweed Shire Council’s actions to protect, improve, collaborate and adapt to conserve the Tweed’s natural environment for future years to come.

“Help shape the future of the Tweed’s natural environment by providing feedback on the draft strategy.” Have your say until the 19th of October.

Read the Draft Tweed Conservation Strategy and take the survey to provide feedback here:

https://www.yoursaytweed.com.au/conservationstrategy

Thank you!

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Climate Changers film screening & Q&A Regent Theatre Murwillumbah

The film ‘Climate Changers’ follows Australian scientist and conservationist Tim Flannery in his global search for leadership on climate change. 

Watch the trailer here (link) 

“The screening is part of a national event on September 17th, which will see audiences at more than 30 cinemas across the country watch the film together and join a live-streamed Q&A moderated by actor and climate advocate Yael Stone (actor and climate advocate, Orange is the New Black) with the following panel:

* Professor Tim Flannery, Chief Councillor of the Climate Council 
* Dr Saul Griffith, co-founder of Rewiring Australia
* Kavita Naidu international human rights lawyer and activist.” read more

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