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We gather and publish a wide range of links to nature related news from 400 sources, including government, councils, environmental groups, companies and media outlets. We cover many nature related topics including; conservation, rejuvenation, wildlife, agriculture and food, energy and mining, climate change, business, politics, transport, weather, technology, science, health, education, art and more. You can 'Follow by Email' to receive a daily update in your inbox, or 'Like' us on Facebook. If you have an idea for a story please let us know. johnrm26466@hotmail.com
THURSDAY, 6th JUNE 2013

 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 World-renowned natural historian and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has been forced to cancel his Australian tour to undergo emergency heart surgery.

It is the hidden, horrible secret of Orroroo - a water supply that wrecks pipes, toilets, showers and hot-water systems. And, to add insult to injury, residents are paying a River Murray Levy for the bore water that is pumped to their homes from just outside the town.

Rex Minerals is close to securing a $565 million investment for its proposed copper and gold project near Ardrossan on Yorke Peninsula.

Kangaroo Island Council again commends Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke for his decision to conduct a full federal environmental assessment of the seismic survey proposed 100km west of Kangaroo Island as part of petroleum exploration. 

While South Australia's farmers are still basking in the happiness of last weekend's rain, climatologists haven't stopped talking about it either.

A new report has found that the profits of the world's biggest miners have slumped by nearly half since 2011 as the mining boom peaks.

A leading Australian academic says there is no credible evidence to support the theory that wind turbines cause disease.

The wind-farm industry received another boost today with a peer reviewed science paper debunking claims that living near wind turbines can make you sick. 

A study shows that Australia is sitting on vast resources of shale gas, but better regulation and lower infrastructure costs will be needed to develop a large-scale industry.

Almost 4 million Australian homes now powered by renewable energy.

The Opposition's attempt to kill off management plans for the new Commonwealth marine park network failed last night in the House of Representatives.

A row has broken out between animal rights groups and farmers over Coles supermarkets promoting a campaign against factory farming.

Regional dairy farming leaders have claimed the nation was on the cusp of a “dining boom” in Asia and farmgate prices were expected to lift next financial year, which could stimulate the embattled industry.

The new National Curriculum is a great opportunity to put agriculture and food issues into Australian classrooms, but getting all students to study a subject called 'agriculture' is unrealistic.

An aquaculture industry beach monitoring and cleanup program has collected more than 12,000 kg of debris in its first year and is now looking to expand. The Adopt a Beach program was created to address concerns from the Eyre Peninsula community about aquaculture-related marine debris.

Bird watcher Ken McPhee said he believed Peacocks were behind the disappearance of baby curlews at the Bordertown Wildlife Park and an expert backed his claim.

The Adelaide Hills Council is considering adopting a Tree Management Policy. The Policy will outline the Council's position on a number of tree related matters, including its powers, duties and functions under the Local Government Act 1999.

SARDI soil diagnostics has made national headlines with Research Chief Dr Kathy Ophel Keller winning the 2013 AUSVEG Researcher of the Year Award. 

The Waite Research Institute, GRDC, and Australian Society of Soil Science Inc are presenting a workshop on ‘Chemistry, amelioration and management of alkaline soils’ at the Waite Campus on Thursday, 27th of June.

Wednesday, 19th. COOTS Workshop A look at the introduced weeds that are threatening native plants.

Read the Winter Edition of ReLeaf from Trees For Life


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TUESDAY, 4TH JUNE 2013

 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 A campaign has reached Australia, with the founder, US environmentalist Bill McKibben, on a tour trying to convince community groups, universities and churches to stop investing in fossil fuel companies. 
www.abc.net.au

 A new industry push to have seismic testing recognised as a threat to marine environments demonstrates the need to protect Kangaroo Island’s unique wildlife from oil and gas exploration, says SA Australian Greens Senator Penny Wright.
Accusations of cover-ups and misrepresentations have emerged on both sides of the debate about oil exploration off the west of Kangaroo Island.
A theory that suggests banned aerosol gases are to blame for global warming, not carbon dioxide, has been questioned by climate scientists.

Some pastoralists in South Australia's north are reporting drought breaking rains and the best start to winter for several decades.

South Australian irrigators will receive their full allocation of water in 2012/13. Despite the dry conditions experienced over the past six months, South Australia will get the full River Murray Entitlement Flow of 1850 gigalitres.
A Government taskforce says an increase in water temperatures, a harmful algal bloom and a virus resulted in a mass fish death and also dolphin deaths in local waters.

Recreational fishers will work with the South Australian Government on a survey to see whether catfish numbers in the River Murray have recovered.

Coles has created a social media controversy by running a campaign for the lobby group Animals Australia.

Conservationists are raising concerns about the Government's handling of a 240,000 litre oil spill in the state's south-west. The oil leaked from a Santos project in the Cooper Basin, near the floodplains that feed Lake Eyre.

A BIKE trail through nine of Mitcham's reserves will result in tourism and health benefits, local cyclists and the CEO of BikeSA say.

Measures have been taken to support native fish numbers in the wetlands near the River Torrens outlet in Adelaide's western suburbs.


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THURSDAY, 30TH MAY 2013

 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 In 10 years, the Encounter Bay area including Granite Island has lost more than 5000 penguins. The issue has become dire for the Little Penguins on Granite Island, as the last census in August 2012 found 26 penguins in the district. That compares to about 100 the year before, and about 2000 penguins in 2001.

Billions of dollars worth of investments in the clean energy sector are at stake if the Coalition wins the federal election in September.

BHP Billiton has all but ruled out new coal projects and says it is selling assets because of a weak coal price outlook.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has been advised by Shell Australia (Shell) and its environmental consultant URS Australia (URS) that it will be undertaking further assessment of groundwater contamination, within the vicinity of the Coles Express Service Station, located on the corner of Adelaide Road and Charles Street, Murray Bridge.

The nation's largest irrigator, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, (CEWH) has told a Senate Estimates hearing it has delivered 2,359 gigalitres of water to the environment in its first five years of operation.

A member of the Windfarm Select Committee slept under a turbine at the Waterloo wind farm last night to experience the conditions that local residents face.

A farmer from South Australia's Yorke Peninsula has ploughed a life size wind turbine into his paddock to highlight his concerns about a nearby proposed wind farm.

A Yorke Peninsula council has been fined more than $30,000 for illegally dumping septic waste at Moonta for eight years.

Several South Australian Riverland and Mallee organisations will share in federal funding for landcare and sustainability projects.

The Parndana Progress Association has been awarded six state NRM Community Grants since 2009 gaining almost $60,000 for its projects. In return it has provided over 700 hours of volunteer time. The aim of these projects is a challenging one—to eradicate all feral plants from the natural bushland in and around Parndana and plant more appropriate plants around the town.

RM Awards and the Landcare Awards has nine categories encompassing a range of natural resources projects and themes including sustainable farming, building partnerships, research and leadership.

The Eyre Peninsula’s Natural Resources Management Board is undertaking a review of the region’s Natural Resources Management Plan.

Scientists in the Simpson Desert have harnessed the support of volunteers to help count one of Australia's rarest trees.

It’s even easier to Eat Local in South Australia with a new app and mobile phone website released to help foodies and travelers access Eat Local venues.

The Mid North region of South Australia holds some of the most beautiful scenes in all the country and Paul Morton of Clare spends his time recording them.

Get your binoculars and long lens cameras out and head to the sea, as there have been lots of whales across the south coast this week.

Posters for feral cat month have been put together so that you can help us promote awareness of the impact of feral cats around Australia.


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March Against Monsanto
25th, May 2013
Adelaide, South Australia

www.youtube.com



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WEDNESDAY, 22ND MAY 2013

 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 Trees For Life has been named as the only South Australian finalist in this year’s United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) World Environment Day Awards.

In the face of estimations that up to 70 per cent of southern hairy-nosed wombats in the Murraylands have been lost to disease and starvation, the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation says the condition is not widespread. Last week Minister Ian Hunter answered questions asked of him by Greens MLC Tammy Franks in October 2011 regarding the local wombat population.

Despite the recent recuperation of the Coorong after years of drought, the region has been labelled a critically endangered eco-system in a scientific report.

Santos says it will begin assessing environmental damage from an oil leak in Queensland's far south-west.

Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy Tom Koutsantonis has welcomed the release of draft Commonwealth legislation that will enable the development of an estimated $35 billion of mineral resources in the Woomera Prohibited Area.

Estimated populations of South Australia's giant cuttlefish have fallen from 180,000 to just 20,000, with the University of Adelaide undertaking research to find what is causing the drastic fall.

The National Irrigators Council is concerned that having invested millions of dollars in recovering water for the Murray-Darling environment, the Federal Government isn't investing enough in the body responsible for making it happen.

Flows into the River Murray system last month were half the long-term monthly average.

Water banking -- storing floodwater in depleted underground aquifers for later use -- has upsides for farmers and the environment, is technically feasible and could be the next step in water management in the Murray Darling Basin.

New technology has been developed by South Australian scientists in China to turn pig waste into biogas and biochar.

Inonge Mubanga Samboko hopes the trip of a lifetime to South Australia to study agriculture will help lead to a better life for the people of her village in Zambia.

Kingston microbats are currently in a feeding frenzy as they fatten up on insects to see them through the coming winter.

During Feral Cat month we have highlighted the impacts that feral cats have on our native wildlife, but what about responsible cat ownership? Should domestic cats be treated in the same way as domestic dogs, with restrictions on their movements and laws to ensure they are registered or desexed?

AUSTRALIA

A biology professor says changes to Queensland's land clearing laws are a backward step.

Cattle have not only been grazing in national parks for years, but it's been a handy revenue raiser for government, according to a cattleman and former Cape York mayor.

A decade-old goal to increase the amount of native vegetation across Victoria will be dropped as part of sweeping changes to the state's land clearing laws.

Environmentalists are worried the arrival of cane toads in the Kimberley region of WA could wipe out local native species.

Environmentalists have launched Supreme Court action suing the state government over a failure to draw up plans for the survival of threatened species.

An organisation which removes abandoned fishing nets from oceans will shut down at the end of June because of a lack of funding.

THE Australian Greens have announced policy to empower landholders to say no to coal seam gas (CSG) on their land.

A new invention that looks like a big blue shipping container could solve two of Australia's biggest environmental problems in one hit.

The “recycling wars” between Coca-Cola and Greenpeace have spilt into cyberspace, with the beverage giant buying the top advertising slot for searches of the environmental group's name.

A new report says the planet may be warming slower in the short-term than had been previously projected.

At first glance, grader driver Darryl Hill may not be an obvious advocate for soil conservation. But the Katherine-based instructor travels all over the country teaching pastoralists how to design and construct roads to minimise erosion.

Authorities say it is unclear why the population of an endangered marsupial appears to have doubled in central Victoria this year.

A New South Wales zoo is celebrating the birth of a white rhino calf.


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MONDAY, 20TH MAY 2013

 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 South Australia's community came together at Brighton beach to say 'yes to clean energy and no to offshore drilling and oil exploration', particularly off the Kangaroo Island coast and in the Great Australian Bight.

Energy company BP has begun the formal application process in its planned oil search of the Great Australian Bight.

Acoustic trauma risk low for South Australia’s beach-wrecked dolphins.

A shooting accident in South Australia has reignited calls for amateur hunting in New South Wales national parks to be abandoned.

Testing has now confirmed residents of Hendon and surrounding suburbs in Adelaide's west should not use bore water because of groundwater contamination.

Lake Bonney in South Australia's south-east will reopen for public use later this year, after being closed for 30 years.

A comprehensive assessment of climate change research has found an overwhelming consensus among scientists that recent warming is human-induced.

Tony Abbott would prepare for a double-dissolution election within five months of taking office if parliament blocked the repeal of the carbon tax, under a 12-month action blueprint to transform the nation's environmental laws.

Santos has responded to questions about gas projects in the Gunnedah Basin at its Annual General Meeting in Adelaide

Environmental organisations say they're disappointed by cuts to sustainable farming and environment projects under the Federal Budget.

A robust salt-tolerant annual pasture legume suited to marginal grazing land in southern Australia could throw a lifeline to landowners struggling with saline and waterlogged soils.

When you think of a natural system that's well known for absorbing carbon, the Amazon Basin springs to mind. However, scientists are now uncovering the vital role that coastal habitats are playing. Seagrasses and mangroves can capture carbon up to 40 times faster than forests and store it in the seabed for thousands of years.

Vertebrate pests cost the Australian economy more than 700 million dollars a year through losses to agriculture, horticulture and money spent on management and research.

The management of our natural resources is underpinned by the skills, knowledge, energy and time of countless volunteers across the South Australian Murray–Darling Basin. This enormous contribution was recognised at Burra volunteer celebrations on 3 May 2013. 

The health of several wetlands across the SA Murray-Darling Basin region is anticipated to improve through implementation of wetland management. Natural Resources – SA Murray-Darling Basin (NR SAMDB) Wetland Officers have been managing a number of wetlands across the SA Murray-Darling region including Martins Bend near Berri. 

Over the past six years Natural Resources KI staff with the help of the Kangaroo Island community have undertaken a successful feral goat eradication program on Kangaroo Island. The result is that KI is on the verge of becoming the largest island worldwide to have completely eradicated feral goats.


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SOUTH AUSTRALIA

 WEDNESDAY, 15TH MAY 2013
The Federal Government has refused to release video showing endangered sea lions and other marine mammals entangled and drowned in shark fishing nets. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority was pressured to install video cameras on fishing vessels after scientists found between 193-227 marine mammals a year were being slaughtered by careless fishing techniques on commercial boats in South Australian waters.

Nature Foundation South Australia has officially opened it's new nature reserve at Hiltaba Station. Hiltaba Nature Reserve spreads over 780 square kilometres in the Gawler Ranges of South Australia and was bought in April 2012 by Nature Foundation SA when it was a sheep station.

Two months of public consultations over the future of groundwater use in the lower Limestone Coast of South Australia has come to a close.

About 640 people have backed a push to save 30 plane trees at Thebarton from the axe.

South Australian farmers are holding off sowing their crops as warmer than usual conditions continue into May.

Hands Across The Sand 2013 - Please join us! Join hands in support of a clean energy future and to oppose plans by Bight Petroleum to explore and drill in the sensitive waters off Kangaroo Island. Say YES to a clean energy future and NO to dangerous offshore seismic testing and drilling. 10:30am until 11:30am on Saturday the 18th of May, Brighton Beach, meet at the Jetty.

Natural Resources South Australia Murray-Darling Basin is continuing to forge meaningful relationships with schools across the region. Five Upper Murray and 10 Lower Murray schools have been selected to be NRM Education Focus Sites in 2013. 

There is hope that heavy rain earlier in the year has given a boost to a rare frog species in the APY Lands of outback South Australia.

That 'bit of bush' in the bottom corner or along the track may be more valuable than you think, with increasing evidence that insects provide a variety of in-crop benefits.

This wombat sure is a miracle girl. She was rescued on Sunday night, huddled in a ball by the side of the road outside a property that recently used machinery to fill in all of their wombat burrows.

Free guided walks in Belair National Park Sunday 2nd June from 9am


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