Franklin News and Views

An interesting article summarising the latest scientific report on climate change.  From Online Opinion Ahead of talks in Copenhagen, a group of leading climate scientists has issued a new report summarising the most recent research findings from around the world and concluding that scientists have underestimated the pace and extent of global warming. The report - titled The Copenhagen Diagnosis - finds that in several key areas observed changes are outstripping the most recent projections by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and warns that “there is a very high probability of the warming exceeding 2C unless global emissions peak and start to decline rapidly” within the next decade. The report points to dramatic declines in Arctic sea ice, recent measurements that show a large net loss of ice from both Greenland and Antarctica, and the relatively rapid rise in global sea levels - 3.4 millimetres per year - as particular reasons for concern. Sea-level rise th...

Item in the Sydney Morning Herald Cold comfort: the psychology of climate denial December 2, 2009 - 4:49PM If the evidence is overwhelming that man-made climate change is already upon us and set to wreak planetary havoc, why do so many people refuse to believe it? The UN's panel of climate scientists, in a landmark report, described the proof of global warming as "unequivocal". That was two years ago, and since then hundreds of other studies have pointed to an ever-bleaker future, with a potential loss of life numbering in the tens of millions, if not more. Yet survey after survey from around world reveals deep-seated doubt among the public. A poll published in Britain on November 14, to cite but one example, found that only 41 per cent of respondents accepted as an established fact that human activity was largely responsible for current global warming. The majority said the link was not proven, that green propaganda was to blame or the world was not heating up at all. La...

Pultenaea and Pratia in flower front garden Tasmanian native plants

Many of the native plants in the front garden are in flower Tetratheca and Pultanea   Calytrix   Hibbertia in background       Aotus

In our front garden we have two Waratah bushes and one has 8 flowers this year. At the moment  26 Oct they are at the peak

An extract from an article by Don Allan at http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=9438.  It reminds me of the TV comedy where a hospital was built but did not have any patents (Yes Minister I think it was) After reading various reports about the Strategic Indigenous Housing Infrastructure Program (SIHIP) in the Northern Territory, the project designed to build 750 houses for Aboriginal people and refurbish older housing stock, I concluded the program was retreating rather than advancing. So much in retreat was it, that Ms Alison Anderson, Labor MP and Minster for Aboriginal Affairs in the Northern Territory resigned from the Ministry and the Labor Party when she found that of the $672 million allocated by the Federal Government for the program, not one house had been built, and $45 million had been spent on administration. The Federal Minster for Aboriginal Affairs Jenny Macklin accepted that the program was in disarray and Jim Davidson, the SIHIP’s Project Manager, was sac...

Here are my views submitted on the Sustainable Transport System for Mount Wellington. It would seem that the most feasible place in which to manage vehicle visiting the mountain is at The Springs. In my view it will be cost of travel and fuel supply factors that will ultimately make an impact on motorised vehicle usage, but there is no reason why the Wellington Park Management Trust cannot put in place a system that encourages better use of resources and help sustain the planet. To this end and to overcome access in snow conditions and congestion problems I suggest: Place a barrier just above the Springs that only lets a certain number of vehicles through at any one time. This is used at Cradle Mt and is based on available car park spaces. Consider making the barrier coin operated , if point 3 can be achieved. Encourage and licence an operator or operators to provide all weather vehicle transport , which could be subsidised by point 2 and thus make Consider making the section o...

It is very easy to create videos from Picasa and the software then uploads to the web, so it just a matter of selecting, in this case, the slides and some music and clicking a button Video of South Cape Rivulet Western Arthur Range

Parks and Wildlife press release on  11/05/2009 The Minister for the Environment, Parks, Heritage and the Arts, Michelle O'Byrne today said action was being taken to deter vandalism being caused to coastal vegetation. Ms O'Byrne said a large sign was being erected in the Kingborough municipality where coastal vegetation has been illegally cleared, and remain in place until the vegetation grows back to its original condition. Ms O'Byrne, and Kingborough Council Mayor Graham Bury said that the initiative is one of a number of strategies aimed at combating recurring incidents of vegetation vandalism in the Coningham Coastal Public Reserve. "The Parks and Wildlife Service and Kingborough Council have been working closely with the Department of Primary Industry and Water, Crown Land Services, and local community groups in an effort to halt the vandalism," Ms O'Byrne said. "Deterrent signs will be placed where trees were illegally removed or poisoned, and not b...

A couple of photos taken this week in the garden A Trigger Plant in the front which was a gift from Dave and Jenny Tucker     Out the back our Ficifolia (used to be known as a Eucalyptus but now classified as Corymbia) is in fine flower

This is not written in anger but with a feeling of sadness. Some years ago there was plenty of controversy about managing the environmental issues resulting from bushwalking, especially in the more vulnerable alpine areas.   Parks and Wildlife Service put together a stakeholder group to work through the issues and try to find solutions.   The outcome of this was a mechanism that would trigger increased management actions as thresholds were approached or exceeded. The initial target area was the Western Arthur range and PWS put in registration boxes to monitor campsite occupancy.  Books to record the information were printed for 2006 to 2007 and placed in the boxes. Since then PWS have never reconvened the advisory group, however I recently walked along the Western Arthur  and what should I find but these very books still there at Cygnus and Oberon with all the data recorded by walkers for  the period in question (2006-07) plus plenty more for sub...

I recently went on a bushwalk through the Western Arthur Range where we met a commercial party from Tasmanian Expeditions at Lake Oberon. They were camped at lake Oberon and staying there for 3 nights and group of 4 (2 clients and 2 guides) were spread out on 3 of the 4 available platforms.  The leader did offer to consolidate to two platforms to allow our party of 4 room, but as no one else arrived that day we did not need the space and manage to fit on the hardened area need the lake shore.  However in differing circumstances it could easily get overcrowded there with the limited camping available. I probably would not have thought much more about this, but have just received an newsletter (don’t know how I got on the mailing list) from Tas Expeditions, in which they promote future Western Arthur walks.  These are described as 13 days with 12 nights which includes side trips for “6 trekkers” plus I assume 2 guides and departures  in 2010 for 10 January, 7 Feb and...

Saturday 7 Feb 09 After a spell of fairly dry weather it was clear that Tasmania could do with some rain, but why it was a bit inconvenient to have it fall on the working bee day. However we went ahead with the arrangements made and joined Michael and Jeremy from the Mt Field staff for some repairs to the Rodway Shelter hut. The cracked rear window pane (northern end panel) was replaced with Perspex, which was quite an operation given that state and of the timber frame. It had also moved out of square over the years so a certain amount of improvisation was involved in the job. The outside sills of both the front and back windows were badly rotted and replaced. The south end roof edge boards were replaced and that wall painted with Missio n Brown. The inside of the porch was also painted with Mission Brown. Photos from the day If you are interested in helping or for more information go to http://mtfieldfriends.googlepages.com/home

Extract from the blog of http://jez-hiking.blogspot.com/ Wineglass Bay However the campsite was strewn with rubbish and empty bottles, and the toilets were, what shall we say, feral. After we had set up camp, a young couple walked off the beach and into the campsite, clearly having walked the short one and a half hours from the carpark, the distance we would complete the following day. "Where's the bin, I can't see it anywhere," the girl was overheard to ask the guy. "Let's ask," he replied. Mmm. There isn't one. Is it too much to ask to carry out what you carried in, after all, it is a lot lighter without the contents. We later saw them heading off in the direction of the toilets with a bag of rubbish, complete with the toothpaste box from their newly purchased toothpaste. Needless to say, they returned empty handed. The eco toilets they have at the campsites throughout Tasmania are very good, they are waterless and just require one to empty a scoop...

We are very pleased with the look of our new window in the bedroom.  Put in by Tudor Rose Glass Works of Kingston   View Full Album

styantbrown Old farm on Mt Wellington slopes

Wellington Park Bushcare Group Erica Follow up Breakneck, New Town and Pottery Sites at Wellington Park on Tuesday 13 Jan 09 Three sites were checked as part of a follow up of previous work. The New Town site near the powerlines had a reasonable number of seedlings and all were removed, whilst the Breakneck site which was cleared during 2002 and 2003 had very few plants; a very encouraging sign. Close by at the end of the Pottery access track seedlings and reshooting Erica at the Envirofund site was cleared along with plants of a substantial size growing on the lower side. In addition thistles and Elderberry were removed from near the waterhole at the top McRobies lower track. The day was quite warm but some shade was provided by trees, but conditions were hot by the time we reached the cars on the return. If you are interested in helping click for more information

Sue and I have been visiting Freycinet Peninsula for over 30 years and are astounded by the damage over the last few years to Bryans and Cooks Beaches from rising sea levels. Only a short few years ago this tree was well back from the beach on a bank ending at about the very edge of the photo. It slumped and has stayed upright where it fell. At about this spot about 7 years ago Sue and I sat under probably this very Sheoak to eat our tea. Parts of both beaches have a quite flat foreshore that offer little resistance to the high tides undercutting the land at the top of the beach. Photo taken 6 November 2008 Bryans Beach Freycinet National Park