Posted 12 years, 11 months ago 9 comments
Kevin Matthews will present his fascinating talk about Dune Lakes and their unique wildlife and plants:
7:30pm Friday 20th May
180 Landing Road (click here for directions)
Kerikeri
For more information please contact:
Detlef on 09 407 3874
The Ornithological Society of New Zealand
Posted 12 years, 11 months ago 8 comments
Please forward this email onto anyone who might be interested:
By teaching sound environmental values you could win $1000 for your school!
Entries in the Environmental Packaging Awards will document and evaluate how effective your school’s environmental programme has been in encouraging the concepts of reduce, reuse, and recycle amongst students at your school.
The entry may take the form of written and visual reports compiled by students that list the steps taken and processes followed, that allowed your school to become 'environmentally healthy' and gain an 'environmental warrant of fitness'.
For more guidelines, entry forms and conditions, visit the Environmental Awards section of the website at: www.packaging.org.nz/awards
Posted 12 years, 11 months ago 7 comments
Many schools in the Far North will be involved in planting trees through restoration projects, helping out on Arbor Day, or just because they realise that the best time to plant a tree is NOW!
Here's a chance to be part of a global tree-planting exercise this week (before Sunday May 22) and put Aotearoa/ New Zealand on the map as leaders of a GREEN WAVE that will sweep around the planet.
You only need to plant one tree and enter the details online to become part of this global initiative to inspire, highlight and connect tree planting and forest restoration across the planet. This is also a great opportunity to teach the concepts of time as it progresses from the International Dateline as, throughout Monday the 23rd, stories from schools in other countries will go live on the Green Wave website
Schools can simply plant a tree and enter their details on the Green Wave web site http://greenwave.cbd.int/en/home which then gets recorded through Google maps. The tree, photos and stories go live online at 20:20 on Sunday 22 May
Each hour, beginning at 20:20 local time, new trees will appear on the map, starting in the Pacific and Asia, then across Europe and Africa and over the ocean to America – creating a virtual ‘green wave’.
Kim Jones from Experiencing Marine Reserves and Whitebait Connection alerted us to this event and had this to add,
Posted 12 years, 11 months ago 6 comments
Below is a request from the Kaitaia Area Office of the Department of Conservation:
Kia ora koutou
Attached is information about ‘Conservation conversations’ – a chance for our communities to share their visions for the future of conservation places administered by the Department of Conservation. What kind of activities would you like to see or not? What would you like to experience? What’s important to you about these places?
There’s a letter and fact sheet attached (please click on the download links at the bottom of this email) explaining more about this and also a survey to complete or you can fill one in online at www.doc.govt.nz/northlandcms
You’ll also find attached a ‘Quintessentially kiwi’ form with some questions about places and species you consider define Aotearoa/New Zealand for you.
This is a once in a decade opportunity – so please spread the word and get involved!
Naku na
Carolyn Smith
Programme Manager-Community Relations Kaiwhakahaere Hapori-hononga
Department of Conservation—Te Papa Atawhai
DDI: +64 9 408 6190| M: +64 21 241 2273
Kaitaia Area Office
25 Mathews Ave
PO Box 569
Kaitaia 0441
Posted 12 years, 11 months ago 5 comments
Are you interested in travelling to Auckland to attend the Festival for the
Planet this coming Saturday? As well as an address from leading climate scientist, James Hansen, there will be some primo entertainment and an opportunity to share ideas on climate change with activists from around the country.
Please contact Mike Findlayson to arrange car-pooling from Kaitaia (or points in between) via email (click on link above) or call him on 09 4093077.
James E. Hansen: NASA Scientist, Activist, Government Advisor
James E. Hansen is one of the world’s top climate scientists. He has been head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Earth Sciences Division since 1981. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. His 1988 testimony on climate change to US congressional committees was instrumental in helping raise broad awareness of global warming. His scientific statements on the issue were censored under the Bush administration and in recent years he has become increasingly outspoken about the lack of progress at a political level and the urgent need for action.
Hansen has been arrested several times for his environmental action and his book ‘Storms of My Grandchildren’ is one of the defining popular texts on the issue of climate change.
The festival will also be addressed by New Zealander, Jim Salinger, a lead author for the IPCC and former NIWA emloyee.
For more information about the festival, click on http://planetfestival.org.nz/
FESTIVAL FOR THE PLANET: A People’s Assembly on Climate Change with NASA scientist James Hansen
SAT 21 MAY 2011 .
AUCKLAND TOWN HALL
FROM 12 NOON
entry by koha
Posted 12 years, 11 months ago 7 comments
About 220 submissions have been received on the Northland Regional Council’s draft annual plan with proposals to redirect council’s investment income and for new river rates, genetic engineering and the future of regional rail common themes.
Regional council corporate planner Angela Jane says a month-long period for public comment on the draft annual plan 2011-2012 officially ended at 3pm on 06 May.
Councillors would hold hearings to consider the submissions at Dargaville (in the Kaipara District Council chambers) at 1pm on Tuesday 17 May, at Kaeo on 1pm the following day (in the RSA, Leigh Street) and in Whangarei (in the regional council chambers, Water St) at 9am on Thursday May 19.
Ms Jane says the Wednesday 18 May Kaeo hearing replaces one that had been tentatively planned for Kaikohe.
“In the end, the majority of those making submissions in the Far North actually came from people living in and around Kaeo so we’ll be holding a hearing there instead.”
She says the regional council will be telephoning and writing to all submitters this week to advise them of the hearing dates and their appointment times.
Councillors would then meet to consider submissions in Whangarei on Tuesday 24 May and make any necessary changes ahead of a meeting to formally adopt the draft plan in Whangarei on Tuesday 21 June.
Copies of a 16-page summary of the draft plan were distributed throughout Northland early last month to coincide with the start of the submission period. That summary – and the full 148-page draft proper – can be viewed on the council’s website www.nrc.govt.nz/draftannualplan
Posted 12 years, 11 months ago 1 comment
The Environmental Defence Society has expressed concern about aspects of the announcements on freshwater made at the Prime Minister's press conference today.
"The key concern is that the National Policy Statement, which will become law shortly, has been watered down from the version recommended by the Board of Inquiry last year," said EDS Chairman Gary Taylor.
"We welcome the fact that it has finally been approved and provides some direction. However it will not on its own achieve the step-change improvement in water quality sought by the Land and Water Forum and EDS.
"The NPS needs to be reinforced with a complementary National Environmental Standard that would define water quality limits. There appears to be no clear commitment from Government to that next step.
"This is technical Resource Management Act stuff but the bottom line is that we need clear national guidance for freshwater management as recommended by the Land and Water Forum. Regional councils need direction from government or our streams, lakes and rivers will continue to deteriorate.
"People should be able to swim and fish safely in New Zealand's waterways but that is no longer possible in many lowland areas.
"The other announcements regarding the creation of new funds are very broad and whether they end up with acceptable environmental outcomes will depend on the criteria that apply to their use.
"We expect that the Land and Water Forum will be involved in helping establish criteria for the Funds. That would be a positive move.
"The Freshwater Clean-up Fund is small but it's a start. When economic conditions improve we would hope to see that fund expand. We also think it should be focused on cleaning up historical problems and that polluters should pay for present-day ones.
"The Community Irrigation Fund will encourage new irrigation projects that have been through a collaborative process with stakeholders. Collaboration may be a good thing and lead to better outcomes.
"However any new irrigation will need to be linked with a thorough assessment of the subsequent land use changes to avoid further deterioration of water quality. More dairy intensification may well lead to more pollution.
"Finally the indication from the Prime Minister that capital from the sale of SOEs post-election could be used for much larger investment in irrigation schemes must also be on the basis that the water quality implications are positive and not negative.
"In-stream values for nature, fishing, canoeing and other uses need to be protected and National Water Conservation Orders retained.
"The disproportionate scale of proposed investment in irrigation versus clean-up is a worry. Irrigation schemes will provide for a large expansion of dairying, an industry whose diffuse water quality impacts are uncontrolled in most regions, and whose greenhouse gas emissions are exempt from the emissions trading scheme.
"Government funding should not be used to pollute.
"There is much more work to be done before we have saved our freshwater systems. The Land and Water Forum's recommendations need to be implemented in their totality," Mr Taylor concluded.
For more information please click here, or contact Gary Taylor (09) 810 9594
Posted 12 years, 11 months ago 3 comments
This Wednesday there will be a workshop at the Redan Road Mara Kai, Community Garden, on setting up your winter garden
The garden will be open as usual from 10am to 1pm for anyone who would like to come along and get involved with planting, weeding harvesting etc.
The Winter Garden Workshop will be from 10am to 1pm. Participation is free.
The Mara Kai is a neighbourhood project that is open to all, whether you are a learner gardener or an experienced gardener. All are welcome to come and share the mahi, share the knowledge and share the produce!
See you there!
