This edition of Paperbark is short and sweet, but don't get the idea things are slowing down around here!

In addition to the updates below, we are currently working on preparations for the next Environment Ministerial Roundtable, a mayoral candidates' forum, annual planning for 2024 (you can help by completing our supporter survey!) and plenty more.

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming Week of Action with Move Beyond Coal, but if you're not in Gurambilbarra, get in touch and we'll let you know how to show your support!

Please enjoy the read, and take care in this heatwave. 

- Crystal, NQCC Coordinator

In this edition:

• Recent News
  • Fundraising Trivia
  • Research Action
• Coming Up...
  • Green Drinks
  • Move Beyond Coal Week of Action
• Support Us
  • Supporter survey
  • Volunteering opportunities

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On Saturday 18th November 2023, NQCC held our famous annual Trivia Night fundraiser, and as usual, it was a blast!

Nine teams converged on the Belgian Gardens Senior Citizens Welfare Association hall, with laughs at the ready and pockets full of cash.

There have certainly been some challenging times this month. The referendum saw a powerful build up of positive momentum, but we see now just how much work is left to do towards First Nations justice - particularly here in North Queensland. Rejection of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has made us even more determined to listen, learn and be guided by some of the oldest living cultures in the world. From the feedback we've received from so many of you, we know this determination is shared. 

In and around the referendum, October was an incredibly full month. We held our AGM, released our Annual Report, presented at some wonderful community events, progressed our work with the Townsville Community Alliance and met with Ministers at community cabinet. November is shaping up to be just as busy, so make sure you get involved where you can!

- Crystal, NQCC Coordinator 

In this edition:

• Looking Back
  • AGM and Annual Report
  • Conversations with Impact
  • EcoMarines CHECK
  • Local Solutions Forum
  • Community Cabinet
• Looking Forward
  
  • Trivia Night!
  • Fundraising Raffle 
  • Move Beyond Coal planning meeting
  • Green Drinks
  • Our Islands, Our Home event 
  • Climate Cafés (Psychology for a Safe Climate)
• Volunteer Opportunities

With September coming to a close, we're hitting a spicy time of year! We're in full swing preparing for our upcoming AGM, making submissions, meeting with Council, presenting to community groups and mobilising in the lead-up to the Voice to Parliament referendum!

Thank you to all of the dedicated volunteers who have helped us kick so many goals this month! If you have received a membership renewal notice recently but haven't gotten around to clicking through, consider this a gentle reminder to renew your membership before our AGM. Your support is much appreciated! 

Please enjoy this edition of Paperbark!

- Crystal, NQCC Coordinator 

In this edition:

• NQCC Updates
  • AGM
  • Meeting with TCC
  • Green Drinks report back
• Other Events
  • Conversations with Impact
  • "The Giants" film screening
  • Great Barrier Reef Clean-Up
  • Celebrating Our World Heritage Island
  • Geography Matters: Reconciliation in Australian Conservation
  • Climate Cafés (Psychology for a Safe Climate)
• Nature Protection
  • Inaugural First Nations Dingo Forum
  • Tree battle continues
• Climate and Energy Transition
  
  • BHP coal mine expansion
• Indigenous Voice to Parliament

I hope this finds you well!

I have just returned from the Queensland Environment Minister's Roundtable - the first for the new Minister, Leanne Linard. Here, we pushed for strong leadership on climate and habitat protection, and walked the new Minister through the detail and nuance of our issues. Linard listened intently, and left with a clear understanding of the state of Queensland's environment and the strength of our movement.  

We have plenty of updates for you in this edition of Paperbark, so please dive in and enjoy!

- Crystal, NQCC Coordinator 

In this edition:

• NQCC Updates
  • Meeting with Aaron Harper
  • South Townsville Walking Tour a hit!
  • Community Alliance update
  • Green Drinks: reusables report
  • NQCC AGM: save the date!
• Nature Protection
  • National Parks growing in NQ
  • Phil's Bush Cleanup makes national news
  • Townsville's Tree Policy under threat
  • "The Giants" film screening by Townsville Cinema Group
• Energy Transition
  • Updates
  • Renewable Energy Zone consultation
• Water and Reef
  
  • Updates
  • Townsville Water Quality Report Card
  • The Biophysics of the Reef: webinar
• Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Firstly, a big thank you to everyone who dug deep throughout our EOFY Appeal, helping us to hit our $5,000 fundraising target! Combined with the powerful impact of our monthly donors, this generous response makes us excited to grow bigger and bolder, knowing we have a passionate supporter base in our corner! (Donate anytime here!)

On the campaign front, several consultation processes are currently active that are of great interest to us here in North Queensland. The Burdekin Basin Water Plan, Planning Code 23 (for wind farm assessments), Queensland's Renewable Energy Zones and management of the Lake Eyre Basin are all undergoing review or consultation. Links have been shared below where there are opportunities for you to contribute directly, but if you would like to talk to us further about any of these, please get in touch!

With Landcare Week kicking off and various events shaping up around the region, this is a great time of year to get out and about in nature, or meet others with shared interests. You'll find plenty of opportunities for this below!

Please enjoy the read, and thanks as always for your support!

- Crystal, NQCC Coordinator 

In this edition:

• Upcoming Events
  
  • Geography Matters
  • Green + Blue Drinks
  • South Townsville Walking Tour
  • Cockle Bay Walk
  • Waddananggu Bularu: 2 Year Celebration
• Take Action
  • Planning Code 23 for wind farms review
  • Qld REZ consultation
  • Lake Eyre Basin management consultation
• Good Vibe Stories
  • JCU Market Day
  • Illegal Dumping Action
• Further Reading/Watching
  • Marine Monitoring Program Results
  • Flying Fox Webinar

As I write this, the 2022/23 financial year is coming to a close (where did it go?!) and NAIDOC Week is just around the corner. This year's theme is "For Our Elders". If you haven't found some events or other ways to get involved yet, you can hit up the NAIDOC website for events and resources!

I am so grateful to everyone who has contributed to our EOFY Appeal so far! The high cost of living we're experiencing means a lot of our supporters are feeling the crunch right now, so we appreciate you digging deep if you can! Donations are a big part of our fundraising efforts and help to ensure we are resourced to carry out our important work now and into the future. We are very close to hitting our $5000 target, so if you can afford to chip in, please donate here!

Thanks as always for helping to protect North Queensland's wonderful environment. I hope you enjoy the read!

- Crystal, NQCC Coordinator 

In this edition:

• NQCC Updates
  
  • NQCC at Our Townsville 
  • An Informed Conversation with Dr Janine Gertz
  • Local Coasts Feeling Climate Impacts
  • Flourishing Partnerships for Our Wildlife
  • EOFY Appeal - Donate Today!
• Get Involved
  
  • Is Queensland Going Batty? Online Event
  • Invasive Species Council Bug Hunt
  • Healthy Waters Arvo
  • BirdLife Australia Photography Awards Now Open
  • Yes23 Events

In the beautiful Anderson Gardens, Townsville locals and visitors enjoyed the sights, tastes and activities of Townsville City Council's massive biennial community event, Our Townsville.

Nestled into the Our Environment section, our site was a hive of activity all day long, thanks to our energetic and dedicated volunteers!

Pictured: Frank greets visitors to our stall with a smile! His colour coordination with our signage was a happy coincidence.

I am pleased to share with you that as an organisation, the North Queensland Conservation Council has decided to support the YES campaign in the upcoming referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

We have heard the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk with First Nations Australians in a movement for a better future. We hear Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders in their call for Voice, Treaty, Truth, and we support, as a first step, a change to the Australian Constitution that will recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the first peoples of this land and enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament

NQCC has worked to protect the environment of the North Queensland region for almost 50 years. We can be proud of that. However, it’s humbling to recognise that these lands and waters, and everything that lives within them, have been cared for since time immemorial by Aboriginal Peoples. As an organisation, we recognise that colonial practices continue to inflict immense harm upon Country and First Nations Peoples. If we want a better future for both, moving forward, then we need to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. That starts with listening.

When some members of NQCC's Management Committee heard Dr Janine Gertz speak about the journey from the Uluru Dialogues and the Uluru Statement From the Heart to the referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, they knew that our community would benefit from hearing the story too. We were thrilled when Dr Gertz accepted our invitation to present to our members, and were even happier at the interest the event received!