Welcome to this month’s Paperbark! It has been a busy month of planning events and making submissions about various conservation issues being reviewed. Just a reminder: if you were a member in 2015/2016, you have until 5 September until your membership officially lapses. Click here to renew your membership.

In this issue: Protecting our wildlife – Vegetation Management laws – Climate Change Policy – Upcoming Events – General Notices.

Submission Updates

Protected Wildlife Reform

Thank you to everyone who responded to our email regarding the regulatory review of protected wildlife management. NQCC made a submission to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, suggesting that the extant laws are extensively revised, granting further protection to spiders, scorpions and frogs, and that the record management system is modernised. We are keenly awaiting the opportunity to make a submission later in the year regarding macropods, koalas and crododiles. You can read our submission here.

Vegetation Management

NQCC has written a submission on the latest part to be reviewed; the self-assessable code for ‘thinning’, which has been a thinly-veiled excuse for broadscale clearing. It is imperative that these laws are reformed so that the Queensland government can uphold it’s committments to protect the Reef as well as contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The draft code in it’s current form still isn’t acceptable, and we called for it to be scrapped because of a lack of scientific evidence that forests have thickened due to management. Our stance is that thickening isn’t an ecological problem. Other suggestions we made include restrictions to machinery able to be used and the scale of clearing. You can find our submission here.

Call for submissions – Climate Change Policy

The submission period for comment on the Queensland government climate change policy has been extended to 2 September. If you would like to have your input, here is the discussion paper. Alternatively, you can email us with your suggestions. NQCC will be surely making a submission which will later be available on our website.

Upcoming Events

The Hon. Dr. Steven Miles Lecture “The Great Barrier Reef – A Critical Conversation”

The Queensland Minister for the Environment and Great Barrier Reef is presenting the second Virginia Chadwick Memorial lecture.

When: 11 Aug, 6-9:30 pm
Where: Reef HQ Aquarium
Tickets: $20, students $10. Book here.

Office Working Bee

Over the years we’ve accumulated lots of campaign materials and odds and ends. We would appreciate any volunteers willing to help us sort it out and clean it up from 12pm Sunday 14 Aug, which is immediately prior to …

NQCC Past and Present Fundraiser Dinner

The NQCC Coordinator for 1993-4, Susan Brown, will be visiting Townsville and we thought it’s a good opportunity for a get together of past coordinators, members and volunteers to catch up.

When: Sunday 14 August, 5 pm onwards
Where: NQCC Office, 114 Boundary Street Railway Estate
Cost: $20 for ordinary and non-members. Founding, life and honorary members are free of charge.
RSVP and purchase tickets here.

Boomerang Bags Townsville Inaugural Sewing Bee

NQCC is hosting a sewing bee to produce Boomerang Bags – reusable, upcycled bags to be available at local shops. Can you assist us? Sewers and non-sewers are welcome, as are donations of material, pillow cases, anything that can be repurposed into a bag. Can you lend us your dust-covered sewing machine?

When: Wednesday 24th August, 4-6 pm
Where: NQCC Office, 114 Boundary Street Railway Estate
More info on the Facebook event

Great Barrier Reef Film Festival

The Great Barrier Reef Film Festival aims to present a range of feature, historical, documentary and short films. Some of these may feature our Reef as a location, it’s flora and fauna, or relate to living on small islands or near the Reef, but it is not limited to this.

When: 9-11 September
Where: Arcadia Village Motel, Magnetic Island
More information available on Facebook and What’s On Townsville.

General Notices

Workspace available

NQCC has an extra office room and we are looking for an organisation that would like to share our space. The room for lease would be inclusive of printer use, electricity and internet. Please get in touch if you or an organisation you know of are interested in leasing our office space.

‘Maladies and Remedies’ Tropical Herbal Medicine Book

The Mary Who? Bookstore is stocking a copy of this book, which is about herbal medicine made from native plants in our region, as well as introduced species. If you live out of Townsville and are interested in a copy, contact author Steve Price on 0428 188 156.

Volunteer call out: updating our Constitution

We have an AGM coming up later in the year and we are looking at updating our Constitution. If you are a paid member of NQCC, please peruse our Constitution and forward any suggestions to Maree.

That’s all for now. If you have any feedback, suggestions for next month’s Paperbark, or want to get involved, please email Maree or call 4771 6226.

Yours naturally,
Maree Dibella
NQCC Coordinator