Logan and Albert Conservation Association

A Big Fix: Radical solutions for Australia's environmental crisis by Ian Lowe
The warnings from scientists are urgent and unequivocal - our civilisation is unwittingly stepping in front of an ecological lorry that is about to flatten us. We are using resources future generations will need, damaging environmental systems and compromising social stability by increasing the gap between rich and poor.

As Ian Lowe says, 'If civilisation is to survive, this century will have to be a time of dramatic transformation, not just in technological capacity but also in our approach to the natural world - and each other. The road we are travelling now can only end in disaster.' In A Big Fix, this pre-eminent scientist and environmentalist tackles the problem head on and offers far-reaching solutions to our environmental and social crisis. He advocates a fundamental change to our values and social institutions and offers a vision of a healthier society - one that is humane, takes an eco-centric approach, adopts long-term thinking, uses our natural resources responsibly and is informed about the fragility of our natural systems.

Ian Lowe is emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University and President of the Australian Conservation Foundation

135 x 210 mm, 113 pages, paperback available from New Internationalist Bookshop.

Beautiful closeup photos of male and female Glossy Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus lathami) provide detail of eating methods. Photographed at Kobble Creek, SE Queensland, Australia May 2008. You will have to click on the links to go to flickr.com where community may post and share their photos. Thanks to this photographer for sharing.

Food Connect and Foresters ANA are collaborating to develop an action research project, aimed at identifying and eliminating barriers to local food access and CSA for all people in local communities.

CSA programs operate in SE Queensland and even in the Scenic Rim region. Details will be posted on this website soon.

One of the cornerstones of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is shared risk. "The essence of the relationship," as Elizabeth Henderson states in Sharing the Harvest (see a review of the book below) " is the mutual commitment: The people support the farm and share the inherent risks and potential bounty."

When innocent farmer error threatens the harvest

Rachel Bynum and Eric Plaksin have used hay mulch on Waterpenny Farm in Virginia for many years, purchasing from the same trusted grower every year. Early in the 2007 season they noticed that many crops were doing poorly. The problem was finally traced to the mulch: the grower had used Grazon (with the active ingredient picloram), a powerful herbicide that contaminated all of the mulched crops-about half of the farm.

Even those crops that were not destroyed could not be distributed, even if they had wanted to: Selling produce contaminated with picloram, which is not rated for human consumption, is illegal. When the problem became known in the area, 60 people-including many of the couple's 150 CSA shareholders-helped to remove the 50,000 pounds of messy wet hay from 3.5 acres. The couple cancelled two months of their CSA deliveries and offered refunds.

Is this a different kind of case? Maybe, or maybe not. Though there is no suggestion of negligence on the part of the grower, it is a case of farmer-error, not natural disaster. Even so, many of their members seemed to "get it." They were given two options. Some took the 80-percent refund to cover the balance of the season. A 40-percent refund was offered to cover the loss of harvests until the re-start of harvests in August. About half of the membership took a third, unstated, option: They did not accept any refund. Some even complained that this option should have been stated.

At the time of the incident, the growers did not know how long the effects of the contamination would last, or the true extent of the damage. "It felt like a violation," says Rachel. They were angry with themselves: Should they have known, or suspected a problem? "We even got mad at each other. It was hard to know how to go forward." But members have been extra supportive, according to Rachel, which "helped us a lot to get through it...and now we are back in stride."

Rachel and Eric were careful to explain the problem fully and honestly to their membership - and to acknowledge what they didn't know. "Explaining things felt good, even cathartic," Rachel recalls. "It was best to just come to terms with it." This situation was not as obvious and simple as a flood or hail storm. There was a greater obligation to clarify the situation to farm members. Going forward, Rachel and Eric have a new sense of how interconnected the whole community of growers and eaters really is. One question that comes to mind regarding mistakes made by the grower: Where do you draw the line? Unprotected crops in a frost, inadequately irrigated crops in a drought, insufficient response to insect or other pests...any of these could be deemed farmer-error. CSA growers takes on a large responsibility for their members. We owe it to them to be good at it! (Statement by grower).

 Rodale Institute is putting its 60 years of sustainable farming experience and extensive research to work to provide farmers with the know-how, tools and techniques they need to succeed; policy-makers the information they need to best support our farmers; and consumers with the resources they need to make informed decisions about the food they buy and eat.

Research from Rodale Institute's ongoing Farming Systems Trials, the longest running research trial comparing organic and non-organic farming in the United States, also shows that regenerative farming methods can curb global warming, improve the nutrient value of food and prevent famine when farmers use these affordable and sustainable techniques

YouTube - Glossy Black Cockatoo feeding in the wild. Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) in the Blue Mountains  feeding in Casuraina. This web tool allows us to share our captured moments. Thank you for posting. Glossy Blacks are classified as vulnerable in SEQ. Since they only eat she oaks they are greatly affected by habitat loss.

One of the greatest values of local newspapers and media lies in their willingness to publish letters to the editor presenting all viewpoints. The aerial spraying events at Kerry Valley and Darlington State School will be the subject of discussion for some time. Some letters follow.

 Relocalization is a strategy that communities globally are embracing in response to meeting the challenges of living sustainably on our shared planet.

Courier Mail
Edition 1 - First with the news FRI 20 APR 2007, Page 090
Fruitful sell-off at Beaudesert
By Richard Finnila

FRESH fruit mogul Sam Coco has sold his family hobby farm at Beaudesert in an off-market deal believed to be worth about $15 million. Industry sources said the price had ``easily'' set a record for the district, eclipsing the $8.55 million price tag set by ``Nindooinbah'' in 2005. It is understood Mr Coco had been contemplating selling the property ever since injuring his chest in a recent quad bike accident. Some rural agents suggest the purchaser, Ross Kiernan, formerly from Cloncurry, may have snapped up a bargain, catching Mr Coco at an opportune time. Mr Kiernan is an avid race horse owner with a number of horses stabled in nearby studs.
The 3500-acre property is off Kerry Rd in what locals call Beaudesert's ``Golden Triangle''. It comes complete with a mansion homestead set among four acres of award-winning gardens, all within close proximity of Nindooinbah and the Elysian Fields polo ranch, which has about $20 million worth of infrastructure. Ray White Beaudesert principal Danny Bukowski said the price tag had easily set a new benchmark for Beaudesert.
It boils down to $1417 an acre.
``Without a doubt this would have to be a record,'' Mr Bukowski said. ``The property has beautiful gardens and 500 to 600 acres set on beautiful river flats.''
It's understood Mr Kiernan invested a lot of time researching the area before buying into the district. Mr Kiernan sold off his Ross J. Kiernan Tipping Transport business last year to International Energy Services. The district has seen several multimillion-dollar sales in recent years, driven in part by the thriving race horse breeding industry and the ``Magic Millions'' race carnival. A 100-acre horse stud at Biddaddaba, 10 minutes drive east of Beaudesert, sold for $3 million last month. The vendors, Trevor and Sue Ahern, are also looking to sell another 96 acres of land next door.
Caption:  HOBBY farm sale . . . Sam Coco sold for an undisclosed price. [Illus:  Photo Column:  Prime Site Section:  REAL ESTATE]

This property has recently been "weeded" by aerial spraying. The outcome has alarmed many in the local community and is currently subject to investigation by several Queensland government agencies. Logan and Albert Conservation Association hopes to work with community members to achieve better environmental outcomes in future. 

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas in a recent media release said that the great value of the current SEQ Regional Plan is its protection of 80 per cent of the region from urban development.  Closing date for comment on this initial stage was Friday 6 June COB (close of business) and the proforma is here.

Local tourism and especially eco tourism in our Scenic Rim region with an emphasis on the future of sustainable tourism in northern NSW and SE Queensland has recently been included in the National Landscapes Project. This project is coordinated under the auspices of the federal body for the Australian Tourism Indudusty.