Renison Consolidated Mines exploring within the Clarence River catchment in 2012

 

From A Clarence Valley Protest 24 October 2012: 

 

RENISON CONSOLIDATED MINES (formerly known as Sirocco Resources NL, Kakadu Resources Ltd, Gerrod Ltd and Avillion No 4 Ltd) a Brisbane-based corporation first registered in 1986 and primarily involved in gold and coal exploration, has been granted an exploration license in the Timbarra Plateau region on the NSW North Coast.

 

According to the Colong Foundation for Wilderness:

 

The plateau is detached from the Great Dividing Range, apart from a narrow connecting ridge in the north, and has hence been able to provide a significant refuge for wildlife from human impacts and feral predation. The plateau falls away steeply into the valleys of the Timbarra River and Demon Creek.

The area is a biodiversity hot spot. In the forests of the western sector of the nominated area, 29 endangered species are known to occur. These include: mammals (Hastings River Mouse, Yellow-bellied Glider, Tiger Quoll, Rufous Bettong, Golden-tipped Bat, Greater Broad-nosed Bat and Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby); birds (Glossy Black Cockatoo, Powerful Owl and Sooty Owl); and amphibians (Stuttering Frog, Glandular Frog and recently discovered Peppered Frog). The wilderness contains a major overlap of biogoegraphic zones, with faunal representations of coastal, inland, temperate and sub tropical regions converging. The area is the only single site able to provide key habitat for the threatened Hastings River Mouse, Eastern Chestnut Mouse and Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby.

 

The 98 blocks in this license surround the old Timbarra Gold Mine which was permanently closed in 2001-02 due to persistent cyanide contamination from mine tailing dams which overflowed after rain.

 

The licence also covers part of the Timbarra River catchment which falls within the larger Clarence River Catchment Area.

 

In 2011 the Clarence River catchment supplied fresh water to an estimated 52,816 residents living in the Clarence Valley local government area and, to another 73, 296 residents in the Coffs Harbour local government area which is located outside the catchment and historically is provided with a significant measure of water security by the Clarence Valley [Clarence Valley Council,Clarence Valley Economic Monitor,June 2012 and Coffs Harbour City Council,Community Profile,June 2011].

 

Renison’s current chair, Stephen Grant Bissell, is also a director of Bizzell Capital Partners, Renaissance Uranium, Armour Energy Ltd, Titan Energy Services Ltd, Dart Energy, Diversa Ltd, Stanmore Coal, Hot Rock Ltd, Bow Energy, Celamin Limited, Apollo Gas Limited, a former director of Arrow Energy and a member of the Queensland Coal Seam Gas forum.

 

ELA 4513 (1992) 28-Mar-2012 98 UNITS About 51km WSW of GRAFTON RENISON CONSOLIDATED MINES NL Group: GROUP 1

Click on map to enlarge

Teh Parrot Eats Crow

The Sydney Morning Herald 24^th October 2012:

‘BARBARA RAMJAN, the woman who accused Tony Abbott of intimidating her physically at Sydney University, is suing the Victorian Liberal Party powerbroker, Michael Kroger, and The Australian newspaper, over comments during the recent fallout from the saga.

The defamation action, lodged in the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, has the potential to reopen the debate over the alleged wall-punching incident.

It relates to comments Mr Kroger made about Ms Ramjan on the Bolt Report television show on September 23, two articles that appeared in The Australian the next day, and an interview Mr Kroger gave to Alan Jones, in which he called Ms Ramjan "a nutter" and "a nobody".’

Tuesday 25th September 2012

Alan Jones publicly apologizes to Barbara Ramjan

http://podcasts.mrn.com.au.s3.amazonaws.com/alanjones/201209-ramjan.mp3

Protecting Our Water, Protecting Our Land: Be the difference!

 

The Illawarra joins the fight against Coal Seam Gas mining in New South Wales.

 

 

http://vimeo.com/stopcsg

 

Illawarra Mercury 21 October 2012

Birdlife Australia's NSW-ACT Twitchathon 27 & 28 October 2012

NEWS RELEASE

Birdlife Australia’s NSW and ACT Twitchathon

27-28 October 2012

 

Founded in 1901, Birds Australia, now Birdlife Australia, is Australia's oldest national conservation organisation, dedicated to the study and conservation of native birds and their habitats. To assist the organisation in raising some of its funds, it conducts a Twitchathon on the last weekend of October each year.

 

Over the past sixteen years, birdwatchers all over NSW and the ACT have formed into teams and raced about NSW and the ACT to find as many species of birds as possible over the 24 hour Twitchathon period. Each member of the team has found sponsorship from friends, family, colleagues or corporations for each species of bird seen or heard by each team.  It has become an extremely competitive race and enormous fun!   Team members have won some fantastic prizes, which have been sponsored by very supportive corporations and individuals.  They have raised funds for projects associated with endangered species such as the purchase of trailer and watering units for the Capertee Regent Honeyeater Volunteer Operations Group, as well as equipment for both the Educational Units at Gluepot Reserve SA.& the Birds Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park. Funds have been provided for the Hunter Shorebird Roost Site Protection Project,  Gosford’s Friends of the Bush Stone-curlew, the Kangaroo Island SA Glossy Black Cockatoo Conservation Project and the Murray Valley Bush Stone-curlew Captive Release Project, and monitoring by volunteers of the NSW Important Bird Areas. Last year we provided funds for the Greater Sydney Powerful Owl Monitoring project. In the last three year, approximately $24,500 was raised each year for the projects outline.

 

This year’s Twitchathon aims to raise money for a project to increase both the area and connectivity of native habitats in the Cowra District, which is located on the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, c 100 km south west of Orange NSW and 317 km west of Sydney. In this area as throughout the agricultural lands of south-east Australia, woodland bird populations have declined, mainly due to the removal of woodland habitat. The small woodland fragments that are left are unconnected to others fragments, often degraded and suffer from the effects of invasive species. The Cowra Woodland Birds  Group are currently involved in a funded project at “Spring Forest” Koorawatha, to rehabilitate (by re-introducing native plant species) a large paddock adjoining Morongla Creek to improve connectivity between the creek (which flows into the Lachlan River) and the nearby woodlands to enable bird species to move more easily between habitats. The CWBG propose to use the Twitchathon funds to appoint a (part-time) project officer to develop a plan for an extended woodland  habitat corridor along Morongla Creek from ”Spring Forest” to the Lachlan River. This would involve the setting up a number of rehabilitation/and re-vegetation projects on private properties. CWBG are already doing quarterly surveys on some of these properties and have a good knowledge of possible sites but need the Project Officer to approach landholders, select suitable sites, develop appropriate management plans and advise on re-vegetation/rehabilitation methods.

 

Twitchathon 2012 aims to raise about $24,000 to assist this project.

 

So watch out for your local Twitchathon team and follow them through this fun event – watch them “twitch” about in rainforests, swamps, grasslands, woodlands, sewerage works, backyards and river estuaries, intensely listening, and desperately searching, for the most or the rarest species.  Experience the excitement of “ticking” and “dipping” on the birds, the desperation to win, the thrills, the spills of this great weekend adventure!   The teams could be competing in 40° temperatures or during a thunder storm but they will stick firmly to the Twitchathon Rules! They’ll never give up the thrill of the chase during the race because so many $’s are at stake!  Teams are not just competing for the highest score, but for the most dollars raised prizes or even the Lucky Twitcher’s Prize. 

 

You can also sponsor a few dollars to your local team by contacting:

 

Greg Clancy Tel…0266493153...Email: gclancy@tpg.com.au

 

Your local Twitchathon team is : Black-necked Stalkers..(Greg Clancy, Russell Jago, Gary Eggins and Annette Harrison).              

 

Their local bird club is: .Clarence Valley Birdos (Gary Whale 66461286).   

See you on the Twitchathon trail???

 

For further information contact :
Alan Morris, Twitchathon Coordinator

Birdlife Australia Sthn NSW & ACT Group Sydney

Tel 02 9647 1033    Fax (02) 9647 2030

Email: southernnsw@birdlife.org.au