Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for January 2009

Gillian Hogendyk Finalist in Rural Woman’s Award

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GILLIAN Hogendyk is passionate about the Macquarie Marshes and, with her husband Chris, is involved in the restoration of a block they purchased some years ago. 

In part because of this work, Gillian has been selected as a finalist in this year’s NSW Rural Industry Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s Award.  The two other NSW finalists are Janet Bailey from Bundarra and Kim Currie from Orange.

According to her local newspaper The Warren Advocate:  

“The three women share a passion for sustaining and promoting rural NSW.

“Gillian, who lives near Warren on an irrigation and dryland farming property with her two sons and husband Chris, wants to involve more rural communities in wetland conservation.

“Described by Spotlight magazine as a ‘passionate environmentalist, conservationist, author and advocate of the cotton industry,’ Gillian donates her time to raising awareness of the Macquarie Marshes and how agriculture and nature can live together in a positive way.

“Gillian launched her book, The Macquarie Marshes: An Ecological History with the help of Don Burke from Burke’s Backyard in 2007.

“Gillian has also worked on a revegetation plan for Auscott, as a wildlife carer for WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service), as a community representative on the National Parks and Wildlife Community Advisory Committee and as Secretary-Director of the Australian Environment Foundation.

“The award is designed to provide women with support and resources to further develop their skills and abilities.

“This year’s award again offers a bursary of $10,000 for the winner and a place in the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ course for both the winner and the runner-up.

“The bursary can be used to increase personal leadership capacity and/or develop knowledge of innovations, industries and markets by participating in leadership or management training; undertaking an overseas tour; attending events or conferences; developing educational or promotional campaigns; or developing training, information, resources or programs.

“The winner will be announced at a gala dinner at Sydney’s Parliament House in March before going on to represent the state at the national award event in Canberra.”

Gillian is also a regular reader of this blog. 

Best of luck Gill!

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The photograph shows Gillian at her home in Warren caring for an injured Collared Sparrowhawk.

Bob Carter to Visit Mittagong: February 19, 2009

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How Dangerous is Human-caused Climate Change?

The well-known climate scientist, Professor Robert (“Bob”) Carter, will be in Mittagong on Thursday 19 February at 6.30pm at Clubbe Hall, Frensham School, to give a Royal Society lecture [Royal Society NSW Southern Highlands branch]  on the science of climate change.

Governments around the world are implementing Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) to combat human induced global warming, so it is extremely important that the underlying science is correct.

The lecture “Testing the hypothesis of dangerous human-caused global warming”, will provide an analysis of many of the aspects of climate science. We are now all familiar with the hypothesis put forward by Al Gore and the IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change), that human-caused CO2 emissions will result in dangerous global warming. Bob Carter will address a number of very important issues arising from the hypothesis.

Bob Carter is Research Professor in the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at James Cook University. He is a palaeontologist, stratigrapher, and marine and environmental geologist. He has appeared as an expert climate change witness before the U.S. Senate, N.Z. parliamentary committees, and the U.K. High Court. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Details :

Thursday 19 February, 6:30pm,

Clubbe Hall, Frensham School, Mittagong (enter off Waverley Parade).

Doors open 6pm.

Cost is $10 (RS members $5). Booking not required.

Following the lecture, there will be a dinner with the lecturer, open to members and non-members at an additonal cost of $40 (including drinks).

Booking is essential for the dinner.

Any queries, and for dinner bookings, please contact Clive Wilmot (Royal Society) 0414621650

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Photograph of Bob Carter taken in Brisbane in October 2008.

So Hot in Southern Australia, and In 1900

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IT has been very hot in southern Australia.  I have been waiting to hear someone blame global warming and it came, but only today, and I’ve only heard it from Climate Change Minister Penny Wong: “The scorching weather across southern Australia proved the accuracy of warnings by climate change scientists.” [1]

Of course it’s been hot before in southern Australia.  Following is text published on January 1, 1900. [2] 

“THE oppressive heat was a major talking point of the vast and drought stricken country of Australia.

“While cyclonic winds have been lashing the coast off Townsville, the temperature today soared to 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 C) in Adelaide and Broken Hill, and 104 (40C) in Melbourne.

[Read more…] about So Hot in Southern Australia, and In 1900

No Reporting of Slowing Greenland Glaciers: Shame on the MSM

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SUCH has been the fear of Greenland’s melting glaciers that well known Australian science journalist Robyn Williams has claimed sea levels could rise by 100 metres within the next 100 years. [1]   Mr Williams, and other journalists, have been quick to report on what has become known as the “Greenland Ice Armageddon”. 

Last Friday there was an article in one of the most read science journals, Science, entitled “Galloping Glaciers of Greenland have Reined Themselves In” by Richard A. Kerr.  

Yes, as the title suggests, the article explains that a wide-ranging survey of glacier conditions across south eastern Greenland, indicates that glacier melt has slowed significantly and that it would be wrong to attribute the higher rates of melt prior to 2005 to global warming or to extrapolate the higher melt rates of a few years ago into the future.  [2]

Mr Kerr was reporting on a presentation by glaciologist Tavi Murray at the American Geophysical Union Conference in San Francisco last December. [3]   The paper by Dr Murray was co-authored by many other members of the group at Swansea University in the UK, a team often quoted by Al Gore and others.

When I read the article last Friday I wondered how Robyn “100 metres” Williams and other journalists in the mainstream media (MSM) might report the story.    To my amazement they have simply ignored it.  [4]

[Read more…] about No Reporting of Slowing Greenland Glaciers: Shame on the MSM

First Author of ‘Antarctic Warming Paper’ Claims Libel

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THE prestigious journal Nature published an article last Friday explaining that the Antarctic has been generally warming and at about the same rate as the rest of the planet.  [1]  Within the scientific community it had been generally been accepted that as a continent, Antarctica, has been getting colder contrary to most of the rest of the planet.  Publication of the article generated much comment and some disbelief. 

At the official US government’s senate minority web site, Marc Morano published a “comprehensive data round up” of responses to the article mostly seeking to debunk the claim that Antarctica is warming . [2]

First author, Eric Steig, has objected to the article by Mr Morano and requested a formal written apology.  Mr Morano has refused.   Following is the email exchange:

[Read more…] about First Author of ‘Antarctic Warming Paper’ Claims Libel

Overharvesting Frogs?

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 UP to one billion frogs are taken from the wild for human consumption each year … France and the US are the two biggest importers, Indonesia the largest exporter.  Read more here.