Showing posts with label #residents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #residents. Show all posts

Thursday, 5 July 2018

Awareness Campaign For Cessnock Bushland

BY ARIANA GATTI

Cessnock City Council has just launched a new campaign to raise and bring awareness to the importance of the current sustainable state of the surrounding bushland.

The new campaign comes in conjunction with two short films that were recently produced by General Manager and Head of Conservation at the Australian Reptile Park, Tim Faulkner, after his extended visit to the area.


Image Sourced: http://www.cessnock.nsw.gov.au/council/news/TimFaulknervisitsourbushland

Both films saw the team up between Faulkner and Project Coordinator from BirdLife Australia, Mick Roderick in order to highlight the significance of flora and fauna of the region to potential visitors and tourists, as well as the impact of illegal dumping and logging.

The bushland around Cessnock is host to many endangered species of flora and fauna which still flourishes as a result of the area being the largest remnant of open land vegetation within the Hunter Valley.

The campaign to educate locals and tourists alike received funding from the NSW State Government through its Environmental Trust.

The environmental-based short films will be available to the public by the end of the month on Cessnock City Council's FaceBook page and website.

Sustainability Officer for Cessnock City Council, Karinda Stone, says the films will be very helpful in generating interest in the regions bushland.

"They will just be short, little films that we'll get out on social media to help raise people's awareness of what's around our area".

"We want people to be aware of the unique wildlife in our region, and with that knowledge, be able to help us protect the bushland that we've got in order to preserve those species", she says.


Image result for cessnock city council
Image Sourced: http://www.cessnock.nsw.gov.au/environment/weeds

Wednesday, 4 July 2018

Meeting To Determine Mount Pleasant Mine Extension

BY ARIANA GATTI

A meeting in Muswellbrook was held today to discuss a proposal posed to extend the life of the Mount Pleasant open-cut coal mine forward another six years.

The mine, which was approved for operation from 1999, was set to wrap up activity by the year 2020.

However, residents around the Mount Pleasant and Muswellbrook area are raising concerns against the extension of mining operations due to the on-going effects chemicals from the mined substances have on the population's health and environmental conditions.

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), as well as The Department of Health has also raised concerns about the deterioration of air quality around the region, along with the future quality of conditions of the Hunter River, as the mine decides to discharge dirty water into the catchment.

Concerns: Objectors to Mount Pleasant open cut coal mine will tell a commission today that it was originally approved in 1999 before other major mine operations close to Muswellbrook.
Image sourced: https://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/5505849/muswellbrook-coal-mine-hearing-considers-serious-air-quality-concerns/?cs=175#slide=1

The discharge has the potential to affect drinking water standards, where pollution may run through available tap water.

If plans to extend the mine's operations, production could see almost 60-million tonnes worth of coal being extracted over the given six cycle.

Coordinator for the Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group, Wendy Wales, says the community is in need of some consideration to sit a comfortable lifestyle.

"It doesn't feel as if the NSW Government cares at all about air pollution and its effect on us, so we are appealing to the Planning Commission to demonstrate its independence and refuse to approve this modification", she says.

Wales believes mine activity does not comply well with the weather conditions around the Muswellbrook area.

"We've had an incredibly hot summer and now we're really seeing the consequences with all the mining activity that has happened in the area and with heavy winds blowing up Mount Pleasant is just a recipe for disaster", Wales says.

Proximity: The town of Muswellbrook showing open cut coal mines in close proximity.
Image sourced: https://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/5505849/muswellbrook-coal-mine-hearing-considers-serious-air-quality-concerns/?cs=175#slide=1