Science

Those who grew up lucky enough to have the beach at their back door will be familiar with the annual migration of Mutton Birds. As a kid, I remember my local beach being blanketed in their grey feathered bodies; washed ashore dead with the tide. Fears of pollution in the water were soon put to one side once people realised...

With the implications of climate change growing louder in community consciousness, one group has been concentrating on land, soil and food production in innovative ways. ‘Land to Market Australia’ (L2MA), based on the NSW Southern Tablelands, has been named Grand Champion of the 2019 NSW Landcare Awards for the Australian Government Innovation in Agriculture Award. The 2019 Landcare Awards, presented...

While living in my husband's homeland in Montana, USA, I became aware of the concept of 'preppers,' people who think that the world will end imminently and are getting prepared by moving to a remote area, learning survival skills like hunting and stockpiling goods they think will be useful at the end of the world. Yesterday, after seeing emergency preparedness checklists...

A rare seahorse found in NSW coastal waters has been given additional protection with the state's Fisheries Scientific Committee (FSC) deciding to list the species as endangered. Following a review of the nomination and a public consultation period, the FSC, an independent committee of seven scientists, determined White’s Seahorse is at high risk of extinction in the near future. Named...

You are invited to join local naturalists and visiting entomologists and ecologists on a search for butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers and bugs along the foreshore of Lake Curalo in Eden this Sunday. Bega Valley Shire Council is partnering with Atlas of Life to host an Insect Ramble! Council’s Natural Assets Officer, Jessica O’Brien, believes the event is a golden opportunity to...

Wondering how the Far South Coast's fledging koala population is going? A workshop tomorrow, November 6 at Tanja is a good place to get answers and join the conservation effort. "There was a koala sighting on Doctor George Mountain Road about two months ago," says National Parks Threatened Species officer, Chris Allen, who has been studying koalas for about 25...

Mogo Zoo without Sally Padey?! At the end of this month that will be a reality. It's something Sally herself is coming to terms with. "The sound of the lions roaring, it just resonates right into your soul - I am going to miss that so much," Sally told ABC South East NSW. Aside from being Sally's home for the...

Native grasses are a key component in building a sustainable farming future according to one of the region's expert land managers. David Eddy, Senior Land Services Officer with South East Local Land Services has been mesmerised by big open spaces since his days bushwalking and camping as a boy with his nature-loving, country raised parents. "It seemed to me that native...

Blink and you'll miss it! What was once light-years away is now closer than ever thanks to researchers from the Australian National University (ANU), who are using optical technologies to revolutionise systems that we use every day. From monitoring systems for safer driving, moving holograms on your phone to super-fast, light-based WiFi, the research is a step closer with $34.9 million...

Trees are turning brown in the green forested landscape of the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla as dry times push the environment to its limits. Big patches of what appears to be dead and dying bush are a talking point and visible from the Princess Highway north and south of Bega and west of Moruya. "It's the drought, it happened back...

Are you one of the many Australians who have gone through life believing that you are "bad" at maths? I definitely am and I'm sitting with Julie Davies, an accredited TAFE teacher with an engineering background, who teaches adults and high school students maths through her Bega business, Mandala Maths. It hadn't crossed my mind that we'd end up doing maths...

Citizen scientists in South East NSW are being asked to help in a vast study investigating what is killing Australia’s iconic Snow Gums. Dr Matthew Brookhouse from The Australian National University (ANU) says very little is known about 'Snow Gum Dieback’, despite it being a widespread phenomenon throughout the Australian Alps. “Snow Gums are an iconic part of the Australia Alps –...

Having earlier accepted the term 'climate emergency' in the wording around the Shire's soon to be exhibited Climate Resilience Strategy, a rescission motion from Cr Robyn Bain brought the matter back to the chamber for discussion at Bega Valley Shire Council today. "Life is about language," Cr Bain told the overflowing room of onlookers. In Cr Bain's view the term 'climate...