The Bellinger River Snapping Turtles déjà vu

The Bellinger River Snapping Turtles were almost wiped out in 2015. What is the state of health of their home catchment today ?

"Water quality testing on the Bellinger, Kalang and Never Never Rivers earlier in January found elevated phosphate and low levels of dissolved oxygen at 9 out of 15 sites.

A combination of low rainfall, hot weather and nutrient run-off from fertilizers and animal waste (including humans).

The Australian standard is for available phosphate levels to be under 0.06mg/L but water testing near Gleniffer Hall on Tuesday revealed current levels are 0.37mg/L, which is six times higher." (Post-holiday season 'tourist drive' without toilets?)

Riverwatch testing finds high phosphate levels, The Bellingen Shire Courier-Sun, 14.02.2019
Bellinger Landcare Inc

Image:
Adolf Von Hildebrand, Boy drinking, 1870/1873

The Bellinger River Virus and the endangered freshwater snapping turtle

The "Bellinger River Virus" has been identified as the causative agent for the large scale mortalities in the endangered Bellinger River snapping turtles

in 2015.

Identification of a novel nidovirus as a potential cause of large scale mortalities in the endangered Bellinger River snapping turtle (Myuchelys georgesi) PLOS

Bellinger River virus found 06.11.2018 The Bellingen Courier-Sun 

A diverse suite of pharmaceuticals contaminates stream and riparian food webs, Nature, 6.11.2018

Oh my god they forgot the bike parking! Bellingen 'beautification'

The beautified Bellingen 'main drag' has no bike parking, let alone a bike path. Parking combustion engines is on the mind, not emission free parking infrastructure for all ages.

The planted exotic horticultural wonders proudly sponsor plants from far flung locations. (Place branding?) The vegetation has not yet reached curtain size to shield against the oversized heavy vehicles shooting through town. The daisies from South Africa might one day slow traffic down by covering the hot bitumen.
The sparrows are delighted by the puddles that form on the new tiles. A toddler was seen quenching his thirst on one of the many dog drinking bowls. No birdbaths were spotted anywhere for wildlife. The generous deposited dog faeces go a long way on the smooth terrazzo flooring. Pedestrians navigate commercial furniture, speeding skateboards on the private public partnerships (PPP) 'footpath' and hope they can run fast enough to cross the zebra crossings...

The problem isn’t dockless share bikes. It’s the lack of bike parking, The Conservation, 1.10.2018

Update: 06062020 

There is only one bike rack in Bellingen now, unfortunately dog owners tie large dogs to it so there is still nowhere to park one's bike.

  

The Urunga Boardwalk Environment

Urunga is on the mid-north coast of NSW. The 'long place' of the Gumbaynggirr people is where the Kalang River, the Bellinger River, the Urunga lagoon and the Pacific ocean meet. A junction of mangrove forest, floodplain forests and coastal suburbia. The Urunga Boardwalk structure allows human access through these environments. A domesticated coast line that served to ship the extracted timber. Today rapid urbanisation and mobile sprawl (tourism) are the life blood.

The area is part of the Bellinger Heads State Park NSW. To the South, Picket Hill (Nunguu Miirlal) is a very distinctive landmark, the Great Dividing Range frames the North.



The walk starts at Urunga town where visitor facilities, their cars and dogs mingle with endangered birds.  Brahminy Kites are hunting and the endangered Beach Stone Curlews ( Esacus magnirostris) and Curlew sandpipers (Calidris ferruginea) make a nervous appearance.



The narrow wooden structure of the boardwalk is crowded with a procession of recreational anglers and their plastic gear. Pet lovers are encouraged to bring their dogs into this shorebird habitat. Even when the walk is not congested, various birds flee at the sight of even a quiet human presence. One is aware of the impact.

 
The mangrove ground is alive with marine life. The estuary stingray (Dasyatis fluviorum) inhabits shallow, mangrove-lined tidal rivers and estuaries. The endemic and "once-abundant estuary stingray has declined substantially across its range." (source) Living in shallow tidal and mangrove habitats, they are often killed by recreational anglers and shellfish farmers. Sometimes they are just mutilated. Habitat degradation and loss due to foreshore development are just a few of the anthropogenic impacts.



Links: 

Destined to decline? Intrinsic susceptibility of the threatened estuary stingray to anthropogenic impacts, CSIRO

National Parks warn of growing threats to endangered shorebirds on NSW North Coast, abc 27.10.2016

'Fantasy documents': recovery plans failing Australia's endangered species, Guardian 20.02.2018

Threatened Species, NSW gov au

Dasyatis and extinction risks, IUCN, pdf

Updates:

Dredging Urunga lagoon in times of sea level rise. Marine life (pdf) will be delighted by fossil fuel dredging. 'A win for a swim - finally', Bellingen Courier, 27.02.2018

Images:
Photos, Urunga public mural

East Coast Encounter from Coffs Harbour

A visit to the East Coast Encounter at the Coffs Harbour art gallery. Inspiring artists are depicting the 1770 dialogue from the perspective of the boat or/and the shore. A ‘Visions of Australia program’ that takes Cook's journey through Solitary Island Marine Park as a focal point. His log reads:

“From what I have said of the Natives of New-Holland they may appear to some to be the most wretched people upon Earth, but in reality they are far happier than we Europeans; …. They live in a Tranquillity which is not disturbed by the Inequality of Condition: The Earth and sea of their own accord furnishes them with all things necessary for life; they covet not magnificent houses & Household-stuff they live in a warm and fine climate and enjoy a very wholesome air, so that they have very little need of clothing and this they seem to be fully sensible of, for many to whom we gave cloth, left it carelessly upon the sea beach and in the woods as a thing they had no manner of use for. In short they seemed to set no value upon any thing we gave them, nor would they ever part with any thing of their own for any one article we could offer them; this, in my opinion argues that they think themselves provided with all the necessities of life and that they have no superfluities.”
Extract from Captain Cook’s journal

Stepping outside of the art gallery /library to the great outdoors of the carpark, the contemporary dialogue between indoors and outdoors landscapes continues. The Fitzroy Oval framed by Coffs Creek used to be know as the Old Camp of the Gumbaynggirr Nation. It is now being bricked up. Even the Aboriginal Heritage Signs have disappeared into invisibility....


Images:
Mural, NSW
Old Camp, Fitzroy Oval Aboriginal History Sign 
Fitzroy Oval, Coffs Harbour, Google
Brick by brick The Old Camp ('Yaam Nguura Jalumgal’) and open space disappears

Update:
The Coffs Harbour’s Gumbaynggirr community can call the remains of ‘The Old Camp', also known as  Fitzroy Oval  – 'Yaam Nguura Jalumgal’. The prerogative of interpretation will go to the Geographical Names Board of NSW for approval...  Coffs – Aboriginal Site Recognised with New Name, Bellingen Courier, 26.05.2017

Cattle in the Riparian Zones in the Bellinger Valley

Has anything changed for the critically endangered Bellinger River Snapping Turtles in the Bellinger River catchment? 

 

Managing Stock on Waterways and in Wetlands in the Bellinger Valley (pdf)

Why exclude stock from riparian zones? (pdf)



Cattle grazing in arid environments leads to desertification. "Humans as Agents in the Termination of the African Humid Period" (source)

See also:
Healthy Riverbanks Booklet: The Turtle, The Cattle and The Indian Myna (here)

Images:
Turtle and wildlife in clean river, Coffs Harbour mural
Bellinger River banks with cattle, March 2017

Cover In-Pram Children from Car Exhaust Emissions

Children are particularly vulnerable to even low levels of pollution. Psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents are linked to traffic pollution. (source) Air pollution generally demands sacrifices in lives and economic costs. (source) Pollution from combustion (diesel) vehicles/ motors, fires (back-burning) and wood heaters are just a few that shorten lives prematurely.

Now parents are advised to use covers on their prams during toxic school runs to protect their infants from air pollution:

 “Fine particles show larger health impacts compared to their larger counterparts and at the young age children are more susceptible to particulate pollution, suggesting a clear need for precautionary measures to limit their exposure during their transport along the busy roadsides…Children could be at risk of breathing in some nasty and harmful chemical species…One of the simplest ways to combat this is to use a barrier between the in-pram children and the exhaust emissions, especially at pollution hotspots such as traffic intersections, so parents should use pram covers if at all possible.” (Source)

Links:
Use buggy covers to combat air pollution danger, parents warned, The Guardian, 10.03.2017
Exposure of in-pram babies to airborne particles during morning drop-in and afternoon pick-up of school children, Environmental Pollution 06.03.2017

Top tips to avoid getting metal pollution in your brain, New Scientist, 5 September 2016

NICU treatments for improving neurodevelopmental outcomes rely heavily on touch. On the somatosensory scaffolding of later perceptual, cognitive, and social development. Touch is a cornerstone of interpersonal interactions and sensory-cognitive development. Current Biology, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.02.036

Update:
Air quality concerns spur anti-idling push at schools. Parents who leave their cars idling in school pick-up zones urged to switch off.  abc 12.04.2017



Images:
Mother and child getting poisoned by cars, Street art EU
Plastic covered prams of North Shore jogging mums, Sydney
Tyre Adventure Playground, Bellingen