Calendar
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Events in May 2021
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Thinking Green: Frog Friendly Gardens (Midland)
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Thinking Green: Frog Friendly Gardens (Midland)
Midland Public Library45 Helena StMidland,Ecologists Mike and Mandy Bamford will introduce you to the native frogs which inhabit our city and give you the skills to create a frog haven in your garden. Each participant will receive a pond or bog plant to take home.
Free workshop. Please book in as spaces are limited. For all inquiries contact Midland Public Library on (08) 9267 9020.
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Global biodiversity hotspot with cutting-edge compute!
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Global biodiversity hotspot with cutting-edge compute!
Forrest Hall21 Hackett DveCrawley,Given the increasing demands on protecting biodiversity, we should stop and ask how we can best use supercomputing and technology.
Recent Federal and State Government investments into High Performance Computing (HPC), Quantum computing, Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope in Perth to process and analyse data been the talk of the town this year. The development of these cutting-edge compute infrastructures and technological advancements in the fields of data science and machine learning has coincided with the largest biodiversity crisis of our times.
It is estimated that ~10 000 species go extinct every year. This increases the importance of further application of these technologies not just in business, but also in biodiversity conservation.
Given the increasing demands on protecting biodiversity, it seems a fair time for us to pause and ask what could be the best way to use technological innovations and to stimulate a closer collaboration among conservation practitioners, animal behaviourists, biologists, computer and system scientists, and engineers, to mention but a few.
In this session, our local leaders from these fields will join a conversation to answer questions and discuss topics including:
-How will climate change, together with other environmental stressors, alter the distribution and prevalence of diseases of wild species?
-Do critical thresholds exist at which the loss of species diversity, or the loss of particular species, disrupts ecosystem functions and services, and how can these thresholds be predicted?
-What strategies are effectively used for distributing the material benefits derived from biodiversity most effectively foster environmental stewardship and biodiversity conservation in WA?
-How might technological advancement on the data process, storage and movements have positive impacts on biodiversity conservation?
-What the key the benefits of the use of technology to animal ecology and conservation?
-What are the impacts on biodiversity of shifting patterns and trends in human demography, economic activity, consumption, and technology in WA?
-Is WA government and industry connecting the dots for two big next opportunities where our state can make a mark at the global level?
-What are the coolest technological innovations that are changing conservation?
-What factors shape individual and state compliance with local, national, and international conservation regimes?
-What are the most cost-effective means of encouraging broad, long-lasting, and active societal support and action for conservation in different contexts and among different actors?
-What mechanisms best promote the use of local ideas and knowledge in conservation programs in ways that enhance biodiversity and technology deployment outcomes?A full speaker list will be announced soon.
Free lecture. - -
2021 RSWA Symposium: Swan Coastal Plain – temporal and spatial patterns
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2021 RSWA Symposium: Swan Coastal Plain – temporal and spatial patterns
Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre (UWA)Building 453, Ground Floor Auditorium64 FairwayCrawley,Swan Coastal Plain is the low, dune-rich area between the Darling Scarp and the sea, stretching from Cape Naturaliste in the south, to north of the city of Perth. During the last Glacial sea-level low-stand the plain extended to the edge of the present continental shelf. The surface is dominated by a variety of mainly infertile, Pleistocene sands of mixed fluvial, marine and aeolian origin as well as wetland muds. Rivers drain from the topographically high Yilgarn Craton to the east across the plain, forming significant wetlands and estuaries. The Swan River forms the largest estuary, and its former channel can be traced across the shelf to a deep off-shore canyon, dissecting the shelf edge. The resulting microenvironmental mosaic on the present-day plain and its Pleistocene precursor is a central element in the development of the major botanical diversity hotspot in southwestern WA – now also home to most of Western Australia's human population.
As indicated in the program below, the symposium will cover a range of topics relevant to the Swan Coastal Plain, its formation and history up to what we find today.
Agenda
8:30 Doors open – coffee & tea will be available
8:50 Welcome – Hans Lambers, RSWA President
9:00 CHARMAINE THOMAS: Deep Geology – beneath the Swan Coastal Plain
9:35 JOHN BUNTING: Pleistocene Geology – the ins and outs of the Swan Coastal Plain
10:10 MALCOLM MCCULLOCH: Coral records of global sea level highstands from the Swan
Coastal Plain: past, present and future
10:45 Morning Tea & Coffee
11:15 KARI PITTS: Differentiation of the Pleistocene sands – lessons from Forensic Soil Analysis
11:50 STEPHEN HOPPER: The Holocene/Pleistocene evolution of the botanical hot-spot
12:25 Lunch
13:30 GRAHAM ZEMUNIK: Variation in plant communities across the dune systems on the Swan Coastal Plain
14:05 KAILAH THORN: Pleistocene terrestrial animal communities & extinctions
14:45 GARY KENDRICK: Changing shelf communities over the Pleistocene and under current climate change
15:15 Afternoon Tea & Coffee
15:45 JULIE TROTTER: Unveiling the deep-sea environments of the Perth Canyon
16:20 JOE DORTCH: From scarp to shore: pre-European Aboriginal occupation of the Swan Coastal Plain.
16:55 Closing remarksSymposium free for RSWA members, $60 non-members
Bird photo session with Georgina Steytler–
Bird photo session with Georgina Steytler
Herdsman Lake Wildlife CentreCnr Flynn St & Selby StWembley,Join me for a fun and 100% dinki di FREE bird photography session at Herdies! I'll do some demonstrations of basic techniques (bring your cameras), answer any and all your questions on any topic (birds in flight, low light photography, market manipulation offences, price of bitcoin...) and, in particular, show you how to use light creatively to get high impact images like this one of a Great Crested Grebe taken at Herdsman Lake last year (Repeat this after me: "Creative Light Creates Drama"). Not only that, everyone attending will get a CHEAT SHEET of my top tips for getting artistic 'light-filled' bird images, whether it be backlight, sidelight, soft light, silhouettes, bokeh or even harsh light.
What's the catch? I am excited to be part of an International judging panel for a new monthly photography competition called WildArt Photographer of the Year (www.wildartpoty.com) and it just so happens that MAY is my month and my nominated theme is 'LIGHT! I rather rashly promised the organisers that I will raise the most money for my nominated charity: Bush Heritage Australia! So all I ask from you in return is to learn, be inspired and hopefully get some sock-rocking amazing images to enter into the May competition.
Ps: I am especially keen to get young people along as they are our conservation future so if you know any budding photographers be sure to bring them along!
Where: Front of Herdsman Lake Discovery Centre (lake side) on the lawn (Cnr Flynn and, Selby St, Wembley WA)
When: Saturday, 15th May 2021 at 9am for a couple of hoursDIY Wildlife Habitat: Frog Bog Workshop–
DIY Wildlife Habitat: Frog Bog Workshop
Perth City Farm1 City Farm PlaceEast Perth,Be part of our 'Nature in the City' project and spend a fun morning helping to install a Bog Zone at Perth City Farm. You'll learn about the frogs native to Perth and how to create habitat for frogs and other creatures in your backyard. Frogs make for excellent garden dwellers, playing a key role in pest management (goodbye mosquitos!) and are darn cute!
This is a workshop designed for adults, but children over the age of 12 are welcome to buy a ticket and join their parents.
Please wear comfortable clothing, hat, sun protection and bring a water bottle.
Tickets $10
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Innovative approaches to the diagnosis, monitoring and sustainable management of urban forests
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Innovative approaches to the diagnosis, monitoring and sustainable management of urban forests
Kings Park Administration BuildingFraser AvePerth,RSWA monthly talk: "Innovative approaches to the diagnosis, monitoring and sustainable management of urban forests" by Dr Paul Barber
Maintenance of the cover and condition of our urban forests is becoming increasingly important as pressure grows to house expanding populations whilst maintaining a high quality of life. Traditional approaches to arboriculture and urban forestry include wide-scale deployment of arborists for the fieldbased collection of tree and forest attributes. Governments have limited budgets for the deployment of large teams of arborists, and there is an increasing need to have rapid access to large amounts of quantitative data. In addition, arborists often have limited training in the accurate diagnosis of tree health disorders and this is even challenging at times for highly qualified forest pathologists.
With changes in climate, increases in the frequency of extreme weather events, and global movement of pests and diseases, urban trees are under increasing stress. Early detection of stress, accurate and repeatable measures of tree cover and condition, and the implementation of novel treatments/methods for their control is essential if we are to maintain canopy in a sustainable manner. This paper will outline a decade of projects and case-studies where innovative approaches have been adopted to improve urban forest management. A particular focus will be placed on remote sensing technologies.
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Why Our WA Biodiversity Matters
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Why Our WA Biodiversity Matters
Fremantle Fibonacci Centre19 Blinco StFremantle,Join us for a very special evening with Professor Kingsley Dixon, a keen botanist who has devoted his research career to unlocking and unravelling the ecology of Australian plants. He is quite the botanical super star and is well known for his discovery of smoke germination and the chemical signals that germinate Australian plants.
For over 32 years, Kingsley Dixon the Director of Science at Kings Park where he built a program of conservation and restoration science professionals. In 2016 he was made the WA scientist of the year and in 2015 was awarded a personal Professorship in botany at Curtin University.
He will present on the diversity and forces that have shaped our plants and how the decisions we make now will determine the future of this unique landscape, it’s plants and animals.
This is a great opportunity to meet fellow local environmentalists and ask Kingsley questions 😊
Yummy vegan dinner and chai included 😊
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Rotto in an Hour Mini Seminar
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Rotto in an Hour Mini Seminar
Henderson Environmental CentreGroat StNorth Beach,Speakers: Judith Harvey, Pam Ghirardi, Peter Alcock and Graham Ezzy
Our speakers are all Volunteer Rottnest Guides. They will recount their personal stories and attachment to Rottnest while covering its geology, flora and fauna and how it is undergoing change. The mini seminar will provide an excellent introduction to our excursion to be held the following week.
The recently published book PLANTS of Rottnest Island will be on display.
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An Adventure in Time with Our Australian Fauna (an adult event)
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An Adventure in Time with Our Australian Fauna (an adult event)
Bayswater Library25 King William StBayswater,Join us in this adventure to get up close and personal with some of Australia's iconic native wildlife.
This special free event held during Library and Information Week is one of our 'Adventures in Time and Space' sessions. This session celebrates our diverse fauna and will explain how these animals have survived through time.
Meet one of West Oz Wildlife's beautiful koalas, a range of pythons and lizards, learn about what makes them unique, and the struggles they are facing in the wild today; and if you dare - cuddle a snake!
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Cry Of The Forests Movie Screening
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Cry Of The Forests Movie Screening
Ace Cinemas Midland Gate274 Great Eastern HwyMidland,The forests of the south west of Western Australia are found no where else on earth. They are part of one of the most biodiversity rich hotspots on the planet but they are under threat.
Logging is decimating these special places, turning the forests into wastelands. We are clearing our forests at an alarming rate and most of the logs end up as sawmill waste, charcoal or wood chips. Just 15 per cent is turned into quality furniture.
Meanwhile climate change is impacting on the south west and rainfall is declining. The forests play a vital role in creating the rain that feeds the streams, environment and agricultural industries
Yet these magnificent forests are excellent stores of carbon.
$20.00 AUD Admission + $2.00 booking fee = $22.00
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Mini Beasts with Eco Action
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Mini Beasts with Eco Action
Cockburn Integrated Health11 Wentworth ParadeSuccess,In this hands-on workshop you will be able to interact up close with a range of mini-beasts including stick insects, giant burrowing cockroaches, beetles, caterpillars and more. Learning how crucial invertebrates are for creating healthy soil ecosystems through observing soil and compost samples.
$5 per person
Birdscaping Your Backyard and Designing for Biodiversity with native plants–
Birdscaping Your Backyard and Designing for Biodiversity with native plants
Environment House125 King William StBayswater,Learn how to use native plants in garden design to create waterwise, habitat rich and bird friendly gardens.
Topics discussed include:
-landscaping and design elements,
-species selection and care,
-pruning of native plants,
-native plant propagation from seed and cuttings, and
-creation of microhabitats to encourage birds, native bees and other locally native species.Presenter Yann Toussaint has been the Nursery Manager at Men of the Trees (now Trillion Trees project) and lectures at UWA and TAFE on a range of topics to do with Permaculture, Horticulture and conservation
Tickets $5-$10
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New Moves With Urban Bushland Fungi
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New Moves With Urban Bushland Fungi
Henderson Environmental CentreGroat StNorth Beach,Guest Speaker: Annual General Meeting. Speaker Roz Hart “New Moves With Urban Bushland Fungi”.
Meeting includes sales of native plants, a plant identification session and supper and everyone is welcome to come along. $3 door entry.Venue: Henderson Environment Centre in the Star Swamp Bushland Reserve, Groat St, North Beach.
Further information: Christine 0430 013 364. - -
Birds of the Perth Hills with Talitha Huston
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Birds of the Perth Hills with Talitha Huston
Boya Community Centre119-135 Scott StHelena Valley,Join us to hear Talitha Hutson talk about her book inspired by her passion for the natural Perth Hills environment, native birdlife and photography. The talk includes a video Talitha has produced on local birds.
Birds of the Perth Hills is a labour of love, begun when Talitha was just 14 and finished 3 years later, with no-one knowing she was working on it until it was presented as a Christmas gift to her parents.
Talitha's original work, with a foreward by Simon Cherriman, edited by Eric McCrum (familiar to many as 'The Bird Man) and Deb Wilson, has gained the attention of the wider community with a recent interview on ABC Radio, articles in the media, and her appearance at the Blue Sky Festival in March.
Talitha's book will be available for purchase on the night.
Light refreshments will be served from 5.30pm, and the talk will start at 6pm. Bookings are essential for this free event.