Small things done now will be disproportionately important in decades to come.

NEXT MEETING   Annual General Meeting - 7pm Thursday 20th September at Sunnybank Hills library     
Level 2 Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown
Cnr. Calam Rd. and  Compton Rd.  Sunnybank Hills

AGENDA ITEM FOR SEPTEMBER MEETING
Following up on last months President’s report and the issue of Council’s proposal to drain water from Lake Karawatha we will be debating further actions on this matter. Council is persisting on putting in the pipeline infrastructure before research is finished.  Our concerns centre on the uncertainty of the effects of a lowered water table on the many ecosystems within Karawatha.  The committee would appreciate input from members on this important issue.

WILDLIFE CORRIDORS WEEK
September 22nd to 30th is set aside by the Society as Wildlife Corridor Week 2007. This is the sixth year that we have held this event and in that time public awareness of this matter has exploded both regionally and nationally.

There was a time not long ago when it was rare to see any reference to wildlife corridors in the press or elsewhere but due to the efforts of groups such as Wildlife Preservation Society and The Wilderness Society, wildlife corridors and the issue of connectivity has leapt into the public arena.  The impetus for this transformation is the acceptance of the reality of climate change and the devastating effect that fragmentation of our ecosystems will have on our wildlife species as they lose their suitable habitats and need to move to new territories in order to survive.

Earlier this year the New South Wales government announced a groundbreaking new wildlife corridor 2,800km long stretching from the Australian Alps to Atherton Tableland.  Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory have all agreed to the plans. The “Alps to Atherton” corridor will not involve the creation of new national parks, but is a proposal to link existing reserves and to protect and restore ecological links that will allow species to move freely and find new areas of sanctuary. There will be no compulsory acquisition of land and the initiative will be entirely voluntary. Instead, landholders who wish to conserve parts of their property can sign a voluntary conservation agreement.

The Wilderness Society has for many years been working on a plan to rewild our continent. In 2002 they set up the WildCountry  Scientific Council comprising of many renowned conservation scientists. Adopting leading edge scientific research and principles, the WildCountry scientific team has been identifying the best of Australia’s remaining natural environments, core wilderness areas, links and corridors and complementary large-scale restoration sites. This has led to the Gondwana Link proposal which aims to connect reserves and restore connectivity from the Margaret River area on the coast south of Perth to the woodlands of Western Australia’s gold fields and then eventually through the centre of the continent to link up to the east coast reserve system.

In our own back yard KFPS has been working hard over time attempting to gain better outcomes for  connectivity. Brisbane City Council has long recognized the importance of wildlife corridors when planning for management of the reserve system of our city and slowly the Greenbank Link and other blocks of land adjoining the Forest  are becoming official green patches on our maps.

WILDLIFE CORRIDOR WEEK COMMUNITY PICNIC
DATE – 30th September
TIME  - 11AM - 2PM
VENUE- Park at Tamarisk  Way and Linaria Circuit – Drewvale

Bring family and friends along to enjoy the out doors and find out more about the Greenbank Link.
Activities for the day include:-

• Sausage sizzle starts -11am.
• Geckoes wildlife presentation – 12 noon
• Guided bush walk along the Greenbank Link  – 1pm
• Ranger Rachel from BCC will be there to answer questions.
• Oxley Creek Catchment Association will keep you up to date with other developments
• Solar cooker demonstration.

CONGRATULATIONS TO RANGER CLARE ROGERS
Congratulations to our former Park Ranger Clare Rogers and her husband on the arrival of their new baby girl.
We wish them well and hope to see Clare back in Karawatha when her maternity leave is up

MEMBERSHIPS
Thank you to all those who have sent in their memberships. There are still many more to come. Our memberships are central to our ability to negotiate better environmental outcomes for the green spaces on the south side of the city. It is very easy to think ‘I will do it tomorrow’ and then get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life putting it aside and forgetting. It only takes one minute but it is very important so please don’t forget. Click here to go to the Membership Form

BUSH WALK – September
The September bush walk will leave from Elizabeth Street Trinder Park entrance at 7am. The mornings are becoming warmer and it’s getting easier to get out of bed. Bring a good pair of walking shoes, a hat and sunscreen

DATES TO REMEMBER - SEPTEMBER

Meeting	Thur 20th Sept	7pm
Bush Walk	Sun 30th Sept	7am
Coffee Break	Tues 2nd Oct	10.30am
Picnic	Sun 30th Sept	11am

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