In many parts of the Mt Warning Caldera Region are small hubs of  sustainable lifestyle knowledge. Authentic local environmental stewardship. And educational resources that continue, through time, to the next generation.

Many different regions have local land stewards carrying stories that contain valid information.  Environmental management decision making stories. Many of these stories are very “ground level” and not always apparent. Many of these people who hold these stories are quite old. Some are members of local groups – nature/community groups of some kind, others are not.

Small, local populations, doing their little bit towards this common future of sustainability.

And, like the valuable threatened species that also abound in this area, they would benefit by increased linking and networking, with sound corridors put in place so that their knowledge is easily shared with others within the region.

Small regional schools hold a wealth of wisdom in their “catchment”  communities, when it comes to exchange and extension of environmental information. This exhange is a VALUABLE area that needs to be mentored. There are all types of wildlife workers, land workers, water workers, sustainable lifestyle practitioners out there, in the Mt Warning Caldera Region.

The valuable information, that of the knowledge of the natural processes, the intrinsic understanding of the animal habitat, the love and wonder of the harmonies of nature – all these things need increased mentoring by government levels of care.

A child, prepared by economics and market forces, in the coming ages, may no longer do as well the child prepared slowly but surely, by environmentally sustainable lifestyle education.

Much of the child’s time is taken in the education and learning system of our society. Economics, family and homelife, products, travel, communications, recreation, electronic products, toys – many of these things consume the rest of a child’s time.

Running through all of this, and appearing to hold more immediate validity than  learning of authentic education for sustainability, is this:- A powerful economic framework with the speed of money, economies of scale and fuel powered motion.    Where do the small units of authentic  ”unencumbered ” biodiversity really figure in all of this?

This is an enigma. this is a dichotomy. This first and foremost needs to be resolved.

“A Balance of Faeries” : why the little things count in authentic Land and Water Stewardship

Totem based Education for Biodiversity in Darling River (Murray Darling System) – totem based education is something that can be considered for many regions and catchments, through the Primary School “house” system.

Cross – Cultural Environmental Education and the evolution of Australia’s Cultural Policy article at bluecray.org

Stewardship – the Balances : Article  on Land, Air and Water Stewardship and its relation to early childhood learning/learned behaviour  and social/economic pressures (behaviours) (April 2009) at Wisdom in the Land Bluecray blog

“Environmental Advocacy Blogs – The Art of Public Engagement”  with a link to Melissa Merry’s Article on “Blogging and Environmental Advocacy: a New Way to Engage the Public?” – March 2008

The Well Trained Activist‘s article “Can Corporate Leadership Theorists Help Activists?”  - This is a great website full of great inspiration, with links to Daniel Goleman’s : Ecological Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence page.

• search for  Aboriginal  (Indigenous peoples) research literature for the North Coast of NSW at the Libraries Australia Search
• Chief Oren Lyons at the E.F.Schumacher Society .

Lifting the illusions and emotional perceptions that we carry so that we may learn to fully participate in meaningful ecological decisions. This is indeed a worthy challenge.   Corporate leadership,  if incorporated with love, respect and authentic Land and Water Stewardship?  THIS really COULD change the world!!

Phantom Koala and his Friends. Waiting for us to join him on his adventures.

The Bluecray Journey – The Bluecray Totem – How it all began

...................................Free F'all........................

Gold Coast City and Hinze Dam seen from Lower Beechmont (top, middle). Springbrook, Mt Warning and Lamington Plateau - Numinbah Valley or "Devil's Country" is in the centre-left -seen from Beechmont Plateau.(bottom), SE QLD, Australia.

** Dear Reader, just a note here – if you are looking for photo of bees, environmental advocacy pictures , collages of the environment for advocacy or the Phantom Koala art/collages for the Mt Warning Caldera Region – I have compiled quite a few on bluecray.org now. Please feel free to use them for educational purposes (just cite al@ bluecray), and if you should like to have higher quality images to use, please contact me and we can send the images to you at a minimal charge. cheers, Alison Polistchuk

Environmental Defender’s Office NSW (Ltd) – EDO Northern Rivers

Environmental Defender’s Office NSW (Ltd)

Australian Network of Environmental Defender’s Offices

Environmental Defenders Office (Qld) Inc.

I attended one of their workshops, some years back,in Byron Bay and found their workshop to be extremely easy to understand, informative and helpful.

Australians who impact on the Australian Environment (and that is probably most Australians), whether they be students, members of Government – elected representatives / employees (Federal, State and Local), active community members, environmental workers – advocacy, groundworkers, policy makers, developers, engineers, scientists, mothers, fathers, artists, community workers – the list is endless here……Australians can support these dedicated Legal Environmental workers, by visiting their site and learning from their valuable resources. Membership, support and donations will help these organisations function into the future.

Have a look at the above websites, see what type of work they do, and  give them support. They have informative publications which can be purchased, membership details on their websites and a vaste range of website/published resources.

Environmental Defenders also make submissions for projects and policies. They are active in Environmental Law reform, support community groups in environmental advocacy and conduct an array of workshops to inform & educate communities about the Mt Warning Caldera Region of NE NSW (Northern Rivers) and SE QLD.

And so, if you find that you would like to become more informed about the legal issues concerning the Environment, and want to support a worth while Environmental Advocacy Organisation – give the Environmental Defenders your support.

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* This article has not been endorsed by the Environmental Defenders Offices, nor did I contact them, before writing this article.

It is due to my passion and belief in people being informed, regarding Environmental Law, and my perceptions and experiences with the Environmental Defenders Offices, as well as Bluecray’s dedication to serving Environmental Advocacy and Education within the Mt Warning Caldera Region that have led me to creating this post.

Benoit the young Crow says:- WE ARE ALL stars in the circus of LIFE

Some basic LINKS for Learning about Environmental LAW : -

• Environmental Law – Wikipedia
• Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) -
• Environmental Law Library of  the Earth :  Global Law Journals, Links, Treaties, online Journals, Environmental Law Links  at IUCN

EDO : Useful Law Links : legal resources, directories, government, libraries, lawyers and much more

• WebLaw.edu.au – a Subject Gateway to Australian Legal Resources : Environmental Law
• National Environmental Law Association :  and their LINKS page
• Australasian Legal Information Institute : Cases, Legislation, Library, AustLII provides Law news, databases and  links  to WorldLII – the Declaration on Free Access to Law (WorldLII) - World Legal Information Institute : Free, independent and non-profit access to worldwide law.
• FindLaw Australia – Australian Law, Lawyers, Australian Legal Resources : Professionals, Students, Business, Public, News

Some basic Australian Government LINKS for the Mt Warning Caldera Region:-

• Australian Government
• Qld Government Portal
• NSW Government Portal
• Council of Australian Governments – COAG
• Australian Local Government Association – ALGA
• Qld Department of Local Government – homepage
• NSW Department of Local Government – homepage

A few Australian Environmental Law links from Universities – in case you are interested in studying Environmental Law:-

• The Australian National University: College of Law – Australian Centre for Environmental Law
• The University of Sydney : Australian Centre for Climate & Environmental Law
• Macquarie University, Sydney : Environmental Law
• Monash University Library : Environmental Law
• University of Adelaide Law Library : Environmental Law  - Websites, Journals, Law Reports, Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
• Murdoch University Library, Perth, Western Australia : Library Resources in Environmental Law
• University of Tasmania Library : Guide to Environmental Law Sources

and one more link…..Gazette of Law & Journalism to remind you of the vast networks and legal practices that abound today

The Richmond Birdwing Butterfly is cited as one of the many outstanding evolutionary features of the World Heritage Listed Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves that occur in the Mt Warning Caldera Region.

This large green, black and yellow butterfly has inspired community action resulting  in many Pararistolochia praevenosa (see picture below) and P. layehana vines to be planted back into the region. There is still, however, much more work to be done. Although the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly is dependent on these vines for its continued lifecycle, it will be the planting of biodiverse forests, woodlands and other vegetation communities, that will help it’s long term survival.

Increasing biodiversity helps the survival of many plants and animals, in their complex lifecycles, just as increased diverse  community involvement in  projects for the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly has helped improve the Butterfly’s survival chances.

25th March 2009 – interview with Ray Seddon,  Co-ordinater of the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Network, Qld.

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly : at the Queensland Museum PHOTO

Insects of Lamington National Park – Richmond Birdwing Butterfly PHOTO

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly  (Ornithoptera richmondia) : Queensland Threatened Species Listing – VULNERABLE.

• The 2009 link I had to the QLD EPA is now not working, as the Qld Government keeps changing their website links and departmental names and responsibilities : they have not kept a redirection to their new link for the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly. However, you can now access information on the vulnerable listing and this butterfly HERE ( the Qld Department of Environment and Resource Management ) . The information on the new Qld Government  DERM webpage will give you the conservation status, habitat and distribution, description, threatening processes and actions.

Richmond Birdwing Recovery Network : lots of information here on the butterfly, it’s host plants, it’s life cycle, mapping, photos & community networking. This is a volunteer network based in QLD, Australia

The cultivation of Pararistolochia layehana from richmondbirdwing.org and much more on other Pararistolochia species –  Vines, Nurseries growing vines.

Please note that vines are covered by Qld legislation, and as such, you should be careful where you buy your vines from, lest they have been stolen from wild habitat areas.

Qld Society for Growing Australian Plants – native nurseries, plant information, local branches and more

Maroochy Birdwing Butterfly Project at the Maroochy Catchment Centre, Qld, Australia.

The Richmond Birdwing Project – photos, results, information – Qld.

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly vines (Parastolochia praevenosa and **P. laheyana)  : listed as RARE  ( Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006) under the  Qld Nature Conservation Act 1992 .  This rare status may change over the coming months, due to a reorganising of the threatened species listing categories . Pararistolochis praevenosa is the main vine being used in SE QLD and NE NSW for the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly recovery

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Ornithoptera richmondia : Biodiversity Assessment NSW North Coast – species at risk, and their recovery process . This document recommends research, habitat retention through reserves, and records that there is little data known (Australian Government’s  Australian Natural Resource Atlas)

Australian National Botanic Gardens

Park and Fire Management Plans – NSW Government

Lismore City Council encourages planting of the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly vine (Parastolochia praevenosa)

Case study 3: Adopting caterpillars – the Richmond Birdwing butterfly :This is  one of 13 case Studies of Community Involvement in Recovery and Threat Abatement at the NSW Department of Environment & Climate Change :  Community Involvement Guide for Threatened Species

“Australian Butterfly performs for World Media” -CSIRO media release Sept. 2000 – this article will give you a little history on the Richmnond Birdwing Butterfly and why is a THREATENED SPECIES

Ecos Article Jan. 2001 “Changing habitat: the revival of the Richmond birdwing butterfly offers hope that through research, education, dedication and teamwork, local communities can secure a future for threatened species.”

Land for Wildlife – Queensland

Land for Wildlife – New South Wales

Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Part2 : Their Host Vines by Deborah Metters (Regional Land for Wild Life SEQ Catchments) April 2007 Newsletter Land for Wildlife SEQ.

Land for Wildlife at Greening Australia .

Land for Wildlife at SEQ Catchments .

Wildlife Preservation Society of Qld .

** Pararistolochia laheyana PHOTO – is this species the fomer Aristolochia deltantha var. layehana?

• I have seen one Richmond Birdwing Butterfly at Lower Beechmont, SE Qld, from memory back in about 2000, then another flying through Upper Burringbar, NE NSW, in 2009, and as an update to this article, in late September, 2010, I observed three Richmond Birdwing Butterflies flying high in the air at Upper Burringbar within the space of three days.  They really do look like small birds, at first, until you realise that the wings are going very slowly compared to a small bird flying, and on closer looking, you see the green and black of the wings. Each time that I have seen them flying, they have been about  10-20 feet up in the air, and at elevations over 750 feet above sea level.

• Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Project – search results   :  at Bluecray Regional Environmental News – Mt Warning Caldera

Pararistolochia praevenosa - drawing of a plant near the Lamington Plateau, SE QLD

The Mt Warning Region, on the east coast of Australia has vegetation remnants that suggest the region has good resilience to drought continental conditions over time.

Three other important regions that can withstand drier trans-continental periods are the Temperate Rainforests of Victoria, the Dorrigo Plateau Region, Eastern NSW  and Far North Queensland Rainforests.

• bluecray Regional Environmental News – Mt Warning Caldera : WATER
• Water Links SE QLD and NE NSW
• What is an ecological community? and more at  NSW Government Threatened Species
• SE QLD Hazards & Risks at Geoscience Australia –  This is a Group of PDF files that can be downloaded separately so, have a look:- includes chapters on flood, east coast risks, cyclones, multi hazard risk assessment

Australian Government National Water Commission

Weather – Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology

To understand our use of, and impact on the basaltic aquifers of the Mt Warning Caldera Region, monitoring is urgently needed. WHY? Because human populations and settlements are increasing steadily in this Region of NE NSW and SE QLD, Australia.

Try the Bluecray’s Environment Search for Litoria latopalmata  – Mt Warning Caldera

Kremen Lab Group : “In California, our recent findings show that a diverse community of native bee pollinators can provide sufficient pollination services for crops without the addition of managed colonies of honey bees (Kremen et al. 2002), but that this service critically depends on the availability of natural habitat in proximity to the farm site (Kremen et al. 2004). Farm management (organic versus conventional) may also influence the diversity and abundance of native bees found on farms.”  taken from Current Projects at Dr. Kremen’s (University of California, Berkeley, USA) research website

These photos are for you. I took these photos in my yard at Burringbar, New South Wales, Australia, where I live.

The baby crows in the photos are my friends. The three baby crows live in the trees beside my house, with their mother and father.   Baba O’Riley is the eldest child.  Benoit Mandelbrot is the middle child, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is the youngest.

Baba is a very brave young crow. He has already chased a big sea eagle, high into the clouds above my home. Benoit is the brightest of the crow children. Lucy is just young and cute.  The crows like to eat grasshoppers, rats, snakes, mandarins, avocado, peanuts, orange, barley seed, corn, snake and bird eggs and earthworms.  They like to chase kookaburras, eagles, hawks, owls, cats and goannas.  The baby crows really love flying about with their mother and father.

I hope you like the photos! love al.

Below are the Chart Art links to the Burringbar Crows –  Baba, Benoit, Lucy and their Mother & father, plus stories of some of their adventures + more pics:-

Crow Magic

Crows Ash Tree

Children of the Crows

Baba’s First Big Flight

More Crows

Benoit Mandelbrot – A very Smart Crow

Benoit Mandelbrot at home in Burringbar

Benoit Mandelbrot the Crow, Figs, Swans and the Synchronicity of Symbols

Benoit is Back!

Corvus in the Midheaven, Mars Rising