Society events

• Friday 26 February - Sunset Gathering at The Conservation Hut
• Tuesday 2 March - The Weather Diaries at Mt Vic Flicks
• Wednesday 31 March - Annual General Meeting at the WWF School of Arts
          “Koalas in the Greater Blue Mountains – an Update” with Dr. Kellie Leigh
• Thursday 15 April - Mick Dark Talk for the Future at the Carrington Hotel, Katoomba
• Saturday 1 May - Members Workshop at the Lawson Mechanics Institute
• Thursday 8 May - Frog ID at the Sharon Burridge Hall, Blaxland
• Thursday 15 May - Destination Pagoda at the Gang Gang Gallery, Lithgow
• Tuesday 8 June - Ethical and Conservation Implications of using 1080 at the WWF School of Arts

Members, friends and supporters are invited to join us to meet like-minded people and watch the sun setting over the southern Blue Mountains.

If perchance it is cloudy or even raining, seen from the shelter of The Hut, the national park has its own beauty no matter what the weather and there will be friendship, entertainment and supper inside The Hut.

Dawn Egan renown Celtic harpist will entertain us.

You'll meet members of the Society's management committee and other members of the Society, and listen to short talks about our activities.

The Weather Diaries is a feature documentary made by a mother concerned about the future for her daughter; a musician emerging in the shadow of the twin threats of climate change and mass extinction.

The film reaches its climax in 2020, as temperatures rise, bushfires rage, and the flying foxes that usually soar over Sydney die in record numbers.

Ruminating on our failure to understand the effects of climate change and the implications for the future generation, The Weather Diaries is a story both personal and political.

This screening is hosted by the Conservation Society.

To see a trailer and/or book your Tickets.

To allow us to satisfy NSW Government COVID-19 requirements and not limit attendance, we are -

• holding the AGM at the Wentworth Falls School of Arts.
• asking attendees to register if possible - this will facilitate entry to the venue.
• entering the venue via the Great Western Highway front door.
• not having refreshments - so please bring a bottle of water and a snack if you wish.
• only having a short break between the AGM and Dr. Kellie Leigh's talk.

AGM business will include receipt of reports, adoption of annual accounts, determination of structure of Management Committee, election of President, Management Committee members and other office holders, and appointment of an auditor.

Here's the Management Committee Positions and their Duties & Responsibilities and a Nomination Form.

Please contact Alan Page if you wish to discuss any of the positions or have any questions about the AGM.

The AGM will be followed by -

Kellie is Executive Director/CEO of Science for Wildlife and has worked on koala conservation and research in NSW and Victoria for nine years.

During her previous ten years in Zambia she founded the non profit organisation, the Zambian Carnivore Programme using the African wild dog and other large carnivores as flagship species for landscape-scale conservation, and secured core funding from the World Wildlife Fund.

Since returning to Australia she has developed conservation programs for a variety of organisations based on her successful model of combining research, on-ground conservation action and community education and engagement.

She completed her PhD through the University of Sydney where she maintains an Honorary Research Fellow position and has taught the wildlife population management components for a Masters degree.

Her research expertise is focused on the application of science to conservation challenges and includes conservation biology, genetics, behavioural ecology, and recent innovative work in training and evaluating wildlife detection dogs.

The talk is co-presented by Varuna the National Writers’ House and the Blue Mountains Conservation Society, and is an annual address on the environment, inviting prominent and authoritative thinkers to discuss their work on subjects that provoke and inspire.

A distinguished panel will discuss the latest in climate solutions and how we can act to create meaningful change.

The panel will be hosted by science journalist and Varuna board member Bianca Nogrady.

The panellists are - Tim Flannery, Rebecca Huntley and Ketan Joshi

here's more information about the talk and the panellists

We are holding a Members' Workshop on 1st May from 2pm to 4pm at the Mechanics Institute at Lawson.

Come along and tell us what you think your Society should be doing to improve environmental outcomes and contact with you, the Members.

If you wish to attend, please contact Susan Crick.

Please be aware that, due to COVID-19, we will not be supplying refreshments.

Bring along a snack and some water to get you through the afternoon.

Phone: 0409-829-635
Email: susan@bluemountains.org.au

Learn about the Australian Museum FrogID app and how to record frog calls in bushfire affected areas to help inform their recovery.

Guest speaker Jordann Crawford-Ash from the Australian Museum Research Institute will join us to talk about Australian frogs and the FrogID app.

Australia has over 240 known species of frog, almost all of which are found nowhere else in the world. Some species are flourishing, like the Striped Marsh Frog. But others have declined dramatically since the 1980s, and four have become extinct.

FrogID is a national citizen science project that is helping us learn more about what is happening to Australia’s frogs. All around the country, people are recording frog calls with nothing more than a smartphone.

Here's how to register for this free event.

Here's more information about FrogID.

Renowned writer and environmentalist, Dr Haydn Washington will launch the Destination Pagoda economic report and will talk about science, ethics and wonder – celebrating Gardens of Stone.

Haydn Washington has a deep knowledge of the Pagoda country.

Gang Gang Gallery is hosting Exhibition Pagoda, an Australian Heritage Festival Event, celebrating the spectacular pagoda landscape near Lithgow.

Anne Graham’s installation, ‘Gardens of Stone’, will be showcased in the main gallery space, surrounded by an array of photographs of the birds of that country and watercolour works capturing some of its extraordinary landscapes. This exhibition will run until 20 June.

Haydn’s talk will be one of a series of Gardens of Stone events every Saturday while the exhibition is on.

Dr Washington’s talk will be part of a Pagoda Journey Forum from 10.30 to 2.30 on Saturday 15 May. Other speakers include -

• Richard Stiles from Lithgow Environment Group
• Madi Maclean from Blue Mountains Conservation Society on the Destination Pagoda plan
• Dr Paul Brown from World Heritage Institute on the connection of wildness with people and nature.

Artists Anne Graham, Cindy Yuen-Zhe Chen and Nic Tsoutas will also talk about how they are inspired by wilderness.

Other Saturday events

The Gang Gang Gallery will host Gardens of Stone events each Saturday set in the gallery space.

Destination Pagoda Website

An update on Destination Pagoda, a visitor plan for a Gardens of Stone state conservation area centred on the town of Lithgow.

Click here to learn more about Destination Pagoda.

The Gardens of Stone Alliance launched the Destination Pagoda plan in 2019.

The Alliance members are Colong Foundation for Wilderness, Blue Mountains Conservation Society, Lithgow Environment Group and the Nature Conservation Council.

The Invasive Species Council and Blue Mountains Conservation Society invite you to attend a special forum to consider the ethical and conservation implications of using 1080 for invasive animal control.

Foxes are one of the main drivers of mammal loss in Australia and 1080 baiting is the main method used for fox control in the national parks of the Blue Mountains. Earlier this year Blue Mountains City Council decided to permanently ban its use.

1080 is important for conservation – it has been essential for enabling the survival or recovery of many threatened species in Australia. But 1080 has animal welfare consequences – it is likely that many 1080-poisoned animals suffer pain and distress.

So should 1080 be banned until we wait for more humane alternatives, or will this lead to even greater suffering?

In this discussion, you will hear from scientist, writer and environmental philosopher Dr Carol Booth, author of the Invasive Species Council's report 1080: A Weighty Ethical Issue

This is your chance to challenge your views and ask the difficult questions.

The discussion, followed by questions, will take place between 6:00pm and 7:30pm. Join us for tea and coffee afterwards.

You must register your attendance to comply with our COVID-safe plan.

Date and time:
Tuesday 8 June 2021
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm, including tea and coffee afterwards

Location:
Wentworth Falls School of Arts
cnr GWH and Adele Ave, Wentworth Falls