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Road trial to help cassowaries cross roads safely

17/6/2016

Today MBC (Mission Beach Cassowaries Inc) attended a meeting held by Transport and Main Roads (TMR), which included representatives from Environment Heritage Protection (EHP), Terrain NRM, Mission Beach Police, Cassowary Coast Regional Council (CCRC), Mission Beach Community Association (MBCA), C4, the Tully Vet and other community interest groups and individuals to give local feedback on the design of planned signage and line marking to be placed at Carmoo.

The on site meeting was held at the notorious cassowary road death hotspot on the Carmoo turnoff corner where the deaths of over 20 cassowaries have been recorded as they attempted to cross the road to access their essential habitat.

Apart from some minor adjustments, all those present were pleased with the design and congratulated TMR for responding to a community call to address the unacceptable number of cassowaries being killed on Mission Beach roads.

The trial will include;

extra signage warning drivers of approaching, and being within a cassowary crossing zone,
four coloured pavement signs within the zone, and
a Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS) at either approach which will illuminate if drivers exceed the speed limit of 80kph.

Road pavement sign

New road sign

Vehicle Activated Sign

Regular commuters can become complacent while driving and the VAS's have been proven to help alert drivers of the speed limit.

The signage is expected to be installed by the end of August.

Thank you to TMR and to Terrain who initiated the workshop in September 2015 which culminated in the community working closely with the state government resulting in this positive action to help cassowaries cross our roads safely.

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The tracking of 'Judith'

23/9/2014

The Tracking of Judith - Photo by Vandhana

'The tracking of Judith' profiles a young female cassowary establishing its territory in the fragmented landscape of its essential habitat at Mission Beach.

It was made possible by the community sharing information which is being used to help protect the cassowary in our region. It helps identify individual cassowaries, their movement in the landscape, where they cross roads etc.

Check out 'Judith's story and lots of other information about the cassowaries and the identification project.

Thank you everyone for your contributions that make this project possible. More here.

Lot 66 Buy Back

22/5/2014

Over 60 members of the community were present at the unveiling of a sign to celebrate the protection of a crucial lot in an important habitat corridor that connects two World Heritage Areas in the heart Mission Beach.

A buy back of Lot 66 was made possible by decades of community commitment and partnerships focused on saving the cassowary and their special environment at the popular seaside tourist destination.

The Great Barrier Reef: an obituary

30/3/2014

Compulsory viewing.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is gathering in Japan to explore the effect of climate change on the natural world. For the Great Barrier Reef, the situation is stark - emissions must be cut radically, and quickly, if it is to survive

This must see presentation by Oliver Milman, Christian Bennett and Mike Bowers of The Guardian.

Ugly rock wall planned for the Perry Harvey Jetty

21/2/2014

Other places have the Big Banana, the Big Pineapple etc - why shouldn't Mission Beach have THE BIG TURD?

See Boat Bay campaign blog

View DSDIP's wave modelling and visual interpretation of the rock wall

A passionate community history

4/12/2013

Today I had the great pleasure to meet Iain McCalman, acclaimed historian and author of recently published 'The Reef, a Passionate History'.

Friends of Ninney Rise (FoNR) members, Tony O'Malley (Terrain), Peter Rowles (C4) and myself representing (CCA) were invited to meet Iain who was in town as a guest of Mission Beach Tourism (also a member of FoNR) to discuss the Turning of the Tide project.

Queensland heritage listed Ninney Rise, John Busst's home, was bequeathed to the Qld government on the understanding it would be conserved as National Park, but it was never gazetted.

Road crossing trials field trip

20/11/2013

On Friday (15 Nov) Mission Beach Cassowaries (MBC ) attended part of a Cassowary road crossing trials field trip to discuss potential solutions to reduce cassowary deaths at locations where regular road deaths have been documented.

Present were representatives of CCRC, JCU, WTMA, Terrain and MBC.

National Parks under threat

20/10/2013

Little Ramsay Bay - Hinchinbrook Island. Photo Mission Beach Charters

To the residents of the Cassowary Coast region, tourists and all those who value Queensland's biodiversity,

Join us in opposing the Newman Government's predation of National Parks and the rush to convert priceless wildlife reserves into lifeless cash.

TPPA and Nature protection in Australia

22/9/2013

click photo for source

"Nature protection in Australia: The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is a rip in the fabric all the way from global to local". (Margaret Moorhouse ASH)

"The Abbott Coalition is flirting with a trade agreement that would allow companies, acting increasingly in secret, to sue Australia if they don’t like its regulations.

"Labor rejected it outright. Even the Howard
government issued America with a rare “no” over the legislation, declaring it contrary to national interests".

Mission Beach Cassowary update

13/9/2013

Bingil Bay Garners Beach - Joov and Cyril

Cyril (left) Joov (right)

'Joov' and 'Cyril'(ina) have got together as a cassowary couple this season. It is a big story because 'Cyril' is a four year old female who, it seems, has replaced a very aged bird, 'Barbara', well known to the Bingil Bay/Garners Beach community.
'Barbara' is one of Mrs Freda Jorrisen's birds. That means she is almost 50 years old.

'Barbara' has been the mate of 'Joov' for the last three years and Joov, this year, as an 8 year old, has for the first time successfully raised a chick. (Larry)

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