Joining us will be Fiona Paterson from the Mackay Regional Council, who will give a talk about local recycling and waste management. It will be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the process and ask anything about recycling that you've always wanted to know!

 Tuesday 15 May, 6:30 - 8:30pm

 Mackay Environment Centre, 156 Wood St

 RSVP HERE!

Beautiful Walks are back! As the new Community Outreach Officer, I’m excited to invite you to the first Beautiful Walk for 2018. It will be held at the Kommo Toera Trail, which winds through a paperbark wetland and is an area full of diverse plant and wildlife species. Guest speakers will also be on hand to talk about the importance and ecology of the area.

Where: Kommo Toera Trail. Keeleys Rd, Slade Point

When: Sunday 20 May, 3pm - 5pm

The Beautiful Walks program has been running for 4 years and is the Mackay Conservation Group’s most popular event. The walks are held in natural locations around Mackay and highlight the environmental beauty of the region. The event is held monthly, open to the public and free to attend.

To secure your place for the Beautiful Walk, RSVP by clicking here.

Every which way you look at it - water is life. Every cell of every thing needs water. 

In Queensland we experience water in every form, from the very wet to the very dry but wherever you are, water is life. However, in the twists and turns of the Stop Adani campaign the issue of water is sometimes forgotten. 

Our water is our lifeblood in Queensland and that's why so many people are calling on the cancellation of Adani's water licences. 

Adani's Carmichael mine will drain at least 270 billion litres of groundwater over the life of the mine - that's four Sydney Harbours! Lock the Gate brought water management expert Tom Crothers to Mackay to explain the impacts that the mine could have on not only local landholders in the Galilee Basin, but to all those who rely on the Great Artesian Basin. 

The drain on Qld water resources is just the beginning. The really concerning part is the lack of research that has been conducted to estimate the likelihood of damage to aquifers, sediment layers and neighbouring springs and therefore the impacts on water resources that regional communities desperately rely on in times of drought. 

That's why a Motion of intent was passed by the crowd, calling on the Qld Government to cancel Adani's Water licence, so that precious regional water resources are protected. 

You can also sign the pledge which will be sent to Premier Palaszczuk and other ministers.

Keep reading to find out more about how Adani's mine threatens Qld's vital water resources.

The Mackay region is lucky enough to have over 30 bat species call the area home. In the urban areas, the most common bat you’ll see is the Black Flying-Fox (Pteropus alecto), which is a larger species and can be seen in sizable numbers flying in the sky at dusk. Bats are social creatures and form nursery colonies to rear their young.

All bat species are unique and play a crucial role in the ecology of the environment. The majority of bat species eat insects and are appropriately called insectivores. Other bats prefer to eat nectar, pollen, fruit and seeds. These bats are called frugivores. And then there are bats who are omnivores, which eat both insects and fruits.

World Water Day is a day to celebrate a truly precious resource and a day to learn more about how we can protect it. 

This year the group focused on groundwater and in particular the potential impacts of opening up the Galilee Basin to mining. 

Just this week a study was released with information suggesting that Adani's Carmichael mine could threaten the existence of the ecologically and culturally significant Doongmabulla Springs. 

Read more about the report here.

The springs are home to a number of endemic species, that would face extinction if the springs were sucked dry. 

A group of dedicated volunteers waded deep into Adani's murky water licence and the predicted threats to groundwater on World Water Day and will take this information to the wider community. Read on for access to some great information resources. 

The Adani coal mine puts at risk water resources that are the lifeblood of Central Queensland.

Don’t stand by and watch Adani rob us of life-giving water.

Sign the pledge to the Queensland Premier, Minister for Natural Resources and Mines and Minister for Environment.

On March 8, the Queensland government introduced a bill into the parliament to amend tree clearing laws. The parliament is now asking for submissions about the bill and we only have until midday on Thursday 22 March to make the laws stronger.

To make a submission click here: mackayconservationgroup.org.au/treeclearingsubmission

The most recent government report shows that 400,000 hectares of bushland was destroyed in Queensland during 2015-16. The previous year 300,000 hectares were lost. Over five years, more than one million hectares were bulldozed. That's equivalent to 1000 bulldozers driving side-by-side, destroying forests all the way from the New South Wales border to the tip of Cape York and killing 46 million native animals in their path. 

You can help put an end to this uncontrolled destruction of wildlife habitat by making a submission to the Queensland parliament about the new tree clearing laws. By adding your voice the parliament will know that Queenslanders want strong laws that protect important habitat. 

Make your submission by clicking here: mackayconservationgroup.org.au/treeclearingsubmission

Is your electrical bill going through the roof?

Are you concerned about carbon emissions and climate change?

You are not alone but together we can create a brighter future. 

Join the community at the Mackay Renewable Energy Forum to learn how to bring down your energy costs and carbon emissions.  Everybody Wins. 

The forum will bring together experts in the field of renewables, who will explain the current and very bright future of renewable energy in Australia.

You can also meet with renewable energy providers who can provide you with the technical details on how to bring your electrical bill down and reduce your carbon emissions.

When: Saturday, April 7, 2018, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Where: Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre

To register for this free event (donations are welcome), go to https://everybodywins.eventbrite.com.au

Veteran journalist, Dennis Atkins, wrote in the Courier Mail recently that Bill Shorten's equivocation on Adani could cost his party the next election. He says that there's no doubt that Adani is unpopular with voters and that "even some people in northern Queensland don’t like it." 

A few months ago a dedicated group of volunteers surveyed people at local supermarkets to find out what Mackay residents thought about Adani. More than a few of us were surprised when the results came in. It wasn't a few people who don't like Adani. We found, after interviewing a statistically valid sample of around 250 residents, that: