Yes, you read right - Mackay Regional Council is giving away free native plants! The first free giveaway is at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens this Saturday, June 1 from 9am - 2pm.

It's all part of a new program aimed at increasing the number of native plants in local gardens. Ratepayers can choose four native plants each year to take home and add to their backyards.

Native plants can provide habitat and food for local wildlife, need less water than exotic plants and survive easily in our warm, tropical climate.

Book your ticket before midday on Tuesday 4th June to help bring the new Sea Shepherd film to Mackay! If enough tickets are pre-booked, 'Defend, Conserve, Protect' will screen on Wed, June 12 6:30pm at BCC Cinemas, Mackay City.

This powerful documentary is screening in regional and city locations ahead of World Oceans Day on June 8th. 

Filmed in the world's only international Whale Sanctuary of Antarctica, 'Defend, Conserve, Protect' follows the Sea Shepherd crew in their fight to protect endangered Minke whales from the Japanese whaling fleet. Narrated by Ghostbusters star, Dan Aykroyd, it's an inspiring call to stand up for what you believe in.

Come say G’day to the MCG team at Wintermoon from Fri 3rd - Mon 6th May! We’ll be talking with people about the Adani coal mine, climate change and reef water quality. There’ll also be fun activities for the kids (and big kids) including cardboard critter and face painting.

With only 2 weeks until the federal election, it’s a crucial time for us to make sure that as many people as possible know what’s at risk and that their vote counts. Adani has become the biggest election issue and for good reason. If it goes ahead, it will set off a domino effect of even more coal mega-mines in the Galilee Basin. This is at a time when the majority of QLD is still in drought and scientists have agreed we need to start transitioning away from fossil fuels.

With your help, we can ensure that Wintermoon is a big win for changing hearts and minds. You can help us make this THE climate election!

If you can help out on the stall for a few hours, call Emma on 0437 742 747 or email emma@mackayconservationgroup.org.au

Our monthly meetings are great opportunities for members, volunteers and curious others to catch up and hear about MCG's work and upcoming events. 

This month's guest speaker is Pierre Craven, Head of Science at Mackay Christian College, who has been directing the school's senior students in their new mangrove research program.

The innovative project involves students using real-life techniques to study the carbon storage potential and biomass of mangroves in the Pioneer River.

The data collected will be sent and used by renowned mangrove ecologist, Dr Norman Duke from James Cook University, who is also the project's scientific mentor.

Can the mangroves of Mackay help fight climate change? Come along and find out!

Tuesday 21 August, 6:30 - 8:30pm

Environment Centre, 156 Wood St. 

RSVP HERE!

The Mackay Conservation Group is a member driven organisation. Our monthly meetings are a great chance for members and volunteers to come together, hear about upcoming events and offer suggestions on our work.

Our guest speaker for June is the amazing Steve Fisher, the marine operations manager from the not-for-profit organisation Wild Mob. Steve will give a presentation on the valuable conservation work that Wild Mob does, upcoming projects and how you can be involved!

Tuesday 19 June, 6:30 - 8:30pm

Mackay Environment Centre, 156 Wood St

RSVP HERE!

 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!

The time has finally come for the Environment Centre to clean out its pre-loved library.

We will be holding a BIG BOOK SALE to help hundreds of our old, rare and collectible books find a new home.  

When: Tuesday the 24th - Saturday the 28th of October (9am - 5pm weekdays & 10am-12pm Saturday)

Where: The Environment Centre, 156 Wood St Mackay

There will books on bird life, marine ecology, soil health, butterflies, plants and forestry, sustainable living, marketing, environmental law and economics, and much MUCH more! 

We will be exchanging books for gold coin donations, so bring a friend, your neighbour and a pocket full of change, prepped and ready to dive into the pages.

This is part of a national rally  to send a message to our politicians that we do not want them spending our $1 billion on a destructive mine that will cook the climate and wreck the Reef.  

We will have big banners and signs at the iconic Lamberts beach Lookout and a drone will capture the images.  We will then move from the Lookout to Lamberts Beach and  will then take the rally into town (you will need your cars!) and hang the banners over the Forgan Smith Bridge.  

This needs to be big!! so wear red, bring hat and water, signs if you have some,  and get ready to rally  and feel the people power as we fight for a viable future.  

Meet at the Lamberts Beach Lookout by 9.00am on 7th October and we'll move on from there.   There is a small carpark , but plenty of off road parking at the bottom of the hill.

Please RSVP for this event here

An Inconvenient Sequel is the riveting and rousing follow-up to Al Gore's follow up to An Inconvenient Truth which brought climate change into the heart of popular culture. It shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution.

The documentary addresses the progress made to tackle the problem of climate change and Al Gore's global efforts to persuade governmental leaders to invest in renewable energy, culminating in the landmark signing of 2016's Paris Climate Agreement.

Join us at the Mackay City Cinema on Friday 25 August at 9.00pm for a screening of this important movie. Purchase tickets here mackayconservationgroup.org.au/inconvenient

You're invited to a free lecture by Alice Hungerford, author of UpRiver, the story of the Franklin River blockade that pushed Australia's environmental movement to the centre of political decision making.

Places are limited, to book click here

UpRiver reveals the untold stories of over 60 activists who came to the Franklin and Gordon rivers in 1982, and stayed to non-violently defend one of the truly wild places of this earth.

Share the experiences of people who came and stayed in the harsh wilds of South-West Tasmania for almost nine months — from the smoky campfires, lentil stew, endless rain and over 1200 arrests, to a change in the Federal Government, a High Court battle and bulldozers finally leaving the rugged Tasmanian wilderness — UpRiver weaves together the stories of photos and songs collected from activists from one of the largest coordinated direct actions in Australia's history.

Mackay Environment Centre, 156 Wood St, Mackay

6.30pm Thursday 17 August 2017

RSVP essential: mackayconservationgroup.org.au/upriver