Witness King Tides on Sunday Jan 22nd - great photo op..

What will the Queensland coast look like in the future?

Grab your camera and find out. –

Sunday January 22

This summer Green Cross Australia is encouraging Queenslanders to head out to the coast during the king tide season to capture the events and help create a photographic database for

the future. While King Tides are natural phenomena, they can demonstrate what

the future might hold for our coasts. By taking photos of the sea level during

the 2012 summer king tide, as a community we can identify places of vulnerability

and start preparing for future changes in weather patterns. We are looking for

volunteer Tide Trackers, so get in touch with Green Cross and visit the www.witnesskingtides.org <http://www.witnesskingtides.org> to find out

when to capture the king tide.

•    You can like, link to and promote our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GreenCrossAus)
•    Use #witnesskingtides on twitter and follow us @GreenCrossAus

Summer reading - book review by Lin

The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/5349.htm

This book is described on the back cover as a ‘comprehensive user-friendly guide to Australian dragon and damsel flies’ and it certainly appears to be that.    Priced at $45 it really is for the keen amateur or for libraries.  As often in nature the males of these intriguing species are more colourful than the females.

There are not many Australians who have not watched enthralled as dragonhflies of many types duck and weave over ponds and creeks.  These often are the colourful, graceful insects around bodies of water. Maybe many of you have lifted up rocks in these streams to see rather ugly insects crawling on the undersurface of rocks in running water.  These are often the immature stage of a dragonfly or a damselfly.

The book has many beautiful colour photos of the various adult insects accompanied by fine line diagrams of distinguishing features of the species in its larval form.  Maps of Australia indicate where a particular species of found.  Often the final check on whether your identification could be correct.

Dragonflies are important as an indicator of ‘environmental well being’ so if your creek or pond has a  number of these insects, especially larvae, you can be pleased that it is healthy.  Using this book to identify the larvae through to species is not all that easy but not many of us would need to do this.   There are many little ‘tit-bits’ in this book eg males after emerging return to an area near where they emerged and selects their territory along the water’s edge guarding it from other males while waiting for the females to arrive.

Some species of the tropical and subtropical rain forest have their larvae in waterfilled tree holes.

Lin  – AAEE Qld Member

Vietnam Study Tour

Hellooo Vietnam

When our Malaysian Airlines flight  MH752 touched down in Hanoi just after lunch on Sunday September 18, our amazing journey through an outstanding country of incredible beauty and energy had really begun. Eleven  EQ Environmental  Education Teachers  had embarked on a 15 day Study Tour of Vietnam.  The Asia Education Foundation had organised the itinerary and all the logistics for Education Queensland.  We were accompanied by Nel our tour leader and Hoai our guide and interpreter.

Some of the places the tour went were Hanoi, Tam Dao, Cuc Phong, Thung Nang, Muong, Halong Bay, Cat Ba Island, Hue, Ho Chi Minh &  Can Tho. During the tour we met with representatives from  Education for Nature Vietnam, UNESCO, Cat Ba National Park staff, HCMC Environmental Protection Agency & Can Tho Uni. College of Environment and Natural Resources.

Vietnam has 90 million people who live in an area about one third the size of Victoria. You may consider this to be the single most influential issue in Vietnam today. It certainly is a complication but I believe it is the growing desire for Westernisation that is the major problem.

I was astounded by the extent of the pollution in some places, growth is visible almost everywhere and the government is doing a great job  trying to keep pace.

I had many highlights but the two that will remain with me are the Muong Village homestay visit and seeing the memorial to Thich Quang Duc the monk whose self immolation in Saigon caught the attention of the world in 1963.

I tried to blog my trip but just didn’t get time,we were so busy so if you want to have a look at my incomplete blog http://condaminetohochiminhcity.blogspot.com/  The study tour has a Travelpod and it is more complete  http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog/eevietnam2011/1/tpod.html

Three very creative members of the tour group Margie, Mary-Ann and Noeleen are putting together a photo display which will tour all EQ EE centres in 2012.

I would highly recommend this study tour to each and every one of you. I certainly intend to return to Vietnam and continue my journey of discovery.

Lozza    (Lawrence  – AAEE Qld Member)

AAEE National Update Dec 2011

·       AAEE will be focusing on membership recruitment in 2012 (amongst other things), and the National executive will be sending us a copy of an invitation for us to share with colleagues in February, stay tuned.

·       Thanks to all for comments re: OzEEnews survey.

·       The Special Interest Group for Teachers and Teacher Education; now lead by David Butler from SA, has submitted a response to the Cross Curriculum Priorities in Sept.  The draft Geography Australian Curriculum material is available for comment and a timeline has been drafted to ensure we meet the deadline of Feb 2012.

·       Note AJEE’s new website: https://www.australianacademicpress.com.au/journals/details/20/Australian_Journal_of_Environmental_Education

·       Patron – It was agreed that AAEE as a national group request that the Governor Gerneral of Australia become the patron of the Association.  Jennifer to pursue this matter.

Thanks to our hardworking national exec for all their efforts!

Register now for Environmental Ed Expo Brisbane 2012

The 2012 Environmental Education Expo, Brisbane, is calling for registrations.  Themed around Cross Curriculum priorities for the new national curriculum, this is one not to be missed.  Register at:

http://learningplace.com.au/events/event.asp? pid=25508&calid=9231

AAEE Qld 2012 Planning Informal Meeting 7th- 11th Jan Bris CBD

AAEE Qld 2012 Planning

http://www.doodle.com/g5crnki3mgqc9gxs

Meet members, share plans for 2012, and help set our priorities.

2 hours 7th - 11th Jan, Brisbane CBD.  Lots of times available.  Vote using link:

Australian Marine Conservation Society calls for you to help protect Coral Sea

Make a submission and help protect the Coral Sea forever

Right now the Australian government is deciding the fate of Australia's Coral Sea. The draft plan for this iconic area leaves the majority of species-rich coral reefs, important breeding sites for tuna and marlin, and critical migration routes for turtles and whales open to fishing. You can make a difference, tell the government to include these areas in a very large Coral Sea marine national park. Make a rapid submission below and help protect this natural wonder. If you'd like to make a more personalised submission, we've also made asubmission guide to help you. http://www.marineconservation.org.au/WhatWeDo.asp?active_page_id=538