Register now for Nature, Climate and Renewables conference 4–5 June at Echidna Gully

Sustainable Living Armidale is seeking your enthusiastic support for the Regional Conference of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, to be held at Armidale, New South Wales. The conference will be spotlighting key environmental issues of the tablelands: Nature, Climate and Renewables and is co-hosted by Sustainable Living Armidale, Climate Action Armidale and the Armidale branch of the National Parks Association.

Echidna Gully is 26 kms from town and consequently has to prepare well in advance and is unable to adjust for late entries. Consequently,  Registrations close on 25 May*. Registration is free for Aboriginal people and for those under 25 years of age.

We have been working hard to develop an interesting and relevant program through which we can collaborate to explore the challenges of protecting nature, minimising the impacts of climate change and undertaking the necessary transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

The program will include local Aboriginal community members sharing a welcome to country, smoking ceremony and perspectives on traditional Caring for country. We hope to hear a range of politicians views on protecting nature and climate in the context of renewable energy development.

There will be an introduction to the Nature Conservation Council and to local issues and a panel presentation highlighting some of these issues. Themes include:

• protecting and enhancing natural and cultural values on public and private land,
• threats to these values from energy infrastructure
• protecting precious water across the landscape<
• the role of holistic and regenerative agriculture in sustaining ecosystems and sequestering carbon
• ecological and human resilience: building on what has worked in the past for stronger future resilience.

Afternoon workshops led by highly skilled and knowledgeable presenters will provide conference participants with the opportunity to choose specific themes to explore in more detail. These may lead to identification of actions needed at a local, regional, state or national level hence conference resolutions that can be taken up with our political leaders at a State Government level by delegates from the Nature Conservation Council. Workshops will be recorded to enable later viewing of concurrent sessions.

There will be a conference dinner on Saturday evening for those who would like to register for this.

A field trip on Sunday 5 June will start at Metz lookout (adjacent to the Echidna Gully Conference Centre) with views of the beautiful gorge country characteristic of the New England region as well as of challenges related to mining in the Macleay River catchment. We hope to visit a nearby solar energy development and following on from that, a travelling stock stock reserve, to give perspective on some of the values and challenges at these sites.

A visit to Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place will give participants the opportunity to view artworks at the gallery and learn from local Aboriginal people about this valuable not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preserving the cultural excellence of the original peoples of Australia. A packed lunch will be provided there prior to a visit to the nearby Mike O’Keeffe Wetland managed by the adjacent Armidale Tree Group (ATG). Established in 1983 in response to dieback in the region, this not-for-profit native plant nursery and environmental organisation has been providing quality Australian plants and environmental restoration services for almost 40 years.

Visitors to the area may like to stay on and enjoy a walk along Dumaresq Creek parklands, with views to the inspiring revegetation that has been undertaken by local groups, in particular, Armidale Urban Rivercare supported by Southern New England Landcare, Armidale Tree Group and Armidale Regional Council.

Please support this conference and register here. There is a wide range of accommodation available at reasonable rates for those who are travelling or would like to enjoy the environs and the company of others focussed on nature conservation and effective climate action and avoid returning to Armidale in the dark.

*attendance after this date only by special arrangement.