YouTube brings us video of a pretty awesome waterspout at Batemans Bay today.
Glad I wasn’t under that!

UPDATE 19/11/12 08:55 Thanks to Martyo here’s a longer version:

They say you can’t polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter.
Quite why someone is spray painting the dog droppings in Haig Park however is a bit of a mystery.
I had gleeful visions of Territory and Municipal Services paying someone to mark them and someone else to remove them (rather than give one [...]

We were walking our ill-allsorted collection of mutts down by the lake, at the Lindsey Prior arboretum this morning,  and watching all the fitties doing their rowing. It made for a lovely walk, and a very pleasant morning. We stopped off at the new benches which have been installed there. Very nicely done, and they [...]

Territory and Municipal Services have kicked off a consultation on making the Mugga Lane landfill larger:
The ACT Government is seeking community comment on a proposal to develop the next stage of landfill at the Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre. A series of displays and community information sessions will be held over the coming weeks.
“The ACT [...]

Shane Rattenbury has announced his share of the spoils of victory:
New ACT Greens Minister and Member for Molonglo, Shane Rattenbury, said today that he was honoured to accept responsibility for the Ministries of Territory and Municipal Services, Corrections, Housing, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, and Ageing.
“I accepted the offer to be a Minister because [...]

Territory and Municipal Services have the depressing news that some people out there get their jollies destroying new tree plantings:
“Our reserves and urban open space areas are for people to enjoy, so it is very disappointing when our staff and members of the community find trees damaged or stolen,” said Michael Brice, Manager, Urban Treescapes.
“An [...]

This in from the NCA:
The National Capital Authority advises parts of Lake Burley Griffin are closed to primary contact activities following a sewage leak at Yarralumla Bay.
Yarralumla Bay, Yarralumla Beach, Weston Park East and Black Mountain Beach are closed to recreation activities that involve whole-body water contact or submersion of the head.
The NCA will monitor [...]

ACTEW have posted their latest look at the vast Cotter Dam Enlargement works:
Join ACTEW Water project manager Ray Hezkial for an in depth look at the enlarged Cotter Dam progress as at October 2012. Ray takes us deep inside the dam to meet the guys and see the works. Not long to go now on [...]

[ 7 December, 2012; 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm. ]

Ethical and eco-friendly gifts, food, music and a starry summer evening at the Canberra Environment Centre.

Stalls, Music, Wine and Food

Avoid the crush and the shopping centres, have some dinner, listen to some live music, and do your christmas shopping:

– Organic, Free Range, Fair Trade and Local Food Produce
– Solar Panels, Rainwater tanks and Compost Bins/Worm [...]

By Professor Margaret Alston OAM
Director of Gender, Leadership and Social Sustainability research unit, Monash University
This lecture will explore the changes and uncertainties relating to climate, policy, population movements and socio-economic factors on Australia’s rural heartland.
Tuesday 6 November 2012
Lecture and live streaming from 6pm, Refreshments from 5:30 pm (gold coin donation)
Shine Dome, Gordon Street, Canberra
Free entry [...]

ACTEW Water have the happy news that the Murrumbidgee to Googong pipeline has been completed.
This means in an emergency we can outbid the farmers downriver for water allocations and suck it out of the Murray Darling system:
After just over 18 months the Murrumbidgee to Googong pipeline project is now complete. The project is part [...]

Walking around Lake Ginninderra on the weekend, I noticed this.
Who said Belconnen people don’t care about not littering?
[Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it in to images@the-riotact.com ]

Weed identification workshop Sat 27th October 9.30-11.30am
Oaks Estate Progress Association, is pleased to support the Molongolo Catchment Group in their ongoing work along the Molongolo River.
For those who want to help with landcare/rivercare in our area, the Molongolo Catchment Group will conduct a Weed Identification Workshop, 9.30-11.30am Saturday October 27th,
Location is at the Oaks Estate  Community Hall, [...]

Territory and Municipal Services want you to know about the bird watching possibilities along the Mulligans Bird Walk:
“Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary is one of the best bird watching spots in the ACT, with its different habitats providing a home and feeding place for more than 160 native bird species,” said Stephen Wilkes, Ranger-in-Charge, Mulligans Flat [...]

With energy prices predicted to rise steeply over coming years, now is the moment to retrofit your home for energy efficiency.
Join before 31st October to win a thermal imaging and air leakage assessment from Scinergy valued at over $500. Eliminating air leaks can commonly reduce household energy bills by 50%, and make [...]

The Environment Protection Authority is letting us know they’ve done a deal with their NSW counterparts to co-operate better:
The ACT and NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) have signed a cross-border protocol to strengthen their cross-border operations to control pollution and undertake regulatory actions more effectively.
The new protocol builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed [...]

A Short Introduction to Climate Change by Tony Eggleton
A Short Introduction to Climate Change was written to explain climate change – one of the most important issues of our time – to everyday people with enquiring minds. It covers developments in climate science over the past 250 years and shows that recent climate change is [...]

The Greens Caroline Le Couteur is pushing the idea of an urban tree trust, presumably on the basis that the Government at large can’t be trusted to look something as important as Canberra’s urban forest:
“Protecting the urban forest means planning for the long term. Getting it wrong will mean more sick and dead trees, with [...]

These are exciting times for an action based community organisation like SEE Change. What can you imagine to engage more people in transitioning Canberra to a new future?
Positions on our executive committee are open to everyone with a desire to be part of our work – no matter what their experience or previous involvement with [...]

In my week highlighting what I consider to be impractical election promises that are unlikely to be implemented without a majority government i’ve decided to share Labor’s plan to save everyone money on energy use.
The plan is to provide you some online tools (which incidentally are already available from the Home Energy Advice Team and [...]

I would have been exceedingly disappointed in the Greens had they not released this policy, but today The ACT Greens have made an election pledge to boost the number of Urban trees in Canberra. Whilst the article talks about 4 million dollars its worth noting from the Greens website that its only an extra million [...]

Yesterday was apparently the coldest day October day on record since 1968 according to the Bureau of Meteorology reaching the lofty heights of 8.6C at 4pm. We’ve had reports in of snow on some roads out towards Goulburn and towards Michalego (send those pics in to images@the-riotact.com) & there was a number of road closures [...]

Territory and Municipal Services wishes to advise the public that (weather permitting) two controlled burns will be conducted this afternoon, Wednesday 10 October 2012, at Stromlo Village and Fisher.
The burns are approximately 5 hectares and 7 hectares in size.
Like in all controlled burns, safety will be of paramount importance. Experienced fire managers, supported by [...]

The Greens’ Shane Rattenbury has announced the party’s biodiversity protection strategy:
TO PROTECT CANBERRA’S BIODIVERSITY, THE ACT GREENS WILL…
– Ensure a new Nature Conservation Act is passed by the end of 2013
– Merge all ACT Government Biodiversity services into a single unit
– Develop an open and transparent ACT biodiversity policy
– Require the Commonwealth to have final [...]

The Greens’ have announced their planned improvements for nature reserves:
With the support of environmental champion and former Greens leader Bob Brown, the ACT Greens will today launch their plan to safeguard Canberra Nature Park, including a 30% increase in Park rangers and $2.9 million to reverse existing damage and $3 million to tackle invasive weeds.
…
The [...]

The Australian Motorist Party has graced my inbox with two offerings tonight:
– Environment Policy:
The Motorist Party’s number one focus on energy supply in the ACT is that it be “cost sensible”. The Community can expect us to work with the ACT Government to address such issues as:
• Power generation through a number of sustainable energy [...]

Let’s face it, at the price of land in the Molonglo development people there are going to be using wood fires for ornamental purposes rather than cheaping out on heating.
But it’s probably symbolic Zed Seselja is promising to overturn the Government’s ban on the things in the new development:
ACT Opposition Leader Zed Seselja announced today [...]

One can only imagine the internal debates in the greens as they came up with a food policy which doesn’t call non-vegans murderers.
It seems local food is an end unto itself:
“Canberrans love their fresh, local food. We can see that every weekend here at the Farmers’ Market,” said Caroline Le Couteur, ACT Greens food security [...]

Dear Hivemind,
So our water is running a poo-brown colour this evening and we have just found out from ACTEW Water that this is happening at the moment – see link.
Although the bath water is not so bad as Neil’s in the Young Ones episode ‘Nasty’.. we are loathe to dip our baby in until we know [...]

Queanbeyan surveyors Clarke & Di Pauli are letting it be known they’ve been recognised at the 2012 Excellence in Surveying and Spatial Information Awards.
Queanbeyan’s Clarke & Di Pauli Surveyors have been awarded the NSW Excellence in Infrastructure and Construction Award for their major role in the surveying of Canberra’s National Arboretum Visitor’s Centre.
Clarke & Di [...]

I thought this was quite ironic at the Tugg recycling facility this morning.
So you do the right thing, recycle the things you should, and you get attacked by a magpie whilst doing so.
The council responds by putting up a sign saying watch out for the bird, it may swoop you.

[Got an image of Canberra [...]

The Greens have announced what they’d like to see done about carbon emissions:
The ACT Greens today announced their action plan to reduce Canberra’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in 2020.
“By taking steps today to reduce the ACT’s reliance on fossil fuels and cut our greenhouse gas emissions, we can ensure that Canberrans have affordable bills, [...]