Images of injured wildlife tug at the heart strings, but most people are unsure of what to do when confronted with a real-life situation. With a lifelong love of animals, Bev Trevithick spent 20 years on her family’s Sydney acreage as a WIRES carer of numerous birds and possums whilst also carrying out her profession...
Plants have always fascinated Joan Heavey and she has shared her vast experience and knowledge as an author of various botanical books. Joan has been a member of the Noosa Parks Association’s Botany Group for many years, as a convenor for about 10 years before stepping down at the end of 2023 to concentrate on...
It’s a well-known fact that bull sharks are present in the river systems of Noosa and the Sunshine Coast, but their numbers and movement have always been a mystery. At the next Friday Environment Forum, Dr Bonnie Holmes from the University of the Sunshine Coast will clarify fact from fiction surrounding the ecology of bull...
Carol Popple is an avid bird watcher who loves travelling around the Sunshine Coast, Australia and the World, viewing and photographing birds. Carol has birded many countries in her quest including Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Uganda, Thailand and Costa Rica. She has a personal world bird species tally of over 3000 birds. In...
Sunshine Coast residents have a great interest in the preservation of the environment. Therefore, citizen science platforms continue to grow in number, application, and accuracy. Coupled with increasingly popular citizen events (such as BioBlitzs) and nature-based celebrations (such as the Sunshine Coast Wildflower Festival), these platforms are delivering a much more accurate picture of the...
Award-winning author (and avid traveller) Dr Sarah Pye met Malaysian ecologist Dr Wong Siew Te in 2012. She asked what she could do to help him save the rainforest. He replied, “do what you do best”. Those five powerful words sparked a Doctor of Creative Arts degree, Wong’s biography (Saving Sun Bears), an enduring friendship...
Local author, wildlife photographer and former mayor Tony Wellington will speak about the astonishing mating habits of Noosa wildlife, from birds and mammals to invertebrates. While we humans attempt to project our preconceived notions of appropriate behaviour onto wildlife, nature often refuses to conform to our expectations. Which species leave all the parenting to the...
Ken Cross has just returned from his sixth birding trip to India. What is it about this country that attracts Ken? He proclaims, “India is a truly mega-diverse nation, home to more than 1,300 bird species and an extraordinary range of charismatic mammals such as tigers, leopards, and elephants. It is a country of deep history, immense cultural richness,...
Professor Kathy Townsend is a leading marine biologist known for her pioneering research on manta rays. As the lead academic for Project Manta, she has spent 19 years uncovering the biology, behaviour and habitat use of mobulid rays, building one of the world’s most comprehensive long‑term datasets on these species. Her work combines advanced scientific...
With the explosion of usage and natural benefits, coconuts are now taking the world by storm. Grown throughout the tropics for thousands of years, coconut palm has and still is producing building materials for houses, boats, roofs, sails, ropes, charcoal and clothing. Heart of palm and coconut toddy are prized. The nut itself is a...
Dr Romane Cristescu, from Detection Dogs for Conservation at the University of the Sunshine Coast, is a veterinarian and conservation ecologist with a wide range of interests - all centred around this single and complex question: “how can we best help wildlife in a world dominated by humans?” As part of understanding how wildlife negotiates...
In a collaboration between Friday Environment Forum, Slow Food Noosa and Noosa Community Gardens, a workshop on April 10th, will encourage families to discover how growing your own food is good for you and good for the environment, while being lots of fun. Di Seels, the Noosa Slow Food Snails Kids Co-ordinator, along with Josh...
Dr Adrian Gallagher is a recently retired Avian Veterinarian who has always had a strong interest in nature, in particular, birds. After graduating from the University of Queensland with honours and a Bachelor of Veterinary science in 1984, Adrian worked in several general practices on Brisbane’s Northside. At this time avian medicine and surgery was...
Join Zero Emissions Noosa’s Energy Champion Colin Lambie for free, practical tips on home energy management. You’ll hear real-world advice on taking simple steps towards cutting electricity costs and improving household efficiency. Learn how to reduce wasted power, make the most of your solar, and how tools like the free EnergyFlex app can help unlock savings...
Associate Professor Kevin Alford is a retired senior consultant cardiologist/physician who gained experience as a cardiologist in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. He has more recently specialised in education and history. Kevin has lectured at state and national universities and has been published in the Medical Journal of Australia and Circulation....
The Eastern ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) occurs in remnant heath in some areas of the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay, Cooloola and K'Gari. Previously widespread in coastal heaths along the south-eastern Australian seaboard, the mainland populations of this bird now exist in isolated remnants. Kieran Aland, an experienced field ecologist, will discuss the current status of...
For the last 14 years Ian Mackay has been chairman of MRCCC, the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee, a group established back in 1994. With a background as a biology teacher, he’s been keen to see a river once described as one of the most degraded in Queensland be treated differently. In the more than...
The upcoming Friday Forum is a special family workshop led by Kat and Malani Harris of Koala Family Adventures. They have dedicated over three years to supporting Australian wildlife, particularly koalas, through education, conservation, and activism. The workshop will include a fun and informative talk, teaching families how to spot koala activity in the wild...
Jo Brown has been a permanent resident of Teewah Village, Noosa North Shore for 6 years and has been exploring the Cooloola Recreational Area for around 35 years. She has been a wildlife rescuer for many years and had a rehabilitation and rescue facility for injured/sick seabirds, koalas and other wildlife at a family farm...
Dr Richard Noske is a renowned ornithologist. After obtaining a PhD from University of New England, Richard taught biology at Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory for 26 years. He has written several books, chapters for books and articles, but Richard’s passion for tropical birds of Australia and Indonesia is evidenced in the many journal articles...
