News from FB: "the cavers cottage out back of Jenolan caves has been lost to bushfires. Such fun times, such great memories, what a great asset to NSW cavers ( & others ) it was. Still, not as devastating to all those who have lost their own homes, how awful that must be."
Aussie bushfires
- Thread starter mikem
- Start date
"NSW cavers are very saddened by its loss, much discussion is already going on about how it can be replaced. For better news, the heritage listed Caves house was saved along with most of the surrounding buildings. Had we lost Caves house, that would have been horrid. For the great asset the cavers hut was, along with the memories & the awesome parties that place has seen, it was an old fibro 1 bedroom cottage, not anyone's personal home or heritage listed, so its loss is low on the scale compared with other lives, wildlife, forest and homes lost."
rhychydwr1
Active member
Very sad losing a club hut but there is a bigger picture. These bush fires occurs every year but nothing appears to have been done about it. I would recommend wide fire breaks. The ground could be used to grow something like potatoes. After a fire you could feast on roast spud.
rhychydwr1
Active member
[quote author=rhychydwr1 [snip] I would recommend wide fire breaks. The ground could be used to grow something like potatoes. After a fire you could feast on roast spud.
[/quote]
Probably a more sensible idea than shooting 10,000 camels, but then it would cost many many billions to install firebreaks over 100,000 square miles
[/quote]
But just think of all those roast spuds!
This is a problem as we are talking about an area the size of Wales.
[/quote]
Probably a more sensible idea than shooting 10,000 camels, but then it would cost many many billions to install firebreaks over 100,000 square miles
[/quote]
But just think of all those roast spuds!
This is a problem as we are talking about an area the size of Wales.
ttxela2
Active member
2xw said:
As I understand it they do already have a programme of controlled burning to create fire breaks. I've heard it implied that environmental restrictions have meant that this has been done less recently - but I've also heard the counter that this has been more down to budget restrictions. Maybe someone with more local knowledge could confirm?
rhychydwr1
Active member
Another view:
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/477667-climate-change-australia-fires/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/477667-climate-change-australia-fires/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email
royfellows
Well-known member
180 arsonists have been arrested!
What is going on?
What is going on?
2xw
Active member
rhychydwr1 said:
Not so much "another view" as a pointless boomer rant. Celebrities don't capture the full complexity of an ecological problem? Perhaps next the Russian gov newspaper will put out an article about water being wet!
There is currently programmes with prescribed burning, but the issue is more complicated than "make firebreaks". Similar to the Saddleworth Moor fires, arsonists wouldn't have an effect if the veg wasn't so dry and the weather so hot.
Prescribed burning hasn't become "unfashionable" or bad PR, it's being debated, as any scientific subject is. Whilst it may reduce the severity of fires it can have other effects like damaging water supplies (as it does here) and exacerbating floods. So really a complex issues that needs the trade offs for locals to be fully considered before going ahead.
Misappropiated news - that's for the whole of Australia for the whole of last year & includes people ignoring fire bans, but not causing out of control conflagrations:royfellows said:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/08/police-contradict-claims-spread-online-exaggerating-arsons-role-in-australian-bushfires
royfellows
Well-known member
More like 'Fake News'. I was suspicious.
crickleymal
New member
mikem said:
The Secretary of our club has just received an email with something similar in it. From sil iannello. We were wondering if it was real or phishing.
crickleymal said:
So I realise that a single post from a new account won't do a great deal to convince anyone about phishing.
But I'm an Aussie caver from the National University Caving Club in Canberra, and occasionally browse this forum for the useful equipment discussions and interesting digging trip reports. I can confirm for you all that the appeal (http://www.gofundme.com/f/cave-landscape-bushfire-rehabilitation-appeal) is real- Sil Ian (Flinders University Speleological Society) runs the Australian Speleological Federation's social media presence, and Bob Kershaw (Illawarra Speleological Society) is the ASF's Treasurer. It's an effort to build funding to support volunteers in the coming months and years to undo the damage these fires have wrought in so many of our karst areas. If you can, we'd all love it if you could donate or share the appeal more widely! Otherwise volunteer some time for a deserving karst conservation projects- I'm sure you all have plenty of deserving options too.
Mendipgirl
New member
They prayed for rain and then complained about hail stones.
Latest news - open another Fosters and put another snag on the bar-be
Latest news - open another Fosters and put another snag on the bar-be
Thanks, mikem, but it wasn't the cultural allusion that was puzzling me; it seemed as though (unless I have completely misunderstood Mendipgirl's post, in which case I apologise profusely in advance) somebody was trying to make a joke about what is about as far as you can get from being a laughing matter.