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Although the Society has recommenced its bushwalking and other activities, NSW Government Guidelines are being observed.

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Tara Cameron was re‑elected president at our 2021 Annual General Meeting.

Other business included -

• presentation of the President's Report, Financial Accounts and Nursery Report,
• approval of the Financial Accounts,
• appointment of an auditor,
• determination of the structure of 2021-22 Management Committee,
• election of the 2021-22 Management Committee and other office holders.

All renominating Management Committee and other office holders were elected.

Maurice Kerkham, Bushwalking Convenor for the past 11 years, did not renominate. Doug Nicholls nominated for the position and was elected.

Valda Low didn't renominate as Social Media Officer.

Over the last six years Valda has also held at times the positions of Website Officer and Environment Education Officer. She also acted as Newsletter Editor on several occasions.

Valda will continue to do Facebook posts - an activity shared with several other MC Members.

The AGM was followed by -

Dr Kellie Leigh, CEO of Science for Wildlife, gave a presentation of the plight of koalas in the Blue Mountains. Of special interest was the rescuing of a dozen koalas who were in the path of the bushfires in 2019, and their subsequent release.

The following 20 minute video was part of Dr. Leigh's presentation.

To learn more, provide help or donate go to the Science for Wildlife website.

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Wetlands should not burn, but this one did because it has been undermined by coal mining. They've cracked the bedrock and the water has drained out, and now it is destroyed ... forever.

Recently the Nature Conservation Council teamed up with local Lithgow environmentalists to investigate and document the damage done to areas that have been undermined by Centennial Coal. What we discovered was a disaster zone.

Endangered wetlands have been turned into lifeless, dusty deserts. These areas which were once the life-blood of the forest and supported an incredible diversity of rare wildlife are now barren.

Longwall mining deliberately collapses the ground after the machine extracts the coal. This causes cracks in the bedrock, which drains water from the wetlands. They dry out and become extremely vulnerable to fires, and many of the wetlands of the Newnes Plateau scorched during the 2019/20 bushfires.

Already some wetlands have been lost forever. We seek to protect the remaining wetlands from the same disaster. The re-opening and expansion of Angus Place mine under the remaining wetlands should be rejected. This area of the Newnes Plateau should be protected from mining.

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Katoomba Airfield is still at risk of development into a commercial airfield for heli-charters.

The proposed lease, that was initially rejected, is now being reconsidered.

Go to our new Katoomba Airfield Lease webpages to find out more and what you can do.

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The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements and the NSW Independent Bushfire Inquiry have concluded. Here are their reports (all documents are around 18MB each) -

• The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements Report and Appendices
• NSW Independent Bushfire Inquiry Report

And here's the Society's submission to the NSW Independent Bushfire Inquiry.

Our Bushfires webpage contains a detailed analysis of the 2019-20 bushfires and their impact on the Greater Blue Mountains - including maps, an assessment of areas burnt and the loss of wildlife. Information on recovery and What You Can Do is there, plus some articles on firefighting.

In June and July, the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA) hosted Australia’s first virtual bushfire and climate change summit to coordinate a national response to the Australian climate and bushfire crises.

The 2020 National Bushfire and Climate Summit brought together hundreds of participants from across the country and the world to share their experiences, and to formulate recommendations to address the worsening risk of devastating bushfires fuelled by climate change.

The Australian Bushfire and Climate Plan is the culmination of that effort.

The Australian Bushfire and Climate Plan provides a broad plan and practical ideas for governments, fire and land management agencies and communities to help us mitigate and adapt to worsening fire conditions.

The plan’s 165 recommendations include many measures that can be implemented right now, to ensure communities are better protected.

The experts agree: We must tackle climate change and worsening extreme weather by urgently phasing out fossil fuels.

The Blue Mountains Conservation Society participated in this summit and endorses this plan.

An ad for the plan appeared in The Australian on 1st August.

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Australia has the highest emissions per person of any OECD country.

Government and business action is crucial in addressing climate change, but our personal actions also make a difference.

The Society has prepared a Climate Action Now Flyer that details the changes you can make to -

• reduce energy use
• switch to ethical electricity
• go solar
• consider the impact of how you eat and shop
• consume less and reduce waste
• consider your travel options.

We also encourage you to Raise Your Voice On Climate Change by -

• joining a bush regeneration or Landcare group
• joining the Blue Mountains Conservation Society
• moving money out of fossil fuels
• helping stop more fossil fuel projects
• engaging politically
• communicating and advocate.

We acknowledge Katrina Shields, Zero Emissions Byron, who inspired production of this flyer.

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