Today is World Environment Day, a day to celebrate the incredible living world that surrounds us and the important role we play in ensuring it's preserved for generations to come.
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It's also a day to celebrate the change-makers in our community and there are plenty of them to celebrate in the Southern Highlands and Tablelands.
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To mark the day, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) has launched the 2022 ACF Peter Rawlinson Conservation Award.
The annual award is in memory of Peter Rawlinson who died in 1991. Mr Rawlinson was an ACF councillor, zoologist, university lecturer and tireless environmental campaigner.
Nominations are now open for any individual or group that has made an extraordinary voluntary contribution to protecting our environment in Australia.
The winner will receive a $3,000 prize and a memento.
So, who are some of the incredible environmentalists we've written about so far this year?
Belinda Foley is the woman behind Beelinda's Bee Hive. She understands how vital bees are to our lives and is passionate about caring for our ecosystem.
"Without them we're doomed as a race. It's so important to keep them alive and healthy," Ms Foley said.
Young climate activist Katta O'Donnell stopped into Goulburn to speak at the Goulburn Workers Club about the first, and only, legal action in the world that aims to hold a sovereign nation accountable for not disclosing the risks of climate change to sovereign bond investors.
"I think a lot of the time the government tells the narrative that they can't do anything about the climate crisis, because it'd be bad for the economy, but doing nothing, or continuing to invest in and subsidise industries that are destructive and exploitive, is actually the biggest risk to the economy," Ms O'Donnell said.
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Heather Caulfield owns a bat aviary that houses about 300 bats a year and it's the only one in NSW. She's a self proclaimed bat enthusiast and the Southern Tablelands' only bat carer. She sees climate change as one of the biggest threats to bats.
"When the temperature gets over about 42 degrees, flying foxes, which are the most common species in NSW, start to suffer heat stress and they start to cook from the inside," Ms Caulfield said.
Mittagong vet Dr Keith McKellar Stewart's expertise on wombats was published in German Hanover Zoo's monthly magazine.
"We see wombats quite regularly. They are hit by cars or bought in by members of the public," Dr McKellar Stewart said.
Licensed wombat carer John Creighton managed the rescue of many wombats during the recent flooding. Wombat Care Bundanoon worked around the clock answering calls about wombat sightings and waterlogged burrows.
"The community has taken responsibility for our own animals which is wonderful and we need to do more than that," Mr Creighton said.
Southern Highlands beekeeper Hamish Ta-mé warned of biosecurity risks as well as food and agricultural impacts after the NSW floods claimed thousands of bees.
"It's not just the floods, it's also the sustained cold weather and rain. The flowers have nectar washed out, so there isn't any food for the bees," Mr Ta-mé said.
Do you know of someone doing great work for the environment in the region? Tell us about them. Click here for the Goulburn Post, and here for the Southern Highland News.
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