Fishing and climate change action

[dem...@clear.net.nz]

Hello Opotiki Coast Transition Town people....

A couple of  items:

Have you been following Lloyd Hosken's amazing community seabed enhancement project ? You may recall that some from our Transition Town spent a day building concret modules for a reef as part of this community project - REAF. So we have a designated seabed TT site off Opotiki! Ted and I went out with Lloyd recently and were blown away by the quality/quantitiy of the fishing! We were not fishing the TT reef - but  one nearbye.. To see my feedback on our experience - take a minute to go to   www.rankers.co.nz and look for Marine Life Tours under sea fishing - eco- fishing trip.  Lloyd is also doing paid fishing trips to help further his project - so if you have visitors coming who want to fish - Marine Life Tours would be great...

Second item:

For those of you who like myself are in despair about the ghastly world our children will inherit after global warming has done its worst -   we need to do all we can this last-chance year to force global leaders to curb carbon emissions. I know it seems hopeless - but only the pressure of people power can help now.

Here is what you can do:

1) Contact the Greenpeace website and SIGN UP to their Lucy Lawless led campaign pressuring the NZ Government to make a commitment that NZ will reduce carbom emissions to 40% below 1990 levels at the global Copenhagen meeting in March.

2) The Gov is consulting with the community in the main centres re this target next week - very short notice - people are scrambling to get there in large enough numbers. Hamilton or Napier are closest for us - BUT if you can't get there please please e-mail Nick Smith, Climate Change Minister and John Key - saying why you want to see a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020.

3) Check out the 350.org.nz site - good information there too. 350.org  is a global movement working towards a day of peaceful demonstrations globally on October 24th - a  mobilisation of millions of people with maximum media exposure is planned- calling for CO2 emissions to be curbed to stabilise the temp rise below 350 degrees (it's above that already). I will be at the Auckland planning meeting this Thursday - on behalf of Transition Town Opotiki Coast - and any other organisation you would like me to represent - just contact me by Wednesday.

We need to start brainstorming activities - I'll bring back news of   other towns' ideas. (There will be frocks on bikes...people on mountain tops etc ...) To start us thinking - what about a stretch of 350 people along one of our beaches - filmed against the ocean on a slow moving quad bike - holding signs or fabulous creations of threatened sea life.....

Look forward to seeing you at the OPOTIKI TT get together at 2 00 pm on July 19th at the Heritage Art Centre, King St, Opotiki

Cheers

Lynne Dempsey

Lynne Dempsey