Write for conservation, and art

I’ve picked the yellow-rumped thornbill to write about for the Bimblebox 153 Birds Project. 153 because they’ve recorded 153 bird species at Bimblebox Nature Reserve in central western Queensland (although their website now says 154).

The privately owned high-biodiversity remnant woodland reserve is now under threat from a coal mine development by Waratah Coal, which happens to be owned by Clive Palmer, and which was given government approval late 2013.

The owners and supporters are keeping up their fight against the coal mine in interesting and positive ways:

• they got Kickstarter funding in 2011 to get US film maker Michael C O’Connell to make a documentary
• they have a great website
• they’ve got a touring exhibition “Bimblebox: art – science – nature”
• they’ve been active in the media
• a regular visitor has produced a book “Bimblebox: A Nature Refuge under Siege”
• and now the 153 Birds Project – for writers, artists and musicians.

Whether I get the gorgeous yellow-rumped thornbill or a different species, I’d like to think my writing could help raise awareness of the undoubted environmental values of the reserve.

And, you know, its not that often that scientists (current or ex, like me) get to take part in an art project!