Sheep welcomes governor to outback qld
Updated
The Sheep Association of Queensland has confirmed they were "appalled" by the Governor's controversial policy on the national grazing period for sheep.
Speaking at its annual general meeting on Monday, the association said it was disappointed with the state of affairs in Queensland and hoped the meeting in Wollongong would allow it to "discuss the impact of the Governor's proposal".
It was not until late morning on Monday that we got word about what a large group of people would be up to. There were about 20-25 men standing in the back area waiting to enter the venue.
They are not farmers who grazed the sheep. They are animal welfare activists who want to know how their right to free grazing is being affected by a controversial state grazing policy.
The organisation was founded to protect "the integrity of the land" and the animals used to raise them from the backside of the earth to the top of the grazing allotment where the sheep are held to roam.
It is an organisation founded on the idea that we all make choices for our lives and that these choices are in no way in direct or indirect ways influenced by "the herd". They have also called for increased public and political engagement around the issue, which they claim is more than 50 times higher than in Victoria.
In a press conference this morning, the president of the association Bob Waugh, said the proposed changes to the grazing policy would "devastate sheep".
"We are particularly concerned about the proposed changes to allow sheep to be allowed to graze beyond their natural range before their natural lifespan, as this would lead to fewer viable herds and greater distress for sheep families struggling to survive over time," he said.
"There is an irony here, that in Victoria there are two of the most successful grazing systems around the world, and the only thing they have ever used to help feed all the sheep is to lock the sheep in small buildings behind the fences in a manner in which we have created some serious problems for sheep families."
He says he is pleased that the plan has not been implemented yet and it has to be discussed in Canberra.
"As there is no federal government, I feel there will be more public awareness and perhaps further discussion," Mr Waugh said.
"That discussion will be done by the State Government. But if we are to take into account the impacts of this on the animals that are used to raise our sheep, we will only get half a loaf at the door."
The State Government has confirmed they are working on an alternative plan to the grazing policy, which would include fewer animals allowed to graze on grazing allotments than currently occurs.
Meanwhile, farmers in th
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Fears aired over paradise dam water release; concern increased over water shortage as flooding continued Monday
UPDATES:
6:40 p.m.: Officials at the California Water Project said water levels in the San Francisco Bay have reached "a point where the risk of drought in the region is now very, very real."
The project, which operates dams in Northern California's Sierra Nevada, is one of the most expensive in the state, and has a projected debt of $1.2 billion by the end of 2016.
Crews are responding to multiple warnings, including one Saturday night about a "major spill" from another dam, Chief Information Officer Greg McManus said Sunday.
The "significant threat" to the dam "remains on, and continuing to be managed."
Authorities have received five reports of dam breakages in the Bay area since Saturday night, California State Water Resources Control Board Commissioner David Jones said Sunday.
Jones said water "has come right through" the dam at the El Rancho Dam, which lies about 60 miles southeast of San Francisco. In total, 11 people have been transported to four hospitals, while the rest have been treated for injuries, Jones said.
The dam has a projected $100 million operating reserve, but emergency managers are also trying to find other emergency ways to manage the $5.2 billion project without the need for supplemental revenue sources, Jones said.
Jones said that the project is operating at 120 percent capacity and expects it to have to make repairs to the second, most likely damaged dam within five years.
The water level at El Rancho Dam at midnight Sunday had dropped nearly to the level where it's expected to stay. It was one of the smallest dams at the project.
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5:35 p.m.: The State Water Project has said that the water near the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as water below the bridge, is above normal to accommodate growing population of tourists.
There have been two minor dam breaks at the San Francisco-Oakland area.
Officials from the project said they anticipate minor water flooding and have sent out crews throughout the Bay Area to clear water in areas of heavy demand and flood areas, though they're unsure about how far off average flood levels are.
But no, water is not safe anywhere on California's Central Coast and it can't be treated without damaging other systems, which could have downstream impacts.
Officials say they're hoping to have crews operating in the area again by Monday evening.
The project also said the state is moving more water from the West Coast as spring begins. There's about 821,000 acre feet of water, or more than the water that goes over the entire Golden Gate Bridge
