#sprawl — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #sprawl, aggregated by home.social.
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Sprawl, cars and climate
Transport set to be Australia’s top-emitting sector by 2030, private cars (SUVs) still dominate.“If you’re in suburbia or regional Australia and you’re trying to make a journey, often you’ll find public transport is just not a viable option and you have no choice but to drive."
"Experts have pointed towards an Australian love for US-style SUVs as a contributing factor to the rising death toll on roads nationwide, which has climbed every year since the pandemic, with NSW the highest of any state." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/07/sprawling-city-public-transit-work-sydney-right-track
#sprawl #cars #SUVs #DeathToll #transport #climate #PublicTransport #NSW #MobilityDesign -
Platypuses need threatened species recognition in NSW, researcher says
"The species was only "hanging on, not thriving" in NSW and the Murray-Darling Basin."
"There's no state or national monitoring framework for platypuses...Dr Bino said platypuses had survived Australia's natural cycles for millions of years, but were now struggling to adapt to human-driven changes. We've been disrupting the natural flow regime and fragmenting and isolating platypus populations."
"Platypus are pretty much wiped out from the mainland in South Australia. They used to occur all along the Murray but that's no longer the case." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-27/platypuses-should-be-threatened-species-in-nsw-researcher-says/106520128
#platypuses #conservation #habitat #rivers #NSW #monotremes #MDB #ThreatenedSpecies #biodiversity #water #pollution #sprawl #ImperviousSurfaces #roads #runoff #drowning #WipeoutAU -
Oh, and of course, I knew once #AmazonCorp announced plans to build a warehouse in #GorhamME, the #GorhamConnector would rear its ugly head again... And even though #JanetMills' brother #PeterMills is no longer in charge of #MDOT doesn't mean the new director won't be pushing this... Instead of a light rail system or rapid bus transit on the existing roads (and / or safer bike lanes. I knew friends who used to bike from Gorham to Portland, but it got too dangerous because of a lack of dedicated bike lanes and speeders).
#MDOT will launch new examination of traffic issues west of Portland
The state study will focus on Gorham, #ScarboroughME, #SouthPortlandME and #WestbrookME.
Robert Lowell, April 22, 2026
Excerpt: "The announcement of the new study comes just days before Amazon goes to the Gorham Planning Board on May 4, seeking approval for a warehouse and distribution center on Main Street (Route 25). Traffic will likely be one issue fueling concerns about the Amazon project.
"The study also comes in the aftermath of plans the Maine Turnpike Authority shelved last year for a four-lane toll road connector to Gorham. The connector was aimed at reducing commuter rush-hour traffic in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor [which the #Maine Legislature failed to make go away!]
"A connector would have linked the roundabout at South Street (Route 114) and the southerly end of Gorham’s Bernard Rines Bypass with the turnpike’s Exit 45 in South Portland. The connector proposal was met with a public outcry because it called for cutting a swath through #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookME."
Archived version:
https://archive.md/Rh3bH#MainePol #InducedSprawl #Maine #RuralLife #SaveTheFarms #SaveRedBrook #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit
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Malnourished and sick kangaroos, isolated by urban sprawl on New South Wales's Mid North Coast
"...The kangaroos were chronically malnourished because they could not find enough to eat in an area bordered by ocean, the nearby Emerald Beach settlement, and the Pacific Highway. Our theory is that ongoing development … the M1 being upgraded and an increase in suburban dwellings, that this population is isolated." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-24/sick-kangaroos-coffs-coast-look-at-me-now-headland/106597450First the thylacine, the others a bit later...
#biodiversity #wildlife #EasternGreyKangaroos #habitat #kangaroos #marsupials #CoffsCoast #CoffsHarbour #LookAtMeNowHeadland #EmeraldBeach #sprawl #tourism #PacificHighway #roads #harm #MidnorthCoast #StarvingWildlife
Image: Coastal sprawl - No place for endemic wildlife on the Mid North Coast of NSW
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It is not a fuel crisis,
it is a fossil fuel crisis!Oh dear, We forgot to transition our mobility system
Go e-anything now without the matching active mobility infrastructure.This fuel crisis could last for a while. It’s time for a new approach to fuel use – end it. >>
https://theconversation.com/this-fuel-crisis-could-last-for-a-while-its-time-for-a-new-approach-to-fuel-use-end-it-280454#MobilityDesign #FossilFuels #CarDependency #oil #war #CarMinds #HabitFormation #idling #speeding #EnergyTransition #infrastructure #machinery #ActiveMobility #sprawl #walkability #bikepaths #EMobility #ClimateCrisis
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“I reckon you’re either built for #sewage, or you’re not."
Behind this door is the huge #fatberg that can’t stop depositing #poo balls on Sydney’s #beaches >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/apr/09/sydney-fatberg-door-beach-poo-balls
#NSW #coast #sprawl #infrastructure #ocean #pollution -
Speak Truth to Power. Calgarians can register to speak in these public sessions at Calgary.ca/publicsubmissions. #Housing #Rezoning #yyc #yyccc #Sprawl #UrbanSprawl #Density
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jeuzjfwsgn62xfoe7qo4jul5/post/3mhramkkbic2d
Public Submission to City Cler... -
This is a traffic infrastructure story, an overreliance on cars story, and deeply macabre
"Man who petitioned for traffic light dies at same intersection where his wife was killed"
#transportation #cars #horror #walkability #suburbs #driving #sprawl #traffic #infrastructure
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Australian wildlife in ‘harm’s way’, with volunteers left to ‘pick up the pieces’ amid climate crisis, fires and floods
"Last financial year, volunteers responded to more than 320,000 calls for help for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. Nearly 130,000 rescue operations were conducted and vets assessed 51,000 injured animals."
"The soaring demand is being driven by climate change and habitat destruction."
“As a consequence of these pressures, more and more animals are getting in harm’s way. When they get in harm’s way, governments take very little interest. So it is left to volunteers to pick up the pieces and get those animals back into the wild. Currently responsibility for injured animals falls on the community."
"We need a national approach.”
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/03/australian-wildlife-in-harms-way-with-volunteers-left-to-pick-up-the-pieces-amid-climate-crisis-fires-and-floods
#biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #EPBCAct #volunteers #FossilFuels #sprawl #roads #LandClearing #climate #governance -
Australian wildlife in ‘harm’s way’, with volunteers left to ‘pick up the pieces’ amid climate crisis, fires and floods
"Last financial year, volunteers responded to more than 320,000 calls for help for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. Nearly 130,000 rescue operations were conducted and vets assessed 51,000 injured animals."
"The soaring demand is being driven by climate change and habitat destruction."
“As a consequence of these pressures, more and more animals are getting in harm’s way. When they get in harm’s way, governments take very little interest. So it is left to volunteers to pick up the pieces and get those animals back into the wild. Currently responsibility for injured animals falls on the community."
"We need a national approach.”
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/03/australian-wildlife-in-harms-way-with-volunteers-left-to-pick-up-the-pieces-amid-climate-crisis-fires-and-floods
#biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #EPBCAct #volunteers #FossilFuels #sprawl #roads #LandClearing #climate #governance -
Australian wildlife in ‘harm’s way’, with volunteers left to ‘pick up the pieces’ amid climate crisis, fires and floods
"Last financial year, volunteers responded to more than 320,000 calls for help for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. Nearly 130,000 rescue operations were conducted and vets assessed 51,000 injured animals."
"The soaring demand is being driven by climate change and habitat destruction."
“As a consequence of these pressures, more and more animals are getting in harm’s way. When they get in harm’s way, governments take very little interest. So it is left to volunteers to pick up the pieces and get those animals back into the wild. Currently responsibility for injured animals falls on the community."
"We need a national approach.”
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/03/australian-wildlife-in-harms-way-with-volunteers-left-to-pick-up-the-pieces-amid-climate-crisis-fires-and-floods
#biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #EPBCAct #volunteers #FossilFuels #sprawl #roads #LandClearing #climate #governance -
Australian wildlife in ‘harm’s way’, with volunteers left to ‘pick up the pieces’ amid climate crisis, fires and floods
"Last financial year, volunteers responded to more than 320,000 calls for help for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. Nearly 130,000 rescue operations were conducted and vets assessed 51,000 injured animals."
"The soaring demand is being driven by climate change and habitat destruction."
“As a consequence of these pressures, more and more animals are getting in harm’s way. When they get in harm’s way, governments take very little interest. So it is left to volunteers to pick up the pieces and get those animals back into the wild. Currently responsibility for injured animals falls on the community."
"We need a national approach.”
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/03/australian-wildlife-in-harms-way-with-volunteers-left-to-pick-up-the-pieces-amid-climate-crisis-fires-and-floods
#biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #EPBCAct #volunteers #FossilFuels #sprawl #roads #LandClearing #climate #governance -
Australian wildlife in ‘harm’s way’, with volunteers left to ‘pick up the pieces’ amid climate crisis, fires and floods
"Last financial year, volunteers responded to more than 320,000 calls for help for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. Nearly 130,000 rescue operations were conducted and vets assessed 51,000 injured animals."
"The soaring demand is being driven by climate change and habitat destruction."
“As a consequence of these pressures, more and more animals are getting in harm’s way. When they get in harm’s way, governments take very little interest. So it is left to volunteers to pick up the pieces and get those animals back into the wild. Currently responsibility for injured animals falls on the community."
"We need a national approach.”
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/03/australian-wildlife-in-harms-way-with-volunteers-left-to-pick-up-the-pieces-amid-climate-crisis-fires-and-floods
#biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #EPBCAct #volunteers #FossilFuels #sprawl #roads #LandClearing #climate #governance -
Austerity and sprawl are not the future Port Alberni deserves.
(The Letter was sent to the AV News on January 8, 2026) Dear Editor, I’ve been increasingly disturbed by Mayor and Council’s decisions of late and the latest budget related scandals have only gotten worse: Ending the City's relationship with the BCSPCA; proposed ending support for McLean Mill National Historic Site; the Visitor Centre begging for money; Expensive (to city and residents) sprawling and dangerous wildfire interface residential development on 15th contrary to […]https://chrisalemany.ca/2026/01/08/austerity-and-sprawl-are-not-the-future-port-alberni-deserves/
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From traffic channels to
"replacing them with shared surfaces, lower speeds, an ecological layer, and spatial ambiguity."Shared public spaces
"are expected to accommodate not only movement and encounter but also water infiltration, carbon sequestration, shade, biodiversity, and multispecies migration, while remaining safe and efficient conduits for people and infrastructure above and below ground.""Personal transportation is a primary driver of urban sprawl and the proliferation of intercity highways."
>>
https://landezine.com/streets-from-infrastructures-to-shared-ecologies/
#SharedSpace #PublicSpaces #mobility #pedestrians #micromobility #traffic #pollution #runoff #microclimate #heatisland #HumanScale #machines #cars #traffic #sprawl #BellingenShire #sprawl
Bellingen traffic channel -
Is (Adelaide's) stormwater contributing to the toxic algal bloom?
"... Stormwater "had never been sexy" and, as long as it was flushed away, it did not get the attention nor the government investment it deserved."
"The EPA's Adelaide Coastal Waters Study (ACWS) summary of 2008 stated that nutrient loads had increased 30 to 50 times since European settlement, and recommended steps to reduce wastewater, stormwater and industrial inputs. The study found the loss of seagrass was "mainly due to stormwater flows" "
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-21/is-adelaides-stormwater-contributing-to-the-toxic-algal-bloom/106025180
#ocean #rivers #pollution #runoff #stormwater #drains #dumping #waste #sprawl #housing #roads #infrastructure #MassMortalityEvents #MarineLife #seagrass #HABs #brevetoxins #MarineHeatwave #FossilFuels #coast #Australia #degradation -
The impacts of fossil fuel emissions are gnawing on Australia's coastline
"Australia's exposure to current and future risks from the sea, including coastal erosion, king tides and rising sea levels, was "very high", The Insurance Council of Australia.
"Sea level rise caused by climate change would mean the issue was not going away, and Australians needed to consider what we valued about our coastline."
"Why a seawall might not protect both beaches and homes from coastal erosion...We'll end up with a giant wall around our beaches, or around our whole coastline. That's not saving the landscape, that's saving the infrastructure. We've got to slow down development and look at what we value about the beach."
Professor Kennedy "said governments would need to consider buying back beachfront land and rehabilitating it, to protect both infrastructure and the beach."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-22/frankston-seawall-tides-costal-erosion-housing-australia/105555380
#Coast #erosion #inundation #FossilFuels #climate #SeaLevel #values #Coastal #sprawl #StrandedAssets #SandCastles #walls #PublicLand -
The impacts of fossil fuel emissions are gnawing on Australia's coastline
"Australia's exposure to current and future risks from the sea, including coastal erosion, king tides and rising sea levels, was "very high", The Insurance Council of Australia.
"Sea level rise caused by climate change would mean the issue was not going away, and Australians needed to consider what we valued about our coastline."
"Why a seawall might not protect both beaches and homes from coastal erosion...We'll end up with a giant wall around our beaches, or around our whole coastline. That's not saving the landscape, that's saving the infrastructure. We've got to slow down development and look at what we value about the beach."
Professor Kennedy "said governments would need to consider buying back beachfront land and rehabilitating it, to protect both infrastructure and the beach."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-22/frankston-seawall-tides-costal-erosion-housing-australia/105555380
#Coast #erosion #inundation #FossilFuels #climate #SeaLevel #values #Coastal #sprawl #StrandedAssets #SandCastles #walls #PublicLand -
The impacts of fossil fuel emissions are gnawing on Australia's coastline
"Australia's exposure to current and future risks from the sea, including coastal erosion, king tides and rising sea levels, was "very high", The Insurance Council of Australia.
"Sea level rise caused by climate change would mean the issue was not going away, and Australians needed to consider what we valued about our coastline."
"Why a seawall might not protect both beaches and homes from coastal erosion...We'll end up with a giant wall around our beaches, or around our whole coastline. That's not saving the landscape, that's saving the infrastructure. We've got to slow down development and look at what we value about the beach."
Professor Kennedy "said governments would need to consider buying back beachfront land and rehabilitating it, to protect both infrastructure and the beach."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-22/frankston-seawall-tides-costal-erosion-housing-australia/105555380
#Coast #erosion #inundation #FossilFuels #climate #SeaLevel #values #Coastal #sprawl #StrandedAssets #SandCastles #walls #PublicLand -
The impacts of fossil fuel emissions are gnawing on Australia's coastline
"Australia's exposure to current and future risks from the sea, including coastal erosion, king tides and rising sea levels, was "very high", The Insurance Council of Australia.
"Sea level rise caused by climate change would mean the issue was not going away, and Australians needed to consider what we valued about our coastline."
"Why a seawall might not protect both beaches and homes from coastal erosion...We'll end up with a giant wall around our beaches, or around our whole coastline. That's not saving the landscape, that's saving the infrastructure. We've got to slow down development and look at what we value about the beach."
Professor Kennedy "said governments would need to consider buying back beachfront land and rehabilitating it, to protect both infrastructure and the beach."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-22/frankston-seawall-tides-costal-erosion-housing-australia/105555380
#Coast #erosion #inundation #FossilFuels #climate #SeaLevel #values #Coastal #sprawl #StrandedAssets #SandCastles #walls #PublicLand -
The impacts of fossil fuel emissions are gnawing on Australia's coastline
"Australia's exposure to current and future risks from the sea, including coastal erosion, king tides and rising sea levels, was "very high", The Insurance Council of Australia.
"Sea level rise caused by climate change would mean the issue was not going away, and Australians needed to consider what we valued about our coastline."
"Why a seawall might not protect both beaches and homes from coastal erosion...We'll end up with a giant wall around our beaches, or around our whole coastline. That's not saving the landscape, that's saving the infrastructure. We've got to slow down development and look at what we value about the beach."
Professor Kennedy "said governments would need to consider buying back beachfront land and rehabilitating it, to protect both infrastructure and the beach."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-22/frankston-seawall-tides-costal-erosion-housing-australia/105555380
#Coast #erosion #inundation #FossilFuels #climate #SeaLevel #values #Coastal #sprawl #StrandedAssets #SandCastles #walls #PublicLand -
Groundwater Pumping Is Contributing To The Subsidence Of Major U.S. Cities
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https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/08/climate/sinking-cities-us-causes-groundwater.html <-- shared media article
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00240-y <-- shared paper
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#water #groundwater #subsidence #city #cities #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #engineeringgeology #engineering #risk #hazard #pumping #overpumping #waterresources #USA #America #sinking #infrastructure #damage #cost #economics #repais #mitigation #sealevelrise #flood #flooding #foundations #urban #remotesensing #earthobservation #satellite #elevation #measurement #change #vertical #movement #geology #soils #model #modeling #prediction #waterresources #farming #agriculture #watersupply #industry #well #riskassessment #landuse #monitoring #management #utilities #growth #population #demographics #construction #sprawl -
YES! VICTORY! Public pushback makes a difference!
#MaineTurnpikeAuthority drops controversial #GorhamConnector project
by WGME Staff Thu, March 6th 2025 at 7:56 PM
GORHAM (WGME) – "The Maine Turnpike Authority is now dropping its controversial Gorham connector project.
"The project would have built a new highway from South Portland to Gorham, with the goal of easing heavy road congestion.
"The MTA paused the project last year after receiving backlash from local residents.
"The project would have required the demolition of nearly a dozen homes and confiscation of #farmland."
"'There was a lot of concern, and people wondered if it's the right-sized tool for the job, a lot of people have concerns that, building another highway, there's concerns that it will just fill up,' MTA Director of Communications Erin Courtney said.
The MTA says it's heading back to the drawing board to re-examine traffic conditions and review past mobility studies to find better ways to ease congestion in the area." [Like #LightRail, #RapidTransitBusLines and more #BikeLanes!]
https://wgme.com/news/local/maine-turnpike-authority-drops-controversial-gorham-connector-project-south-portland
#Maine #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SmilingHillFarm #InducedSprawl #GorhamConnector #MainersForSmarterTransportation #Maine #MaineNews #GorhamBypass #GorhamSpur #Maine #RapidTransit #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit -
Logging machinery and other combustion machines are driving koalas out of their habitat at Bellingen/ Gleniffer's Tuckers Nob forests.
#biodiversity #dispersal #bellingen #gleniffer #GlenifferRoad #NSWLogging #cars #sprawl #FCNSW #TheGreatKoalaNationalPark #SaveTuckersNob -
Koala displacement by the government logging industry and local traffic.
#bellingen #gleniffer #GlenifferRoad #NSWLogging #cars #sprawl -
A combustible world: "Any city can burn now. "
21st-century fires"The intensity of the fire ...burned basically the same way as the ones in LA. You had the drought, you had the fuel, you had the wind and that’s all you need. That can be recreated anywhere in the world. Any city can burn now. "
"Don’t look at the fire, look at the wind. If the wind is blowing over you, it means the embers are, too. The fire could be 2 miles away, but if the wind is toward you, the embers are, too, and act accordingly."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/11/wildfires-los-angeles-climate-crisis-john-vaillant"Fire fuel "used to be thought of as "the bush" leaf litter, grasses, shrubs, trees, in short Australian biodiversity. Now it is also houses, all the stuff and the petrol derived products and infrastructure.
Bushfire fuel classification overview >>
https://www.afac.com.au/docs/default-source/burning/bushfire-fuel-classification-overview.pdf?sfvrsn=8&download=false
#fires #bushfires #Fossilfuels #combustion #wind #cars #HomoFagrans #energy #petrotopia #plastic #housing #cities #sprawl #flammable #fuel #chemicals #trauma #vegetation #biodiversity #TheBush #HazardReduction #ClimateBreakdown -
The roaming cats of Bellingen are one of the biggest threats to wildlife
"The average pet cat kills 110 native animals each year, roughly 320 million across Australia, and that doesn’t even include frogs or insects. The species is directly responsible for the third highest number of extinctions in Australia, after humans and chytrid fungus."
Victoria has " effective legislation that’s empowering local government to take action on the issue of roaming pet cats."
>>
https://au.news.yahoo.com/calls-for-major-rule-change-as-big-threat-roams-free-in-aussie-state-054425641.htmlLocal councils are tightening cat ownership laws to help protect wildlife and keep your pet safe
https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/news/cat-ownership-laws-ABC-Radio-Interview#cats #pets #ownership #NuisanceCats #containment #IntroducedSpecies #sprawl #disease #wildlife #birds #Bellingen #Gleniffer #council #regulation #NSW #CompanionAnimalsAct #ExtinctionCrisis #council #BellingenShire
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The native Mole cricket
Mole Cricket - Gryllotalpa sp and its Chirping Call >>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-wEtmNLMgM"Before they develop the land they wipe out all the vegetation, and then people grow introduced plants. If the area is big enough they will wipe out everything...Introduced lawn grass and plants won’t allow them to come back, because it’s not the habitat it used to be. So urbanisation makes a big impact on not only crickets but everything.” >>
https://au.news.yahoo.com/womans-remarkable-garden-discovery-after-strange-night-time-sound-it-didnt-stop-051559308.htmlExtinction of experience >>
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10118
#crickets #Gryllotalpa #lawn #turf #monoculture #suburbia #sprawl #insects #SoundEcology #pesticides #silence -
Are industrial scale burns incinerating Australian biodiversity?
"The “industrial” scale burns which are designed to “process landscapes as efficiently as possible” are known to frequently kill – in 2022, Victorian authorities accidentally incinerated several koalas when they set a forest alight, and evidence suggests fires set in Tasmania have killed endangered devils."
"A complete “rethink” of fire management practices by state authorities" is needed.
>>
https://au.news.yahoo.com/rare-aussie-bird-under-threat-over-common-tree-practice-catastrophic-061116403.htmlDriscoll, D.A., Macdonald, K.J., Gibson, R.K. et al. Biodiversity impacts of the 2019–2020 Australian megafires. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08174-6
#Biodiversity #bushfires #fires #megafires #PyroConvectiveStorms #incineration #pileburning #sprawl #destruction #wildlife #birds #GlossyBlackCockatoos #koalas #CulturalBurning #ExtinctionCrisis #FossilFuels -
Fom Queensland to NSW, the same story:
“Koala habitats have got smaller and smaller over the years, and the roads through them have got busier...The animals that draw visitors to the Queensland capital are being run down at an alarming rate. Just three days apart in November, separate pairs of mother and joey koalas were hit by vehicles and left to suffer on the side of the road. They were just hit and left. People don’t stop..This year we've hit over 100 within a 6km radius."
vehicle strikes crashes
https://au.news.yahoo.com/road-sign-exposes-dark-truth-about-popular-tourist-attraction-030508724.html
#koalas #wildlife #sprawl #roads #cars #motorists #roadkill #TheDrive #Brisbane #Bellingen #GlenifferRoad #TheGreatKoalaNationalPark #SacrificeZone #ecocide #Biodiversity #extinction makers -
Urban sprawl is destroying wildlife habitats
The sub-urban package of houses, cars, roads and introduced pets drives Australian native animals out of their habitat. Their homes become eliminated or fragmented by roads which become extinction zones for wildlife. Unleashed cats and dogs maul the remaining homeless survivors.
The absolute priority is given to fossil fuel vehicles to fly from a to b at maximum speed. This entails a mobility design that declares any living body an obstacle on 'their path'. Some of the maimed crash survivors get scraped off the roads by volunteers. In some places wildlife admissions at the vet hospital had risen by 400 per cent in the last decade. It's a mono-cultural housing and infrastructure design where bio-diversity is non-existent in minds and policies.
"More wildlife was being forced into urban areas, leading to collisions with vehicles, attacks by domestic animals, and entanglements in fruit netting. Experts say behavioural changes need to be made and urban sprawl contained to reduce the harm to wildlife."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-24/werribee-zoo-injured-wildlife-urban-sprawl-melb-geelong/104614358
#sprawl #ecocide #cars #crashes #roads #BiodiversityCrisis #wildlife #coexist #extinction #SacrificeZone #harm #MobilityDesign #RescueService #volunteers #SettlerSociety #biodiversity -
#ScarboroughMaine Town Council rescinds support for #GorhamConnector
The 6-1 vote on the resolution follows increasing opposition among town residents to the controversial $331 million, 5-mile highway, which would affect 35 property owners in town.
by Drew Johnson
10/2/2024"The vote was not unexpected; a majority of councilors had voiced support for the resolution at a meeting last month.
"Myles Smith, a member of the #MainersForSmarterTransportation group that organized a rally outside Town Hall Wednesday night, commended the council for taking up the resolution.
"'We’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘There’s nothing we can do about this project,’ ‘It’s a done deal,’ or ‘It’s decided by the state,’ ' Smith said. 'But that’s not true. When people come together and stand up for what they believe in, and our elected leaders listen to their concerns, we can make changes that people want to see in their community.'
"The resolution rescinds the council’s support for the connector, citing the failure of the #MaineTurnpikeAuthority to fulfill the terms of its agreement with Scarborough and three other communities, as well as town residents’ widespread opposition to the project.
"The resolution is not binding on future councils and leaves open the possibility of collaborating with state and regional transportation groups to resolve traffic issues should such efforts garner significant public support.
"The Maine Turnpike Authority, Scarborough, Gorham, South Portland and Westbrook signed an agreement in May 2022 pledging support for the project. While those other communities have not officially considered withdrawing their support, officials in the other municipalities have been watching the Scarborough council’s deliberations closely as public opposition to the project mounts.
"The project, estimated to cost at least $331 million, was proposed by the turnpike authority to alleviate traffic congestion through the Gorham area and has been contentious from the outset.
"The four-lane, 5-mile connector would stretch from Route 114 at the Gorham Bypass into Scarborough with interchanges at County and Running Hill roads before linking up with Interstate 95 at Exit 45 in South Portland. It’s designed to alleviate traffic in other parts of those communities, such as on Route 114 and Route 22, which provide connections to the highway.
"According to a turnpike authority presentation to the Scarborough council in February, about 50 landowners would be impacted by the project via easements, 35 of them in Scarborough. The connector also would weave through #wetlands in the northern portion of town, sparking #environmental concerns.
"The preferred path also is set to cut through a portion of #SmilingHillFarm in #WestbrookMaine, a family-owned farm on 500 acres that has been in the Knight family for 13 generations, which spurred widespread opposition to the project.
"'I’m hoping today that the Town Council members decide to put a pause on this and to talk to the MTA about finding alternate routes or scrapping this project altogether,' Ben Wallace, a 12th-generation farmer at Smiling Hill Farm, said ahead of the vote."
Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/10/02/scarborough-town-council-votes-to-rescind-support-for-gorham-connector-project/Archived version:
https://archive.md/dkvkB#selection-2485.0-2541.254#Maine #MaineNews #SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHill #GorhamSpur
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #ProtectTheWetlands #BrookTrout -
UPDATE: Scarborough withdrew their support for the Gorham Connector!
So, the word I'm hearing is that so many people showed up at a recent meeting voicing their opposition, the #ScarboroughMaine Town Council has no choice but to withdraw their support.
Scarborough council to vote on withdrawing support for #GorhamConnector
by Aysia Reed, WGME
Wed, October 2nd 2024#Maine #MaineNews #SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHill #GorhamSpur
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl -
Workshop in #ScarboroughMaine Wednesday, September 18th
Community group opposing #GorhamConnector discusses alternatives
A coalition run by volunteers, #MainersForSmarterTransportation , held a community forum about the Gorham Connector, with all present opposing it.
"Offering alternatives to the connector, Gorham resident Tina Ruel talked about traveling this summer in Switzerland and France and riding aboard electric trams on tracks and buses. 'Building more roads and widening roads is no longer the answer,' Ruel said in a printed statement to the American Journal."
by Robert Lowell, September 12, 2024
"Opponents of the proposed #MaineTurnpike toll connector to Gorham spoke out last week in a community forum held in Westbrook.
"A grassroots coalition, Mainers for Smarter Transportation, organized the meeting. It has more than 11,000 signatures on a petition to halt the connector, according to its website m4st.org.
"#SmarterTransportation volunteer Myles Smith of Portland said the connector could cost upward of $400 to $500 million and quality of life suffers when new roads are constructed. '#Highways often lead to #sprawl, Smith said."Two ways to solve transportation problems, Paul Drinan, who is a member of Westbrook Recreation and #Conservation Commission, said, are #RapidTransit and active transportation such as #bicycling and #ElectricScooters.
The proposed 4.8-mile connector would link the Bernard Rines Bypass in Gorham to Turnpike Exit 45 in South Portland. It is aimed at easing bumper-to-bumper, rush-hour congestion in the routes 22 and 114 commuter corridor through #GorhamMaine, #ScarboroughMaine and #WestbrookMaine. The connector alignment would cut a 50-acre swath through historic #SmilingHillFarm.
"Retired Gorham tax assessor Mike D’Arcangelo said Maine is a tourist mecca and the state’s beauty needs protection. 'Are we going to put in a forever, four-lane highway?' he said.
"The Scarborough Town Council will discuss the Gorham connector in a workshop scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Scarborough Municipal Building, 259 Route 1."
Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/09/12/community-group-opposing-gorham-connector-discusses-alternatives/Archive:
https://archive.md/CrtWs#InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook #SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #GorhamBypass
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #SaveTheForest #Wildlife #LightRail #HuskyLine #RapidBusTransit #BikeLanes #MainersForSmarterTransportation #MaineTurnpikeAuthority -
Upcoming meeting! Find out about alternatives to the #GorhamConnector in Southern #Maine! #LessCars, #MorePublicTransportation!
Gorham Notes: Aug. 29, 2024
by Robert Lowell"Gorham connector forum
#MainersForSmarterTransportation have a community forum planned from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the #WestbrookMaine Community Center on the proposed Gorham Connector to the #MaineTurnpike."The #MaineTurnpikeAuthority is proposing a 5-mile, four-lane connector from the roundabout on Gorham’s South Street to Exit 45 in South Portland.
The plan calls for the connector to slice through #SmilingHillFarm and has generated an extensive public outcry. The connector is aimed at easing the heavy commuter traffic in the routes 22 and 114 corridor through #GorhamMaine, #ScarboroughMaine and Westbrook."Original article [may be behind paywall]:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/08/29/gorham-notes-aug-29/Archive:
https://archive.md/qDpDR#selection-2399.0-2413.250#SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHill #GorhamSpur
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl #SaveRedBrook -
'Repair' much of the past two centuries of degradation
Australia’s environment could be fixed and threatened species saved for just 0.3% of GDPThe "Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists estimates $7.3bn a year for 30 years could avoid most extinctions, repair soils and restore rivers."
"Australia’s spectacular and unique landscapes and beloved wildlife were a drawcard for domestic and international tourists alike, bringing billions of dollars into the Australian economy every year ... Many Australians did not realise that “all of this is genuinely under threat”.
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/24/australia-environment-endangered-species-fixed-gdp
#biodiversity #BiodiversityCrisis #ExtinctionCrisis #degradation #NatureCrisis #conservation #repair #environmentallaws #ClimateAction #Australia #LandClearing #sprawl -
'Repair' much of the past two centuries of degradation
Australia’s environment could be fixed and threatened species saved for just 0.3% of GDPThe "Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists estimates $7.3bn a year for 30 years could avoid most extinctions, repair soils and restore rivers."
"Australia’s spectacular and unique landscapes and beloved wildlife were a drawcard for domestic and international tourists alike, bringing billions of dollars into the Australian economy every year ... Many Australians did not realise that “all of this is genuinely under threat”.
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/24/australia-environment-endangered-species-fixed-gdp
#biodiversity #BiodiversityCrisis #ExtinctionCrisis #degradation #NatureCrisis #conservation #repair #environmentallaws #ClimateAction #Australia #LandClearing #sprawl -
'Repair' much of the past two centuries of degradation
Australia’s environment could be fixed and threatened species saved for just 0.3% of GDPThe "Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists estimates $7.3bn a year for 30 years could avoid most extinctions, repair soils and restore rivers."
"Australia’s spectacular and unique landscapes and beloved wildlife were a drawcard for domestic and international tourists alike, bringing billions of dollars into the Australian economy every year ... Many Australians did not realise that “all of this is genuinely under threat”.
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/24/australia-environment-endangered-species-fixed-gdp
#biodiversity #BiodiversityCrisis #ExtinctionCrisis #degradation #NatureCrisis #conservation #repair #environmentallaws #ClimateAction #Australia #LandClearing #sprawl -
'Repair' much of the past two centuries of degradation
Australia’s environment could be fixed and threatened species saved for just 0.3% of GDPThe "Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists estimates $7.3bn a year for 30 years could avoid most extinctions, repair soils and restore rivers."
"Australia’s spectacular and unique landscapes and beloved wildlife were a drawcard for domestic and international tourists alike, bringing billions of dollars into the Australian economy every year ... Many Australians did not realise that “all of this is genuinely under threat”.
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/24/australia-environment-endangered-species-fixed-gdp
#biodiversity #BiodiversityCrisis #ExtinctionCrisis #degradation #NatureCrisis #conservation #repair #environmentallaws #ClimateAction #Australia #LandClearing #sprawl -
'Repair' much of the past two centuries of degradation
Australia’s environment could be fixed and threatened species saved for just 0.3% of GDPThe "Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists estimates $7.3bn a year for 30 years could avoid most extinctions, repair soils and restore rivers."
"Australia’s spectacular and unique landscapes and beloved wildlife were a drawcard for domestic and international tourists alike, bringing billions of dollars into the Australian economy every year ... Many Australians did not realise that “all of this is genuinely under threat”.
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/24/australia-environment-endangered-species-fixed-gdp
#biodiversity #BiodiversityCrisis #ExtinctionCrisis #degradation #NatureCrisis #conservation #repair #environmentallaws #ClimateAction #Australia #LandClearing #sprawl -
YES!
Peter Mills stepping down as head of Maine Turnpike Authority
Gov. Janet Mills' brother, who has served as executive director of the quasi-governmental agency since 2011, said his health factored into his decision to not seek reappointment in September.
by Rachel Ohm
June 27, 2024"Mills’ decision comes at a busy time for the turnpike authority, which is working on a controversial proposal for a 5-mile, more than $200 million toll road from South Portland to Gorham known as the #GorhamConnector, among other projects. The agency has faced strong resistance to the project, including from the family-owned #SmilingHillFarm in #GorhamMaine."
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #GorhamSpur #GorhamBypass #MTA #Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl
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Four FREAKING minutes! That's all the time saved by destroying #SmilingHillFarm and the #RedBrook watershed!!! And that was from Maine Turnpike Authority's owm study!!!
Residents continue to voice concern over Gorham Connector highway plan
June 25, 2024
"A traffic study by the MTA says when the new highway opens, the average driver in the surrounding area will save about 4 minutes off their commute."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/some-mainers-voice-concerns-over-gorham-connector-plan/ar-BB1oT454
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHill #GorhamSpur
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl -
I find it ironic that #GovernorJanetMills has declared June to be "#Maine #Dairy Month," when her brother #PeterMills is trying to destroy one of the last remaining dairies in #SouthernMaine, #SmilingHillFarm!
#GovernorMills Proclaims June as #MaineDairyMonth
May 30, 2024
https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/governor-mills-proclaims-june-maine-dairy-month-2024-05-30
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #GorhamConnector #GorhamBypass #SaveSmilingHill #GorhamSpur
#Maine #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl -
McMansion Hell, v funny. Also McMansion 101, really cool stuff, you learn why they're so bad.
#architecture #McMansion #design #real #estate #USA #home #suburb #sprawl #commute #big #garage #huge #house #roof #pitch #nub #gable #shed #flat #foam #columns #supporting #nothing #asphalt #instead of #landscape #huge #useless #spare #rooms #square #feet https://mcmansionhell.com/ -
[Video + gift article] Plan to extend turnpike through #farmland gets slammed before first public meeting
The #MaineTurnpikeAuthority is hosting a public meeting Monday evening on the #GorhamConnector, its plan to build a 5-mile, 4-lane highway spur from the turnpike in #SouthPortlandMaine to the #GorhamBypass.
by Kelly Bouchard
March 25, 2024"Speakers at the press conference said the connector would worsen or simply relocate #TrafficCongestion and exacerbate #pollution and other #environmental problems.
"Warren Knight, one of six siblings involved in the farm, questioned whether the authority chose to build the connector through the farm because it was easier to cross and the cheapest alternative for a project expected to cost well over $200 million.
"'We don’t think that’s right or fair,' Knight said. 'Why should #OpenSpace and farmland be considered expendable?”
"Tuck O’Brien, a Portland resident and representative of Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit that works to preserve and restore fish habitat, said the connector would jeopardize the clean, cool headwaters of #RedBrook, a tributary to Clarks Pond in South Portland that is [one of the last] active habitats for #BrookTrout.
"Sadie Donnell, a #GorhamMaine resident, said the region’s traffic challenges present a 'huge opportunity' to expand public transportation and reduce the number of cars on the road, rather than move them from one road to another."
#SaveSmilingHill #GorhamConnector #GorhamSpur #Maine #MaineTurnpikeAuthority #RapidTransit #LightRail #SaveTheFarms #ProtectTheForest #InducedDemand #Sprawl
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Understanding Wildlife Behavioral Responses to Traffic Noise and Light to Improve Mitigation Planning
Product Type: Policy Brief
Publication Date: June 09, 2020"As roads and other developed land uses proliferate, the resulting habitat fragmentation and loss of wildlife connectivity hinder animals’ ability to forage, establish new territories, and maintain genetic diversity. Wildlife crossing structures such as culverts and bridges theoretically can reduce these impacts by allowing species to effectively cross highways. However, previous research has shown that traffic presence and density can disrupt wildlife use of highway crossing structures, and that noise and light from human activities can affect animal behavior. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, Road Ecology Center measured traffic noise and light levels and placed motion- and heat-triggered cameras at 26 bridges and culverts along four interstate highways, 11 state highways and one major county road across California. The presence and behavior of animals at these highway crossing structures were compared to those detected at sites unaffected by roads to understand the effects of noise and light from a highway on wildlife behavior. This policy brief summarizes findings from that research and provides policy implications.
"Traffic moving on transportation corridors affects wildlife connectivity. Many wildlife species move across road surfaces, or through culverts and bridges, with varying levels of success depending on species, infrastructure and traffic levels. As roads and other developed land uses proliferate, the resulting habitat fragmentation and loss of wildlife connectivity hinder animals’ ability to forage, establish new territories, and maintain genetic diversity. Wildlife crossing structures such as culverts and bridges theoretically can reduce these impacts by allowing species to effectively cross highways. However, the physical roadway barrier may not be the only deterrent. Previous research has shown that traffic presence and density can disrupt wildlife use of highway crossing structures, and that noise and light from human activities can affect animal behavior."
#GorhamConnector #SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveRedBrook #SaveTheForest #WorkingFarms #MaineTurnpikeAuthority #Sprawl #InducedDevelopment #GorhamSpur #Wetlands #Meadows #EnvironmentalImpact
#SaveTheWoods #Maine #GorhamMaine #ScarboroughMaine #WestbrookMaine #RapidTransit -
I'm planning on submitting a summary of these studies as part of my arguments against the #GorhamConnector. I grew up near a 4-lane highway, and the vibrations and noise pollution were constant -- I hadn't realized how bad it was until I went back home a few years ago and camped in my old backyard -- and felt every speeding tractor trailer truck going by.
Evidence of the impact of noise pollution on biodiversity: a systematic map
By Romain Sordello, Ophélie Ratel, Frédérique Flamerie De Lachapelle, Clément Leger, Alexis Dambry & Sylvie Vanpeene
Environmental Evidence volume 9, Article number: 20 (2020)
"Ecological research now deals increasingly with the effects of #NoisePollution on #biodiversity. Indeed, many studies have shown the impacts of #AnthropogenicNoise and concluded that it is potentially a threat to the persistence of many species. The present work is a systematic map of the evidence of the impacts of all anthropogenic noises (industrial, urban, transportation, etc.) on biodiversity. This report describes the mapping process and the evidence base with summary figures and tables presenting the characteristics of the selected articles."
https://environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13750-020-00202-y
#SaveSmilingHillFarm #SaveRedBrook #SaveTheForest #WorkingFarms #MaineTurnpikeAuthority #Sprawl #InducedDevelopment #GorhamSpur
#Wetlands #Meadows #EnvironmentalImpact
#SaveTheWoods #Maine #GorhamMaine #ScarboroughMaine #WestbrookMaine #RapidTransit -
Editorial: Pump the brakes on Maine Turnpike spur
April 18, 2022
via #RestoreTheNorthWoods"#Maine is barreling down the road on a more than $200 million infrastructure investment that even its own backers agree is not enough to fix the current problem and could make things worse in the future. It’s the proposed #Gorham-#Westbrook connector, a five-mile toll road being developed by the #MaineTurnpikeAuthority. New roads lead to more driving. It’s called '#InducedDemand.' Traffic congestion in Westbrook, #Scarborough, #Standish and #Gorham is not just a highway problem. Though these towns are some of the fastest-growing in Maine, public transit is not viable because the population is so spread out. Without allowing for denser development and offering a real transit alternative, building a faster road from Gorham to Portland could simply drive the development further west. Until we know where we’re going, this project should slow down."
https://www.restore.org/maineenvironews/2022/4/18/editorial-pump-the-brakes-on-maine-turnpike-spur
#Development #Sprawl #MaineTurnpikeAuthority #GorhamSpur #LessCars #MoreLightRail #GorhamConnector #Maine