Latest news with #McKenny
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Science
- The Advertiser
Indigenous knowledge helps uncover hidden 'koala city'
When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction." When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction." When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction." When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction."
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Science
- Perth Now
Indigenous knowledge helps uncover hidden 'koala city'
When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction."
West Australian
3 days ago
- Science
- West Australian
Indigenous knowledge helps uncover hidden 'koala city'
When Daryn McKenny spotted a koala in the state conservation area he has considered his "backyard" for decades, he knew it was an important find. It was the summer of 2019-2020 when catastrophic bushfires hit Australia's east coast and Mr McKenny spotted a koala on a trail camera he'd set up at Sugarloaf State Conservation Area, inland of Newcastle. "I grew up near Sugarloaf. This was my backyard as a kid ... I'd never seen a koala there before," the Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri man told AAP. When Mr McKenny called the University of Newcastle about his find, they told him they weren't aware of a koala population at Sugarloaf. Armed with a head torch and his knowledge of the Country he grew up exploring, Mr McKenny spent the next few years gathering hundreds of videos and photos of the marsupial. "I'd go out at 8 o'clock at night with a head lamp on and a bottle of water and I'd walk until two or three in the morning, just looking for koalas," he said. "Western ecologists will tell you you look for white eyes. I don't look for white eyes. I look for tree stars - their eyes are bright - we'd see blinking stars in the trees, that's when I knew I was seeing a koala." University of Newcastle researchers worked alongside Mr McKenny to survey the koala population at Sugarloaf as part of a statewide study on the species. Using spotlighting methods and thermal drone searches, they found a significant population of more than 290 koalas. "We didn't determine that we have a colony of koalas living on the fringe of a city - we actually have a city of koalas living on the fringe of an urban population," Mr McKenny said. University of Newcastle conservation scientist and study co-author Ryan Witt said Mr McKenny had a huge amount of knowledge of the land and koalas at Sugarloaf, which was helpful during the survey. "We were grateful to learn from him and share methods to find these cryptic animals," Dr Witt said. The statewide survey estimated a total population of more than 4000 koalas across 67,300 hectares of bushland. Of the seven national parks surveyed, Maria National Park had the greatest density of koalas with 521 predicted in 3350 hectares. Areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires had fewer koalas in comparison to the national parks which weren't impacted. "What's important to understand is it's not just where koalas are, but where they're not, and understanding why koalas aren't in certain areas, particularly if there's high-quality habitat there," lead researcher Shelby Ryan said. "That can help inform us about current koala populations and their threats and their likelihood of decline or localised extinction."
Irish Independent
27-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Louth man accused of stealing hospital patient's phone granted bail
Shane McKenny (39), no fixed abode, was brought in custody before that day's sitting of Drogheda Court. A garda gave evidence of arresting the defendant at 6.30am and charging him at 8.23am. She said that he made no reply after caution to each of six charges. He is accused of, on May 26 last at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, the theft of a Samsung phone valued €250 and, at Fr Connolly Way, possession of a Stanley blade knife without lawful authority or reasonable excuse. Mr McKenny is further charged with, on May 23 last at Hardmans Gardens, Drogheda, getting into a stationary vehicle; stealing a black flick wallet and its contents valued €175; theft of goods worth €18.75 at Circle K Mellifont, North Road, and using a debit card by deception to pay for items valued €26.30 at the same store. During a contested bail application, the arresting officer said it will be alleged that the accused had no permission to be in the Triage area after being discharged from the hospital. A lady left her handbag lying on a seat and it will be alleged that Mr McKenny took a phone from the handbag and was seen by another patient. Gardaí took statements from the injured party and a male patient. It will also be alleged that the phone was found on him. En route to Drogheda Garda Station the garda continued that it will be alleged he attempted to dispose of a Stanley knife in the back of a patrol car. He said that he had it for his own protection. Regarding the earlier incident, the court heard it will be alleged that at 2.15am on May 23, the defendant got into a car without permission at Hardmans Gardens and stole a black wallet and its contents before using a debit card for payment of €26.30 at Circle K at 2.50am. Judge Nicola Andrews granted Mr McKenny his own bail of €300, nil cash lodgement. He was remanded on bail to Drogheda Court on July 7. Conditions include that he not enter Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital except by ambulance or for a medical appointment, sign on twice daily at Drogheda Garda Station, stay off West Street, Drogheda, and out of all Circle K premises in Co. Louth. The accused, unemployed, was granted legal aid.
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bradford museum fundraising to ensure entry remains free
A museum has launched efforts to raise enough money to ensure entry for visitors can remain Peace Museum in Bradford's Open the Doors to Peace campaign aims to generate £10,000 in donations during Big Give's Arts for Impact year the museum relocated from the city centre to a new site in Grade II-listed Salts Mill in has since enjoyed a significant increase in visitor numbers. The museum's marketing director, Aine McKenny, said: "We are a completely independent museum and charity, so donations are really important to us to help us to survive and to keep these doors open."The Big Give campaign is an excellent way to do that because it really maximises the impact your donation can make by doubling it." The Peace Museum moved from Piece Hall Yard to the third floor of the mill following grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and City of McKenny added that since the move, the museum had attracted 20,000 visitors compared to around 3,000 at the old has exhibits such as roof tiles salvaged from Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombings, and wire fencing from the Greenham Common peace camp. The museum reopens for the summer on 3 April and has a new exhibition theme which has yet to be added: "Our new hours for spring/summer are going to be Thursday to Sunday between 10am and 4pm."We've changed some of the objects so if you've been to see us when you come back you can see something else. "We'll have all-new peace banners on display, badges on display, and it's also going to be the last chance to see our temporary exhibition 'What Does Peace Mean?' "As well as higher visitor numbers, donations of potential display items from the public have Big Give Trust match funds amounts donated by the public and philanthropists, foundations and to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
