KUCHING: A proposed Wildlife Corridor linking protected areas from Kalimantan to Sabah could help boost the rich ecosystem of Borneo.

World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) head of conservation Dr Henry Chan said the fragmented and scattered locations of biodiversity in Sarawak would limit the gene pool of animals.

Even though we have national parks, animals cannot move out or breed among other species, therefore the gene pool will be limited, and this would even jeopardise their health.

This proposed landscape connectivity or corridor will help with the migration of animals, Chan said in a presentation at the Youth Green X-Change Programme Talk on Sustainable Development held at Azam Conference Room, Azam Complex in Jalan Crookshank here yesterday.

The transboundary corridor from Sebangau National Park to Mount Kinabalu National Park will also help the government and private sector to expand these areas.

Chan said the idea for a Wildlife Corridor was broached by the Sultan of Brunei during the Heart of Borneo meeting last year, and that implementation would be carried out in stages.

Chan revealed that WWF-Malaysia had five Priority Conservation Areas (PCA) in their endeavours (including the Wildlife Corridor) which are core conservation zones, sustainable land use and forest management, Key Watershed Areas for sustaining freshwater needs as well as stakeholder engagement.

Hopefully, the desired outcome is that Totally Protected Areas will be surrounded by healthy production forests where areas used by the community as well as palm oil and timber plantations will be connected by intact ecosystems and high conservation value areas.

Currently there are 31 national parks, eight nature reserves and four wildlife sanctuaries in Sarawak.

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Wildlife Corridor proposed to enrich gene pool

They went, they saw, they sat in a tiny, white pool in the middle of the Mojave. The first visitors to "Social Pool," artist Alfredo Barsuglia's mini-pool/social experiment/piece of conceptual sculpture, have returned from their desert journeys with stories of adventure, trepidation, whimsy, beauty and concern for the environment. They've shared photos too.

Among the visitors: Lukas Mandrake and Steven J. Lewis, a pair of marrieds who also work as scientists and engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Caada Flintridge, and Chris Rusak, an L.A.-based artist who creates paintings that play with ideas of depth and translucency.

To get to the pool, as I explained in an earlier story about Barsuglia, travelers must secure the key that unlocks it from the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in West Hollywood. Only when visitors have the key are they given the GPS coordinates to the pool's secret location (somewhere in the southern Mojave).

Mandrake told me via email that he and Lewis undertook the trip because they were intrigued by what it would mean to see the pool.

"The idea that it was hard to find ... something to earn, not merely see," he explains. "A pool that all can go to but almost all won't go to implied a sense of exclusivity not based on money but personal interest."

And there was the excitement of getting there: "Once the roads turned to dirt, and then to very poorly maintained dirt, we began to wonder if this had been a bit too adventurous," he recalls. "Images of popped tires in 95 degree heat without cellphone coverage quieted us during this phase."

When they finally found it (after a short walk), they were struck by how out of place Barsuglia's pool seemed in its desert environment, "a crisply painted white wooden structure with unfancy locks and a sliding top felt more like we were opening a cross between an ultra-modern space-like installation on some alien planet and someones backyard DIY gone very odd. And then there it was, complete with absurdist purple octopus thermometer and a rather clever solar water filter."

Rusak, the artist, says he had conflicted views about the piece, and it had everything to do with questions of landscape and the environment.

"I talked with Barsuglia about the work through email, and he continually asserts that the location was chosen for aesthetic value," he states via email. "I feel like the pool is really irrelevant here, and he wants participants to focus on solitude and resource privation."

Rusak says it was his journey that was the most interesting part of the piece.

See the rest here:
Worth a GPS detour? Visitors report on the Mojave's 'Social Pool'

Jackie Knauer, left, and Judy Pohl of Magical Murals stand in front of their latest creation in Fenton Lane.

image credit: Dan FERGUSON/Langley Times

A large new mural in Fenton Lane was a labour of love for Jackie Knauer and Judy Pohl of Magical Murals.

They certainly didn't do it for the money.

The large landscape painting took about a week to complete time which the two women donated to the project.

Weve seen how hard (the City and DLBA) have been working to clean up the downtown core and we wanted to help make the City pretty, said Pohl.

Weve seen everyone working so hard, and seen so much improvement over the last 10 years.

The artists, who have worked together for the past eight years, were publicly thanked at Mondays City council meeting for their contribution. It can be viewed in Fenton Lane which branches off the Fraser Highway one-way next to Choo Choos restaurant.

Pohl and Knauer have also completed murals at Al Anderson Memorial Swimming Pool and Penzer Bike Park. See more of their work at magicalmurals.ca.

Visit link:
Artists thanked for donation of landscape mural

South America

Off-the-radar lodges of Latin America

Vaya Adventures founder Jim Lutz shares his short list of distinctive lodgings in seven Central and South American countries and why these relatively undiscovered gems deserve a visit.

Vaya Adventures

FoxNews.com

http://www.foxnews.com/

Situated on the Chiloe archipelago in Chilean Patagonia is an avant-garde, 12-room luxury hotel created of local materials to blend with an off-the-beaten-track landscape dotted about with houses built on stilts. While few people know about this region or include it in their trip to Chile, colonial-era wooden churches in Achao, Chonchi and Quinchao are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Vaya Adventures

hotelrefugiachiloeexterior

Boasting stunning modern design embellished with local folk art, this hideaway sits on a private peninsula on mythic Lake Titicaca in the high Andes, with four acres of grounds and two private beaches enjoyed from 18 lake-view accommodations, wrap-around terraces and a private jetty. The lodge offers outstanding packages that include meals and excursions to local cultural and historical sites, such as Taquile Island and nearby towns and villages.

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Lodges of Latin America

By Kathy Ehrich Dowd

07/08/2014 at 07:45 PM EDT

Breezeway inside the Bush family's Crawford ranch

Peter Vitale for Architectural Digest

Former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have opened up their famous Crawford, Texas, ranch to Architectural Digest and the images are dazzling.

The eco-friendly, 1,600-acre property once dubbed the Western White House has hosted world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. It was also the scene of Jenna Bush Hager's 2008 wedding and the spot where then-president Bush famously cleared brush during his two terms in office.

Then as now, the natural setting makes Prairie Chapel Ranch a peaceful retreat for the couple, who tried to stay true to the landscape when they completed the home in 2001.

"We wanted to see and enjoy the beauty as much as possible," the former president tells the magazine for its August cover story.

Bush family ranch

Peter Vitale for Architectural Digest

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George and Laura Bush Offer Rare Peek Inside Crawford Ranch

Pari-mutuel betting means bigger pools for stability and confidence: Tabcorp chief operating officer for media and international product, Brendan Parnell. Photo: Louie Douvis

Punters are set to be able to bet into multimillion-dollar pools on Hong Kong racing when the first national tote pool comes into effect by the end of next year.

The powerful Hong Kong Jockey Club has set a goal to have one pari-mutuel pool on its meetings and will host Tabcorp and TattsBet punters' win, place, quinella, duet and trifecta bets from as early as September, subject to Australian Competition and Consumer Commissionapproval.

"We have the biggest pools in the world and we think we have the best racing," HKJC executive director of racing Bill Nader said. "We see have a benefit to have all international operators betting into our pools because of their size. The technology is available to do it, so want to do it now.

"It doesn't make sense to have a number of little pools around the world, which don't give punters the confidence to bet.This is the way of the future."

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Any bet placed on Hong Kong racing by a tote in Australia would be taxed only at home; a tax waiver will be in place for international bets in Hong Kong. The benefit of more turnover would therefore be returned to the Australian racing industry.

Australian pari-mutuel betting has levelled out in the past decade, whereas in Hong Kong betting has grown from $HK60 billion ($8.26 billion) in 2006 to $HK102 billion this year. The final race of the Hong Kong season on Sunday was expected to hold more than $HK50 million in the racing mecca.

The move would be a huge boost for tote pools in Australia, which turn over more than $100 million on racing in Hong Kong. It could also be the forerunner to a national tote being put in place for Australian racing. However, insiders say that would be not happen for at least five years, given it would require agreement between all states and territories.

Tabcorp has worked to be at the forefront of international wagering for the past decade and is taking every precaution to make sure it happens. It has the technology in place to co-mingle with any country and submitted an application in May to the ACCC to gain approval for the next seven years to bet and receive bets from overseas.

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Punters set to get access to huge Hong Kong betting pools in new deal

Wind turbines west of Wellington are not only changing the landscape, they are also transforming landowners' bank balances.

"They're music to my ears, actually," says Ohariu Valley sheep and beef farmer Gavin Bruce, who has a 440-hectare property with eight turbines.

All told there are 88 turbines on two Meridian Energy wind farms: 62 on the West Wind farm, situated on both Meridian's own property as well as on Terawhiti Station, south of Makara; and 26 on the Mill Creek wind farm on four properties in the Ohariu Valley.

Bruce said the turbines had made a big difference to the economics of his business, though he would not divulge how much money changes hands.

"In my case it's a big jump up, equivalent to lifting my stock unit numbers from 4000 to 6000," he estimates.

Further south on 5000ha Terawhiti Station, manager Guy Parkinson says 34 turbines have helped turn the sheep and beef farm from a loss into a profit-maker.

"Without the wind farm it would not have been possible to have turned the farm around," he said.

Besides providing income, Meridian also creates high-quality roading which makes for easier farming, and which it maintains.

In Parkinson's case it used to take two days to muster sheep by horse; now he can drive around the large property in less than an hour on 25 kilometres of roads.

On Bruce's property the 30-year-old fences had to be replaced by Meridian during construction, "cranking up" the returns to the farm.

Link:
Farmers welcome windfall from wind farms

Home service companies across SWFL told us they got a number of phone calls after last night's severe weather. It's a trend they see continuing as we enter the summer months. But just because the mercury is going up doesn't mean the cost of maintaining your home has to.

"Every time I tell people what I do, they go, "Oh! You're a pool boy! Oh! You're a cabana boy! But there's a lot more to job than just showing up with the chemicals and a smile," explains Nick Williams.

He and his dad run Performance Pool Service Inc. in Cape Coral. Williams services dozens of pools each day and says the summer months bring about a special set of challenges, especially with excess rainwater.

"You're adding fresh water to something that you already have chemicals in," explains Williams. "So it's going to ruin your chemistry."

Joe Mitchell with Pool Pros Inc. says that's also a big concern among his customers.

"We've already had a few phone calls that pools are a little cloudy."

Mitchell says running your pump more often can be a quick fix. His company maintains more than a thousand pools and says this is his busiest year yet.

The pool guys aren't the only ones seeing the mini boom. Franz Regner, owner of Tropiscape Landscape Services, says his business is up twenty percent over last year. He just got eight new customers last week alone.

The most common mistake he sees is people taking too much of their trees.

"Over trimming is not really good because just like anything else, if you trim it too far back, the root system doesn't have anything to sustain itself," says Regner.

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Rains take toll on home service maintenance

Springs Preserve Unearth the past at this multimillion-dollar natural history museum complex, also home to the Nevada State Museum. Exhibits treat Native Americans and railroad pioneers to casino impresarios, mobsters and showgirls. The surrounding nature preserve has walking trails, an eco-living educational center, a green-themed gift shop and a caf. springspreserve.org

Grand Canyon More than just a big hole in the ground, this ethereal wind- and water-sculpted landscape ranks among the USAs top natural attractions. Tip: Skip the gimmicky SkyWalk and visit the national park instead. From Las Vegas, several companies offer bus tours, or take a flight-seeing trip aboard a private helicopter or plane (from $209; maverickhelicopter.com). If you drive, its about 4 hours each way. nps.gov/grca

A pool party in full swing at the Hard Rock Cafe (Getty)

Hoover Dam This art-deco desert masterpiece of engineering towers above the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, backing up onto artificial Lake Mead. Learn all about the history of the dam, built during the 1930s Great Depression, while taking an underground tour that visit the dams massive hydroelectric generators, each of which could power a small city of 10,000 people. Bus tours from Las Vegas are inexpensive and can be booked after arrival. usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam

Mount Charleston Nestled in the Spring Mountains, outdoorsy locals come here to hike during summer The drive northwest of the city takes about an hour.

The Grand Canyon (Alamy)

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Check out some high-octane NASCAR racing at the speedway or put some metal the pedal on the go-karting track at this 1500 acre Las Vegas Boulevard venue. lvms.com

Neon Museum Take a trip through time on a guided walking tour of downtown's vintage "boneyard" of neon signs. Gems such as the Stardust casino's magnificent marquee and Binion's lucky horseshoe sign have found their eternal rest here. Make tour reservations in advance or drop by the museum's visitor center, inside the restored mid-century modern La Concha Motel lobby, to check on last-minute availability. neonmuseum.org

Super Summer Theatre Big productions enjoy an outdoor airing in the picturesque surroundings of the Spring Mountain Ranch state park, about a 30-minute drive from the strip. This year, see Monty Pythons Spamalot or Shrek the Musical. lasvegas.com/supersummertheatre

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Getty)

Read more here:
Las Vegas attractions: what to see and do in summer

SR Smith BigRide Landscape Pool Slide Installation
The SR Smith BigRide Landscape Pool Slide can be ordered in the UK from Jackson #39;s Leisure Supplies: http://www.jacksonsleisure.com/swimming-pools/poolside-eq...

By: Jacksons Leisure

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SR Smith BigRide Landscape Pool Slide Installation - Video