<
https://theconversation.com/glide-poles-the-great-aussie-invention-helping-flying-possums-cross-the-road-209033>
"Next time you’re road-tripping along the east coast, keep an eye out for a
little-known Aussie invention piercing the skyline: glide poles. For
Australia’s gliding possums, or gliders, they’re the next best thing since tall
trees.
These tall timber structures, with timber cross arms near the top, give gliders
a way to cross big roads. They can shimmy up a pole on one side of the road and
then leap to another (and another) to get to the other side.
After witnessing the earliest experiments with glide poles decades ago, it’s
heartening to see the design refined and replicated up and down the east coast.
The world’s largest gliding marsupial, the greater glider, was listed
nationally as endangered a year ago this month. That’s because their
populations had declined by 80% in just 20 years. As land-clearing and
bushfires continue to destroy old growth forests with tall trees and hollows,
gliders need all the help they can get."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
