Community members from Warburton in the Upper Yarra Valley have been attempting to stop the proposed logging coupes on and surrounding Mt Bride. They say that “logging this area will reduce water security as the proposed coupes are within water catchment areas and it has long been recognised that logging has a negative impact on…
For the last few months there have been sustained, decentralised protests happening against logging operations in Victoria. Check here for some notes on previous actions. It has continued today (June 29) with protests in the Black Range, Toolangi, Lakes Entrance Mt Disappointment and the Pyrenees State Forest, with a symbolic connection to protests being held…
In June 2020, the Paradoxa Collective and the Nillumbik Shire Council hosted an online forum on traditional burning and botany. It featured Uncle Dave Wandin, Wurundjeri elder and traditional firestick farming expert and David Cameron, Senior Botanist at the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in conversation. They wandered around the Bunjil Reserve…
Fuel reduction is a complex and vexed issue. Fuel reduction (FR) burns are a useful tool in managing fuel load and hence in limiting the intensity of wild fires. However, much of the public debate treats FR burning as a panacea and not just a component of managing fire risk and intensity. Often fuel reduction…
Deb Foskey was a huge influence on politics in East Gippsland for decades. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Deb lived in Cabanandra in the mountains of East Gippsland, where she was instrumental in the formation of several national parks protecting old growth forests through her work in the Concerned Residents of East Gippsland. She moved…
A conference for the community, professionals and all who share an interest in conservation of Melbourne’s Grassy Plains. The conference will explore the three themes of ‘Respect, Protect and Reconnect’ Melbourne’s Grassy Plains. Friday 12th October (9am – 5pm) and Sat 13th October, 2018 (1pm-5pm, lunch 12pm-1pm) At Wyndham Council Chambers, 45 Princes Highway, Werribee.…
ECOSS is about providing opportunities for people to express their sustainable ideas and creative skills through various programs and projects. It is located in the Upper Yarra catchment at Wesburn, near Warburton. Each year it holds a Spring Fest as a fundraiser. This year it will happen on Saturday September 22, from 10am til 4pm.…
In the introduction to In Search of Space, Journeys in Wild Places, Ross Brownscombe points out that ‘nature writing’ which ‘explores the poetry and magic of wild places’ has not developed into a strong tradition in Australia. Compared to North America and the UK this is certainly correct, and true writers in this genre are…
Summer is a crazy time to live inland and north of the divide. I have heard that the Wurundjeri people, whose country extends up the Yarra and north to the great divide, recognise six seasons in the year. But in mid summer in Central Victoria, it seems to me that there are only two: Summer.…
Late spring, last light. The sky is pale but the colours haven’t leeched out of the land yet. The wind swirls through the trees, like a stick in muddy water, stirring languid but not yet hot air through the canopy. Last spring was wet and we had fields of chocolate lilies. This year is drier…
Mt Toorongo is a magical spot: it is a mountain in the Central Highlands to the east of Melbourne. If you drive to the Baw Baw ski village from Noojee, it is the steep dark mountain that fills the skyline above you as you head through the last of the farming country at Icy Creek.…
Aidan Kempster has been raising the profile of the proposal to create a Great Forest National Park through riding the trails and roads of the Central Highlands. He has been sharing his trips and insights on his website Riding for the Great Forest. He has also started to lead day rides, which are open to…
Barrie has been described as a “Pioneer and benefactor in the community settlement and green movements”. He was a life long activist, and an inspiration for many. He passed away in 2016. I wrote this reflection on his life recently. Although I hadn’t seen him in years, he had a profound influence on me and…
My latest installment from Castlemaine. DECEMBER 2015 SUMMER OR DROUGHT? It’s summer and the fear has set in. Yes, fear about the fires but after a warm winter, dry spring, and a baking early summer I wonder if we’re wheeling back into a long drought. Friends in the Chewton forest are already buying water. The…
December 11 is designated by the UN as International Mountain Day. Here’s a few facts from the UN: “Covering around 22 percent of the earth’s land surface, mountains play a critical role in moving the world towards sustainable economic growth. They not only provide sustenance and wellbeing to 915 million mountain people around the world,…
an appreciation of the Bogong bioregion 