Mountain Journal

NSW Nordic Ski Club and Reclaim Kosci are co-hosting a screening of “Underfrog” on Wednesday July 24. The night will be used to increase raise awareness of the feral horse issue in the Snowy Mountains and raise funds for Reclaim Kosci to continue their work. Everyone is welcome. Doors open at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start. Donations are optional. The film is suitable for all ages.

Underfrog is a recently produced documentary by ecologist and film-maker, Harrison Warne. In the doco, Harrison set out to find and film the critically endangered Southern and Northern Corroboree frogs of Kosciuszko National Park. These frogs are unique and of worldwide significance. They are very small, with distinctive, yellow and black striping. The only place in the world where they are found naturally occurring is in the unique ecosystems of Kosciuszko National park at elevations of between 1300m – 1700m.

Over several months, during early 2019, Harrison enlisted the assistance of other field specialists, to search high and low, in prime locations within Kosciuszko for any signs of the Corroboree frog. They kept keen eyes and ears tuned for their distinctive markings and croak. They found none and heard nothing of them. Not one sighting of frog or tadpole. Instead, during his search, Harrison found a National Park being decimated by large numbers of out-of-control feral horses. With feral horses knowing no bounds, Harrison also found their impacts in declared Wilderness Areas and through areas of sphagnum bog and fen, a declared, endangered ecological community.

Kosciuszko National Park is a very significant, world renowned National Park with bioregional significance and National Heritage status. We are screening Underfrog now, as next month, the NSW Government will decide, not only the future of the critically endangered Southern and Northern Corroboree frogs in the wild, but also, the fate of several endangered ecological communities found only in Kosciuszko National Park. Earlier this year, on Thursday, 6 June, 2019, after months of hard work, a petition, with over 12,000 signatures, calling for the NSW Government to repeal the recently legislated Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act, 2018, was handed over to NSW Labour at NSW Parliament House. The petition and the feral horse issue in Kosciuszko will be tabled and debated in NSW Parliament on 22 August, 2019. NSW Labour will be supporting a Bill to repeal the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act.

Aside from coming to the film night and supporting Reclaim Kosci, an important action clubs and individual members can make, is to write letters to the NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage, Matt Kean MP, calling for the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act, 2018 to be repealed.

Bushwalkers, cross country skiers, conservationists and nature lovers have stood up for the Australian environment for many years now. As a result, Australia has a range of beautiful, unique, richly diverse, protected natural areas. We need to stand again for the continued protection of these areas.

NSW Nordic Ski Club and Reclaim Kosci hope you can join us at the screening to barrack for the Underfrog.

You can find further information and get tickets here.

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