We still have a long hot dry summer ahead of us. And fires that threaten the mountains that we love so much. But we are also moving towards New Years Eve, when people often make their plans for the coming year.

For me a big part of my planning for the year is to lock in my backcountry trips (here’s my favourite 3 backcountry adventures). Obviously it’s good to have a long think about life, the universe and everything. And then there is activism. 

Sadly, on the activist front there will be lots to do in 2020. Here’s a few ideas on where you may want to put your shoulder to the wheel.

Of course, the existential threat to all mountain environments is posed by climate change. So wherever you are, you can do something. Fracking, the Adani coal mine, offshore oil and gas and onshore gas drilling all pose grave risks to the climate and hence the mountains.

Protect Our Winters is now up and running in Australia. Check here for details.

Check here for some other ideas on groups to support.

Specific campaigns

The NSW government is still ignoring the huge ecological impacts of wild horses in the Snowy Mountains. Check the Reclaim Kosci website for info and to get involved.

There are still plans to build a cable car up the face of kunayi/ Mt Wellington in Hobart. Check the Respect the Mountain – No Cable Car facebook page for info on how to get involved.

On the Central Plateau of Tasmania, within a World Heritage Area, a developer is seeking to establish a ‘helicopter’ tourism operation on a small island in a Lake. Check Fishers and Walkers Against Helicopter Access to get involved in this campaign.

The Tasmanian government continues to push ahead with a range of plans for commercial tourism operations in wild places, including a walking track through the remote Tyndall Range in the west of the state. Check the Bob Brown Foundation website for details.

The NSW government is pushing ahead with it’s plan for Snowy Hydro 2. There are significant direct environmental impacts associated with the development of this. Check the National Parks Association of NSW website for details.

The Victorian government has committed to protect 90,000 ha of Old Growth forests (Great!). But until this protection happens, Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) will be campaigning to protect threatened forests in the east of the state.

In the Central Highlands to the east of Melbourne, the campaign continues to create the Great Forest National Park. Detail here.

If you’re based in Victoria please get involved in the following: