With news that logging could commence on Mt Stirling as soon as this week, Friends of the Earth (FoE) activists visited the mountain over the weekend of November 18 – 20. Assisted by Friends of Mt Stirling and the Victorian National Parks Association, we visited most of the planned coupes and carried out night time surveying for threatened animal species in a number of them.

What we found was a rich diversity of forests and ecosystems, from mid elevation mixed species forests, areas dominated by alpine ash, and in the higher Number 3 area, proposed coupes that were a mix of older snow gums intermixed with alpine ash. While we did not spot either Greater Glider or Yellow-bellied Gliders (YBG), we found forests within the coupes with likely habitat for these species and an active YBG feed tree.

We will stay focused on gaining protection for these forests and we need your help. Please:

  • Sign this letter to the Victorian Environment Minister, urging her to protect the Mt Stirling forests and other high conservation areas in the Victorian high country.
  • Let your friends know – especially if they enjoy skiing, walking, camping or mountain bike riding in the high country. Some of these coupes will directly impact the Australian Alpine Epic Mountain Bike Trail, which is a huge drawcard, bringing thousands of people to Mt Buller and Stirling.

 

You can find out more about the threats posed by logging at Mt Stirling here.

Header image: on the edge of the King Saddle West coupe.

ABOVE: spot lighting in the Black Landing coupe

ABOVE: in the Black Landing coupe

ABOVE: on the edge of the Bus Loop coupe

ABOVE: in Bus Loop coupe

ABOVE: this snow gum woodland will have a logging road pushed through it to provide access to the Epic coupe.