Friends of the Earth will be hosting the 2nd snow gum summit in mid March. You can read a report on the first summit, which happened at Dinner Plain in Victoria in February 2025.

It will take place over the weekend of March 14 and 15 on Ngarigo Country in Jindabyne. The Summit will bring people together from across the Australian Alps bioregion spanning Victoria, NSW and the ACT, to address the threats facing these iconic landscapes we all know and love.

There will also be some day walks on the Monday March 16 – details to be announced shortly.

We are delighted to be able to announce the line up of confirmed speakers. They include:

Confirmed speakers

Welcome to Country: Jason Fieldhouse (Ngarigo)

THE SCIENCE

Dr Matthew Brookhouse, Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU

Dr. Phillip Zylstra, Adjunct Associate Professor | Curtin University | School of Molecular and Life Sciences

Ruby Olsson, PhD Candidate Fenner School of Environment and Society ANU.  The whitebark pine recovery plan – North West United States

Euan Diver, Thredbo resort environment manager and Brent Bourke, Environmental Coordinator. How are resorts responding to dieback.

Mel Schroder, Team Leader – Conservation, Southern Ranges Branch, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Conservation programs indirectly protecting Snow-gum woodlands

 

Panel – PhD students describe their projects

Panel moderator: Adrienne Nicotra, ANU:

  • Jazmyn Michie – Understanding the System for inclusive collaboration
  • Oliver Webb – insights from within the trees: using isotope measures of tree rings to understand the history of dieback
  • Aaron Midson – scaling up to the landscape via modelling
  • Cal Bryant – field trials to inform management options

 

BRAIDING HEART & SCIENCE

Jonica Newby – falling in love with the snow

Rosie Wositzky-Jones and Lee Blackman – the Dinner Plain primary school snow gum project

Anna Langford and Anthony Sharwood – will talk about their current book project on snow gums

Jane Ormonde: leading a ‘heart engagement’ exercise so everyone can tap into and share something about why they love snow gums

 

FIRST NATIONS ASPIRATIONS FOR COUNTRY

Jakelin Troy, Ngarigo professor, linguist and sociologist

Tyronne Bell, Thunderstone (Ngunnawal)

 

RESPONDING TO CHANGING FIRE REGIMES

Dr Steve Leonard

Senior Ecologist, Fire Science Coordinator, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania

– Protecting Tasmanian ecosystems from escalating bushfire threat

Bethany Dunne,  Fire Ecologist, Office of Nature Conservation, ACT

The Snow Gum woodlands of Namadgi National Park: post-fire recovery and planning for future threats including bushfire and beetle-driven dieback

Dr Pele Cannon & Dr Sarah Clement, Fenner School of Environment & Society, ANU –

Fire and Transformation: Expert and public perceptions on the future of fire management in the Australian Alps

 

DIEBACK

Justin Borevitz, ANU (‘genetic basis of climate adaptation, meaning trying to find dieback resistant seed lots for new plantings, especially down on farms, or in rehab sites’)

Leah Moore, ANU: update about soils research and dieback

Matt Brookhouse – advances in dieback management

Margaret Mackinnon, Upper Snowy Landcare – discussing their work across the Monaro region in response to the ribbon gum dieback.

Indi Williams, Latrobe Uni

 

 

 

You can find details on the summit here.

You can get tickets here.

Tickets for the 2 day event are:

  • waged: $120
  • low income: $80
  • First Nations: free (please contact me to go on the list)
  • You can also watch remotely (via zoom): $10