The second snow gum summit will happen on Ngarigo Country in Jindabyne over the weekend of March 14 and 15.

There will also be guided walks and a tree planting afternoon on monday March 16.

We are delighted to announce the line-up of speakers.

Once the forum starts we will aim to keep the program updated if there are any additions of speakers or apologies.

We have struggled to get any external backing to host this conference and are about $3,000 in the red to host it. If you were in a position to support us with a tax deductible donation, that will go directly to hosting a successful event. You can make a donation here.

You can get tickets here.

Please scroll down for details on the walks which are scheduled for monday March 16 and bios of the presenters.

The summit program

Day/time topic speaker/s notes
 
SAT MARCH 14 VENUE: Horizons, Jindabyne
8.30am arrive/ coffee
9am Welcome to Country Jason Fieldhouse, Ngarigo Nation Indigenous Corporation
9.05 Welcome to conference / overview / houskeeping/ reminder about the walks program Conference MCs:

Alana Mountain and Anna Langford

  
9.20 Mike Edmondson, photo story telling
9.30 FIRST SESSION – where are we at? (recap of the threats: fire & dieback) Dr Matthew Brookhouse, Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU

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

 20 mins each, 20 mins Q&A at the end
10.30 Morning tea
10.45 Lessons from overseas Ruby Olsson, PhD Candidate Fenner School of Environment and Society ANU.  The whitebark pine recovery plan – North West United States 20 mins & 5 mins
11.10 Solutions panels
What are resorts and land managers doing? 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

 20 mins each, 5 mins  Q&A
11.55 Lunch
1pm Panel – PhD students describe their projects

Panel moderator: Prof 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

Management speaker TBD

 60 mins total
2pm Braiding Heart and science – a panel with personal reflections on snow gums & the high country FIRST BLOCK: 2-3pm

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

2ND BLOCK: 3-3:30

Jane Ormonde: leading a ‘heart engagement’ exercise so everyone can tap into and share something about why they love snow gums
3.30 Afternoon tea
3.50 Indi Williams, Latrobe Uni

Lara Troy-O’Leary, ANU. size-age model for Eucalyptus lacrimans (weeping snow gum)

 15 mins
4.10 SPACE
4.40pm Finish/ recap Alana and Anna
5 – 7 Evening catch up/ BBQ and music Walking distance from the venue
SUNDAY March 15
8.30 arrive/ coffee
9am Re-cap of yesterday/ overview of today Alana & Anna
9.10 First Nations aspirations for Country Jakelin Troy, Ngarigo professor, linguist and sociologist

Michael Hansby, Taungurung Land & Waters Council. ‘Two way’ approaches to land management

  

20 mins each & 20mins Q&A
10.20 Morning tea
10.40 Solutions – continued

FIRE – how must fire fighting change

 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

 20 ins each & 20 mins Q&A
12pm Solutions continued – dieback & building resilience

[BREAK at 12.30 for lunch, restart 1.30]

 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, ANU – advances in dieback management

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

Zoe Birnie, Technical Specialist, Impact, Nicki Taws, Program Specialist – Restoration. Greening Australia. Building Resilience: A climate-adjusted provenance trial for Eucalyptus pauciflora

 15 mins each & 15 mins Q&A
1.30 Lunch
2.15 The Save Our Snow Gums (SOSG) project Jazmyn Michie 
2.25 The campaign – a national campaign to protect snow gums Could listing of Snow Gums federally as a threatened ecological community assist in efforts to maintain this species?  
2.45 ‘Elevator pitch’ from environmental orgs Groups active in alpine issues will give a 3 minute ‘elevator pitch’ about their work

  • Protect Our Winters
  • The Mountain Journal
  • Friends of the Earth
  • More TBA
3pm discuss/ adopt summit declaration  
3.30 Finish with a BBQ and chat

The walks program
MON 16 March MORNING OPTION 1

Morning walk with Mike Edmondson,

Alpine Photographer and Guide

  

Visiting some of Mike’s favourite Snow Gums in the Ramshead range. With access from Deadhorse gap track.

Tickets available here.
MORNING OPTION 2

Walk with ANU researchers

 Visit one of the Australian Mountain Research Facility research plots to see field experiments and the

Snow Gum Flux tower where we are characterising the carbon fluxes of a generally healthy stand.

Organised by Prof Adrienne Nicotra

Tickets available here.
AFTERNOON OPTION

1 – 4pm

 Tree planting session with Parks Service, Perisher Valley

This is a free event but please rsvp here so we can plan for the event.