A new logging coupe (the ‘Bus Loop’ coupe) is about to be logged near Mt Stirling. The trees are a mixture of (very old) snowgums, and alpine ash, only some of which is suitable for making sawlogs.
This coupe exists within the area proposed for inclusion in the Stirling Alpine Link (SAL).
April 2010
Mt Stirling, adjacent to Mt Buller, is a unique natural landscape with dramatic vistas of Victoria’s alpine area.
Popular with cross-country skiers, bushwalkers, campers and school groups, it is also home to many threatened plant and animal species.
The Victorian National Parks Association has launched a push for the Mt Stirling area to be managed as a national park by linking it to the Alpine National Park and handing its management to Parks Victoria.
It can then be managed as an integral part of Victoria’s largest national park, improving ecological management, recreation experiences and the overall integrity of our alpine region.
You can find a fact sheet and details on how to take action here.
Mt Stirling, adjacent to Mt Buller, is a unique natural landscape with dramatic vistas of Victoria’s alpine area.
Popular with cross-country skiers, bushwalkers, campers and school groups, it is also home to many threatened plant and animal species.
The Victorian National Parks Association has launched a push for the Mt Stirling area to be managed as a national park by linking it to the Alpine National Park and handing its management to Parks Victoria.
It can then be managed as an integral part of Victoria’s largest national park, improving ecological management, recreation experiences and the overall integrity of our alpine region.
You can find a fact sheet and details on how to take action here.
There has been a long campaign for the Mt Stirling area to be managed as a national park by linking it to the Alpine National Park and handing its management to Parks Victoria. Things have been quiet on that front for a while, but now Friends of Mt Stirling (FoMS) have renewed the call to establish the Mt Stirling Alpine Park.
‘With the transition from Alpine Resort Management Boards (ARMBs) to Alpine Resorts Victoria (ARV) in October, and the development of a Masterplan for Mirimbah, we think it is a good time to re-visit the concept of the “Mount Stirling National Park”.
Continue reading “Is it time for the Mt Stirling Alpine Park?”
Later this month, Huw Kingston will leave on his Alpine Odyssey, a winter crossing of the full length of the Australian Alps Walking Track. As he gets close to the start date, here is an update.
With a review of alpine resorts being carried out by the Victorian government, the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) has renewed its campaign to have Mt Stirling incorporated into the Alpine National Park.
There is a small window of time remaining to provide input to the review, supporting the call for the inclusion in the park. The following information from the VNPA explains how to have input into the process.
Continue reading “Time to make Mt Stirling part of the Alpine Park”
Mountain Journal has previously reported on the proposal to build a new road from Mt Buller to the Mt Stirling ring road. This has been pitched as being a safety issue, to allow a route for people to escape from Mt Buller in the case of a fire blocking the main road.
But given that this road would also travel through a (longer) section of dense forest, it is quite unlikely that the road would serve this purpose. The money needed to build the road would be better spent on upgrading fire fighting infrastructure around the Buller village.
The issue refuses to go away. Charles Street provides some history behind this proposal and an update on the current state of play.
For background on the road proposal, check here.
If you don’t support secretive decision making by governments, or a new and unnecessary road in an alpine environment, you may want to send a message to the Minister who will take the decision:
Twitter: @MatthewGuyMP
Email: matthew.guy@parliament.vic.gov.au
The following update comes from Clay Lucas at The Age.
A move by the Napthine government to decide behind closed doors the fate of a controversial new road linking Mount Buller to Mount Stirling could be the first step in the development of the mountain as a new ski resort, a conservation group says.
Environment groups fought a long-running battle with property heavyweight Rino Grollo from the 1980s over his ultimately withdrawn plans to develop Mount Stirling as a downhill skiing resort.
Continue reading “$5m road ‘beginning of end’ for Mount Stirling”
Public conversation about the recent announcement of an end to logging of old growth forests in Victoria has so far focused on the implications for East Gippsland, where large areas of ‘Modeled Old Growth (MOG)’ is expected to be protected, and the Central Highlands, where there will be very little protection. Given this announcement covers forests right across the east of the state, what does it mean for the High Country?
The short answer, at this stage, is ‘we don’t really know’. While the government map that has been circulated shows considerable areas of MOG throughout the foothills and valleys of the High Country, and even what looks like older Snow Gum Woodlands, we are yet to get the details on what the protection of these areas will look like.
The Alps are at risk from climate change. Without serious and concerted action now to reduce greenhouse emissions on a global scale, the future of the Alps looks very uncertain, even just a few decades into the future.
This section is unashamedly activist in it’s approach and will cover a range of issues – the natural environment, climate change, current campaigns and developments.
Park management issues, including proposals for new parks in the Alps (check the right hand CONTENTS section for extra items)
Current action alerts
Stirling alpine link proposal (VIC) 2011
Logging proposed for Glen Wills (VIC) 2010
‘Skyway’ proposal for Mt Buffalo (VIC) 2010
Other resources & links
For details on environmental groups in the Alps region, check the groups section.
Information on Feral Horses in the High Country.
Save Kosciuszko campaign. From the Coolong Foundation in NSW, detailing “Threats to Kosciuszko and the environment group’s proposals for park protection and management”.
The Winter Wildlands Alliance presents their annual Backcountry Film Festival. This year’s screenings will showcase human-powered adventure in the backcountry.
The films will cover stories of outdoor stewardship, grassroots advocacy, backcountry adventure, and snow cinema by human-powered advocates, athletes, brands, activists, adventurers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
These films are shown all over the world. This year, Friends of the Earth is once again delighted to be the local host for Backcountry film festival in Melbourne. The festival will screen at RMIT in the city on Thursday May 4.
International Mountain Day has its roots in 1992, when the adoption of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” at the United Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development put a milestone in the history of mountain development.
It is celebrated each year on December 11.
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