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Environment, news, culture from the Australian Alps

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Cam Walker

I work with Friends of the Earth, and live in Castlemaine in Central Victoria, Australia. Activist, mountain enthusiast, telemark skier, volunteer firefighter.

Woods Point bushfire refuge deemed illegal

With bushfire season still in full force, the kindest thing that can be said about the Victorian Government order to the community of Woods Point that they abandon their fire refuge is that it is very badly timed.

Woods Point is one of the most isolated towns in the state, in a valley in the Victorian high country. Long sections of heavily forested country must be traversed if people are to leave in the case of fire threat and the need for a community refuge is both obvious and necessary.

The following report comes from The Weekly Times, written by Chris McLennan.

Fury as Woods Point bushfire refuge deemed illegal

Woods_Point_Bridge_Street_005A SMALL Victorian town will defy a Victorian Government order to abandon their fire refuge.

Woods Point residents rely on the old gold mine tunnel which has saved the town’s population once before.

Despite the tunnel being the state’s only officially recognised fire refuge for years, new rules governing the construction of refuges have seen the government and local council in the last few weeks refuse to accept legal liability for the structure.

Signs nominating the tunnel as a fire refuge are to be removed and residents fear a gate on the entrance will be padlocked.

”Do they want us to die?” member of the town’s safety committee, Margaret Martyn said.

Fire Services Commissioner Craig Lapsley yesterday said the tunnel, known locally as the adit, did not meet the new building requirements to be a community fire refuge.

The Country Fire Authority yesterday began an assessment of the tunnel hoping to reclassify it as a “Neighbourhood Safer Place” but the question of legal liability remains.

Mr Lapsley said the CFA, Victoria Police and the Fire Services Commissioner would continue to work with Mansfield Shire Council to resolve the issue.

He said before the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, there was an adhoc and inconsistent approach to the designation of community fire refuges.

You can read the full story here.

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More fires – less snow gums?

IMGP6629Snow gums are the quintessential alpine tree on mainland Australia, generally growing at heights between 1,300 and 1,800 metres asl. Forests and woodlands of Eucalyptus pauciflora can look quite uniform from a distance, but up close they have such character.

But wildfire has been devastating large swathes of snow gum habitat, with significant fires in the Victorian High Country in 1998, 2002/3, 2006/7 and 2013 and in the Snowy Mountains in 2003.

Research is showing that if we want to allow snow gum forests the chance to recover from these fires, we need to keep the cattle out and do our best to stop any future fire activity.

This story available here.

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Sochi Olympians speak out on climate change

An interesting piece on the efforts of some Olympians and Paralympians who are speaking out about the need for concerted action to reduce greenhouse emissions. This comes from the Sustainable Play website and is written by Brad Rassler.

Brad notes that just 83 athletes, primarily from the U.S. and Canadian squads, and just a few from outside North America, have signed on to speak about the need for action on climate change at the Sochi Games.

Wouldn’t it be great to see some of our winter athletes raising the issue at the Games?

Sochi Olympians Speak Out On Climate Change

olympic athletesU.S. cross country skier Andy Newell will travel to Sochi, Russia in two weeks to compete in the Winter Olympics. And though his aim is clear — to stand atop the podium — he’s traveling to the Games with more than precious metal on his mind.

For the past two months, Newell, 30, has quietly appealed to his fellow Olympians to leverage the Sochi Games as an opportunity to speak to world leaders about the ravages of global climate change on the winter snowpack. The petition he’s been circulating, Olympic Athletes for Action Against Climate Change, makes the case to his fellow competitors in four paragraphs:

Winter is in jeopardy.  Inconsistent weather patterns caused by a changing climate are causing destruction around the world, and the economic impact is being felt in both large cities and small mountain communities.

    As winter Olympic athletes, our lives revolve around the winter and if climate change continues at this pace, the economies of the small towns where we live and train will be ruined, our sports will be forever changed and the winter Olympics as we know it will be a thing of the past.

    The power we have as Olympians on a global stage is immense.   Let’s use this year to make a collective statement, to send a message to the world’s leaders to recognize the impact of climate change and to take action now.

Please join us by signing this letter.

That letter, addressed to the world’s leaders from the petition’s signatories, is comprised of a simple sentence containing a powerful ask:

“…to recognize climate change by reducing emissions, embracing clean energy and preparing for a commitment to a global agreement in Paris in 2015.”

The call to action refers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris, schedule for November 30 – December 11, 2015.

Newell has thus far been joined by 82 athletes, primarily from the U.S. and Canadian squads, and just a few from outside North America. He hopes to have 100 signatures before the Games begin in two weeks, but admits getting athletes to step up and sign has proved tougher sledding than he thought.

“It’s a tricky situation. Not only because it’s hard to get the word out there to people in different countries, but a lot of athletes are reluctant to sign things in general in an Olympic year.  They don’t want to cause a controversy.  They don’t want to use the Olympics as a platform for protest either, necessarily.”

Newell, who counts 350.org founder, author and environmental advocate Bill McKibben as one of his heroes and mentors, concedes that the life of an average Olympian, with its requisite air travel, isn’t exactly easy on the planet.

“We burn a lot of fossil fuels chasing the winter around and trying to go to these competitions.  I think a lot of us feel bad about that.  But that’s our job and our livelihood and our passion.  But at the same time, we try to use that – the professional athlete as a platform — to try to raise the awareness of people that may not understand what’s going on out in the environment.”

“I didn’t necessarily want to use the Olympics as a platform for a protest, necessarily,” Newell says. “But I wanted to at least try to get a lot of athletes on board to sign this letter and basically get it to their heads of state, to say, you know, we’re Olympic athletes and we can’t continue to support ourselves and this kind of livelihood if our winters keep disappearing, and we want you guys to recognize that there is some climate change happening.”

The U.S. cross country team’s winningest athlete and gold medal favorite, Kikkan Randall, has signed the petition.

“I grew up in a family that was very respectful of the opportunities that we had to be out in the environment, and to try to do our part, the best we could, to contribute to the health of the environment,” says Randall. “And certainly being involved in a sport that does rely on the weather and the fact that climate change could effect our sport…I think athletes, doing what we do, we have a great platform to go and encourage others…to do their part.”

Protect Our Winters (POW), a California-based non-profit whose athlete-advocates get the word out about climate change, has stepped forward to boost international attention to Newell’s petition. Chris Steinkamp, POW’s executive director, says that Sochi is an ideal backdrop for an athlete alliance to speak out about climate change.

“The Olympics is the perfect stage for something like this.  Obviously, it has a history of social issues. But I think this is the first time that climate change has come up, and it’s because obviously climate change is a hot issue right now. Sochi is one of those places where it could be a real issue in the next couple of weeks, and the conditions and the weather might be really inconsistent.  So it’s a perfect storm for this issue to be recognized.”

Or maybe an imperfect storm, climatically speaking. Steinkamp says that although climate change is well documented by the science, global leaders have not yet taken the necessary actions to curb its progress, and the time to act is now.

“Every year we all go into these climate conferences, these international global discussions about climate change with high hopes that something is going to be done, and nothing ever really does get done.  So the goal of the letter is two-fold:  To really let world leaders know that something needs to be done, but also let them know that something needs to be done in Paris in 2015.”

Whether international decision makers heed Newell’s call remains to be seen. Steinkamp views the alliance itself, the first of its kind, as a significant flag in the snow.

“The cool thing is that you’ve got these Olympians that are standing up for climate change, and with this platform that they have in Sochi, [they have] the opportunity to speak their mind. Because the only way that the world leaders are going to listen is if the population lets them know about it.”

According to CNN, over 6,000 Olympians and Paralympians will compete in Sochi. Newell has just 82 with two weeks to go.

 

The practical realties of social change suggest that as more athletes sign the petition, the safer it becomes for those sitting on the fence to participate. This author of Sustainable Play has created his own petition, encouraging the readership of this site to ask the remaining 5,900 to take an Olympic-sized stand for this Olympic-sized issue. Reassure them that climate change transcends mere politics; it’s a phenomenon without borders.

 

Click on the “petition’s petition” here:

 

http://tinyurl.com/kn395tj

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volunteers needed for Australian Alps Walking Track Project

Conservation Volunteers Australia and Parks Victoria are calling for volunteers to help restore remote sections of the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.

Helicopter Spur
Helicopter Spur

Last summer saw helpers spend 120 days in Alpine National Park Across repairing 23 kilometres of track, laying 930 metres of rubber matting and installing water bars to prevent erosion at locations including The Knobs, Mount Sunday and Mount McDonald.

Remote sections of the track are difficult to maintain over time and help is needed to clear fallen timber off the track, install rubber tiling, brush-cut overgrown vegetation and to install crucial signage and symbols to help guide bushwalkers on their adventures in the Australian Alps.

There will be three projects in March and April which are rated hard walking, and involve remote camping in the King Billy/ Mt Magdala/ Mount Clear/Knobs areas of the Alpine National Park.

Full details here. (Search for Victorian projects on the map, then click the project in the Alpine national park) or check this leaflet on the trips.

For more info, contact volunteer engagement officer Adam Smolak on asmolak@conservationvolunteers.com.au

The trips are:

Australian Alps Walking Track Project Mt Clear/Nobs Area
2nd to 8th March 2014
16th to 22nd March 2014
Please check here for more info.

Australian Alps Walking Track Project King Billy Mt Magdala Area
30th March to 5th April 2014

See more here.

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The Little Things – A new snowboard film project from Marie France Roy

The following comes from Snowboarder Magazine. There is a trend emerging of snowboarders and skiers – who are often keenly aware of how climate change is already impacting on mountain environments – taking on a more vocal attitude about the need for change. This is one more example of this.

the little thingsMarie-France Roy has earned many accolades during her snowboarding tenure for her talent when standing sideways. She has put out some of the most influential video parts of the past decade and has chops in both the backcountry and the streets.

Last season, Marie embarked on a journey to give back to the sport she loves and create a film that would share the stories of snowboarders who are committed to living in a way that positively affects the environment as much as possible. The movie is called “The Little Things” and will follow Marie and the rest of the crew this season before culminating in a release in fall 2014.

You can see the trailer for the film here.

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Nowa Nowa mine proposal moves to approvals stage

The following update is an excert from an article in The Age, journalist is Jason Dowling.

Surge of activity could see Victoria playing mine host

nowa nowaVictoria could soon boast a new commercial iron ore mine amid a surge of mining activity.

A combination of increased mineral prices and a supportive state government is driving a rejuvenated local mining sector with hot interest in exploration licences.

This week Eastern Iron advised the stock exchange it had moved into the environmental approvals phase for a commercial iron ore mine at Nowa Nowa, 30 kilometres from Lakes Entrance.

The proposed East Gippsland iron ore mine would be in the Tara State Forest, and would include a 25-hectare open pit.

The mine would have a span of about 10 years and produce about 1 million tonnes of iron ore a year to be exported from near Eden.

Eastern Iron’s managing director, Greg De Ross, said he did not believe there were environmental reasons to prevent the mine, and said the area had already been heavily logged.

”It is certainly not pristine wilderness,” he said. ”There are no show-stoppers from an environmental perspective.”

For a background on this proposal, check here.

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mountain towns #1. Mansfield

the main drag, Mansfield
the main drag, Mansfield

Out on a broad plain, and encircled by hills, with distant views of the west side of Mt Buller and the front range of the mountains, whats not to like about this town?

Mansfield was established as an agricultural centre, providing support to gold mining in the surrounding areas, and then logging was a major driver for many decades. It was one of the first inland Victorian towns to evolve into a diverse tourist and tree change community, largely because it is the entry point to the Mt Buller alpine resort.

Food, gear and brews. Things to do. Playgrounds.  Check here for the story.

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fire near Mt Tamboritha

near Mt Tamboritha
near Mt Tamboritha

Most fires in the mountains (so far) have been in the foothills (see news item below from The Gippsland Times) or East Gippsland. However the CFA is now reporting fire activity in various locations in the high country.

There is a fire roughly 20km NNE of Benambra Township and the high ridge country near Mt Matlock. Check the CFA site for details.

As of friday morning, Jan 17, the CFA is reporting that

Firefighters are responding to a fire in the TAMBORITHA-CAREY RIVER area 15kms NE of Licola.

UPDATE ON TAMBORITHA FIRE, Jan 22

Fire is still going, now 150 ha in size, and the regions identified below are still closed.

UPDATE JAN 19

The fire is currently 120 hectares in size.
  The Lake Tarli Karng walking track network is closed. Visitors should also stay away from tracks north of the Avon Wilderness area and the Mount Wellington to Millers Hut 4WD area.

JAN 17 NOTE ON TAMBORITHA FIRE:

Campers and walkers in the Carey River catchment, north of the Avon Wilderness Park, the Lake Tarli Karng track network and the Mount Wellington to Millers Hut 4WD area are advised to leave and all visitors should stay away from these areas.

Ground crews will be checking for vehicles and walkers, with air support if necessary.

Additionally, there is advice for Ensay, Omeo, Swifts Creek, Benambra:

Firefighters are responding to a fire in the 33 KM NE SWIFTS CREEK area in the vicinity of Brumby Rock.

There is currently no threat to communities, but you should continue to stay informed and monitor conditions.

Fire crews battle High Country lightning blazes

FIRE conditions are predicted to significantly worsen on Friday with Severe Fire Danger Ratings forecast across Gippsland.

For Sale a top temperature of 41 degrees has been forecast for Friday with a light shower of two and the chance of a thunderstorm from the early afternoon.

Work by DEPI, Parks Victoria and CFA fire fighters on Wednesday prevented the spread of many fires across Gippsland.

A band of lightning crossed parts of central and east Gippsland and sparked many small fires.

The majority of these fires have been in the area north of Briagolong and the area north of Bruthen.

Firefighting aircraft and dozers were dispatched to support firefighters on the ground.

Gippsland regional fire controller Bryan Russell commended fire crews for their speedy work in very hot and uncomfortable conditions.

As the Gippsland Times went to press crews were fighting fires at Briagolong, Dargo, Treasures, Waterford, Castleburn, Cobbannah.

In the east fires were also burning.

An all clear advice had been issued for fires at Mossiface, Bruthen and Wiseleigh.

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Protect Our Winters launches the POW Riders Alliance

Riders-Alliance-2-300x225In the US, Protect Our Winters has just launched what it is calling its ‘Riders Alliance’, a group of 53 professional snowsports athletes, committed to fighting climate change and speaking out for the environment.

It is a remarkable line up of some of the best skiers and boarders on the planet.

As they say in the release, “Climate change is affecting our lives and careers and it’s in our best interest to use our passion to mobilize the community and bring a new perspective to the policy discussion.”

It’s great to see leadership being taken by so many high profile athletes. The group includesGretchen Bleiler, Jeremy Jones, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, and Ingrid Backstrom.

The POW Riders Alliance was developed as a central platform for athletes to speak out and create a social movement against climate change.  For example, POW recently led a group of 17 athletes to Washington, D.C. for meetings with US Senators and has reached over 20,000 young students with a message of climate action delivered by pro athletes.

POW believes that by combining the athletes’ passion with their influence, first-hand experience and immense media reach, it represents a new, powerful approach to environmental advocacy.

With the Winter Olympics just a couple of weeks away, POW and Olympic athletes from the Riders Alliance will launch an initiative to call attention to climate change on the world’s largest sports stage in Sochi, Russia in partnership with a group of graduate students from the Yale School of Forestry.

The press release is available here,  and photos of the skiers/ boarders are available here.

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the Backyard Project – low carbon adventures

backyard project

In a world where a big part of living the ‘dream’ is to have the ability to travel wherever you want wherever you want, a decision to stay at home and enjoy your own back yard becomes a radical action.

Skiers/ boarders are as bad as anyone else in the rich world. And there is no doubt that the rest of the world offers mountains that we can only dream of. But the fact is that constant holiday travel by large numbers of people across the world is not sustainable.

Overseas travel is great, but so is the decision to stay at home, to really appreciate the challenges and opportunities that your backyard offers.

In this film featuring athlete Justin Lamoureux, who is sponsored by Arc’teryx, he sets out to ride all 30 mountains he can see from his backyard.

As he says:

“Our backyards are often overlooked for farther and more exotic adventures”.

Full points for walking (and paddling) the talk with a low carbon adventure. He lives in Squamish, British Columbia, which is surrounded by mountains, rising from sea level to 9,000 feet. This film follows his mission to try to ride them all in a single winter.

The first instalment is available here.

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‘Flow Nation in Thredbo’.

Image: Damian Breach / Flow
Image: Damian Breach / Flow

This is a nice 5 minute video from Flow magazine about riding in the Thredbo area which is available here.

Flow is a great, homegrown Australian MTB magazine, available in newsagents. More info here.

Flow says:

“Thredbo has held a very special place in Australian mountain bike folklore for over two decades now. Lord knows how many of our most famous downhillers cut their teeth on the legendary Cannonball Run downhill, or how many National Round after-parties have run wild in the village…

But despite its strong history, over the past ten years it had started to become clear that Thredbo’s lustre was fading a little; other alpine resorts were investing heavily in mountain biking and Thredbo was losing ground. Simply having ‘the hill’ was no longer enough. Thankfully, rather than allowing the mountain biking program to slip metaphorically downhill, Thredbo too have launched a program of rejuvenating the mountain bike side of their operations. Since our first trip to Thredbo over 15 years ago, we’ve held this place in high esteem, and so we had to come see for ourselves just what changes were underway at Thredders”.

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New Mountain Biking Trails at Falls Creek in 2013/14

Image: Falls Creek resort
Image: Falls Creek resort

Falls Creek resort management has announced that the long awaited XC1 and XC2 trails are now open.

The following comes from resort management:

For the past 2 years Falls Creek Resort Management has been busy at work bringing to life a dream shared by those who love the resort. In 2013 this dream is realised with the opening of the first 2 of 4 BRAND NEW mountain bike trails.

Under the commission of World Trail – the best bike trail builders in the business, months of development has joined years of planning to bring the new trails to completion. Head to Slalom Plaza now and try them out yourself

The Grand Opening of the new trails will take place in early 2014 but as a present to everybody visiting the Resort, the 2 XC trails in the wombats area were made open and free to use in time for Christmas! Stop in at the Visitor Information Centre at Falls Creek Resort Management to pick up a trail map when you arrive.

See more here.

The new trails have been developed in the Gully, Summit and Wombats Ramble ski areas. The trails are so fresh that we haven’t even had time to name them yet! Each trail will be named and graded prior to opening (click right to name one of them yourself) but in the interim, we have detailed each trail’s path and location for you to get to know them.

Wombats Ramble XC Loops

Intermediate
The most visible trails are found amongst the snowgums of the Wombats Ramble area (you may have seen parts of them riding the Falls Express Chairlift last Winter). Able to be ridden as one giant loop, the network consists of two trails – one riding uphill and one riding down. Whilst classified as cross country, there are some great downhill features and corners to navigate at speed.

The trails are intersected by the Aqueduct trail which means you can also ride each as a separate loop – one above the aqueduct and one below. Keep an eye out for some spectacular viewpoints and rocky outcrops along the way.

International DH Trail

Intermediate
We all love skiing and boarding the International Poma area in Winter. This downhill trail now brings just as much fun in Summer! Starting at the Summit Chair top (click here for chairlift operation dates), the trail winds down under the Poma line before zig-zagging down Grand Coer ski run and cutting through Short & Curly to the base of the Summit Chair.

Gully XC Trail

Intermediate
This trail connects the popular “Wishing Well” spot to the Gully region by the base of the International Poma and Gully Chairlift. Winding its way down, it is classed cross country but with a downhill aspect.

Bike Rental

Mountain Bikes are available to rent at Frueauf Village in Falls Creek (Schuss St). Adults full suspension bikes (Kona) are available for $65 per day or $50 per half day (extra day $50). Kids Kona bikes with front suspension are also available for the day rate of $45 (extra day or half day $30).

Helmets are provided with rentals and bookings are recommended by calling 0427 166 335.

A number more rental options will become available toward the new year.

Shuttle and Chairlift Access

New in 2014 will be a weekend MTB shuttle service to take riders and their bikes to the top of the trails – all Summer long. An announcement will soon be made on the commencement of this service.

Like in previous years, the Summit Chairlift will be operational over specific event weekends to allow for lift-accessed biking of the trails – particularly the International downhill trail. Click here for more info.

Downhill Descent Weekends

Cedarwood Apartments in conjunction with Alpine Gravity is hosting a series of downhill descent tour weekends, taking in the new MTB trails as well as existing favourites between Falls Creek and Mt Beauty.

Click here for more information.

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