The week’s craziness dissipates with every step, evaporating and blowing away. Another wave of clouds come through and I pause under a big old tree, waiting for the rain to pass. Behind me, what sounds like a frogmouth ohms its call, and as a rainbow breaks over the shallow valley in front of bright cumulus, the kangaroos slowly emerge from under cover and start grazing again. The stream is flowing clear, and everything is still green in a flush of late spring growth.
I am reminded, as I often am, of how walking is the only real way to experience landscape on an intimate scale. Surfing and cross country skiing are the same. Once it gets mechanical, you’re generally moving too fast to catch the nuances of landscape.
It also got me thinking about the frame of mind that can help to drive and inform your walking.
In a nicely orchestrated media piece, it has been announced via The Australian newspaper that the Victorian government will propose a three year cattle grazing trial in the Wonnangatta Valley, within the Alpine national park.
The paper reports that the government is supporting a three-year trial of cattle grazing in the Wonnangatta Valley, one of the main south flowing river systems in the central Alps.
“Victorian Environment Minister Ryan Smith will refer the issue to the Abbott government on Monday, backing a scientific study during the summer months of about 60 head of hereford and angus cattle”. The Victorian government has not yet issued a statement on the trials.
While previous attempts by the Coalition have been soundly attacked by scientists for the poor basis of the research framework, apparently this new trial will be “part of a scientific investigation of bushfire prevention options across 2200 hectares.”
Mountain cattleman Charlie Lovick is reported as saying he hopes this trial will re open access for grazing to a broader area.
The report says that the “preservation of Australian bush heritage will be crucial to the application” that will go to the federal environment minister, Greg Hunt, for approval.
The Wonnangatta was settled by Europeans in the 1860’s and incorporated into the national park in 1988. It is a lowland area compared with the previous attempt by the Victorian government to re-introduce grazing. One has to assume that should this trial be a success at reducing fuel load and weeds, then there would be an attempt to introduce it at higher elevations, where the science clearly shows that ‘grazing does not reduce blazing’.
The Victorian environment minister Ryan Smith (who is a member of the far right Institute of Public Affairs, well known for its anti –environment agenda) said “it’s not an ideological position, it’s a land-management issue.”
Assuming Greg Hunt approves the ‘scientific survey’, grazing could start as early as January 2014.
A spokesman for Mr Hunt said yesterday the government would assess the referral when it was received in accordance with Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
take action
If the prospect of grazing in the park troubles you, please contact the Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, making it clear you would not support such a move.
Mountain Journal has been pretty serious of late. There’s lots of threats to the environments that we all love. But I figured it might be time for something a bit lighter.
These pics are from a mid winter trip into the Ducane Range & Castle Crag, central TAS.
“Buoyed by the removal of the Wellington Park Management Trust’s veto power last week, the man behind Mt Wellington’s proposed cable car project hopes it will be up and running by 2017.
In State Parliament on Wednesday, the Labor Party supported legislation introduced by the Liberals aimed at removing the trust’s power to veto developments on the mountain.
Proposed developments will still need to go through the regular council planning approvals. But the legislation has given new hope to Mt Wellington Cableway Company executive director Adrian Bold, who said the controversial $37 million project would be funded private Canadian investors”.
Greens environment spokeswoman Cassy O’Connor said
“The bottom line is that we’ve never seen a cable car proposal come forward that is viable, that is economically sound, and that has overwhelming public support.
“I think we can do better for the mountain. Yes, I think we should have a sensible discussion about development on the summit … but a cable car is not the answer.”
I recently met with Sky Rail owner and consultant Dr Ken Chapman in Cairns and he described the business case for a cable car on Mount Wellington as very complicated and far from certain to be economically viable.
Any serious push for a Mount Wellington cable car has in the past resulted in community division. In 1984 there was a serious push for a cable car and again in 1993 and on both occasions there was no economic backing, the project was not viable and the cable car was put aside.
There is, of course, diversity of opinion, even amongst people that aren’t just of the ‘develop at all costs’ mind set. One example comes from writer Susan Moore:
“I reckon if more people can experience the beauty of Hobart from the top it would be a good thing. Aside from the tourists, I think it would be a popular option for people who want to go up the top and walk or mountain bike down or take the kids to play in the snow. Maybe, like some Swiss ski resorts, Mount Wellington could even become car-free?”
I tend to feel this is a bit hopeful, as any attempt to close the mountain would create an up roar amongst car advocacy groups and push people that want to get up the mountain without walking or riding into having to pay a private developer for the privilege of getting there.
Once the Tasmanian Planning Commission ratify the proposed WPMT 2012-2017 management plan, MWCC can initiate the next steps ahead, including a comprehensive technical analysis and environmental impact study to identify the most appropriate system, route, amenities and location for the project.
Once evaluated, MWCC can continue design work towards submitting a formal proposal, bringing the Concept Stage to a close.
Details on the WPMP (Wellington Park Management Plan) can be found here.
With both the Liberals and ALP voting to remove the Wellington Park Management Trust’s veto power over developments, the cable car proposal is getting closer.
The following article comes from the ABC, journalist Jenni Henderson.
Check here for a background on the project and details on the community consultation process that has been happening. Leaving aside the direct environmental impact of the project, there is the key issue of what impact a large number of large trucks on the narrow Princes Hwy will have on locals and tourists.
Residents of Nowa Nowa and surrounds are expressing mixed feelings about the prospect of the Iron Ore mine being established seven kilometres north of the town. Mining company Eastern Iron is now putting together a feasibility study for the mine and has held community information sessions in Nowa Nowa, Lakes Entrance and Orbost.
The company estimates about 200 people have attended the sessions so far, to learn more about the project.
The mine still requires environmental and planning approval from the State Government. Neil Smith a Nowa Nowa resident says the community has been ignored in the decision making process so far.
“I’m not just talking about the mining company. The East Gippsland Shire are in the process of negotiating a memorandum of understanding but they don’t see that’s there’s any need to talk to community before they reach an agreement,” he says.
Mr Smith says he feels that there has been no opportunity for the community to reach a consensus on what they want out of the mining project.
“If it’s ten years of mining and ten years of jobs and then nothing except a big hole in the ground and some potential environmental damage then there’s no benefit,” he says. Nowa Nowa needs the cash flow and employment opportunities a mine would bring, says Paul Oakes, president of the Nowa Nowa and District Business and Tourism Group. “Nowa Nowa is a very small community; it just needs the funds in. It’s pretty quiet, of course the mills have all been cut right back and forestry is cutting back on the harvesting so it’s sort of shrinking, the area is shrinking really,” he says.
Mr Oakes says the business and tourism group is concerned that East Gippsland Shire Council is representing the Nowa Nowa community in signing a memorandum of understanding with the mining company.
“It’s pretty hard for us to get any services from the shire except the basic ones. We’d prefer the mine to deal directly with the development group that’s here,” he says.
Helen Shields, a Nowa Nowa resident, says the mine proposal has the potential to divide the community.
“Communities always have dreams about things they can do for their area which improve them. Of course people want work, of course people want a future for their children to stay here but nobody’s had those conversations in relation to the mine,” she says.
Ms Shields has concerns about any environmental and social impacts the mine could have on the town.
“If there is explosions happening here 24 hours a day for 10 years I don’t believe that it won’t impact on this catchment area,” she says.
The Victorian government has announced that it is intending to introduce charges for overnight hiking and camping in more than 100 of our state and national parks.
In addition to increasing existing fees at car camping spots that have basic services, there is a proposal to introduce “overnight walking” fees.
You only have til COB this Friday, November 22 to make a submission.
There are so many issues regarding these proposals that it’s difficult to know where to start. Firstly, however, I have to say that I’m astounded at the size of the proposed increase in camping fees. A fee of almost $50 for an individual to stay one night at a campground designated as having a ‘high’ level of facility and service is simply outrageous.
Many park users are travelers who don’t plan ahead but simply ‘roll-up’ to various campgrounds. So who thought it was a good idea to confine those park users to an online booking system upon arrival at the campground?
On sunday 10 November, 2013, a young activist called Hannah Patchett launched the beginning of what is intended to be a long term tree sit to highlight the immediate threats to the Leadbeaters Possum through continued destruction of its habitat.
Now in her second week of living in treesit, she has been getting some great media and good local support.
Background on the Toolangi forest campaign available here.
The eastern edge of Victoria Alpine National Park is set to receive one of the most thorough surveys ever, involving palaeontologists, geologists and biologists beginning 18 November.
Parks Victoria, Museum Victoria and 4WD Victoria will cooperate to examine the wildlife in the area and gather information about how well certain species are inhabiting the alpine terrain of the park compared to some threatened populations in other areas of Victoria.
“We love exploring the bush and this project presented a unique opportunity for our volunteers to be used for the first time in a major fauna research survey,” Project and Events Manager of 4WD Victoria Wayne Hevey said.
“Many of the high altitude species in the highest parts of Victoria are the most vulnerable in the state,” Dr Mark Norman, Head of Sciences, Museum Victoria, said.
“Over 80 researchers will be seeking the signs, sounds and movements of these wonderful creatures. The data we collect will help establish the status of many of the area’s endangered species,” said Dr Norman.
This is the fifth Bioscan to be undertaken by Parks Victoria and Museum Victoria as part of a five-year program designed to study wildlife across Victoria’s national parks, from deserts to forests to underwater kelp reefs. The program commenced in 2011.
Results will be presented at programs with four local schools and students and local residents will be able to interact with the scientists who conducted the survey at a Friday night ‘Science at the Pub.’
While the new International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report confirmed recently that climate change is indisputable, it’s something that the winter sports community has been seeing first-hand for years.
This has seen many in the recreational skiing and boarding community get active to tackle climate change. But there are also some interesting things happening amongst professional athletes.
Jeremy Jones
In April, 75 Olympic medalists and other winter sports athletes – including White House “Champion of Change” awardee and pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones – lobbied President Obama, urging the President to take action on climate and clean energy.
The representatives of the global snow sports community signing the letter to the President included X Games champions and World Champion snowboarders, alpine/Nordic skiers and professional climbers, including:
• Olympic gold and silver medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA)
• Olympic silver medalist and four-time X Games gold medalist Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO)
• 10-time Big Mountain Rider of the Year Jeremy Jones (Truckee, CA)
• Olympic silver medalist, three-time World champion, seven-time X Games champion Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton, VT)
• Two-time Olympian and six-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland (Truckee, CA)
• Olympic gold & silver medalist, six-time X Games medalist, six-time World Cup champion Hannah Teter (Belmont, VT)
• 2010 Olympian, Nordic skier Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, AK)
• Five-time winner Powder Magazine’s Best Female Performer Ingrid Backstrom (Seattle, WA)
• Two-time World Freeskiing champion Chris Davenport (Aspen, CO)
• Two-time World Freeeskiing champion, Kit Deslauriers (Jackson, WY)
• 2013 World champion, X Games medalist Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, CO)
The letter states “Without a doubt, winter is in trouble” “… at risk are the economies of tourist-dependent states where winter tourism generates $12.2 billion in revenue annually, supports 212,000 jobs and $7 billion in salaries. Those are the jobs and businesses are generators of billions in federal and state income.”
Hot Planet/ Cool athletes program
Meanwhile Protect our Winters (POW) has restarted Hot Planet/ Cool athletes program, which organises Professional skiers and snowboarders to deliver presentations to North American students, encouraging them to become Climate Leaders.
Protect Our Winters re-launched their “Hot Planet/Cool Athletes” program this week to take the first hand perspective of climate change into the classroom to explain climate change from an engaging new perspective and to inspire and empower students to become involved.
Presented by The North Face, the program has been presented to more than 20,000 students at 41 schools nationwide since 2011. The new format for 2013 continues to educate students about climate change, combining engaging action sports footage and understandable climate science with first hand athlete’s perspectives and a call to action that truly breaks through to students and gives them the tools to be part of the solution.
Pro athletes such as Gretchen Bleiler, Jeremy Jones, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Ingrid Backstrom, Lucas Debari, Danny Davis and Angel Collinson are featured in the video project, with many others scheduled for in-person school appearances.
Then there is the the #ourtimeisnow campaign, a call to action that invites students to take meaningful action on climate change. By connecting with them in a relevant way, via their social media, POW will invite all students to use the hashtag #ourtimeisnow across their social media channels. POW can then track its use and provide meaningful climate actions directly back to each student. As students become more involved in the campaign by using the hashtag on Twitter and Instagram, they will have opportunities to win prizes and spend time with professional athletes discussing climate change or joining POW representatives to lobby MPs in Washington.
“We’ve got to create a social movement starting with young kids who will be the most affected, and we feel that this component of the program is a critical step in making a difference. By using social media as a backbone for it, we’re connecting with students on their terms and starting that movement with meaningful results,” said POW’s Executive Director, Chris Steinkamp.
STEPS – a journey to the edge of climate change
Then there is this new film from Ride Greener and Coupdoeil which considers how the snow industry can work in harmony with nature to protect the climate we rely on.
The promo says:
“The carbon-neutral approach shown in the film is a new way of thinking with the ever-looming shadow of climate change growing closer year after year. It’s not too late to prevent the oncoming consequences of fossil fuels and the damage that has already been caused”. This film tackles how an industry that revolves around predictable and consistent weather patterns can play it’s part in preventing climate change.
The North West Spur fire burnt hot up and out of the Upper East Ovens valley, over the St Bernard – Sugarloaf ridge, killing a lot of the remaining Alpine Ash forests along the upper sections of the Great Alpine Road that had survived previous fires, and snow gum forests at higher elevations.
A huge effort was made to get the road open in time for Easter and winter, with massive tree felling operations along the road, and removal of debris.
The final stage in these operations is now underway, and Vic Roads will be doing works on the Great Alpine Road from November 11th through until early December to remove fire damaged trees effected by the 2013 bushfires. One of the problems has been the large number of trees killed in previous fires being burnt again this year, and becoming very likely to collapse.
For anyone that has driven the road in recent months, you will be painfully aware of the visual impacts of these operations.
What is less clear at this point is the environmental impacts of effectively clear felling a large swathe of forest along the road. As noted by VicRoads, this clearing is substantial in some areas, between 10 and 40 metres from the roadside. There have been attempts to reduce the impacts of this work, for instance removing many of the trees being felled beyond what would be normal on the forest floor, and aerial seeding of alpine ash.
But the fact remains that safety considerations for traffic has resulted in a 20 km clearcut, mostly within a national park.
VicRoads advises that access to sections of the Great Alpine Road will be reduced at various times from Monday 11 November until Friday 20 December to enable the safe removal of dead and dangerous bushfire damaged trees.
These works are a continuation of the tree removal works that were undertaken prior to the 2013 snow season. It is essential for VicRoads to remove these hazardous fire damaged trees from the roadside as soon as possible as they present a potential road safety hazard.
From Monday 11 November until early December, the Great Alpine Road will be closed to traffic between Harrietville and Dargo High Plains Road between 8.00am & 1.00pm and 2.00pm & 5.00pm on weekdays to enable tree removal from within 10 metres of the roadside. However, the road will be open at all other times including weekends.
From early December until Friday 20 December, tree removal will continue in an area 10-40 metres from the roadside in the Alpine National Park. This work is being undertaken in consultation with Parks Victoria. Local traffic closures will be in place with delays expected. In addition to the tree removal, VicRoads will also be replacing fire damaged guardrail at 11 locations.
The Alps Link bus service between Omeo and Bright will continue to run during this time.
During the road closure period, Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain will remain accessible via Omeo and Dargo at all times.
Access between Bright and Omeo will be available via Bright-Tawonga Road (C536), Kiewa Valley Highway (C531) to Mount Beauty, then along the Bogong High Plains Road (C531) and the Omeo Highway (C543) to Omeo.
VicRoads encourages motorists travelling through the area to plan ahead and allow for significant additional travel time.
Motorists are requested to observe the changed traffic conditions for their own safety and the safety of workers nearby the road, including adhering to reduced speed limits.
VicRoads thanks the community for their patience while these important works are carried out.
For enquiries or more information about the works, please contact VicRoads on 5761 1827.
The Tasmanian Parliament has “moved to open up Hobart’s Mount Wellington (indigenous name Kunanyi) to development, with one MLC happy to see shopping on the summit”.
All but one Upper House MP have backed a Liberal plan to remove the Mount Wellington Park Management Trust’s power to veto developments.
The Independent Member for Western Tiers, Greg Hall, hopes that will clear the way for developers to build a cable car to the summit. This idea has been proposed for some time and includes major developments, including a ‘choice of dining experiences’ on the summit. The proponents describe their idea in this way:
Hobart has an opportunity to show deeper respect for our beloved backdrop. At the Park’s primary destination, the pinnacle, MWCC is offering to include space for a free-to-access, public visitor space that provides deeper interpretation of our mountain’s past; it’s colonial adaptation, aboriginal heritage and geological formation.
In a slightly bizarre twist,
Independent Apsley MLC Tania Rattray, who admitted she has never been up Mount Wellington, said she would like to see shops on the summit. She said “It would be a fantastic opportunity” (for what? The great consumer experience? Because we have a shortage of shops in Tasmania?).
there is already substantial viewing infrastructure on the mountain
Government MLC Craig Farrell also backed the change, with Rob Valentine the only MP against it.
In the Lower House, the Greens also voted against the veto being removed.
Hobart is blessed to have such a beautiful mountain right above it. It is the backdrop to the city and although it has very easy access via a road to the summit, it is easy wander off into a fairly wild alpine environment. There are already large carparks and a viewing centre and associated walkways and platforms, and massive communications towers on the summit. In my opinion, proposing shops on the summit is a significant over development of a mostly wild landscape, and indicative of the mind set that is endlessly greedy and which has no sense of enoughness. Why create further impact on such a gorgeous, natural environment?
Radio National today reported on new research from Griffith University about the potential of horses to spread weeds in national parks. The Griffith University findings were published in the journal Ecological Management and Restoration.
Researchers found that weeds germinate from dung and are spread by activities like riding.
Researchers looked at the number and type of weeds that are spread through horse manure and found that 16 of the plants were listed noxious weeds in Australia.
Associate Professor Catherine Pickering says governments around Australia should take heed of her team’s findings before opening national parks to horse riding.
She said that researchers had examined 15 studies from around the world and found many weeds germinate in horse manure, enabling their spread.
They also found that horses cause disturbance by trampling the ground, further helping weeds to thrive.
In a ‘nothing to see here, move along’ response, the former president of the Mountain Cattlemen’s Association of Victoria, Mark Coleman, said horses are not solely to blame, as many other native and introduced species also spread weeds. In response, Ms Pickering pointed out that native animals are not generally grazing in pasture – which is where the weeds are being introduced from.
He says riding horses in national parks can actually help control weeds (yeah, ok, would you like to elaborate on that one Mark?)
And in another strange twist in the ‘blame someone else’ strategy, Mr Coleman said ‘other native and introduced species also spread weeds’.
“With the introduction of blackberry into Australia, which is a horrific weed, you couldn’t get a better spread of blackberry than the emu, followed probably by the deer.”
“We were still the eyes and ears of these areas and once we were removed you remove man out of management” he said. Does that mean that all park rangers and other land managers are women? Or are they some strange form of alien? Or perhaps there is just no land management in our national parks …. that may come as some surprise to many of you
The week’s craziness dissipates with every step, evaporating and blowing away. Another wave of clouds come through and I pause under a big old tree, waiting for the rain to pass. Behind me, what sounds like a frogmouth ohms its call, and as a rainbow breaks over the shallow valley in front of bright cumulus, the kangaroos slowly emerge from under cover and start grazing again. The stream is flowing clear, and everything is still green in a flush of late spring growth.
Mountain Journal 
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