Toolangi to feature on 'Bush Telegraph' (ABC Radio National)
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 8:08 am
I have been asked to attend the ABC Southbank studios on Wednesday, 31.08, at 11.30 am for an interview with 'Bush Telegraph', a program on Radio National. I assume it will go live to air.
The interview has been prompted by the recent logging activity at Sylvia Creek, near Toolangi, and my involvement in the opposition to it. I am not an expert on logging, although I think I know enough not to make a fool of myself (touch wood!). The real reason for me being on the program, though, is to talk about CJ Dennis and his involvement with the area, and the future of his former home, once known as 'Arden', now 'The Singing Gardens'.
I am sure there is support amongst some Toolangi residents for logging of the local forests, but many are also vehemently opposed. Reasons are wide and varied. Many don't like the increasing traffic of logging trucks on the local roads. The wine growers don't like the smoke from the burning that follows the clearfelling.
Opposition goes much deeper than this, however. The forests around Toolangi are now referred to as 'the hole in the donut'. This is because they escaped the fires of Black Saturday, while all around was burnt. It is probably their great age that protected them. (Recent research shows that more recently logged forests are more fire prone.) They are proud of their forests, and don't like seeing them deliberately destroyed. Some of the trees now being cut down are over 100 years old.
Then there is the question of the wildlife, especially the endangered species. The most prominent of these is the Leadbeater's Possum, which only exists in the Central Highlands of Victoria. It was believed to be extinct in 1961, then re-discovered. Its numbers took a real battering after Black Saturday, though, and it is believed to now be inhabiting areas of forest that are from ideal for it, simply because so much of its prime habitat has been burnt. Part of this area very possibly includes the forests that have recently been cut down.
A local environment group, 'My Environment Inc.' applied for an injunction against the logging in the Supreme Court. As a result of this, a temporary injunction was opposed last Friday. This lasts for three weeks, allowing a more comprehensive discussion to take place.
As I say, I expect to be talking more about CJ Dennis than the logging, but I imagine I will be touching on both.
If you have a chance on the day, you might like to tune in. I'd appreciate any feedback.
The interview has been prompted by the recent logging activity at Sylvia Creek, near Toolangi, and my involvement in the opposition to it. I am not an expert on logging, although I think I know enough not to make a fool of myself (touch wood!). The real reason for me being on the program, though, is to talk about CJ Dennis and his involvement with the area, and the future of his former home, once known as 'Arden', now 'The Singing Gardens'.
I am sure there is support amongst some Toolangi residents for logging of the local forests, but many are also vehemently opposed. Reasons are wide and varied. Many don't like the increasing traffic of logging trucks on the local roads. The wine growers don't like the smoke from the burning that follows the clearfelling.
Opposition goes much deeper than this, however. The forests around Toolangi are now referred to as 'the hole in the donut'. This is because they escaped the fires of Black Saturday, while all around was burnt. It is probably their great age that protected them. (Recent research shows that more recently logged forests are more fire prone.) They are proud of their forests, and don't like seeing them deliberately destroyed. Some of the trees now being cut down are over 100 years old.
Then there is the question of the wildlife, especially the endangered species. The most prominent of these is the Leadbeater's Possum, which only exists in the Central Highlands of Victoria. It was believed to be extinct in 1961, then re-discovered. Its numbers took a real battering after Black Saturday, though, and it is believed to now be inhabiting areas of forest that are from ideal for it, simply because so much of its prime habitat has been burnt. Part of this area very possibly includes the forests that have recently been cut down.
A local environment group, 'My Environment Inc.' applied for an injunction against the logging in the Supreme Court. As a result of this, a temporary injunction was opposed last Friday. This lasts for three weeks, allowing a more comprehensive discussion to take place.
As I say, I expect to be talking more about CJ Dennis than the logging, but I imagine I will be touching on both.
If you have a chance on the day, you might like to tune in. I'd appreciate any feedback.