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sydney alternative media - non-profit community independent trustworthy
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Forest climate billboard in Canberra attracts official concern
Mood:  chatty
Topic: globalWarming

We are all legal and exercising representative democratic duties with our billboard banner 23 - 26 November 2009. The objectives include national logger conference at historic Hyatt Hotel and funded by federal government, and federal parliament sitting on climate change legislation. 

It was a thrill swinging through the Hyatt with the feeling our grandfather Eric McLoughlin would have hung out here with PM Bob Menzies. What would the war correspondent journo think of his grandson writing this today?

By our reckoning we have had 7 professional chats with official authorities over the past week:

1. Uniform highway patrol at Cobargo - is that your car? Nope, borrowed. License, solicitor's card, and away.

2. Uniform Australian Federal Policeman on bicycle, federal Parliament precinct, caution and direction off the Hill because no permission to protest with vehicle.

3. Uniform ACT car patrol while propped on Commonwealth Ave, caution and potential parking fine under consideration.

4. Plain clothes AFP officer Hyatt Hotel, logger industry conference, together with hotel security general liaison.

5. Tactical Response Group officer in overalls caution not to enter Hyatt or approach guests with placards or brochures.

6. Day Chief AFP security Parliamentary Security by phone, night chief AFP security in person direction to park in Federal Drive (new and old House)

7. ACT parking ranger in Civic next to Garema Place as stationwagons cannot use loading zones in the ACT (unlike NSW).

Some images follow:


 


 


 


 


 

 

 

 


Posted by editor at 2:39 PM EADT
Updated: Saturday, 28 November 2009 8:08 AM EADT
Forest climate billboard travels south coast to Canberra for Parliament
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: globalWarming

Our banner billboard education tour has travelled from Bega to Canberra via Narooma and Batemans Bay (as per the press photo below published yesterday by Narooma News) in time for the federal govt sponsored logging and woodchip industry conference on 24 and 25 Nov 2009.

Feedback has been polite, deferential, approving and in one only case nasty.

 

 

Here are some pics from various towns raising awareness:

Merimbula:

Picture: Merimbula beachfront

Pambula:

Picture: Main street of Pambula

 

Bega:

Picture: Bega annual Rotary Family Fun Day, with highly popular giant slide in the background.

 

Moruya outside federal MP Mike Kelly's office:


Only after 4 days on the south coast at generally sympathetic tourism and service economy of Merimbula we heard some venom with a couple in a drive by verbal insult "You can stick that sign up your arse" and "You bloody idiot." Tsk Tsk.

Received from behind sun glasses and a benevolent silence as if to say have a nice day.


Posted by editor at 2:22 PM EADT
Updated: Saturday, 28 November 2009 8:41 AM EADT
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Canberra leg of giant forest climate billboard on big day for Parliament
Mood:  special
Topic: aust govt

Restful sleep - in the back of the stationwagon in the quiet Canberra burbs. This flyer has been drafted by the wonderful Harriet Swift convenor of Chipstop.

Taking breakfast in Manuka cafe bakery when ALP national executive committee member strolls in for his coffee at 7.20 am. Ain't democracy grand. Swiss neutrality in the bakery as he spies on my laptop images. Tsk tsk.

Hope he doesn't graffiti the billboard outside in front of the church.


Posted by editor at 7:34 AM EADT
Monday, 23 November 2009
Bega Fest #5: Peter Andren's sister endorses forest climate billboard
Mood:  happy
Topic: globalWarming

 

We were honoured to meet Patricia Andren who lives in a retirement home on the South Coast. She is sister to Peter who was independent federal member of parliament for the central west of NSW seat of Calare.  Peter tragically died of cancer and was widely respected and maintained a huge majority in the seat.

She has met local Liberal MP in the state parliament Andrew Constance at her residence and has written to every other state MP about protecting the wild forest landscapes of the south coast.

Go Patricia!


 

Over this last 3 days this writer has enjoyed positive chats with:

- farmer from Bemboka

- retired tree feller

- ex forestry dozer driver, ex mining industry indigenous family man

- self funded retiree

- local science teacher

- assorted local environmentalists

- festival organiser

- tourism hostel manager

- local journalist

- other stall holders

Day 3 was approaching fast with some minor excitement good and bad.


Posted by editor at 8:17 AM EADT
Updated: Monday, 23 November 2009 8:52 AM EADT
Bega Fest #4: Day 2 sees great community participation
Mood:  amorous
Topic: local news

Images of festival here which doesn't do justice to the busy schedule of events in various locations including church hall, community college, outside stalls, council chambers, local library.

Here is the "High Noon" debate notable for its big attendance, ABC presenter Tim Holt as moderator and excellent diagrams presented by local Dr Matthew Nott (medicine) and convenor of local Clean Energy for Everyone group. The critic of Global Warming also had a witty style about him and local property and business identity Rob High.

 

 

We managed to note in the Q & A session the potential role of global dimming (refer abc 4 Corners doco about 5 years ago) re aerosol particulates out of China and India massive industrialisation could be playing a role in dampening temperature rise without altering the underlying forcings from green house gases.

 

 

 

 


 


 

 

 


Posted by editor at 7:55 AM EADT
Updated: Friday, 27 November 2009 2:34 PM EADT
Saturday, 21 November 2009
Bega Fest #3: Set up first day under the heat and dust
Mood:  crushed out
Topic: local news

Some images of first day of 3 day event on the NSW South Coast. Moderate to small turnout Friday 20 Nov 2009 as NSW more broadly suffered a heat wave. However the cooler weather late same evening suggested a great day to follow, which did in fact prove the case.

Some images of our experience follow: Including press catchup in the directors chair next to the billboard display, with a distinctly biblical environmental theme in the Big Media:

 


 

 

 


 


 


 

 


Posted by editor at 12:07 PM EADT
Updated: Friday, 27 November 2009 2:26 PM EADT
Bega Fest #2: Provocative climate forest billboard pitch
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: globalWarming

Picture: From left Cr Keith Hughes, Bega Valley Shire, his partner Harriet Swift convenor of local ChipStop group, John Kaye MP (Greens), Dr Bronte Somerset (Phd in Education) web builder for SERCA, Dr Prue Acton (OBE, hon doctor Arts) also of SERCA. SERCA is South East Region Conservation Alliance.

Hot afternoon had the good array of stalls in the Bega CBD Friday 20th November 2009 sweltering. A big wind change at 3pm had most of us winding down.

There was a moderate turn out of the public on this weekday start of a 3 day event for the inaugural Bega Festival with the theme of community in transition.

The local college band was hip and cool with quality jam, especially keyboard and lead guitar.

Public reception to the billboard message was good with only one silent head shake. Interesting given the hot weather and the diabolical issue of bushfire safety well understood in every rural region. SERCA funded the billboard, this writer and another colleague funded and built the mobile billboard.

 


Posted by editor at 7:41 AM EADT
Bega 'in transition' Festival #1: Price of solar panels have fallen 40% in 2 months
Mood:  special

Interesting to talk with industry veteran Dennis Pont on the BP Solar Panel stall yesterday regarding the point of fact above.

It seems the near parity of the Australian dollar greater buying power and the slashing of the Federal Govt subsidy to consumers have both acted to slash prices. Solar panels are now 40% cheaper. Incredible.

Perhaps this helps explain the decisiveness of NSW Premier Rees in agreeing to a gross feed in tariff effectively promoting power stations on peoples rooves. We can predict a new real estate boom in north facing roof space as in the German scenario.


Posted by editor at 7:04 AM EADT
Updated: Saturday, 21 November 2009 7:09 AM EADT
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Free speech for tree chippers but not green activists in South East NSW?
Mood:  hug me
Topic: independent media

Quite a disjunction in these two stories over the cultural values around democratic free speech in lead up to inaugural Bega Festival:

#1 of 2 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/16/2744117.htm

Back flip on wood chip festival ban

Posted Mon Nov 16, 2009 3:05pm AEDT

A festival committee on the New South Wales far south coast has backed down over a decision to ban the region's big timber processing company from attending a Clean Energy Expo.

Last week, the Bega Festival Committee barred Eden's South East Fibre Exports company from distributing information about its proposed biomass electricity generator that will use wood waste as fuel.

The decision brought a community backlash, including the Bega Chamber of Commerce and the anti-logging group Chip-Stop, saying the move was stifling free speech.

But the Founder of the Clean Energy for Eternity movement, Matthew Nott, says the chip mill has taken up a new invitation to be part of the community celebration.

"I am quite keen to get South East Fire Exports to the Clean Energy Expo," he said.

"I have had a couple of chats with Vince Phillips from South East Fibre Exports over the weekend.

"He and I are both happy to get South East Fibre Exports to the Clean Energy Expo.

"I think it is a good opportunity for Fibre Exports to present their case."

 

#2 of 2


 


Anti-woodchip signs go
 
Conservationists are annoyed that the Bega Valley Shire Council has used ratepayer funded resources to remove anti-woodchipping signs from the Bermagui Tathra road at Wapengo.
The signs have hung for over a year from trees high above the approaches to each side of the Wapengo Bridge.
They highlighted the threat of logging koala habitat in Mumbulla forest, part of the Wapengo catchment.
Greens Councillor, Keith Hughes is seeking details of the costs born by ratepayers from the Council.
“These signs were securely and safely erected and carried an important message for visitors,” he said.
Chipstop convener, Ms Harriett Swift, who raised the matter of the signs at a public forum of Council this afternoon (Tuesday), said that censorship is no way to win an argument.
“Residents and visitors to the area have a right to know what is going on in the region’s forests,” she said.
Forests NSW have indicated that logging of Mumbulla Forest is likely to start early in the New Year.

Photo caption: one of the signs from Wapengo bridge removed by Council

Contact:
Keith Hughes, Harriett Swift 0414908997, 64923267
 
19 November 2009

SAY "NO" TO WOODCHIP POWER. Sign the on line petition at: http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/say-no-to-woodchip-power.html

............

abc reportage here

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/19/2747149.htm?site=southeastnsw

The Bega Valley Shire Council on the New South Wales far south coast has removed illegal anti-logging signs near Bermagui, prompting a back-lash from conservationists.

Two signs placed by anti-chip campaigners in trees a year ago on the Bermagui to Tathra Road, at Wapengo, were designed to draw the attention of tourists to logging in native forests and its effects on the region's bio-diversity.

Greens Councillor Keith Hughes concedes the signs were erected without a development application but says other groups have been allowed to keep their signs.

"Some forests have prescriptions where they try and make the logging less visible from the road but apart from that narrow visual protection strip, people aren't aware of the intensity of the logging that's just out of sight," he said.

"People drive along that road and it's a beautiful stretch of road.

"It's good to inform them about what's happening out of site but not far away."


Posted by editor at 10:48 AM EADT
Bushfire science
Mood:  blue
Topic: wildfires


 

We noticed an abc Sydney radio report this morning on the Australian fire fighters union lobbying the Senate on climate change action. Here is a similar report from Feb 2009:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/12/2489847.htm 
At risk' firies want urgent global warming action

By ABC News Online's Cassie White

Posted Thu Feb 12, 2009 3:46pm AEDT
Updated Thu Feb 12, 2009 4:48pm AEDT

Risk ... firefighters have been told to prepare for many more extreme fire danger days.

Risk ... firefighters have been told to prepare for many more extreme fire danger days. (Getty: Scott Barbour)

Australia is at risk of more tragedies such as the Victorian bushfires if the Federal Government does not reassess its approach to global warming, says the peak firefighters union.

..................

A timely backgrounder also from our Ecology Action resources on an additional factor on how we got to this extreme wildfire scenario involving extreme dryness across NSW from local or global climate effects: There is a long run land use legacy of converting large areas of wet forest types into dry schlerophyll which burns fiercely. Refer this background paper:

These diagrams below first presented in 1995 reveal the process of landscape conversion of native forest from moist old growth fire resistant type, derived from their closed canopy, to dry sclerophyl bushfire prone regrowth type.

As long as a moisture rich closed canopy is in place a high density of ground cover remains of moderate risk and tends to break down quite quickly as well.

The most severe process of logging disruption of the closed forest canopy has been going on since the advent of high intensity 'integrated logging' for timber but also high proportion of woodchips especially since the mid 1970ies. This was around the time of the advent of bulldozers, other big machines and modern chainsaws.

Thus even if a small proportion of a forest of say 2 or 3% suffers high intensity logging per year, after 40 years of patchworking, close to 100% of the moist micro climate will have been destroyed along with the broken canopy.  It will take maybe a century to re establish the moist old growth closed canopy microclimate across broad areas of forest IF devastating fires don't constantly set the clock back to zero again in a cruel ecological game of snakes and ladders.

That's how grim the situation has become in large areas of forested south east Australia as a result of rampaging logging and greed. Even much contemporary national park has been patchwork logged already prior to reservation in the last 40 years and still to regain closed canopy moisture. Depending on the fire patterns in the future they may never regain that closed canopy and moisture level.

There are many other factors contributing to bushfire such as ignition sources like arson or naturally occuring dry lightning. Climate impact of low rainfall also impacts fire intensity and risk. Ground fuel levels are also very significant.

But what is apparent in the current anxious reflections and research into how best to deal with the impending catastrophic fires of the futre is that the modern logging industry have been getting away with environmental murder that promotes mega bushfires. It all follows from breaching the natural water cycle under a closed canopy:

 

 

The diagrams above are based on the following scientific papers:

Cornish PM (1982) The variation of dissolved ion concentration with discharge in some NSW streams, Forest Hydrologist, Forestry Commission of NSW, The First National Symposium on Forest Hydrology, eds. EM  O'Loughlin & L J Bren, May 1982,

Rieger W A, Olive L J and Burgess J S (1982) Behaviour of sediment concentrations and solute concentrations in small forested catchments, University of NSW, Department of Geography, FAculty of Military Studies, The First National Symposium on Forest Hydrology, eds. E M O'Loughlin & L J Bren, May 1982

Stokes R A and Loh I C (1982) 'Sustaining Sensitive Wildlife Within Temperate Forest Landscapes: Regional Systems of Retained Habitat as a Planning Framework', pages 85-106 in Ecology and Sustainability of Southern Temperate Ecosystems, eds. Norton T W & Dovers S R, CSIRO 1994.

Wronski E (1993) Tantawangalo research catchments, Change in water yield after logging, Report to the Forestry Commission of NSW, 1st July 1993

Declaration: The editor/author was called as witness to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry, and briefly to the Coronial Inquiry after the summer 1993-4 bushfires, as a representative of the Wilderness Society in NSW.

..............................................

More background

The public are noticing the intensity of forest fires seem to be greater and to have more devastating effects. Certainly there are many factors involved:

1.climate eg drought, very low humidity, hot winds etc.

2. ground fuel load is significant but notice

(a) closed canopy wet 'old growth' or rainforest is far more fire resistant than a dry sclerophyl eucalypt forest regardless of leaf litter, and dry sclerophyl is being spread like a curse by the woodchipping sector. The wet fire resistant nature of old closed canopy is not our invention: An excellent scientifically referenced booklet called 'Old Growth Forests and their High Conservation Values' was published in Feb 1995 by Taylor, Woof, Thomson with relevant diagrams. We submit this process has contributed disastrously to fire intensity over the last 35 years and could literally take centuries to reverse, short of concreting the lot. No one wants that.

(b) that the high ground vegetation grazing pressure by ground dwelling native herbivores has been greatly reduced as a result of feral predators killing these critters off.

3. arson: A recent Institute of Criminology report late 2004 found up to 9 out of 10 fires are started by arsonists and in NSW the government have taken action to address this. This was the concern of green groups from at least 1993 but largely ignored by authorities until now.

4. escaped logging fires. These are less arson, as negligent land practices. Evidence of these are listed further below.

In the area of fire management the politics of the Carr NSW government are on track compared with so many other land use policy areas ...if one ignores the underlying landscape transforming impact of woodchipping Carr has so far failled to ban: We submit that closed canopy forests have been systematically wiped out in Australia especially in the last 40 years, which has destroyed the natural water cycle and humidity in forest understorey and more generally.

In the environment movement we still hear, not so much in NSW, but from colleagues in Victoria and elsewhere cheap shots at greenies not pulling their weight in rural fire brigades etc. When we last investigated this point in 1994 during during the Black Friday bushfire crisis we learned that 20 or 30 places across regional NSW had greenies in their local brigade ... that rural people invariably pull together whatever their politics.

One fellow in the north east angrily commented he was the driver of the local fire truck and it was in his driveway. The letter I wrote rebutting such nasty cheap political shots was printed in virtually every local newspaper in NSW including letter of the week in The Land newspaper. People were in no mood for cheap smears during such a serious bushfire event. We have no reason to doubt that reality in 2005 and beyond.

Source documents can be found in the following links: 

13 Dec 2006 ...Howard’s divisive politics: bushfire green baiting today, dog whistle white supremacism yesterday

April/May 2003...El Grande, Tasmania: fire vandalism by govt logger/regulator exposed by expert botanist

4/2/03... loggers cause fire in Tasmania says Wilderness Society

2/2/03...How the Regional Forest logging 'Agreeements' omitted bushfire effect on volumes

22/1/03... intensity: role of logging old, closed canopy forest over past 50 years

13/5/02...Clearfell logging is making the wet forests of the Otways drier and more fire prone

1/1/02...Koperberg dismisses burn-off, Sydney Morning Herald

1/1/2002... Fire reduction burn offs useless: Daily Telegraph

Jan/Feb 2000...Serious forest fires in the Otways are started by careless logging practices

patchy, rare fire occurrence in wet forests of Otways, Vic

1997....scientific refutation of the 'burn lots and burn often' simplistic approach allegedly used by pre European Aboriginal society


Posted by editor at 8:35 AM EADT
Updated: Thursday, 19 November 2009 10:06 AM EADT

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