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Misty Kuark forest and forest defenders
Contents:
  1. Kuark trial date adjourned & crowdfundingGlider in hollow
  2. Laptop needed – Windows 7 pref.
  3. VEAC ‘mini-enquiry’ into forest values
  4. Bunnings Slaughterhouse campaign a winner
  5. Forest Chrissy cards
  6. Review of state enviro laws
  7. Frogs and Flying foxes
  8. Frogs halt logging
  9. Unions take pay cut to keep paper mill open!
  10. Loggers, make way for tourism

Supreme Court trial – update

We were set to put our case for the Kuark forest in front of the newly allocated judge Justice Osborn*, on the 5th December. However at the last minute VicForests presented more evidence. We objected to this due to the date for filing evidence having passed, the extra time/resources needed to respond, and no decent reason as to why it was all so late. Justice Osborn decided to accept VicForests’ late affidavit and provide EEG with time to respond.
The Court also raised concern that the time allocated to the case in December may not have been enough to hear the whole trial. As a result the trial was adjourned and will now be heard for 10 days starting 6th February 2017.
Our lawyers at EJA and the EEG team were ready to go on the 5th December but we will be even more ready to have this case heard by the Supreme Court in February. Kuark Forest defence fund

We have a set up a Chuffed fundraising page for our legal case. If you’d like to donate via this site, and see a short video of why we need to see this through, please go to https://chuffed.org/project/kuark-forests-too-precious-to-lose

*Justice Osborn was the judge for both the Brown Mountain case in East Gippsland and the MyEnvironment case in the Central Highlands.

Laptop needed for Jill

Reasonable RAM and HD. Lightweight would be good for travelling with. Windows 7 pref. Please contact info@eastgippsland.net.au or call Jill on 5154 0145 if you have one you don't need anymore.

VEAC enquiry into Victoria’s eastern forests values

we must have ten as promisedSome good news to come from the Andrews Government Forest Taskforce; the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC) has been asked to carry out a ‘mini-assessment’ of the environmental values of Victoria’s eastern forests.
VEAC will also be looking at estimated volumes of logs remaining in logging zones within public forests. This will be the first time we have seen a genuine independent assessment of how much is really there.
The results should be presented early in the New Year and will be extremely valuable in deciding the future management of forests.
The Taskforce otherwise drags on and meanwhile Daniel Andrews has allowed VicForests to continue targeting extremely high value forests to obliterate while discussions continue for their protection! Smash-it-down-Dan could be doing a lot more to pull VicForests into line.

Bunnings cops customer criticism

Have you noticed that our politicians are far less sensitive to public criticism than companies are? A new campaign is targeting retailers and aims to influence the forest destroying products they sell. Bunnings hardware is the first target. It is selling products that have come from clearfelled Mountain Ash forests and Leadbeaters possum habitat. The online petition to Bunnings has had a huge effect that the owners can no longer ignore or try to defend VicForests way of clearfelling.
You can sign and share at https://www.change.org/p/lowest-standards-are-just-the-beginning-demand-bunnings-stop-selling-endangered-timber
Email your local store today and let them know what you think click here.
It will only take 2 minutes and your email will help Bunnings realise that they can't keep ignoring their customers and the community. The more people that write to their local Bunnings store, the harder it will be for Bunnings to keep selling these products.

Lowest standards are just the beginning - Demand Bunnings stop selling endangered timber!

Chrissy cards

We have some classy greetings cards for sale depicting five different East Gippsland forest images. Being blank they can be used to give as presents or used for any occasion through the year. On SPECIAL in our online shop - $15 for a pk of ten. Funds help our work to protect forests.

1) the mossy, rainforest lined upper catchment of the Bonang River, 2) tree ferns and Shining gums of the Errinudra Plateau, 3) Superb Blue Wren, 4) Bonnet Fungi and moss at Brown Mountain and 5) the silky, pristine waters of the Brodribb River.

If you’d like to give the forests and wildlife a Christmas present – please consider a donation https://chuffed.org/project/kuark-forests-too-precious-to-lose

Review of state environment laws?

Victoria’s nature protection laws are broken. In 2014, the Andrews Government promised to review Victoria’s main nature protection law – the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act – but to date very little has been done. There is real concern that the planned review will weaken rather than strengthen the laws.
Your support is needed. Environment Justice Australia has produced an easy-send submission – one minute of your time could help save hundreds of species.

Frogs and Flying Foxes

There have been pros and cons of the wetter cooler spring we have just gone through.the Large Brown Tree Frog
Over Spring the endangered Baw Baw frog in the Central Highlands was discovered , as well as the Large Brown Tree Frog in the Mt Jersey area of East Gippsland . This was believed extinct regionally.

Grey-headed Flying FoxThe cool wet spring has not been so kind to the vulnerable Grey-headed Flying Foxes though. It’s meant there is very little blossom in the forests and there is a mass die-off of Flying Foxes in Qld and along the NSW coast. They are also starving in areas of Victoria with many resorting to raiding gardens and green fruit in town areas.
Kind people have been putting hanging baskets of chopped fruit out for them at night as many baby flying foxes are dying from starvation.

Frogs stop the loggingLarge Brown Tree Frog - GECO

Just days after a logging crew moved into high value mature forests to start the systematic destruction, GECO citizen surveyors were on their tail! More threatened wildlife was found that VicForests didn't. Loggers have now been told to move out while confirmation surveys are done.

Unions take pay cut to keep pulp mill alive

Australian Paper has been responsible for the endless clearfelling of the Central Highlands Ash forests
After the AMWU agreed to a wage freeze and reduced hours between Australian Paper’s maintenance workers in March 2016, the CFMEU has now also agreed to accept a pay cut of $100 a week for its workers. The unions and its members agreed to the backwards moves in order to help the company which is obviously still in financial strife after 4 years of losses. Read more on the EEG website here

Move over logging industry …Visitors to EG forests discover a bower

The tourism industry in Gippsland is far more valuable than logging. From a recent Destination Gippsland report

“ investment activity increased and visitation was well up on last year (+23%)… the Gippsland Visitor Economy generates an estimated $1.2b in Gross Regional Product (11% of the total Gippsland economy). It supports 12,400 jobs (12% of all Gippsland employment) in over 3,000 businesses across every community in Gippsland"
If you like what we do, or if you feel outraged and want to help somehow you can donate here or via PayPal here. EEG provides the most enviro-bang for your buck – and we work 7 days a week – no holiday pay, no office rent, power bills, wages or overheads. We rely totally on our memberships and donations.

Please renew your EEG membership or join EEG today!
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