"Dear BSFG members and supporters

Last Thursday, BSFG conducted its 2019 AGM, at which our new committee was elected. I am both
honoured and challenged by members accepting my nomination as President for the
coming year, and extremely grateful to the other incoming members who have accepted positions
on the committee.

At the AGM, I read an extract from Richard Flanagan's speech to the large crowd at the Canberra
climate rally on Sunday 5th May. You can read his full speech by accessing the Guardian website*, and
if you do so, I hope it might inspire you to tackle the climate emergency head on!

Briefly, three comments Flanagan made stand out in my mind.

​"After May 18th it matters even more to press whoever wins to recognise this crisis is not an issue. It
is THE issue".

"I am here today to say that there is hope. That the Franklin River flows free and Adani will be
stopped. These things happen, because at a certain point enough people say there are things that
matter more than the politics of money."

"There is no power on this earth that can resist an idea whose time has come.  It is a time to act and it is for us to act. Because there is no-one else and there is no other time."

Every day in the news, I read about the arrogance of the politicians who think they have been given
a mandate to implement their climate-wrecking policies and open up new coal mines, put renewable energy projects on the back burner in favour of the fossil fuel corporations that bought them victory, and condemn our children to a world with a bleak future.

And then, I remember Flanagan's words, and it makes me more determined to do something. So I
write a letter to the paper, or I have a serious head-to-head discussion with a friend who is a
conservative voter. On my own, I might reach out to a few people, but with your collective help, we
can do so much more. Politicians will listen to a group with several hundred members, because that
is significant.

If you are one of our long time members, I thank you for your ongoing support, and encourage you
to come along to our bi-monthly meetings (4th Thursday of July, September, November, March and
May). If you are on our contact list, please consider becoming a member - $25 per year - and also
coming along to our meetings, where we try to arrange a varied array of guest speakers or films on
environmental/sustainability issues.

Please check out our website (www.bsfg.org.au) where you will find information about our action
groups, and other articles of environmental importance. There are details on the website about how
you can join BSFG, and I look forward to your support as we try to influence the political debate in
Australia around the climate emergency.

Sincerely


Peter Holmes (President)

Dear BSFG members and supporters,

Most of you will be aware that early last year, Vicforests carried out logging at the Parlours Creek coupe in the Lima East area of the Strathbogie State forest. The so-called single tree selection logging resulted in the destruction of around 80% of the coupe, resulting in the loss of habitat for large numbers of the critically endangered Greater Gliders, as well as numerous other forest dwelling animals and birds.
Now, Vicforests are at it again, but this time the situation is even more desperate!

The Barjarg Flat coupe on the corner of Barjarg and Tallangalook Rds is twice the size (around 60 hectares) of Parlours Creek coupe, but more importantly, independent surveys carried out late last year by the Arthur Rylah Institute, included the highest ever recorded density in Victoria of Greater Gliders, and in addition, a Powerful Owl has been detected in the same area.

These facts should trigger a red flag alarm for the Environment Minister to intervene and stop the logging, at least until an extensive assessment of the area has been completed. Powerful Owl Management Areas (POMA) were established over 20 years ago in Victoria, based on information then available, but now out of date. A POMA requires an automatic logging exclusion zone of 500 hectares, and for this to happen at Barjarg Flat, we need to get the minister to listen and act.

The problem is – she is just not listening!

We, and the Gliders and Owls need your help.

Please phone and/or email the minister’s office over the next few days to express your URGENT concerns – logging was supposed to have commenced 2 days ago, but thankfully, no equipment is on site yet.

The contact details are listed below, and also for Jaclyn Symes, the Labor member for Northern Victoria in the Legislative Council.

Lily D’Ambrosio (Environment Minister) Ph:  96379504 Email:  lily.d’ambrosio@parliament.vic.gov.au
Jaclyn Symes (MLC Northern Victoria) Ph:  57832000   Email:  Jaclyn.Symes@parliament.vic.gov.au

Thank you, in anticipation of your support.

Yours sincerely,
​
Peter Holmes   Ph:  0438625638   Email:  chrispeth@bigpond.com