April 24, 2001 |
And the Rain just keeps coming. Lots of community support.
Locals bringing hot food and dry blankets etc. |
April 23, 2001 |
The logging crew this morning have begun pulling logging
machinery out of the Ciancio coup. |
April 22, 2001 |
There has been about 85mm or rain at Lavers Hill over
the last 24 hours. Other parts of the Otways have had 120mm. There
were a dozen conservationists camping in this horrific weather over
night. Conditions are very tough on site. Donations of wet weather
clothing and gear are needed now. The rain has made the ground wet
but the Otway subsoil is very dry so this rain will be absorbed over
the next few days. If it fines up again logging could take place again
in only a day or so. |
April 20, 2001 |
Day 15 of Ciancio blockade Weather at the coupe is cold
and windy. Many conservationists are having a rest DNRE would have
been able to allow logging all day on Wednesday before Easter as there
were no tree sits in place. Fortunately windy weather stopped any
trees being felled. Logs were taken away by truck and some tree-fern
pushed over by a bulldozer on that day. |
April 19, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - Ten people in tree-sits, connected by
an intricate pattern of cables threaded through the trees to prevent
logging. Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) inspected
the site today and judged it too dangerous to log, |
April 18, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - No Logging. Protestors in trees constitute
an Occupational Health and Safety issue so logging cannot occur |
April 17, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek -Just one treesit has been removed. After
this was removed, the DNRE tried to fell trees very close to where
protestors remain in other treesits. This was a dangerous and provocative
political move. DNRE and the Minister are compromising on people's
lives in an attempt to score a political point by being able to say
they have been able to fell trees in the coupe. This action resulted
in many community members and conservationists confronting the DNRE
in the coupe. A number of these were arrested.
There is a tense stand-off and the police appear to recognise that
this would escalate if DNRE attempts once again to fell trees and
endanger people's lives.
There have been 10 arrests in total today.
There was an agreement to cut one tree down which has been partly
cut down in a previous attempt to fell trees by DNRE. As it was
seen as a safety hazard protestors agreed that it should be cut
down in return for no more
arrests today.
More fun and games tomorrow.
|
April 16, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - Everyone at camp is really pleased and
thankful for the overwhelming community support yesterday with the
open day. A letter to Steve Bracks was signed by over 200 people calling
for an end to logging at Ciancio coupe and the removal of Garbutt
as environment minister. It was sent today. Support is still needed
to keep pressure on the government so please keep coming down to the
camp, and ring or fax Garbutt, Bracks and your local MP. We expect
the logging crew to try to resume work tomorrow. Spirits are high
and the blockade is strong. For updates please check here or ring
52 377 439 (Map) |
April 15, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - OREN open day at the coupe. 200-300
members of the general public come and inspect the logging and the
blockade |
April 13-14, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - Blockade strengthened over Easter Break. |
April 12, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - No logging today, they've just been
pulling out logs from the log dump. |
April 11, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - . Day Six: crew have maintained a camp
at Ciancio despite, rain & hail and being totally intimidated (not)
by a line of cops along the coupe all day!! NRE are cooking them barbecues
for lunch and they have their own porta potty. No felling today -
too windy & wet, took the logs out only but word is felling will start
tomorrow. They just can't give-in. Boys games ! |
April 10, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - DNRE officers bust blockade |
April 9, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - A small group of loggers attempt to
stage a counter blockade.. Four log trucks and one car load of loggers
prevented public access to the Ciancio Coupe. The counter blockade
dispersed after Department Natural Resources and Environment (NRE)
officers were forced to negotiate with the loggers to allow passage
of fire fighting equipment. The fire was caused by the NRE losing
control of a burnoff operation in Watsons Coupe on Bennetts Track
|
April 6, 2001 |
Ciancio Creek - conservationists are stopping logging
work due to inadequate buffers on nearby rainforest. OREN believes
logging activity may be illegal. (Media
Release) (Map) |
April 4, 2001 |
Logging starts at Ciancio Creek. This followed a week of discussions
between conservationists and the DNRE. DNRE attempted to get OREN
to relax its commitment to blockade if logging proceeds in any contentious
coups this summer. This followed an agreement last year that OREN
would not halt any logging activity as long as logging didn't occur
at any contentious coups. DNRE claim they have to log Ciancio to
get enough Mountain Ash to fulfil a licence. This is because they
OVER-ESTIMATED the amount of timber/ Mountain Ash in the other coupes.
Native forest logging stopped after State Government breaks agreements
with conservationists
(Media Release)
|