~HAVOC WINTER 2006 CONTENTS~
HVEC Update
Volunteer Vacancies
Winter Solstice
Sculpture Garden
Environment Tasmania
Wedge-Tailed Eagles
Nature Watch
Tassie's Southwood Forest Furnace
Forest Poem
World Heritage Update
Web Stuff
Eco-Shop Update

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Welcome to the Winter 2006 edition of HAVOC. Winter is a time for reflection and renewal, for creation and creativity. In this edition we bring you a special feature article on the plans for the Southwood Forest Furnace, which would have a massive impact on the Southern Forests, let alone global warming.
The HVEC has been chugging along well recently, with a very successful Bush Dance fundraiser in Sandfly, regular art exhibitions organised by the Black Sassy Collective, a submission to the World Conservation Union about threats to the World Heritage Area from logging the Weld Valley, a beautiful sculpture garden and playground emerging in the backyard and much, much more. We are also going through a renewal stage of our own, with a number of vacancies emerging for management and other volunteer roles at the Centre.
Please feel free to contact us about helping out, or making a submission to the next edition of HAVOC. You can contact us at centre@huon.org, or on (03) 6264 1286.

Many warm winter wishes,
Lilia Letsch
(HAVOC Editor)

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CONVENOR
Responsibilities:
* Oversee all Centre Activity
* Chair all Executive and Management Committee Meetings
* Chair all General Meetings of the Association
* Arrange the agenda and papers for these meetings in conjunction with the Secretary
* Have a working knowledge of the Rules and Regulations of the Association (bureaucracy stuff)

CENTRE COORDINATOR
Responsibilities:
Coordinate people to carry out Centre coordination tasks
Find and liaise with Volunteer Coordinator
Oversee retail outlet coordination
Ensure information on shelves is maintained, photocopied and up to date
Oversee Centre bookings i.e. Meetings, workshops,
Oversee Library administration
Manage key register
Call and chair monthly centre coordination meetings
Attend and report to Management Committee Meetings

Apply to management committee by the 29th June 2006. Email Jenny at jweber@nativeforest.net or pass a note/word of thought to Jenny, Loki, Lilia or Will

ARCHIVIST WANTED!
Huon Valley Environment Centre is looking for help in putting together all our old documents from when the environment centre started. A volunteer who is keen to help patch our history together, please give your expression of interest to Jenny by jweber@nativeforest.net or drop in and let a volunteer at the centre know who you are.

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Winter Solstice (June 21) is the shortest day and longest night of the year. It is the darkest time of year, but the shortest day also signals the beginning of the sun coming back for longer. In ancient European traditions the Winter Solstice is the time to worship the great mother goddess who is giving birth to the new sun. It is one of the oldest seasonal celebrations in the world, and evidence can be found of it in many countries. The picture on the right is from the ancient sacred site of Newgrange in Ireland. At Winter Solstice the sun shines down a long tunnel and highlights stones carved with ancient symbols representing the mother goddess. In many parts of the world Winter Solstice was overlaid with Christmas, and the observance of Christmas spread throughout the globe. Along the way, we lost some of the deep connection of our celebrations to a fundamental seasonal, hemispheric event. In Iran, there is the observance of Yalda, in which families kept vigil through the night and fires burned brightly to help the sun (and Goodness) battle darkness . Winter solstice celebrations are also part of the cultural heritage of Pakistan and Tibet. And in China, even though the calendar is based on the moon, the day of winter solstice is called Dong Zhi, "The Arrival of Winter." The cold of winter made an excellent excuse for a feast, so that's how the Chinese observed it, with Ju Dong, "doing the winter."
In Tasmania, where the days get so short, the solstice has a massive impact on our lives. When it comes, celebrate the glorious return of the sun and the opportunity to shake off the winter blues!

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Some of you might have noticed a few developments taking place in the Centre's backyard, this is the new sculpture garden! Thought up by members of the Centre and brought to life by Forrest Whitten, a local artist, and community members it has been created to provide a non-toxic, safe and imagination provoking space for big and little kids to play in.

All materials used for the project were salvaged from clear-fells in the Esperance Valley under the guidance of Forrest. A three-day mission resulted in the collection of numerous celery top and cheese wood logs to make totem poles and a sandpit. A giant stump was also brought home to create the cosy stump house.

The sculpture garden is not yet finished, so you still have a chance to help out with future additions, the next installation is looking likely to happen in the later half of this year. If you have any ideas, energy or time please contact the Centre at centre@huon.org, or 6264 1286.

Written by Hannah Moloney.

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Environment Tasmania (E.T.) was recently formed as a peak body for Tasmanian environment groups and individuals. The plan is to have a united voice on environmental issues, particularly in the lead up to the next federal election. Over time the aim of E.T. is to develop consensus positions for the environment movement in Tassie over a whole range of important issues, including marine conservation, water, climate change, sustainable living, biodiversity conservation and coastal issues amongst others.

On the 13th of May there was an E.T. Meeting in Golden Valley, underneath the Great Western Tiers. Attending were a diversity of voices, including some delegates from the Huon Valley Environment Centre. Despite the long drive up north it was great to get together with other environmentally minded people and find out about all the amazing work that is being done all over the state. Campaign ideas and strategies were discussed and a draft position on forest policy was developed. The next meeting is being held a little closer to home, in the Derwent Valley, on the weekend of the 29th of July. If any HVEC members have ideas that could be taken to the next E.T. meeting, please email them to us at centre@huon.org.

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To be able to experience the flight of an Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle would be undescribable, to soar over some of Tasmania's most unique, untouched and pristine wilderness is in my mind so entrancing and magical, I would forever leave it as it was... the Eagle's kingdom.

Yet sadly what I feel and many others is not the same for everyone. Forestry Tasmania, a government run organisation that is supposed to manage and look after our forests, allows the Eagle's habitat to be destroyed with no regard for the fact that this magnificent bird of prey is bordering on extinction. Only allowing a 10 hectare (360 m diameter circle) buffer zone around the nests do nothing when large areas of forest in the area are being logged. Eagle's territories span areas as large as 30km2 to 120km2. With only 130 successfully breeding pairs left in Tasmania it is essential something is done to help preserve this awe-inspiring bird for future generations.

The Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle is Australia's largest bird of prey. It differs from other birds of prey by its characteristic wedge shaped tail and long finger like feathers. They can weigh up to 5 kg and have a wingspan of just over 2.2 metres. They have been seen soaring at altitudes of up to 2000 metres. One really interesting aspect of the eagle is their nests, they're amazing. They are usually built in the tallest tree in their territory and are a formation of dead sticks that form massive nests. Nests have been found that are 1.8 m across, 3 m deep and weigh about 400 kg. If any sticks are dropped during the nest building process, no effort is made to retrieve them. Piles of sticks as high as 1.8 m have been found at the base of the trees in which these nests have been built. "Approximately 80% of known nests occur on private land and State Forest, land particularly prone to disturbance and severe alteration by human development."

The Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle is an endemic subspecies, which means it is found nowhere else in the world.
In the last 10, 000 years that the Wedge-tailed Eagle has made Tasmania home, it has become a separate subspecies from the mainland Wedge-tailed Eagle . The main difference between the two being that the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed eagle is considerably bigger than its main-land counterpart. On the mainland the Wedge-tailed eagle is quite common whilst in Tasmania they are listed as endangered under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Act 1995.
"It has been listed as endangered by both the Commonwealth and Tasmanian governments, meaning that it is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future."
Yet despite this there is still no current recovery plan in place with the last plan expiring in 2004, even though the Commonwealth Environmental Minister is required to ensure that a recovery plan is in force.
"A 2004 study in the Bass district of north-eastern Tasmania, conducted by the University of Melbourne for Forestry Tasmania in 2004, modeled the eagle's future over 200 years. It concluded that it faces an extinction risk of 62% from human-induced mortality, other than from logging. With logging factored in, the extinction risk rose to over 90%."

It is time for the forestry industry and the regulatory bodies to stand up and do what is needed to save the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle from extinction. If we want to continue seeing eagles soaring above our skies, we need to put proper protection of their breeding habitat into place. Large expanses of Old-Growth forest is essential in the survival of this endemic species of eagle.

Written by Laura Minnebo

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APRIL : Moths & Mushrooms
The beginning of April seemed to bring a multitude of little birds out for long days of munching on the quickly developing moths. On any single day we had Thornbills, Scarlet Robins, Yellow-throated Honeyeaters, Fantails and Wrens hopping around our house in Lucaston.

It also seems to be the month of the hairy caterpillar. A friend who I was working with at the time had to rush their son to hospital in the middle of the night due to massive welts coming up all over his body ­ thought to be a response from the prolific caterpillars. Other dangerous looking creatures starting popping out of the ground after the autumn combination of rain and sun ­ an incredible array of beautiful and scary looking mushrooms and fungi.

April was also the beginning of the Forestry burn-off season. Every time the smoke came over into Lucaston I saw a Wedge-Tailed Eagle souring off the top of Mount Misery.

MAY: Snow & Wildflowers
May brought the first serious snow of winter this year. For the first two weeks of the month one barely saw the beautiful Mount Wellington range without a bit of snow. At the same time May was a remarkably sunny month, coupled with seriously cold mist and frosts in the morning. More Quolls started appearing in Lucaston (some sadly dead on the road), possibly due to the April moths getting larger and more attractive to them. May also brought a family of Brown Falcons (Falco berigora) to the bush next to our house. We would frequently hear them squawking as they did their acrobatic flights around the Lucaston valley. According to Dave Watts' bird book they are known to be one of the noisiest and showy birds of prey in Tassie.

May is also an incredible time of year to go walking in dry eucalyptus forest due to the beautiful array of wildflowers out, including the pink and white native heath and some shrubby wattles.

My most prized nature-based experience in May was my first sighting of a Pink Robin in the bush in Lucaston. They are listed as a threatened species in NSW, and in Tassie are an uncommon sight and quite a delight to experience. Some very hairy and bony scats found in our driveway makes me think we've had some devil visitors recently too!

If you would like to write about your nature experiences, or would like to pass on something you have seen, please feel free to contact us at centre@huon.org. Happy watching, listening & feeling.
Written by Lilia Letsch

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As debate rages about the future of energy production in Australia, a nightmare scenario is looming for the Huon Valley as Forestry Tasmania pushes ahead with plans for a wood-fired power station at Southwood.
First mooted in 1998 the Southwood forest furnace project sparked public outrage amongst the Huon community. Forestry Tasmania plans to construct a 30mw power station fueled by "residue" from the Huon's high conservation-value forests. In theory, "waste" wood left over from the logging of native forest will be burnt in a furnace to generate power for the Southwood complex. Power will also be exported via Basslink to Victoria.
Forestry Tasmania and woodchip lobbyists claim that wood-fired power is a "clean and green" solution to the use of fossil fuels and the dilemma of global climate change. Claiming that they will clean up the "waste" left after logging they mount a misleading argument designed to distract residents and energy consumers from the ugly reality of wood-fired power.

A "Wasteful" approach

A closer look at the Southwood project reveals Forestry Tasmania's real agenda. As the organisation's own figures explain, 300,000 tonnes of wood will be burnt in the forest furnace each year. This amounts to more wood than will be used in the Southwood Veneer Mill and Sawmill combined. That's a lot of "waste"! As mainland activists fighting similar developments have discovered, the argument for "waste reduction" is a thinly disguised ploy to find new markets for woodchips. In New South Wales, for example, the North West Forest Alliance claims that whole logs are being chipped and used to generate power. Just as the woodchip industry was established, using the ruse of "waste reduction", so wood-fired power will end up consuming huge volumes of timber, not just the "waste" from the forest floor.
But even the use of "waste" wood left on the forest floor is fraught with problems. As Forestry Tasmania's own research confirms, the collection of Coarse Woody Debris from the forest floor is likely to lead to severe impacts on biodiversity and even landscape-level extinction of certain species. Furthermore, the removal of biomass from the forest floor amounts to a direct export of nutrients contributing to declining productivity and soil health.
The Greenhouse Neutral lie

Forestry Tasmania and biomass power lobbyists claim that the burning of native forests for power is "greenhouse neutral." Because the forest grows back and re-stores the carbon released through burning, they claim, wood fired power leads to no net increase in greenhouse gases. However, when we factor in the carbon dioxide emissions from machinery used to access, log and replant the forest, as well as the emissions from trucks used to transport the wood, the equation is clearly not neutral. Furthermore, we must consider the time in takes for a newly established forests or plantation to consume all of the carbon released from logging and burning a 300 year old forest ecosystem. When we face immanent threats from climate change, can we afford to be releasing carbon that may not be re-captured for decades?
When we consider the full story, it becomes clear that the Wood-Fired power agenda is part of a push to continue the low value, high volume approach to Tasmanian Forestry by finding new ways to process and market woodchips. By converting woodchips into energy, Forestry Tasmania and its associates, can continue to sell their core product while reducing transport costs and circumventing the market difficulties affecting Tasmanian woodchip exports.

Where is it at??

While the full development of the Southwood site has not followed Forestry Tasmania's expected timeline, there is no time for complacency. The site, which is situated near the confluence of the Huon and Weld rivers west of Lonnovale, is rapidly developing. The announcement of a wood supply deal between Forestry Tasmania and Malaysian timber giant Ta Ann holdings for the development of a Veneer Mill at the Southwood site has reignited fears about wood-fired power. Ta Ann is already constructing biomass power plants at its Malaysian Mills. It seems they have the capacity and experience to drive a similar project in Tasmania. At present, an application to generate Renewable Energy Certificates from the Southwood power station (under the business name NP Biomass) is pending approval. While burning native forests for power generation has been ruled out in most mainland states, the public outrage voiced during initial planning for the project has not halted development.

Where to from here?

As energy consumers we need to reject woodfired power. None of us want to contribute to the destruction of high-conservation value forests every time we make a cup of tea or turn on a light. It is up to consumers to stop this destructive and unsustainable practice. The Huon Valley Environment Centre will stay on top of developments and update members whenever possible. In the meantime, we cannot afford to let this atrocity slip through without a fight. Please make your opinion heard and consider writing to your local MP, Energy Minister David Llewelyn, Premier Paul Lennon, Forestry Tasmania, Hydro Tasmania, local papers as well as mainland papers such as The Age. Combined public pressure has stopped woodfired power developments in Mainland states. It can work in Tasmania too.

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For some months now the Huon Valley Environment Centre has been lobbying the World Conservation Union (IUCN) regarding threats to the integrity of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) from logging operations in the Weld Valley.
Production forest coupes in the Weld Valley border directly on to the internationally recognised, protected ecosystems of the TWWHA. Forestry Tasmania plans to clearfell and burn pristine wilderness forests which are contiguous with ecosystems protected within the TWWHA. Conservation groups are concerned that these logging operations will threaten the integrity of the TWWHA.

In 2003 a "regeneration" burn in coupe WR015B escaped and burnt within 200 metres of the World Heritage boundary. The HVEC fears that, if Forestry Tasmania continues to log coupes directly bordering the World Heritage Area, burns could escape and cause significant damage to sensitive ecosystems within the protected region.

Since late 2005, the HVEC has been researching and preparing reports and letters on these threats. We have contacted the IUCN and World Heritage Committee and outlined our concerns. We are calling on the IUCN to enter the TWWHA on their list of World Heritage In Danger, and to ensure a full, independent assessment of the current situation.

The process has been productive to date and the threats have been addressed in the State of Conservation Report submitted to the World Heritage Committee for discussion. The World Heritage Committee, comprising representatives from 21 member states, will meet in Lithuania in July. We eagerly await the outcomes of this meeting and we will continue to inform members of developments.

By Will Mooney.

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Considering that Johnnie wants the Australian public to start accepting nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels it seemed timely to share some interesting web sites that will help you keep up to date on the debate, the issues and terms.

FOE.ORG.AU
Friends of the Earth Australia are one of the leading NGO's in Australia campaigning against an increase in uranium mining. They have recently released a report into the industry "Yellowcake Country? Australia's uranium industry" which can be downloaded from the front page of their website. There are also details about FOE's Radioactive Exposure Tour 2006.

ANAWA.ORG.AU
The Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia.
ANAWA's role is mainly in research, political lobbying and publication of information that the community needs in order to make informed decisions about uranium mining, nuclear power, weapons and waste. Here you will find detailed research into all of Australia's uranium mines, the nuclear fuel chain, radiation and health issues, nuclear politics and the industry, global issues, current campaigns, and much more.

NEWINT.ORG
New Internationalist magazine had a fantastic edition in September 2005 called "Nuclear's Second Wind". Full of fascinating articles and facts, this is a must read for anyone wanting a holistic overview of the issue. Go to the main site and search for it, or visit this particular edition of the magazine at: www.newint.org/issue382/index.htm.

ACFONLINE.ORG.AU
The Australian Conservation Foundation's president Ian Lowe has written a very good article called "Is nuclear power part of Australia's global warming solutions?" You will find a link to it on the front page.

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There's the usual, and the new! Come in and find something for yourself, or a nice gift for a friend.

>>Second-hand tops printed with local artists' designs.

>>More new incense than you can poke a stick at.

>>The ever popular HEMP PAPERS, back in stock after a long dry spell.

>>Normal, decorated and tea-light candles from the Nimbin Candle factory.

>>Beautiful wilderness cards, including forest nudes by Kirsty Pilkington.

>>Bokashi cleaning and garden products.

>>Stunning jewelery made by a lovely Irish lass staying at Camp Weld.

>>Weld Valley pirate badges.

>>TasMaps of Southern Tassie, including national parks maps and 1:25000 maps.

>>Magazines: ByronChild, Earth Garden, Nimbin Magazine, Vegan Voice, etc.

>>Books on organics and permaculture, great childrens books, Bob Brown's Recherche Bay book, and much more.

But don't think this is all! Come in and have a look when passing by. We are situated behind Granny Lew's Organics Cafe, on Wilmot Rd, Huonville.
Over winter we are giving members a 10 % discount on all items in stock!

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