Hancock Watch Updates

October 2017

College Creek Now In Public Hands

Pristine spot in public hands 9 Oct 2017 Latrobe Valley Express (Photo above forest tour at College Creek April 2017)

State Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D'Ambrosio has announced about 1200 hectares of environmentally significant 'cores and links' land in the Strzelecki Ranges formerly leased by Hancock Victoria Plantations will be returned to public management. It comes after a 2008 agreement between the Brumby government and HVP Plantations outlined 8000 hectares, known as the cores and links, would be returned to the public for conservation. The cores and links connect Gunyah Gunyah Reserve in the west to Tarra-Bulga National Park in the east, and comprise five core areas including Gunyah, College Creek, Jack River, Tarra-Bulga and Merriman's Catchment. "We will continue to work with the community around the future of this new conservation reserve," Ms D'Ambrosio said. Friends of the Earth's Anthony Amis and Friends of Gippsland Bush's Susie Zent said while the announcement was an important step forward, they wouldn't be celebrating until the area was "actually reserved". "This means the [Victorian] governor has to sign off on it," Mr Amis said. "That is expected to happen in the next couple of months." Achieving protection for this significant land has been a long journey for Mr Amis and Ms Zent. "This whole issue has taken 20 years to come to fruition," Mr Amis said. "It's not quite over yet. We'll be watching very closely to see what will happen." Ms Amis said the cores and links corridor was of national and state significance. "College Creek is a site of national conservation significance. There is a species of fern inside the catchment, the slender forked fern, which is threatened," he said. Ms Zent said the area was also home to the Strzelecki south east Gippsland koala. "It has a unique genome not found in the rest of Victoria or South Australia," she said. Mr Amis said the land could potentially draw many tourists to the area in the future. "Definitely in the long term we envisage there will be people flocking to these areas ... I imagine it would be a big draw card for tourism," he said.

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek. Recent roadworks to stablise dodgy loggng road have probably cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Erosion has already started to undermine some of the rememdial works. Works started after a complaints by Friends of the Earth in May 2016.

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek. How long will these remedial works be effective for?

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek. Recent roadworks in an attempt to stabilise a very unstable logging road.

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek. Recent roadworks in an attempt to stabilise a very unstable logging road.

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek. How many truckloads of rocks have been brought in?

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek.

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek. Erosion already working away at remedial works

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek. How effective will this be in the long term?

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek. Hancock would probably go broke if it dealt with all of its logging roads in the Strzeleckis as it has here.

October 2017 Strzelecki Ranges: Vaggs Creek.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations Shooters have been using an old airstrip at the site as a practice range.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations used as a garbage dump

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. The old air strip used when the plantations were originally established.

Residents want cease fire at Macedon airstrip November 15, 2016 (Star Weekly)

Woodend residents are calling for a ceasefire at an old Macedon airstrip they say hunters and recreational shooters have turned into a rifle range in their backyards. The old airstrip, off Finger Post Road, was used to land planes carrying supplies when pine plantations were being planted near Woodend. It’s increasingly attracting target shooters and hunters because of its seemingly remote location. A nearby resident, who asked not to be named, said she fears for the safety of motorbike riders, horse riders and bushwalkers. “I am sick to death of people using it as a rifle range and hearing high-powered guns being used where people actually live,” she said. “I’m just really concerned for other people using the area for recreation and, despite feeling like I live in a war zone, I’m just scared someone will get hurt. “It’s becoming a weekly occurrence, and we are having to call the police quite often when the gunshots get within 500 metres of the house. “All of us neighbors in the vicinity actually have our gun licences – it’s just that we feel uncomfortable that people are shooting … 200 metres from our properties. “I’m all for hunting in the correct locations, bearing in mind the local residents,” she said. Dean Turner, a spokesman for the timber company, HVP Plantations, that manages the pine forests, said that no permission has ever been given for hunters or shooters to use firearms on its land. “We have a number of issues with people doing things without permission on our plantations,” Mr Turner said. “We certainly do not give permission for people to use firearms.” Residents took to Facebook recently to call for clear signage and a ban on shooting. Woodend police’s David Jakobi said shooting is “not especially prevalent, but it does happen”. “To my knowledge, police have not recently received any calls about firearms being used at the Macedon airstrip, but I am aware of complaints … in the past,” Sergeant Jakobi said. “Being an old airstrip, it is a long straight unobstructed area that people sometimes use for target practice and for the sighting of scopes. As far as we are aware, they will be shooting at an inanimate object. “While I can appreciate that residents may be uncomfortable when they hear gunshots, it is not always the case that firearms laws are being broken.” He encouraged people to call police if they have concerns.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Burnt Mill Road E logging road. Major erosion hotspot in Gisborne Creek Catchment. This is part of the Rosslynne Reservoir Catchment, water supply for Gisborne and surrounds.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Burnt Mill Road E logging road. Major erosion hotspot in Gisborne Creek Catchment. Hancock must have hundreds of km's of dodgy logging roads throughout Victoria.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Burnt Mill Road E logging road. Major erosion hotspot in Gisborne Creek Catchment.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Unnamed logging road running adjacent to Gisborne Creek. Hexazinone application likely to occur soon in this plantation.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Unnamed logging road running adjacent to Gisborne Creek. Water was already washing along this logging road into a Gisborne Creek tributary.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Unnamed logging road running adjacent to Gisborne Creek.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Unnamed logging road running adjacent to Gisborne Creek.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Point where logging track erosion flows into custodial land.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Erosion gully which funnels runoff from logging track into Gisborne Creek.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Tributary of Gisborne Creek near logging road.

August 2017: Macedon Plantations. Chainsawed native vegetation near Burnt Mill Road E

August 2017: Macedon Plantations Chainsawed native vegetation near Burnt Mill Road E

August 2017 Macedon Plantations Recent logging in Slaty Creek catchment. Note lack of buffers in this domestic water supply