Letters
Cartoon by Gutless Anonymous Contributa. Instagram: @ steve_axelsen
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Forest protection
Council should be looking after the ratepayers of the Shire, not trying to ease the housing crisis of the freebies, because that cannot be done. Rents are never going to drop below current rates, house prices are not going to fall. Don’t turn the Shire into a trailer park, it would look trashy. Andrew Hunter Bangalow
Our North East Forests are a biodiversity treasure and have been protected by the enduring work of regional residents since the historic 1979 Terania Creek rainforest protection campaign. In the early 1990s, under a coalition State Government, the ongoing destruction of state forests was successfully challenged in the courts by John Corkill, on behalf of North East Forest Alliance (NEFA). The 1995 State election resulted in a win for the ALP Carr Government and Greens member, Ian Cohen, on the priority issue of forest protection. Now, the State and Federal coalition governments have done it again; disregarding climate change and the recent fire destruction of our forests, and instead they have adopted new Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) that would allow further logging in areas that must be protected. But again NEFA is taking legal action against these environmental criminals. I applaud the ongoing work of NEFA and the people who
Bollard madness Could the lurid plastic bollards marring the intersection of Burringbar and Stuart Streets be replaced with stocks, so the so-called decision makers who approved their erection can be pelted with rotten fruit? People who know the town well avoid turning right from any direction at this intersection as it is always a long wait, but now the bollards effectively prevent traffic from passing them on the inside. This is a sure way to paralyse the main street, to say nothing of the visual impact adjacent to two of the most iconic heritage buildings in town, namely Santos and the Commercial Hotel. WTF? Brian Mollett Mullumbimby
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Aslan Shand, email: editor@echo.net.au, fax: 6684 1719. Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
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have joined the many past and recent protest actions. Now it’s back to court, so please support this legal challenge. When governments fail it’s the efforts of citizens that makes change possible. We must defend what is precious. Many small donations will make a difference, go to https://chuffed. org/project/nefa-is-takinggovernment-to-court. Jan Barham Broken Head
Bioenergy facility The Byron Wetlands have been a refuge for birds, other fauna and residents for the past 15–20 years. Very little of the original habitat and water bodies are left on the Byron Flood Plain owing to agricultural, residential and industrial development. The place is a safe haven for many of the birds, or so we thought. The Byron Wetlands is a WOW factor in the Byron Shire; people who visit are amazed by the peaceful ambience, not only for birdwatching but also for photography and just to chill out. Birdwatchers can see
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60–80 species of birds in as short as a four hour visit. The greatest number we have recorded in four hours was 109 species. This high species number reflects the quality of the wetlands as a breeding, foraging and roosting site – a biodiverse hotspot. Now, the proposed industrialisation through the construction and operation of a Bioenergy Facility will inflict lasting negative pressure on this site forever. An increase of at least 10 big trucks a day, and as David Lisle said in his article (Echo 4 August), ‘that in the Anthropocene, nonhuman life gets squeezed’. Not one of the 27 paid consultants’ reports even mentioned this recreational value for the community, and the Social Impact report did not consider or consult with any of the birdwatching community. We have been very appreciative of the Council for allowing hundreds of residents and visitors, through a key-holder system, the ability to access the wetlands over the years. Three days a week have been set aside as ‘no visitor days’ to give the birds a rest. We are very concerned for the threatened blacknecked stork, migrating Latham’s snipe and all the migrating birds, shorebirds, and birds who reside at or are visiting the site. We have, by an extension of the submission date, until 25 August to convince Council to look for another site and save our precious wetlands from this development. Make your submission on the Bioenergy Facility at: https://bit.ly/2VQiXvH Jan Olley Byron Bird Buddies
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