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Estelle Gough from Port Macquarie Landcare
Clubs & community Forestry Corporation of NSW is proud to have maintained close links to community clubs over many years, through agreements to use areas of State Forests for different recreation purposes. From archery to mountain bike riding, pony clubs to scouting activities, Forestry Corp has partnered with many dedicated community members, who work tirelessly to maintain their State Forest club sites as a safe and fun place to be. The regular events at local and state levels often draw visitors from other parts of the region and as far as interstate, contributing significant amounts to the local visitor economy. One such group is the Kempsey Sporting Car Club, this year celebrating their 60th anniversary. This passionate and committed car club manage a hill climb course at Mt. Cooperabung in Ballengarra State Forest, south of Kempsey, and have done so for 20 years. The passion and commitment of the club members has seen this site grow into
one which has provided enjoyment for many. The club has shown utmost professionalism in terms of safety and the standards in managing their State Forest area. Their site has been the playground for motor sport racing enthusiasts from around the state and the country, timing themselves on the CAMS [confederation of Australian motorsport] sanctioned track in vintage and modern day vehicles. Forestry Corporation is also celebrating a special anniversary in 2016. It is 100 years since the Forestry Commission was formed under the Forestry Act in 1916 - a year to celebrate and look forward to many more years of partnerships in our community.
UPDATE
TIME TO VOTE AN ELECTION IS A CHANCE TO BE HEARD. A CHANCE TO SPEAK UP FOR THE PLACE YOU CALL HOME.
H
istory shows that votes for our environment really count. In 1983 the Australian Government was dumped by our voters, outraged at plans to flood wilderness with a Gordon-below-Franklin dam in Tasmania. People did not accept that the benefits producing some electricity - outweighed the costs. Voters realised that we are the owners and guardians of such irreplaceable natural assets, and it’s our right to decide what happens to them. But once again, the heritage that belongs to all Australians is being taken away without our permission. Consider this: we are losing our Great Barrier Reef. Sir David Attenborough says, “The Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger. The twin perils brought by climate change - an increase in the temperature of the ocean and in its acidity threatens its very existence.” Eminent scientist and Australian of the year Tim Flannery says the reef will disappear without immediate action. This year, 93% of it has suffered coral bleaching, and as it dies, so does all the other ocean life that depends on it. If our reef and all our natural heritage are to have a future, we have to speak out now: we need to demand a change of priorities. For years we’ve been told our environment (our home) must be sacrificed for “economic growth”, “development” and “to protect jobs”. Yet we never hear that the goal has been reached, that the strategy has worked, and that we can now set about protecting our
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environment. On the contrary, we are still being told “the economy” is supremely important, and must always win at the expense of “the environment”. That is dangerously misleading. Our environment is not an accessory or a luxury that we can turn our backs on until someone else is finished with it. Out environment is what feeds and sustains every aspect of our lives, and our survival depends on it entirely, no matter where we live. When will it be time to stop using up ur natural resources unsustainably, and to start giving protection to the atmosphere, soils, rivers, aquifers, oceans, plants, animals and ecosystems that support us? Scientists say we can have both a healthy environment and a sustainable economy, without disrupting the climate. We already have the technology, but time is running out. It’s up to us to have the will for change, and to express that will when we vote. Of course, Landcare is a non-political organisation. But it’s made up of people - voters - who confront the environmental damage from mistakes made in the past. Land carers donate their time and skills to environmental repair and adaptations. But we now see within our homeland some destruction that can never be repaired: rivers ruined, habitats destroyed, species sent to extinction. The environment is our life support; it’s our home, and it’s ours to protect. We all hold the power to change the way it’s treated. So please, be proud to love your homeland. Vote with great care.