MEDIA ALERT
Activists launch tree-sit village
in threatened Lower Weld Valley

26th Sept 2005

Activists have established a tree-sit village in Southern Tasmania's threatened Lower Weld valley.

The innovative protest is halting a proposed road that will provide access to 22 coupes of high conservation value forest bordering the Tasmanian World Heritage Area.

The Lower Weld Valley has been recognised as a region of World Heritage value and recommended for protection by eminent scientists, World Heritage bodies and Tasmania's own Parks and Wildlife.

Clearfelling, burning and poisoning is still going to occur in old- growth forests in the Lower Weld, despite the Tasmania Together process calling for their protection.

"Nominated for protection by the World Heritage Bureau, Tasmania Together and the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife, the lower Weld Valley's ancient forests deserve better than to be fed to the woodchipper", said spokesperson Jenny Weber.

The protest launch coincides with the release of a comprehensive reserve proosal for the Lower Weld Valley.


From The Mercury Newspaper:
Summer of protest for Tassie's forests
By CLAIRE KONKES
27sep05

PROTESTERS returned to the Lower Weld Valley yesterday and climbed into eight tree platforms, vowing to stop a road planned for logging.

And they are promising tree-sits, blockades, family picnics and a forest village to draw attention to Tasmania's forests this summer.

Huon Valley Environment Centre spokeswoman Jenny Weber described the eastern side of the Weld River -- which is unlogged, unlike the western side -- as the "forgotten forests" in the deal signed between Prime Minister John Howard and Premier Paul Lennon last year.

She said the Weld Valley was mentioned in the lead-up to the deal but did not make it in the final package.

The Wilderness Society said the forests left off the Howard-Lennon package were also in environmentalists' sites this summer.

Returning from a trip to the Florentine yesterday, campaigner Vica Bayley said the southern Styx, upper Florentine, the Blue Tiers and Great Western Tiers all needed protection.

In the Weld Valley, Forestry Tasmania wants to log two coupes along the road this summer, but another 20 coupes -- varying between 50-100ha in size -- were also planned, Ms Weber said.

"If the road goes through, 2000ha of forest will be open to logging," she said. "There's an urgent need for protection."

The Weld Valley protesters' camp -- called the village -- is just 30km from Huonville, in the same direction as Forestry Tasmania's Tahune AirWalk.

"We are so close to the Tahune AirWalk," she said.

"But people don't know [The Weld Valley] is there."

Protesters wanted to make sure the Weld Valley forests were on everyone's mind when the state went to the polls next year, Ms Weber said.


From ABC News Online:

Conservationists regroup for southern forests action

26/09/05

Protest action has resumed in the southern Tasmanian forests.

The anti-logging protesters moved out of the Weld Valley area six months ago after coming to an agreement with Forestry Tasmania to leave while regeneration burns were done in return for assurances no road work would begin.

The moratorium ends next Saturday.

Jenny Weber, of the Huon Valley Environment Centre, says the proposed road will open up a huge area of high conservation value forest.

"In Forestry Tasmania's terms it'll open about 22 coupes and coupes range from about 50 to 100 hectares and so in essence it's quite a large area," she said.


Check out the website:  http://www.huon.org/weldvalley for more information, photos, contacts, etc.