Otway Ranges Environment Network

 

 

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Ciancio Diary


April 24, 2001 And the Rain just keeps coming. Lots of community support. Locals bringing hot food and dry blankets etc.
April 23, 2001 The logging crew this morning have begun pulling logging machinery out of the Ciancio coup.
April 22, 2001 There has been about 85mm or rain at Lavers Hill over the last 24 hours. Other parts of the Otways have had 120mm. There were a dozen conservationists camping in this horrific weather over night. Conditions are very tough on site. Donations of wet weather clothing and gear are needed now. The rain has made the ground wet but the Otway subsoil is very dry so this rain will be absorbed over the next few days. If it fines up again logging could take place again in only a day or so.
April 20, 2001 Day 15 of Ciancio blockade Weather at the coupe is cold and windy. Many conservationists are having a rest DNRE would have been able to allow logging all day on Wednesday before Easter as there were no tree sits in place. Fortunately windy weather stopped any trees being felled. Logs were taken away by truck and some tree-fern pushed over by a bulldozer on that day.
April 19, 2001 Ciancio Creek - Ten people in tree-sits, connected by an intricate pattern of cables threaded through the trees to prevent logging. Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) inspected the site today and judged it too dangerous to log,
April 18, 2001 Ciancio Creek - No Logging. Protestors in trees constitute an Occupational Health and Safety issue so logging cannot occur
April 17, 2001 Ciancio Creek -Just one treesit has been removed. After this was removed, the DNRE tried to fell trees very close to where protestors remain in other treesits. This was a dangerous and provocative political move. DNRE and the Minister are compromising on people's lives in an attempt to score a political point by being able to say they have been able to fell trees in the coupe. This action resulted in many community members and conservationists confronting the DNRE in the coupe. A number of these were arrested.

There is a tense stand-off and the police appear to recognise that this would escalate if DNRE attempts once again to fell trees and endanger people's lives.

There have been 10 arrests in total today.

There was an agreement to cut one tree down which has been partly cut down in a previous attempt to fell trees by DNRE. As it was seen as a safety hazard protestors agreed that it should be cut down in return for no more
arrests today.

More fun and games tomorrow.

April 16, 2001 Ciancio Creek - Everyone at camp is really pleased and thankful for the overwhelming community support yesterday with the open day. A letter to Steve Bracks was signed by over 200 people calling for an end to logging at Ciancio coupe and the removal of Garbutt as environment minister. It was sent today. Support is still needed to keep pressure on the government so please keep coming down to the camp, and ring or fax Garbutt, Bracks and your local MP. We expect the logging crew to try to resume work tomorrow. Spirits are high and the blockade is strong. For updates please check here or ring 52 377 439 (Map)
April 15, 2001 Ciancio Creek - OREN open day at the coupe. 200-300 members of the general public come and inspect the logging and the blockade
April 13-14, 2001 Ciancio Creek - Blockade strengthened over Easter Break.
April 12, 2001 Ciancio Creek - No logging today, they've just been pulling out logs from the log dump.
April 11, 2001 Ciancio Creek - . Day Six: crew have maintained a camp at Ciancio despite, rain & hail and being totally intimidated (not) by a line of cops along the coupe all day!! NRE are cooking them barbecues for lunch and they have their own porta potty. No felling today - too windy & wet, took the logs out only but word is felling will start tomorrow. They just can't give-in. Boys games !
April 10, 2001 Ciancio Creek - DNRE officers bust blockade
April 9, 2001 Ciancio Creek - A small group of loggers attempt to stage a counter blockade.. Four log trucks and one car load of loggers prevented public access to the Ciancio Coupe. The counter blockade dispersed after Department Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) officers were forced to negotiate with the loggers to allow passage of fire fighting equipment. The fire was caused by the NRE losing control of a burnoff operation in Watsons Coupe on Bennetts Track
April 6, 2001 Ciancio Creek - conservationists are stopping logging work due to inadequate buffers on nearby rainforest. OREN believes logging activity may be illegal. (Media Release) (Map)
April 4, 2001

Logging starts at Ciancio Creek. This followed a week of discussions between conservationists and the DNRE. DNRE attempted to get OREN to relax its commitment to blockade if logging proceeds in any contentious coups this summer. This followed an agreement last year that OREN would not halt any logging activity as long as logging didn't occur at any contentious coups. DNRE claim they have to log Ciancio to get enough Mountain Ash to fulfil a licence. This is because they OVER-ESTIMATED the amount of timber/ Mountain Ash in the other coupes.

Native forest logging stopped after State Government breaks agreements with conservationists (Media Release)

 

 
   
 
 

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