So much easier to do NOTHING

View of the 3rd crop of timber growing in West Barwon Dam Area from Barramunga Lookout

If you don't know anything .... and you want to minimize criticism of the little you do know

Quite natural a response  really




Jim Speirs , whose life we celebrate this week,  was one local who knew what he was talking about  . As a result he did a lot to build understanding and respect for his work in and amongst the complex issues of managing Otways resources; He used a friendly, competent  and reasonable conversation that made sense .
He made great videos and we made great tapes of his tours - available today HE  He knew the 3 crops of timber and the damage done to West Barwon catchment, so he wasn't afraid of history or a risky land use . His own study on the ground showed that we often burned too much ( for sound forest ecology ) and were doing it again   
He wasn't indolent in promoting decision making . He wanted our grandchildren to make houses, furniture and Maton guitars out of the bounty, rather than just let things rot ,die or burn or make acid water ....as some now do.  
Many of us long for the day when our leaders don't just spend all  our resources waiting for a decision from those who don't really know what they are talking about, are too afraid of others,  or are too afraid to admit they don't know the complex beast of environment: 

We have enough leaders who can open up a bridge or a new road.
We want leaders who,  instead of years of indecision and fear , can reopen a simple walkway through the bush to Marriners Falls ,or make a safe place for vehicles to go in a bushfire , or just give us our dogs back . A little more than  a days work for Jim 

Barham River gorge .Stay away

Marriners Falls is again Closed .
One person was seriously injured recently by a falling tree.
 Trees are always about to fall in this steep gorge,  so why not close it altogether ?
. The natural gorge erosion makes soils shallowand slopes very high the likelihood of falling or sliding of these very tall thin trees is a high ongoing risk  .The big question is could  anything have been done to minimize the risk to walkers ?  You simply can't just leave such walks, like some naturalists want , and hope for the best .The tallest trees in the Otways ( and the tallest flowering plant in the world ) choose these gorges because the light competition is severe.  The risks to people accessing them  grows when no maintenance and managementof the trees occurs :  risks increase if  less is being done to reduce those risks.

I wonder what previous coronial enquiries said about deaths in Parks .Did management neglect and incompetence play a part ?  I don't need to ask  The biggest coronials have been in or near Parks Thredbo ,Canberra , Marysville.
Like the ragwort along the track perhaps indicates  , basic maintenance to reduce the impact of wet weather ( drry windy weather)  isn't being done. Rocks and steel come along like shiny knights on this track to try and deal with some smaller non life threatening  problems that should often be dealt with using the natural materials   . Blackwood regeneration could be encouraged to make the gorges  safer,  as would some timber falling on a site risk basis  . Expensive engineering consultantacies have replaced integrated ecosystem protection.What is normally simple and inline with nature becomes complex and in conflict with nature.
Take the erosion control too that is needed in several spots  - it would take less than a day in each site to provide a solution that respects habitat and process in the current sections ( there is always going to be erosion)  .
Instead of fixing these things soon after they happen, risk avoiding managers and polys seem to hide behind the idea that " its an unusual flood " Why?  Did God cause the problem,  or did we have a hand in it  by our acts of omission ? Labelling the problem "Unpredictable "is an easy out, ,  but it makes it so much easier to explain  and avoid blame at the same time . What such statements can mean is " I don't understand why it happens"  but few ever are honest  enough to say that , so noone moves on there in manageing risk and avoiding disaster .Disaster management and risk avoidance has infact has become the order of the day now for many managers  .
Worse , "Lots more  money " is now needed to FIX even the smallest of problems; :it need not be if the government trained people to know and make risk decisions. Like polys at a high level  though " the field managers no longer need to know "- "Public servants are just facilitators" .No science needed here .   Not that we can remove all risk from falling timber, as any bush user knows .
A stitch in time isn't even required if you work with nature's forces . yet someone's job will be lost to pay for damage that could often have been prevented.See blogs on Thredbo.
Meanwhile , more people get almost killed , reports get written and emergency management services grow like the trees that just topple over naturally. The politics of fear can overwhelm a system that no longer knows and no longer wants to know what is really going on in the environment. The politics of fear can overwhelm a system that no longer knows and no longer wants to know so it can prevent the next problem from happening. Before long,  will it be that  the only ones fit to run the department will be the consultants ? Save the Minsiter getting the blame for what his staff don't do.... win win sitaution for the upper classes of bureaubrats. ,

Barham River - is it still in the too hard basket ? ------A completely wild and untamed river it still  for some.  Nothing will change while fear and a totally inadequate  understanding drives the no action policy that will  leave this track closed for some considerable time yet  .

BIG RIVER  Bullsh 
What's the problem with develeoping fllodpplians -says our new councillor ? We need counsellors with a can do attaitude . After all the CCMA and dept of planning are happy to remove the zoning on his land .  Is the current tension between different development proposals for the same area on the old estuary a sign of healthy competition or "nobody home ". Why after Surfers Paradise are people still allowed to build buildings on the floodplains of estuaries? -- coming to Abay in 2007 apparently. If one of the competition parties can't even recognise a problem like a huge landslide on their development site and the locals can't even say no to something that is clearly not acceptable to them, maybe there is "nobody home " in the planning sector. Nobody home on Victoria's iconic tourist traffic area?( the Great Ocean Road )- its hard to believe.

You too can glide into Apollo bay from Marriners Lookout  

ON the day when Hon Bracks announced our future - some distance away from those he claims to represent .

Dear Mr Bracks . You can always tell when your government is doing well -nearly everyone claps!
Simon and Stephen are clapping and the street is clear for the coming parade . Lovely clothes, but you wouldn't want to look too closely.

Have you seen The video on the history of the timber industry in the Otways? - Great -a truly local production music and all . We have just issued some new drive by CD's for tourists to explore "The Ridge" ( features the Cliff young story " and "Over the Ridge" . This site has been a bit quiet see the otway tours and otway options sites.

Also hope to do another story soon. Bookmark this site and keep in touch

Turn Left into Sunnyside Rd Junction/Site of Henry’s Loading Gantry for 3 Sawmills/Start of Tramline to Nettle Mill.
Gantry burnt in 1939 fire/re built and closed in 1948. Sunnyside Road follows old tramline.
Just some of what you will see and hear on 29/30 if you register

VEAC is conducting information sessions into the proposed single Angahook –Otway National Park from this week.
All of these sessions are being held on week days, except Anglesea on Sunday the 19th.making it very difficult for the majority of people to attend any of the 4hour discussions.
Formal submissions are required by 5th.Dec.and as I have just purchased the 202 page Discussion Paper it leaves only 54 days to digest and formulate a reply.
Chances are most people have not obtained a copy which costs $10, and many would not even have seen the Discussion Paper Summary, which is so brief that it is almost useless due to the many complex issues involved.
To enable public discussion a meeting has been arranged at COPAC Colac to commence at 7.00 Pm on Monday 20th.October, an open invitation is extended to all interested individuals and groups to attend.
A Victoria wide group B.U.G (Bush Users Group) representing individuals and groups who use the forest or the bush in any way, commercially or for recreation, have combined with Otway Four Drive Club, the Victorian Association of Four Wheel Clubs, with involvement from Our Parks,Timber Communities and others have arranged the meeting .
As this Investigation will affect every one of us, and is extremely complex and complicated, consideration should be given regarding the establishment of a local committee while there is still time,but not much!.
.
Contact Jim Speirs
Forrest 3236 Ph 52366363
get along to Colac COPAC on MONDAY 20th
see otwaysoptions.blogspot.com for detailed comments on whats happening

Missing links or more little links ? Les Noseda of Apollo Bay wants a lot of money to be spent on the overgrown Otways coast walk . Wouldn't it be better to do what the Tasmanians do so well and make more great short walks and boardwalks ? I am embarrased at the state of many walking area facilities in Victoria-- compared to the apple isle.