Dear members and interested,

An update on the Forest Management Plan Appeal submission, from the WA Forest Alliance, with their draft Submission to help with your submission if you choose to, and the date due is now a day later: Tues 26 Sept.

If you have limited time, you may like to simply state that you are ‘appealing on the same grounds as, and in support of the Appeal by the WA Forest Alliance’.

The title details of the Appeal that you will need to fill online:

• Report 1745
• Proposal: EPA’s assessment of the Forest Management Plan 2024 – 2023

There is also a $10 cost payment by credit card online.

This is a chance to significantly improve this new Forest Management Plan for the next 10 years, so it is important to make our case.

Kind regards,
Steve Gates

President, NRPG Bushcarers

Dear WAFA member groups and other good friends of the forests, 

Please find our draft appeal on the EPA’s assessment of the FMP attached. 

Any feedback is welcome, and feel free to use elements for your own appeals. 

Appeals must be lodged here by the 26th of September 2023 (next Tuesday) 

I will send ours in on the closing date, so any comments back to me by COB Monday please. 

You can find the EPA’s report here 

Jess Beckerling 

Campaign Director | WA Forest Alliance      

0488 777 592 

I live and work on Menang and Pibulmen Boodja and the forests I’m dedicated to protecting are throughout Noongar / Bibbulmun Country. I pay respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all First Nations people and recognise their ongoing connection to Country: its lands, waters, plants, animals and spirit. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

From: Steve Gates <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2023 2:50 PM
To: ‘[email protected]’ <[email protected]>
Subject: UBC News – September – Talks, Submissions and Events

Dear NRPG members and interested,

Here are some events and submission opportunities from the UBC.

They will all have significant impacts, so now is the chance to have your say, and apologies for late notice on some as it has taken some time for the info to be prepared:

• Public Open Space Draft Operational Policy 2.3 – Closes this Fri 23 Sept

• Forest Management Plan Appeal – Closes Mon 25 Sept

• Roe 8/9 Corridor – Closes 5 Oct

To help you with making submissions, please see the attached submissions and links below. You may choose to simply state your support for some of these, or write your own, but please at least make a submission if you can.

Kind regards,

Steve Gates

President, NRPG Bushcarers

From: Urban Bushland Council WA Inc <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2023 11:36 AM
To: Steve <[email protected]>
Subject: UBC News – September – Talks, Submissions and Events

View this email in your browser   To all our Group Members & Supporters,   It’s a time of Spring Walks and weeds, sunshine and rain. We hope you are enjoying walks in your local bushlands and getting control of weeds in your own patch. A few things to let you know about:Our next talk is on Thursday 28 September about two way science in your bushland.Submissions are encouraged on Public Open Space, closing 22 SeptemberThe Appeal period is open for the Forest Management Plan 2024 – 2033, closing 25 SeptemberSubmissions for the Roe 8/9 Corridor close on 6 OctoberTalk by A/Prof Philip Zylstra at the Eastern Hills branch of the Wildflower Society 22 September The RSWA are holding a 2 day symposium on Decarbonising the WA economy – 6 & 7 OctoberA Weeds Symposium is scheduled for 12 OctoberThe presentations from the Fire and Air Forum are now availablePlease share this newsletter with your Group and to come along on 28 September.   NEXT UBC EVENT – TWO WAY SCIENCE IN YOUR BUSHLANDCome along and find out about student learning in your bushland.   As members of Friends groups’, we all know the importance of immersing children in bushland. And we are also keen to develop relationships with schools and share our patches with their students.  Being ‘on country’ is also a powerful way of embedding respect for Aboriginal cultures. This is the essence of two way science. Find out about two way science from one of the Western Australia’s pioneers of this way of learning.  This is an opportunity to have ‘education talk’ demystified and work out how you might engage with your local school. Our guest speaker is Dr Elaine Lewis from Coolbinia Primary School. Elaine is a great innovator and leader at this school and their work in sustainability has been recognised by many awards as well as being featured in the WA Government’s sustainability framework “Caring for Country Together”. Join us on Thursday 28 September at City West Lotteries House, 2 Delhi Street, West Perth from 6pm. Read more on our website and register by scrolling to the bottom of the page. Photo by Ashe Murray  SUBMISSIONS OPEN – PUBLIC OPEN SPACE – CLOSES 22 SEPTEMBER Draft Operational Policy 2.3: Planning for Public Open Space (POS)   Public Open Space (POS) provides many essential benefits including enhancing local neighbourhoods, people’s lifestyles and improving health outcomes. POS takes many forms and serves a range of functions but are typically identified as a park. The Western Australian Planning Commission is advertising the draft new planning policy on public open space, intended to replace Development Control Policy 2.3 – Public Open Space in Residential Areas. Public Open Space is also critical for many issues of concern to bushland/ wetlands/ coastal groups including ecological linkages/ greenways and reducing heat island effect. UBC will be making a submission and we encourage you to also send your own comments into the WA Government and remind them why Public Open Space is important for you, your neighbourhood, and the environment.  You can find UBC’s draft submission on our campaign page here.    APPEAL PERIOD OPEN – FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN – CLOSES 25 SEPTEMBER The EPA has recommended the proposed Forest Management Plan (FMP) 2024-2033 be approved subject to conditions relating to reporting, as well as the recommendation of an independent scientific review of prescribed burning.  The EPA’s report to the Minister for Environment is now open for a three-week public appeal period, closing 25 September 2023.  A positive is the recommendation for “An independent review under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 would call on the expertise of independent scientists to consider prescribed burning approaches and implementation”. There are however concerns regarding other aspects including the misnomer of ‘ecological thinning’. The UBC continues to be highly concerned about the proposal to:  thin any of our natural areasthin up to 8,000 ha of forest every year – being 1,500 ha more than the average area logged per year over the past 10 years. UBC’s concerns include Significant detrimental impacts on plant communities and species; fauna communities and species; soil compaction; hydrology; surface water; and fungi facilitation of spread of weeds and diseases including Dieback and Marri Canker. It is disturbing that at least 242,100 ha is infested with Dieback and that >40% of southwest flora species are considered vulnerable to Dieback in the FMP area. Forests are naturally self-thinning, and this ‘imposed thinning’ should be allowed to happen. Therefore, thinning should not be permitted. This should be explicit in the FMP. UBC supports the WA Forest Alliance in its position on ecological thinning.   Appeals are lodged at the Appeals Convenor website – for EPA Report 1745    SUBMISSIONS OPEN – ROE 8 / 9 CORRIDOR – CLOSES 6 OCTOBERMetropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) Major Amendment 1404/41 Roe 8 Remainder and Roe 9   The ‘Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor Inc’ (CCWC) continues to support the Roe 8/9 land being developed as a connected green corridor “Wetlands to Waves”. This could be created by rezoning all the corridor as Parks & Recreation (P&R) and including it within the Beeliar Regional Park. In addition, the wider community /public understandably believes that the Roe 8/9 Corridor has been conserved for conservation and recreation. However, the draft MRS includes significant urban infill.  Furthermore, it does not reflect community wishes already submitted during the earlier consultation in January when the UBC joined others and called on the WA government to adopt a visionary approach to the Cockburn Green Corridor that will:  Conserve and protect all existing native vegetation along the corridor, including the areas currently reserved for intersections. Restore ecosystems along the corridor to create viable ecological connectivity. It is still not over. Please add your voice via a submission. You can use the SUBMISSION GUIDE produced by the Cockburn Community Wildlife Corridor Inc’ (CCWC). Keep up to date via their Facebook page. Check for updates on our campaign page here.   RSWA SYMPOSIUM – DECARBONISING THE WA ECONOMY – 6 & 7 OCTOBERThird John Glover Symposium 2023; Free for RSWA members; or $250 for non-RSWA membersThought of becoming an RSWA member? If so, you can attend for free! Ordinary membership $50.00 or Student membership $25.00. Membership application via Membership application via [email protected] or online here. Register here for the Symposium.   The Fire and Air Forum presentations and associated documentaries are now available online on the video-sharing platform Vimeo.Our expert speakers, Convenor Dr Carole Peters, hosts – the WA Forest Alliance and the Royal Society of Western Australia – sponsors and supporters all worked voluntarily for this not-for-profit event. The full day forum attracted outstanding reviews and an almost capacity audience at the University Club of Western Australia, located on the UWA campus overlooking Matilda Bay on traditional Whadjuk Noongar land. All participants were invited to write to WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby to request an independent expert inquiry into prescribed burning policies and practices, particularly in southwest WA. in August the Environmental Protection Authority of WA announced its recommendation for an independent scientific review, intended to give full consideration to contemporary science and knowledge on the impacts of prescribed burning on a range of environmental issues, particularly in the context of our changing climate. EPA Chair Professor Matthew Tonts said, “An independent review under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 would call on the expertise of independent scientists to consider prescribed burning approaches and implementation”. Community concern regarding the impacts of broadscale prescribed burning on our South West Biodiversity Hotspot is high. Pervasive smoke pollution heightens concern about the frequency, scale and intensity of planned burns, risks to public health and safety, risks to biodiversity, and the escalating risks of climate change. Our highly qualified and experienced speakers expanded the conversation on how best to protect our natural landscapes and our people for a sustainable and healthy future. See the video coverage of the Fire and Air Forum: Biodiversity, Environmental Sustainability and Human Health.   “The effect of Prescribed Burning on Native Vegetation Communities”,by A/Prof Philip Zylstra, Curtin University If you missed the very interesting presentation on the effects of prescribed burning, by Associate Prof. Philip Zylstra at our NRPG evening earlier this year, here is an invitation from the Eastern Hills Branch of the Wildflower Society to hear him. Friday 22nd September AT Octagonal Hall, 52, McGlew Rd., Glen Forrest. Doors open 7.00pm for 7.30pm   WEEDS SYMPOSIUM – 12 OCTOBERWeed symposium program looks really good. Register here.  URBAN BUSH TELEGRAPH – SPRING EDITION We are looking for articles for the Spring edition of the Urban Bush Telegraph. If you have Group News to share with others, please email your article (around 400 words) plus a high resolution image to [email protected]. Find the Urban Bush Telegraph here Twitter Facebook Website   Copyright © 2023 Urban Bushland Council WA Inc, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you are UBC’s primary contact for a member group or you are a UBC Supporter. Our mailing address is:Urban Bushland Council WA Inc2 Delhi StreetWest Perth, Western Australia 6005 Australia Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.