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Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 17 Jan, 2011 10:04 am
by Earwig
As people no doubt have heard, cattle grazing has been reintroduced in to the Alpine National Park for "scientific research". If anyone wants any info they should check out DSE's website. It includes a map of where the cattle are.
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenpr.nsf/LinkView/96607BDB8D7C34A9CA257817000F427425944F18CBF38C964A2567BD002971B9

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 17 Jan, 2011 3:55 pm
by Cam Walker
hello all
if the grazing issue concerns you it would be great if you would email the Environment Minister and Premier:

http://themountainjournal.wordpress.com ... ion-alert/
thanks!

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 17 Jan, 2011 5:54 pm
by north-north-west
Earwig wrote:As people no doubt have heard, cattle grazing has been reintroduced in to the Alpine National Park for "scientific research". If anyone wants any info they should check out DSE's website. It includes a map of where the cattle are.
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenpr.nsf/LinkView/96607BDB8D7C34A9CA257817000F427425944F18CBF38C964A2567BD002971B9


:shock: :shock: :shock:
No, I hadn't. *&%$#! Hell, it's been well established for at least 6 decades that cattle grazing damages alpine vegetation severely and causes massive erosion,weed, pest and water pollution problems. What's the extra research for - to find out exactly how much damage each cow does?
What a *&%$#! ridiculous ****up.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 17 Jan, 2011 6:16 pm
by north-north-west
I've just checked out the map. They're targeting the Clear/King Billy area and a great swathe of land out to and including Howitt and Speculation. Apart from other bits. It's utterly insane. All that 'Alpine grazing reduces blazing' bull was disproved decades back.

This. Means. War.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 17 Jan, 2011 7:42 pm
by Tony
It is obviously a political decision pampering to a few people still stuck in a time warp.

I was up on the Main Range last weekend, there has not been grazing on the Main Range for over 50 years and they are still trying to repair the damage.

Tony

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 17 Jan, 2011 7:53 pm
by Maelgwn
If someone were to provide some references about previous research and/or a sample email I would also email the minister ...

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 17 Jan, 2011 8:13 pm
by north-north-west
I sent something that started like this:

Sir,

I have just heard of the reintroduction - supposedly for scientific research purposes - of cattle grazing to the Alpine National Park.

Ostensibly, this is as an investigation into the use of cattle grazing as a fire mitigation system, despite decades of research already having conclusively shown that cattle grazing has no effect on the severity or frequency of fires (principally because the main fuel is not amongst the types of vegetation they eat). It has also conclusively shown that cattle cause major erosion problems, reduction in biodiversity, pollution of water sources and the spreading of weeds and parasites. Their presence in a National Park is neither warranted nor excusable.


Dubber Parks should have some of the research mentioned on their site. I once accessed a pile of it through them, although that was a fair few years back.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Tue 18 Jan, 2011 9:59 am
by Earwig
try http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/01/17/3114669.htm?site=goulburnmurray for an interview with Dick Williams, who did any earlier study after the 2003 fires.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Tue 18 Jan, 2011 10:59 am
by wobbly
I was stunned when I heard this, science my *&%$#! :shock: At least they've also extended the duck hunting season to 12 weeks. Now if someone can just tell me how to distinguish a duck from a cow! :evil:

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Tue 18 Jan, 2011 12:00 pm
by Cam Walker
hi all
great to see people are outraged - as has been noted in some posts, the science has been in for decades that 'grazing does NOT reduce blazing'. Please send an email to the Premier and Environment Minister.

There are also details for the alert if you don't have those addresses, please see below. Thanks!
http://www.melbourne.foe.org.au/?q=node/856

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Sun 23 Jan, 2011 11:02 am
by fishsmith
Net social benifit ha, Environmental costs high..All sounds like political pandering to me..From what i hear Parks employees are non to happy with complying with but have to go along with the hiearchy.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Sun 23 Jan, 2011 9:51 pm
by swills
It's disappointing to see cattle introduced back into the high country, with all this discussion about the environmental impacts no one has mentioned the damage the Brumbies do, crapping in creeks, trampling through springs, creating dust bowls to lie in, stallions leaving hugh piles of dung, eating the same plants as cattle do. Walk out to Mt Jim / Dinner Plain area of the Bogong High Plains or the AWT from Dead Horse Gap to the Pilot or anywhere in the Snowy Mts. When you come face to face with a horse who is not happy with your presence or can't find water in summer that hasn't been spoilt by horses, it's time to get rid of both of them.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Fri 28 Jan, 2011 7:44 pm
by north-north-west
Yes, I agree about the brumbies, but they're on a par with deer, or even higher up - and 'heritage' always comes into play when people mention getting rid of them. It wouldn't be cheap or easy, either.
Ugly worm-riddled critters down here in Victoria, too. Never seen a decent looking brumby south of the Tin Mines, except that mob that hang around near Jim.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Sat 05 Feb, 2011 10:44 am
by optdyl

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Sat 05 Feb, 2011 1:24 pm
by davids
The short video is quite good.
THis is clearly a political decision and I would think that the libs are glad they had this policy, as the Nats with Cattleman's Association support ousted Ingram in East Gippsland providing that extra seat.
The irony of course is that with the wet spring and now good summer rain, those 4 lucky farming families have probably got heaps of feed on their non-National Park turn out blocks, and commercial agistment and hay will be cheap this year.
But, this now must be stopped.
Apart from writing or joining FOE, what's next Cam? I'm a conservative 50 year old country professional not experienced in direct action!
David

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Sat 05 Feb, 2011 5:45 pm
by north-north-west


Thanks for the link. It's not like it says anything new, but it's a neat summation of the situation. I think it might be a good idea to get onto the Federal Minister as well as the locals. More likely to get a result, that way.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 07 Feb, 2011 3:09 pm
by Earwig
There are some links to other artices via Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=43813492542

Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Tue 08 Feb, 2011 7:05 am
by andrewbish
Thanks for raising this - I have hooked up with FOE and sent emails to the relevant MPs

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Tue 08 Feb, 2011 5:15 pm
by luke_vic

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Thu 10 Feb, 2011 9:01 am
by SteveJ
The beef industry is generally unsustainable; you should all stop eating beef as a show of collective distain??

Steve

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Wed 16 Mar, 2011 8:28 am
by Cam Walker
hi all
for any Melbourne folks, there is a public forum coming up soon (April 6)
http://www.melbourne.foe.org.au/?q=node/885
regards, cam

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Fri 18 Mar, 2011 5:08 pm
by photohiker
Good News I hope!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011 ... ion=justin

ABC wrote:Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has given the Victorian Government until April 8 to get cattle out of the Alpine National Park.

The Ted Baillieu-led government reintroduced cattle grazing into the park in January to test if grazing cuts down the bushfire risk.

But Mr Burke has lashed out at the State Government and says the matter should first have been referred for Federal Government approval.

He says if the State Government does not take the cattle out in time and refer the plan for his approval, the Federal Government will act anyway.

"Every Australian company knows they're not above national law. Victoria decided maybe they were, well they're now in for a shock. They're not above the law and by April 8 the cattle will be out and the matter will be referred," he said.

He described the Victorian Government's responses to his department's requests for information about the trial as "a joke".

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Thu 24 Mar, 2011 8:17 pm
by andrewbish
My wife and I will be attending the public forum in Box Hill on 6 April. Hope to see you there.

Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Wed 06 Apr, 2011 7:18 pm
by andrewbish
Full house tonight at the Box Hill Town Hall for the public meeting against cattle grazing in the alpine country

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Thu 07 Apr, 2011 8:07 am
by Bill P
C'mon Andrew. Tell us more.

How do six of the wealthiest and best connected graziers in the country get to trash a public parK?

Bill P

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Thu 07 Apr, 2011 8:09 am
by tastrax

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Sun 10 Apr, 2011 7:13 pm
by north-north-west
As long as the Labour Government is in Canberra, we're OK. It will be interesting to see what happens when there's a change, however.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Fri 21 Oct, 2011 12:56 pm
by Earwig
An update for y'all . There are new federal laws as of today effectively stopping the cattle grazing.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 24 Oct, 2011 6:50 pm
by north-north-west
Grouse.
I might take a flamethrower to that sodding 'ALPINE GRAZING REDUCES BLAZING' sign in Merrijig next time i go through. It really gets up my nose.

Re: Cattle in the Alpine National Park

PostPosted: Mon 24 Oct, 2011 8:54 pm
by andrewbish
north-north-west wrote:Grouse.
I might take a flamethrower to that sodding 'ALPINE GRAZING REDUCES BLAZING' sign in Merrijig next time i go through. It really gets up my nose.


Yes, pls, NNW Ill bring the marshmellows. (such a catchy phrase..and such a misrepresentation of the facts)