Trish and Peter after their arrests in the Bulga State Forest on the 4th October 2024
Media Release on 8th and 9th arrests in Bulga State Forest
On Friday October 4, two more people were arrested trying to stop the logging of Greater Glider and Koala homes in Bulga State Forest.
Trish attached herself with a bicycle lock to the massive ‘harvester’ early in the morning and was not cut free and arrested until mid-afternoon. Peter had stayed as her ‘buddy’ in solidarity and to make sure she was safe. He was also arrested. They were taken to the Taree Police Station, charged and released just before 7pm with bail conditions.
Explaining why she had taken action, Trish said, “I remember the first time I saw a Greater Glider. We were out at night with torches, watching potential den trees. Trees with hollows that the gliders shelter in during the day before coming out after dark to forage.
“In the narrowest of cracks in the trunk of the tree, a pair of glider eyes shone back at me in the torch light. They were like stars. Later on we saw a second pair of eyes reflected back and thought the tree may have been shelter to a mum and bub. I fell in love with that tree. I can’t bear the thought that this forest, home to so many gliders, will become like most of the forests are now, empty of Greater Gliders.”
Peter said, “Logging must stop in these last areas of tall wet sclerophyll forests. What we are seeing is destruction of critically important ecosystems and habitats by an uneconomic rogue organisation that is being protected and propped up by the State Government. The Forestry Corporation of NSW runs at a loss even after large subsidisation. They have incurred penalties for logging in a bushfire-hit forest and a court accepted there was a pattern of offending. Forestry Corporation of NSW was fined $360,000 in July 2024, almost $6800 for each one of the 53 eucalypt trees it should not have cut down four years ago.
“Meanwhile the logging goes on. Both the State and Federal Governments continue to delay protection of vital endangered species. They talk up koala protection strategies while the government owned logging company is wiping out critical koala habitat for low grade products. These forests are critical to protecting endangered species and the lifeblood of our water catchments providing clean water.
“Now strongly supported by research, we know that if Bulga Forest is logged there is elevated fire risk which our community does not want!”
Fiona Lee, spokesperson for Save Bulga Forest said “We are just the little people standing up against the machines, but we can’t stand idly by. We do what we can and hope for a miracle. Maybe, just maybe, governments will realise that no one can possibly believe their hype about being Nature Positive, while these special forests are being trashed.”
The protests and arrests are expected to continue.
