Category Archives: Events
Celebrate the forests of the Upper Florentine Still Standing
Community gathering to celebrate the Upper Florentine’s potential World Heritage listing and success of the Camp Florentine.
Upper Florentine Valley, Camp Florentine –Gordon River rd, 20 mins past Maydena
Sunday 30th June, from 12pm
Bring: picnic food and drinks, walking shoes, wet weather gear
You are invited to celebrate the peaceful defence of the Upper Florentine valley and success of the Camp Florentine forest blockade. We’re calling on all members of the community who care about the Upper Florentine, who have taken part in the campaign to protect it and supported or spent time at the blockade. Come and celebrate the fact that most of the valley is still standing because of our community efforts and will hopefully be listed as World Heritage.
Between June 17 and June 27, the World Heritage Committee will meet in Cambodia and discuss the Australian Government’s nomination for an additional 120,000ha of forest to be added to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The nomination includes some of the most significant areas of old growth forest in southern Tasmania, places like the Upper Florentine, Styx, North Weld Valley and Middle Huon. While we know there is a still a long way to go to keep fighting for an end to the destruction of native forests in Tasmania, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate this important step towards protection of some spectacular forests.
For over 6 years the forests of the Upper Florentine were defended by the community through grass roots direct action. Camp Florentine became the longest running continuous forest blockade in Tasmania’s history, which prevented logging of up to 1000ha of old growth forest and stopped construction of 10 km of proposed roads. Without the community campaigns and the blockade this valley would have already been filled with clearfells. Now it is nominated for World Heritage. That’s something to celebrate we reckon!
So many people from all walks of life have contributed to this campaign and now it’s time for all of us to get together and to acknowledge the parts we’ve all played in keeping this forest standing. Bring some picnic food, wet weather gear, walking shoes, big smiles and maybe even some celebratory bubbly. We’ll have a picnic, hear speeches, catch up with each other and go for a few short walks through the magnificent forest that still stands.
ObserverTree Online Art Exhibition May 1-31
The ObserverTree Online Art Exhibition will run from today until May 31 on the ObserverTree website. Artworks include beautiful photographic prints by Miranda Gibson, taken from up in the tree-sit, and personally signed by her. There are also paintings, prints and photography by artists who support the ObserverTree campaign. Funds raised from the exhibition will go towards the continuing campaign to protect Tasmania’s threatened forests. Please check out the exhibition here, and please share it with your friends and on social media.
You can help Miranda continue her work to protect Tasmania’s forests!
After spending so long in a tree to protect these forests for all of us, let’s help Miranda! Please contribute to the Observer Tree fund online to help Miranda continue her work on the ground.
On Thursday March 7th, 2013 Miranda reluctantly had to descend out of the Observer Tree, back to the ground, due to the imminent threat of a wildfire within kilometres of the tree. Miranda spent an incredible 449 days in the Observer Tree, but the campaign is not over! These forests have now been nominated for World Heritage status by the Australian Federal Government, but right now these forests are still being logged. Environment Minister Tony Burke needs to take action now to stop the logging in these forests while they await official world heritage listing in June.
Miranda needs your support now, to help pay for the daily costs of phone, internet, transport and other ongoing costs of the campaign while she gets her feet back on the ground. The transition to life back on the ground after 15 months is a big process, and your help would be greatly appreciated in making it easier. Since being back on the ground Miranda has been doing lots of media interviews and enjoying the pleasures of ground dwelling life – like a hot bath!
Miranda Gibson has spent 449 days living in the canopy of the Observer Tree, an old growth Eucalyptus deep in the heart of Tasmania’s threatened wilderness forests. When Miranda first climbed the Observer Tree in December 2011 she sought to highlight the threats to the stunning forests in which she was living. These world heritage value forests have been scheduled to be clearfelled by Tasmania’s voracious and unsustainable logging industry. Through Miranda, the story of these forests has reached the world, through amazing national and international media such as CNN, The Guardian and Al Jazeera.
Please contribute to the Observer Tree fund here, and please share with your friends and share on social media.
Photo by Matthew Newton.
NEW CYBER ACTION to protect World Heritage nominated forests
Take Action now to protect Tasmania’s World Heritage value forests.
Current logging in World Heritage nominated Butlers Gorge
CLICK HERE to send a message to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Environment Minister Tony Burke.
An important new report finds that while the Australian government has made pledges to protect Tasmania’s priceless temperate rainforests, yet shockingly industrial clearcut logging of old-growth continues in what is to be a World Heritage Area. Important forest wildernesses covering some 170,000 hectares and including Butlers Gorge; and the Florentine, Weld and Styx valleys, have been nominated to be added to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and could finally be given protection after decades of protests. Alarmingly, however, industrial scale clear felling is still continuing within those forests, with timbers being sold as “eco ply” by the Malaysian timber industry.
We need your help to call on the Australian government to honor their international obligations and protect these World Heritage nominated old-growth temperate rainforests from industrial destruction.
In tact forest in Butlers Gorge
READ THE REPORT:
Status Report on Logging in World Heritage nominated forests by Still Wild Still Threatened, Markets for Change and Huon Valley Environment Centre- Click HERE.
Livestream Event
We go live at 6:30pm AEST! Watch the livestream event of my one year anniversary in the tree tops!
To view the live stream please follow this link:
www.live.observertree.org
We’re going LIVE today!
Can’t wait to share this milestone with you, of one year in a tree! Thanks so much for registering online. Please go to www.live.observertree.org to view the livestream.
Help make this BIG on social media! Let your friends know that you’re taking part in this global cyber event, by posting on facebook and tweeting before and during the event!
During the event if you want to make a comment or send me a question to answer – you can post it to www.facebook.com/ObserverTree or tweet it with the #istandwithmiranda. I will try to answer as many of your questions as I can!
Add your voice to the call for forest protection! Take a photo with a sign “I stand with Miranda. Forest protection now.” Or your own personal message. Upload to www.facebook.com/ObserverTree or via twitter #istandwithmiranda
The event will be live at the following timezones.
0283336765 – abc
Australia: (December 14) 6:30pm – Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
US Timezones: (December 13) 4pm PTZ. 5pm MTZ. 6pm- CTZ. 7pm ETZ
Feel free to contact us on observertree2011@gmail.com if you have any further questions about participating in this event.
Thank you!
Miranda
Get creative for this Friday’s visual petition!
If you need some inspiration for getting your banners and signs ready for this Friday. Check out all the amazing images from our last Global 24 Hours of Action for Tasmania’s Forests! This was back in February this year. I’d been in the tree for just a few months by then. And had a great show of support with over 70 actions across 15 countries.
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Now I have been at the top of the tree for a year, and the protection of these forests is more urgent than ever! I hope you will all get on board to support me this Friday when Observer Tree turns one! Make a sign or banner about why you want to see the forest protected. A suggested message is “[insert name of town/ group] stands with Miranda. World Heritage forest protection now.” Or get creative with your own message. Take a photo with you, your sign and as many people as you can gather. Upload your photo on Friday to Twitter with the hashtag #istandwithmiranda and post to Facebook www.facebook.com/ObserverTree. If you don’t use Facebook or Twitter – never fear – you can email directly to me at obsevertree2011@gmail.com and I will post it for you!
This show of support will generate lots of online buzz about Observer Tree and be a strong show of global support for Observer Tree. Plus, we will collect all these images as a “visual petition” to show the government and the companies involved in the forest destruction that the world wants to see these globally signficant forests protected for the future. I can’t wait to see your photos!!
Miranda
One Week To Go!!
Get ready for Observer Tree’s Anniversary cyber celebration set to hit the globe next Friday! I’ll join you via video link up from my tree top home.
Guest speakers:
- world tree sit record holder Julia Butterfly Hill
- globally renowned author Derrick Jensen
- Former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown
- Senator Christine Milne.
There’ll be two events in different time zones – so pick the one that suits you.
- December 14th – 6:30pm Aust. Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
- December 13th – 6pm CTZ American Time.
How do you get on board? It’s easy!!
1. Get together with your friends, get online and watch the livestream on www.observertree.org. Send in comments and questions online.
2. Make a sign about why you want to see the forest protected. Or use this message “[insert town/ group/ name] stands with Miranda. World Heritage forest protection now.” Take a photo of you, the sign and as many people as you can gather – post it on twitter (#istandwithmiranda) or facebook www.facebook.com/ObserverTree Or email it to us obsevertree2011@gmail.com
Register your interest www.observertree.eventbrite.com
Confirmed community events in: Brisbane, Katoomba, Melbourne, Alice Springs, Hobart, Launceston.
Plus – more info to come on these locations: Seattle, Bristol, Lismore, Perth, Adelaide, Broome, Tokyo, Nimbin.
If you are planning something in your area email us on observertree2011@gmail.com
Join me on Dec 14th to celebrate 1 year in the tree!
Only 2 and half weeks to go till our worldwide livestream event, as I celebrate surviving one whole year at the top of this tree. We’ve had a great response so far, with many people planing to log-on and a number of public events. We’d love some more! If you want to organise a community event in your local area, let me know and we’ll help you get it sorted.
So far we have people keen to organise community events in: Brisbane, Melbourne, Launceston, Lismore, Ballarat, Bondi, Nimbin, Alice Springs , Hoddles Creek, Edinburgh, Bristol, Seattle.
Please register your interest now! Whether you want to host your own event or simply plan watch online – we’d love to know!
Observer Tree Worldwide Cyber Event- Dec 14th 2012
You are invited to the Observer Tree event of the year!! Please join me on December 14th to celebrate my anniversary in the tree. That’s right…one year in the tree! And to celebrate we’re having a global cyber event – Anyone with internet access can join the party! It’s easy! Here’s how:
- On Dec 14th get a group of friends together.
- Visit this website and watch live stream as I talk to the world from the tree tops. You can even send in comments and questions for me! As well as hear from guest speakers live streaming from around the world.
- Sign the virtual guest book! Post your comments, pictures, and videos – Tell the world why you want to see forests protected.
- Our livestream will be integrated with facebook and twitter, so you can use your social networks to spread the word.
Click here to register.
Brisbane- Turnstyle Community Hub, 10 Laura St, Highgate Hill
More to be announced.
T h e O b s e r v e r T r e e 