WOW!! What an incredible day! It has been super busy … I am exhausted, but so completely happy and inspired. The show of support has been so massive! By this afternoon’s media update, we had 48 actions. But the emails and photos have just kept rolling in!! And we now have 70 actions!!

I would like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who took part in this action. It has definitely given me the inspiration and enthusiasm to stay up in this tree …. knowing that I am not alone, but in fact supported by hundreds of people all across the globe! Lets keep this going and let’s make sure these irreplaceable forests are protected forever!

If there was every a clear message to be sent to the industry that the time for forest destruction is up… it is now!

Although it has been so busy today, it has been so exciting… checking the email and finding more and more responses every time!  There may even be a few late ones straggling into my inbox tonight.

Just a short blog from me today, because I think the images speak for themselves about what a significant day it has been… check out the slideshow!

THANK YOU for making this global 24 hours of action so successful.  You are all so amazing and I so inspired be everyone who has stood up for these forests over the last two days. Lots of love to you all!

I was beaming! Beaming with excitement and beaming across the net, past these mountains and forests and straight into Parliament lawns in Hobart. What a fantastic experience to be one of the key speakers at the Picnic in the Park event and have the opportunity to tell the crowd of people gathered today all about this area of forest I’m living in. And to encourage everyone to get on board and get active (with a special reminder to people about the upcoming global 24 hours of action coming up on February 15).

The day was a great success with a good turn out and all the technology running smoothly too! I really enjoyed Senator Christine Milne’s speech, in which she raised some questions we should all be asking Forestry Tasmania and the government , in relation to Ta Ann’s wood contract. For example, does Ta Ann only have to pay for the wood that leaves Tasmania on their ships as veneer? This means that all the wood that goes through their gates but which they reject, all the wood that becomes waste product during their processing, all the wood that they do not eventually ship overseas, is never paid for. And why are the details of the contract censored on Forestry Tasmania’s website, when it is a contract that concerns all Tasmanians?

Christine’s media release today requests answers from Forestry to the following list of questions:
” 1.How is it that after Forestry Tasmania lost two thirds of its contracts with the demise of Gunns, that it has to log inside the 430,000 hectares of HCV forests to meet one third of its contracts?
2.Has Forestry Tasmania over allocated the forests?
3.Has Forestry Tasmania massively over cut the forests over a long period of time and would not have been able to meet both Gunns and Ta Ann’s contracts if both were still in business?
4.Does the TA Ann contract only require Ta Ann to pay for the volumes that leave the wharf and not for the logs that are delivered to its plant?
5.Where do the unpaid for rejected logs and waste go?
6.When the Commonwealth gave Ta Ann $10 million to set up in Tasmania , it was to process lesser quality logs  hence not from HCV areas, how is it that Ta Ann is now demanding logs from HCV areas?
7.Who changed the specifications of the original contract?”

The speeches were followed by a more informal discussion, giving people from the audience a chance to ask questions. After this I was moved to a new location, a tent where people could come and chat to me individually. It was so wonderful to talk to people about what I’m doing up here, to share ideas, hear people’s thoughts and opinions and to receive message of support. Thanks to everyone that came along today I hope you were inspired by the day as I was!

Here are a few photos from today taken by photographer Alan Lesheim.

Facepainting

Sara Maynard - Tasmanian Aboriginal Council

Senator Chirstine Milne

Vica introduces me to the audience

My moment on the big screen!

Jenny Weber - Huon Valley Environment Centre

Taking part in discussion group

Discussion group audience

And talking on the small screen

For those not in Hobart, sorry that you missed out. But there is always the option of organising something in your local town!

Life in the tree sit: A photo story.

Sitting on the edge

Kickin' back and relaxing

Got everything up here except the kitchen sink!

Tree sitter's best friend: rope, lots of rope!

The kitchen pantry

Just hanging around!

"Glidey" the Greater Glider enjoys the view.

Tree top cuppa.

Straight from the garden to my tree: fresh home-grown salad delivery... yum!

Talking on the phone.

Looking down.

My front door.

The top of my tree