Artists for Old-Growth Forests

An invitation

Artists are invited to bring their easels or other art equipment to the steps of the Victorian Parliament House on the 11th March 2010.

Unprotected old-growth Mountain Ash at Brown Mountain. Brown Mountain forests also provide habitat for threatened species such as the Powerful Owl, the Spotted-tail Quoll, mainland Australia's largest marsupial carnivore, and the Long-footed Potoroo, Victoria's rarest marsupial.

What:    
Artists speaking through their art form about the ancient forests of Brown Mountain
When   
Thursday 11th March 2010
Time 
Set up any time from 8.30am, artists coming and going throughout the day as suits
Where:  
Parliament House Steps Spring St.
(Just across from Parliament train station and easy Collins and Bourke St tram access)

We, ‘Artists for Old-Growth Forests’, will be setting up our equipment and creating artworks that represent and honour our connection to ancient forests and their habitat. We are doing this because we are appalled by the State Government's attitude to magnificent forests such as Brown Mountain in East Gippsland, home to 600 - 800 year old trees and many threatened and endangered birds and animals that should be protected by law but clearly are not:                           .
- The Sooty & Powerful Owls,
-  Long-footed Potoroos, Victoria's rarest marsupials
- Rare Orbost Spiny Crays     
- Spot-tailed Quolls, the mainland’s largest marsupial carnivores

‘Elders for Old-Growth’ will join us on the Parliament steps so that together we send a strong, interesting and creative message to Premier Brumby and the Victorian Parliamentarians sitting in Parliament on that day. We want to support Environment East Gippsland’s fight in the Supreme Court to save these inspiring and beautiful forests for our grandchildren and all earth’s children to come.

We also want to bring our message to the public that these ancient forests should not be reduced to woodchips for commercial gain – as if nothing else matters. Clearfelling pollutes waterways, kills much of the native wildlife that lives there, and releases many tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere - carbon that would otherwise remain stored in these old tree giants and the soils at their feet.

Come prepared for an outdoor painting, sculpting, sketching, constructing or other artform session. Bring your own equipment, drinks, nibbles and umbrella for protection from sun or rain.

Ingrid Crosser
Joanne Van Gastel  
for Artists for Old-Growth Forests 

For more information contact Ingrid 9870 8378 icpl@aapt.net.au or Geraldine 9038 0825

If you would like to join us on the Parliament Steps on the 11th March 2010 please email  Joanne at   joannevangastel@gmail.com  or  contact  Ingrid on  03 9870 8378  or  email  icpl@aapt.net.au

Visit www.eastgippsland.net.au to learn more about Brown Mountain and Victoria's magnificent forests in East Gipsland.