Another Long-Footed Potoroo has been found in Goolengook, which brings the total to two and confirms what we have been saying for two years - that Goolengook is home to endangered species and should not be logged. One of the finds has been confirmed by the DNRE and it is now up to them to decide how much is to be reserved as habitat. The risk is always that they will find ways to put the required 500ha into already existing Flora and Fauna Reserves, river reserves and the adjacent National Park, leaving the logging coupes alone. However, there is a good chance of having some of the coupes protected as endangered species habitat. Endangered species surveys are continuing at Goolengook.

Little Goolengook

A new road has been pushed through into this area running along side the Little Goolengook Flora and Fauna reserve and the Heritage River. The grid of roads are progressively opening up more logging coups. The coupes done last year, which were the subject of intensive continuous blockades, are now visible from the new roads in Bee Tree North. If the Department has its way, the new roads will connect these areas of clearfell and will continue to the edges of the National Park. As the maze of logging roads encroaches into the forest, the precious remaining areas of Goolengook are getting harder and harder to blockade. But not impossible....

Blockade returns to Goolengook

It seems whenever protesting occurs, so do timber industry attempts to intimidate us into silence with violence. During the week of actions following Woodstop, two car loads of timber workers ambushed and attempted to assault an environmentalist while he was driving alone up the isolated Bonang Rd. They attempted to pull him out if his vehicle and beat him with chains. He managed to escape without major injury, but was then accused by the loggers of assaulting them and was pulled over by the police soon after for questioning! Fortunately, the police realised it was a set up and no charges were laid against him.

This incident followed another serious assault of an ecotour operator in the Otways who was hit in the head with an axe and knocked unconscious. He required stitches and medical opinion states that he was lucky not to be killed. There have also been reports from Western Australia of local rednecks "spotlighting" people in treesits and firing guns at them.

These most recent incidences of violence are shocking, but not suprising. They can be seen in the context of a logging industry running scared and orchestrating violence against anyone who opposes them. If anyone doubts that this violence is an organised campaign of intimidation, they need only look as far as the recent blockade of Bob Humphries mill in Cann River. The owner of the mill actively encouraged his workers to use violence to get rid of protesters and then offered to pay their fines for any assault charges that may have been laid.