Open Letter to Frensham Board of Governors
Representative of Australian Wildlife Society, Wildlife carers, Bushcare groups, Wombatised, Birdlife Southern Highlands, WinZero and Australian Native Plants Society, amongst others. signed an Open Letter addressed to the Frensham Board of Governors.
Open Letter to Frensham Board of Governors
http://winzero.com.au/open-letter-to-frensham-board-of-governors
Clive West, a local environmentalist, and Deputy Chair of WinZero, has been campaigning against this development since it was first proposed by Frensham School in 2019. He says that “The school states that the accommodation will only occupy 0.8 hectares but fails to clarify that 4.2 hectares (11 acres) of the bush will be cleared, because of fire regulations.”
Clive continues by saying “This would mean removing most vegetation, including 249 trees, from an area which includes core koala habitat and parts of the critically endangered, Southern Highlands Shale Woodlands. Remnants left of this community are mostly small isolated pockets and only 2000 ha, or less than 5% of the original extent now remains (Benson & Howell, 1994)”.
Licensed Wildlife Carer and Open Letter signatory, Tania Clancy, who has been inundated with native animals, due to human interference, says they are struggling to find places to return them to the wild. “The habitat corridor that connects Mt Gibraltar to Mt Alexandra was unburnt in the fires and is a critical wildlife habitat”. “The current massive degradation of habitat and extinction of species is taking place right in front of our eyes”, said Ms Clancy.
Frensham School is part of Land for Wildlife and the rehabilitation of some of the wildlife that were released over the years in this area. formed part of the students education.
Sarah Cains, a Frensham Old Girl and another signatory to the Open Letter said, “The Frensham family has long held stewardship of land known as The Holt. This land has been protected by love. Over years, the local community, together with that huge Frensham community, has felt trust that The Holt is in good hands, resulting in confidence that this precious place remains protected as a wild place”.
“Advertising for the schools leans heavily on claims of Frensham’s love and respect for its unique setting and the fact that the girls will dwell and learn in close connection with the natural world”, said Sarah. “Going back through decades, images abound of girls absorbed in this landscape and drinking in this philosophy. I suggest that to exploit this as a marketing tool whilst secretly planning to destroy these natural systems is not only untruth in advertising, but perhaps more importantly, it is a breach of trust”.
The Open Letter concludes: We the undersigned call on the Board of Winifred West Schools to honour their responsibilities of good citizenship by treating the local community with respect and hearing its voice. Also, we call on the Board to uphold the moral responsibility the school owes to its own family by honouring the spirit of stewardship of the land prescribed by the schools’ progressive founder, Winifred West.
In the spirit of Sir David Attenborough, we ask the Board to heed the perilous situation of wild creatures that cannot speak for themselves.
Open Letter to Frensham Board of Governors
http://winzero.com.au/open-letter-to-frensham-board-of-governors
WinZero – Net Zero Emissions
Our visions is to create an environmentally sustainable, vibrant and resilient community for current and future generations.
Website: www.winzero.com/frensham
Species List of wildlife sighted in Lower Holt
https://winzero.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Frensham-Species-List.pdf
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