| STAV News | ||
Presidential PonderingsMick SinclairIn 1979, skiing was predicted to grow at 10% per annum, and Mt Stirling was earmarked as the next mountain area to be developed for downhill skiing. Many reviews of this original proposal followed over the years, each one scaling back somewhat amidst increasing concerns over snowcover and decreasing visitation growth patterns. 1994 saw the latest (and hopefully the last) of these proposals, this time in a skiing environment with 0%growth rate. After two years when many may have been excused for thinking that the issue was dead and buried, an EES process has been preparing a range of potential futures for the mountain. The preliminaries are over, and the most important stage of the whole process has begun - it's finally time to have your say. This issue of Skitour marks the biggest mailout of information in the 6 years I've been involved in the STAV committee. Included is a summary of the EES - I encourage anyone who has the time and energy available to read the full three volumes, but it's a major task! In this issue and a follow up news sheet we'll be covering the most important points canvassed from the cross country skiers viewpoint. Also included is a truly historic document - a joint statement by groups traditionally seen as being on opposite sides of the fence. Who would have ever thought that we would see the Mountain Cattlemans Association, the Wilderness Society, the Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs and the Victorian National Parks Association coming together over any issue. If anyone was in any doubt on the level of opposition to lifts on Mt Stirling, this statement gives ample evidence. All groups represented in this document share the conviction that the most important issue at the moment is to ensure an overwhelming written response is put to the Review Panel, showing just how strong the opposition to lifts is. That means that to maximise this effort, all of you need to write submissions , be it ever so humble or brief. You'll find plenty of assistance in this issue However, while STAV fully supports the thrust of this document, we are a skiers group, and we continue to campaign for maximizing the skiing potential that Stirling has to offer. We have developed our vision for Mt Stirling over many years, and in taking you through our interpretation of the EES, we re-emphasise that we are not merely content to see an end to the push for downhill skifield development. The Expo has come and gone for another year, and this year was certainly one of the most successful ever. You're never sure what will happen with a change of venue, but a 10% increase in attendance and very positive feedback from both exhibitors and visitors make us feel vindicated in our decision to move. As always, an event such as this owes much to the individuals and organisations who support us by exhibiting at the show and providing sponsorship and prizes in various forms, and of course, the show couldn't run without the enthusiastic involvement of so many volunteers from STAV and Bayside Bushwalking Club. While Stirling is obviously our major focus over the next few months, there are still other issues on the boil, and we'll bring you up to date on those. We also continue our 20th birthday review, with Graeme Young coming out of the shadows of the past and giving us a bit of historical perspective. Our first focus on Ski Clubs is on Mansfield Nordic - a timely visit. We welcome material from other clubs which we can use to promote your activities. And to give a bit of international flavour, Marg Hayes writes about her second year of desert skiing. As so often seems to happen, the early snowfalls have led to a very slow start to the winter. Hopefully by the time you're reading this we'll have all managed to get in a decent ski. Hope to catch up with you on the snow or over a meal soon.
| ||