Cam Walker
@camwalker
Campaigns co-ordinator, Friends of the Earth Melbourne, Australia. Activist, mountain enthusiast, climber, skier, volunteer firefighter. Living on Dja Dja Wurrung country, Central Victoria.
For anyone who still uses facebook & has an interest in fire, check out the Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance for coverage on the northern hemisphere fires. www.facebook.com/ausfca
omg, that interview between Barnaby Joyce and Sarah Ferguson reminded me of the Neil meme. He is unhinged, and can't even do a normal TV interview without losing his shit. Why would anyone trust him with a key position running the country?
I have walked past this tree for years. It was burnt in the 2013 fires, survived, was impacted by dieback, then got blown down in a storm, taking rocks with its roots as it fell. Then the surviving branch grew shoots, now becoming the new trunk. A good reminder of nature's resilience.
Not as much snow as there should be. But what a treat to stand in a snow gum forest at dawn as Gang Gangs browse through the canopy.
Rain over the country. Snow in the mountains. The rivers are full. The land is green. In a time of climate chaos, you have to appreciate the days when the world feels right and as it should be.
More than 2,000 people have died so far in the European heatwave. But over at The Australian 'newspaper', its always the Greenies fault.
Its EOFY & all orgs are doing a last minute call out for donations. Of course you should support FoE, www.melbournefoe.org.au/donate But Mittagudi is a wonderful outdoor education centre that provides life changing experiences for young people. Also worth supporting!
We've just been up in north west VIC meeting with farmers who will be impacted by the critical minerals mine expansion up there. The scale of it is mind boggling, with heartbreaking impacts on many families, right in the middle of a major cropping area. We will report back properly next week.
Last night we launched our plan to gain listing of snow gums as threatened under federal enviro laws. Snow gum communities face ecological collapse due to uncontrolled dieback & more frequent fires. You can support the EPBC listing by adding your name here: www.melbournefoe.org.au/snowgum_nomi...
I've worked for Friends of the Earth for 37 years (!!!). I stay here because I love our grassroots approach, our commitment to environment & justice, & our connection to community. I think we do good work and we would welcome your support during our tax time appeal. www.foe.org.au/donate
The Australian 'newspaper' continues to platform this dangerous nonsense that undermines people's trust in mainstream science ...
This is an absolute disgrace. Every single post I saw on Sorry Day had comments turned off. Why? Because every racist low life feels emboldened to share their poisonous views. Because of racist narratives & right wing political parties & normalising of racist views. Shame on everyone enabling this.
The Yarrangobilly caves (northern Kosciuszko national park) are amazing. I've always gone past them on the way to the higher mountains, but well worth a side trip to explore.
Like others in the Murdoch press, the Herald Sun continues to platform dangerous nonsense like this. Of course the people writing this dross are wealthy & will have the resources to be shielded from the worst impacts of climate change.
I'm seeing lots of anti renewables hysteria on the internet about a blade falling off a turbine at Lal Lal wind farm in Victoria. Weird how these people didn't seem concerned about the fire at the Viva refinery or the Hazelwood mine fire...
We heard they are cutting the snow gums on Mt Macedon & anyone going onto the site will be arrested. Was feeling forlorn. Got a fire call up in the pine plantation. Working with good folks & being focused on driving the tanker on dirt tracks weirdly helped with my mood. Back to the mountain tomorrow
day 2 of community protest on mt Macedon to stop the destruction of precious snow gum forest. www.melbournefoe.org.au/save_mt_mace...
Community members have stopped the work on clearing of snow gums on Mt Macedon this morning.
Back from a lovely trip into the northern end of Cradle Mountain NP. The deciduous beech just starting to turn colour, old old snow gums & groves of pencil pine. Silence, good company, & long walks. Glorious. Grateful to have some time in this wild country.
We've had some rain, its cooling down & Pre Determined Dispatch of aircraft for fires finishes for the season today. So it must be time for the end of fire season walk in TAS. Good bye to a bloody long summer, hello green-ness & mountains. See you in a bit.
Yesterday, we visited one of the Australian Mountain Research Facility snow gum research plots to see field experiments. The square box is a test site where the ground is heated 4oC above background temps to see how diff species respond to hotter temps. Freaks me out that this is where we're at.
Every time I cross over Dead Horse Gap into the Upper Murray I have to stop & look at the tragic burnt snow gum forests of Siberia. This is exactly why we hosted the snow gum summit. It was great to finish the summit with a tree planting arvo at Perisher Valley.
We've been off at the snow gum summit in Jindabyne. 2 days of extreme tree & science nerding. Its been awesome. www.melbournefoe.org.au/snow_gum_sum...?
The Herald Sun seems to be confusing cultural burning with fuel reduction burning in order to have a go at First Nations people.
Am a day & a half into my current fire driving course, driving a mix of tankers. After a big week at work I was incredibly cranky about spending my weekend learning about trucks. But geez I learnt a lot. Every course makes you more useful on the fireground.
Not a surprise, but still. Damn. AFAC, the National Council for fire and emergency services, has released the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Autumn 2026. It identifies a heightened risk of bushfire in NSW, Victoria & WA.
Geez it's been a long summer. Lots of scrappy grassfires, but often on windy days, so they can get a bit of speed up.
Fire nerd mates: the VIC parliament is holding an inquiry into this summer's fires. Really good/ broad terms of reference. We are inviting folks to contribute their ideas/experiences to include in our submission. Get in touch! cam.walker@foe.org.au www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved...