STEP Inc - Blue Gum High Forest

Blue Gum High Forest, St Ives

With great relief of many, the long-running campaign to protect Blue Gum High Forest in St Ives has been successful.

At heart was the proposed development of the two remaining lots of privately-owned land, within the largest, most viable remnant of Blue Gum High Forest in existence. At the start of the campaign, it consisted of:

Dalrymple Hay Nature Reserve - 11.1 ha

Browns Forest - 4.6 ha

100-102 Rosedale Road - 1.06 ha

Vista Street Reserve - 0.5 ha

Sydney Water (reservoir) - 1.5 ha

Sydney Blue Gum, Blue Gum High Forest, St Ives

(photo: Jane Gye)

The campaign owes its success to:

the Blue Gum High Forest Group, a coalition of concerned groups which formed to preserve this critically endangered ecological community for perpetuity, and
the generous support of the public, private enterprise and state and federal government and its politicians.

Particular mention and many thanks must be extended to STEP members Nancy Pallin, Neroli Lock and Andrew Little, whom over many years have injected much time and effort into the Blue Gum High Forest Group and the campaign.

Blue Gum High Forest landholdings, St Ives

(photo: Jane Gye)

In December 2007, Ku-ring-gai Council negotiated successfully to purchase 102 Rosedale Road, assisted by a $350,000 contribution from the Commonwealth National Reserve System and over $72,000 of public donations.

100 Rosedale Road was purchased for conservation in October 2005 by the NSW Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation. TIDC transferred the land to the Department of Enviroment and Climate Change in an 'environmental offset' deal, to allow the removal of a small tract of forest for railway expansion in Hornbsy.

Blue Gum High Forest Discovery Kits are available to schools through the NSW Department of of Environnment and Climate Change. Contact Ranger Andrew Duffy at Lane Cove National Park on (02) 8448 0402 or e-mail lane.cove@environment.com.au.

Links
Go to: Sale confirmed for 'missing piece' of forest - Ku-ring-gai Council Mayor Nick Ebbeck announces purchase of 102 Rosedale Road, St Ives (December 2007).
Media release: Malcolm Turnbull MP and Brendan Nelson MP announce additional funding from the Australian Government to help protect Blue Gum High Forest in St Ives (October 2007).
Go to: Threatened species, populations and ecological communities: Blue Gum High Forest, NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change, September 2005.
Go to: Nationally Threatened Species and Ecological Communities Information Sheet,
Department of the Environment and Heritage, September 2005