stop beating around the bush

Earlier this week I went to Stop Beating Around the Bush, a fundraising art exhibition, put together to raise funds for the Friends of Leadbeater's Possum to help them in their conservation efforts to save Victoria's faunal emblem, the Leadbeater's Possum.

Pictured left to right: Professor David Lindenmayer, Sera Blair – President of the Friends of Leadbeater's Possum, me and David Blair – main photographer for Forest Phoenix celebrating a very successful opening night which saw a significant number of works sold to support the cause.

Also there on the night was Professor David Lindenmayer, who has just published his book Forest Phoenix, which details his latest research on how the forests and the animals who live in them have recovered after the Black Saturday fires.

The night was well supported by locals who attended the launch down at the World Trade Centre in Melbourne, it was also great to see so many artists, many of them locals, support the cause by donating works to raise funds.

The Leadbeater's Possum is endangered, they exist nowhere else but the Central Highlands forests, Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve and alpine areas between Lake Mountain & Mt Baw Baw in Victoria. We are very privileged to have these amazing little creatures reside in the Shire of Yarra Ranges, but population numbers are dangerously low. Population estimates prior to the 2009 bushfires were around 2,000-2,500 individuals however post-fire estimates are at less than 1,000 with around 40 to 50% of their prime habitat lost in the fires.

Friends of Leadbeater's Possum Inc was established in 2004 to give a voice to these elusive forest animals. The sorts of things that impact on the habitat of Leadbeater's Possum include logging and salvage logging, land clearing, bushfire and bushfire prevention activities like fuel breaks and fuel reduction burning.

The Friends of Leadbeater's Possum group hopes to help Leadbeater's survive in the wild by encouraging conservation efforts, research programs and effective conservation strategies and policies.

It was a great exhibition, on till the 29^th September, there are still some great pieces of work you can purchase. Details are:
WTC Wharf Gallery, Atrium Level
World Trade Centre Building
Siddeley Street, Melbourne