Thanks for the heads-up Ian!
I visited the Gammon Ranges and the Arkaroola area a few years ago and was
blown away by its sheer rugged, untouched beauty.
I knew little about the area, and birders talk a lot about Lyndhurst and
the Southern Flinders ranges as good birding spots, but the Gammon Ranges
were sensational!
I'd definently recommend birders (or anyone for that matter) to put the
Gammon Ranges and Arkaroola on the itinary if they are in the area. (Great
bird diversity in general, plus specialties) I'd rate it up there with
the Kimberleys and Kakadu as one of the great aussie outback experiences.
I've actually written notes to this affect back in Dec 2005 on a
photographic field report on the area. See the Gammon Ranges and
Arkaroola sections at the following link:
http://www.peterfuller.com.au/trips/sa/index.html
Its sad to hear that some of the true wilderness areas are about to
dissappear at the hands of mining industry, and hopefully this venture can
be stopped.
Peter
Ian May <>
Sent by:
02/04/2008 01:16 PM
To
Birding-aus <>,
cc
Subject
[Birding-Aus] Mt Gee and threat to Short-tailed Grasswren.
Hi all
There is a mystical mountain in the remote North Flinders Ranges in South
Australia known as Mount
Gee http://www.arkaroola.com.au/mt_gee.php It is an arid wilderness
mountain within Arkaroola
/Mount Painter Wilderness Sanctuary and is located in the heart of the
spectacular igneous and
metamorphic formations characteristic of the Northern Flinders.
Mount Gee is part of the geological area known as Mount Painter province,
one of the most highly
mineralized areas for its size on earth. Although the mineral diversity of
the area is huge, the
mineralisation is minimal and commercial mining has rarely occurred there
except for a few small
copper mines that failed early last century and the Mount Painter mine
where limited amounts of
uranium were extracted for the Manhattan Project during the Second World
War.
The surface of Mount Gee comprises acid soils with outcrops of quartz
crystal and granite. There
are underground water chasms with crystal amethyst lined walls; deep
underground formations that are
known to breathe when atmospheric pressure systems pass. High on the
mountain there are cliffs of
rugged highly mineralised granite porphyry where prehistoric bat caves
exist. The terrain is
spectacular, rugged and remote, covered with woodlands of native pine,
mallee and acacia
interspersed with dense areas of triodia amongst which scattered clumps of
xanthoria, cassia and
eromophila shrublands thrive. This is one of the most delicate, beautiful
and spectacular arid range
areas that exist.
Importantly, this area is the centre of abundance; the heart of
distribution for Short-tailed
Grasswren Amytornis merrotsyi, a rare and restricted South Australian
endemic bird and close to the
site where it was discovered. Significantly the Mount Gee/ Mount Painter
area is also the main
Flinders Ranges breeding area for Little Woodswallow and Painted Finch and
also where uncommon
species such as Broad-tailed Thornbill and Redthroat are common. It is
also a major habitat for
Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby.
There is now a proposal to mine uranium on a vast scale at Mount Gee by a
company known as Marathon
Resources P/L. Unfortunately there is no possibility that mining
development could proceed in this
area without causing massive destruction. The area and its wildlife is
vulnerable to almost every
impact of mining, (see 1 below) not to mention major damage that would
occur to the visual amenity.
Destructive mineral exploration occurred here in the late 1960's and early
70's
http://www.sea-us.org.au/oldmines/mtgee.html Exploration activity was
halted by the SA Government
because of environmental concerns. These damaged areas have never
recovered from the onslaught of
100 drill holes in 1972.
Arkaroola was purchased as an under-developed pastoral property for the
sole purpose of natural
protection and conservation by Dr Reg Sprigg and his wife Griselda in
1968. Since then, with more
than 40 years of competent management by the Sprigg family the area has
remained well protected. The
area and its wildlife is seriously threatened by this development
proposal. If you are interested in
helping with this issue, please read
http://www.arkaroola.com.au/mining.php and consider your response.
And how would I know any of this? Arkaroola was once my home too and
where Pat and I raised our
children. The natural values of this area and its importance to the
nation far exceed any short
term economic benefit from exploiting its mineral wealth.
Thank you
Ian May
St Helens Tasmania
0428337956
1. Impacts from mining relate to threatening processes that
vary according to species and location
affected. As I see it, threatening processes from mining that will
affect species occurring at Mt
Gee include; regular human presence near vital habitat such and available
water, disturbance,
modification and pollution of natural water points, vibration, noise, road
kill, major erosion,
impeding water flows, downstream fines pollution of waterholes and
watercourses, competition for
naturally occurring level and open areas, blasting, chemical pollution,
vegetation removal, major
dust source, rubbish.
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