Save Happy Valley!

After 10 days of clear, hot weather in the Valley, we were woken Tuesday night by heavy rain thudding onto our tents. This roused some of us from our sleep to scuttle around camp with our torches, grabbing anything that wasn’t undercover. In the morning we huddled around, shivering and surveying the grey skies and the stream that was now running down the main path through camp.

As the day went by, we filled every bottle, billy and pot we could find with rainwater stocking up our drinking supplies for some time while others gathered in the comms tent around the mountain radio to call out to SHVC members about the campaign. Happily, there was an endless supply of porridge, hot soup and tea throughout the day.

This morning we woke to bright sunshine again, giving us and the camp a chance to dry out. Work began on paving the slipperiest areas with rock. Millie and WIllie Weka, whose home we now share, wandered in and out. The women in camp got together in the afternoon to discuss our experiences here, including issues around participation and reponsibility in camp.

Every night, we still hear the calls of kiwi around us though they seem much closer as of late.

We had a very interesting day in Happy Valley on Sunday. A group of us decided to go for a walk to the Blackburn Pakihi, of which 100 hectares was burnt by a helicopter crash a couple of weeks ago.

On the way, walking along up the ridge on the other side of the valley from the campsite, Pete spotted a couple of guys wandering into the bushes up ahead. We peered into the bushes and saw a guy in camo gear crouched down. He seemed very reluctant to make eye contact. The conversation then went something like this: “Hey there. What are you guys up to?” “Oh, just camping” “How many of you are there?” “Oh, just me.” “No, there’s not. I can see another guy through there!” Silence. The other guy, with an outlandish moustache, in matching camo gear, was hiding behind some more shrubery. He was more talkative, and explained at length that they were on an army exercise making a track for some others to try and follow. This seemed at odds with the fact that they were hiding in the bushes with good binoculars and a great view of our camp. He insisted repeatedly that they weren’t spying on use, but generally didn’t make a lot of sense.

On the way back Peter gave them a friendly hello before taking a photo. They rushed to hide behind their newspapers.

When Mr Moustache saw another group of us, he tried to evade us. We had a chat anyway. When Kristen said that he didn’t believe they were in the army Mr Moustache changed his story. He told us they were working, but wouldn’t tell us who for. He insisted he did not work for Gibson Security, but had heard of them. Then he changed his story again and said they were there on holiday and hid from us because he thought we might be DOC rangers. He said they had snuck in through the mine, despite us seeing obvious recent vehicle tracks on the road. He said he was wandering around trying to get cellphone coverage, even though our coverage was fine and he had an Iridium Satellite phone. He kept trying to convince us he wasn’t spying on us and saying “Don’t be hard on us.”

We were quite perplexed by all this behaviour, so would like help from the voting public. Were these guys:
a) Doing an army training exercise
b) On holiday
c) Working for a security company
d) None of the above

On another note, it was interesting to see the Blackburn Pakihi. The fire devastated a huge area but we were relieved to find no signs of dead wildlife. It was tragic to see, but vegetation has started sprouting again already and the area should recover again. These areas support a variety of bird life and we saw plenty of fernbirds in the surrounding forest who have been temporarily displaced. All in all an exciting day in the hills!

I personally was amazed at the abundance of amazing endangered animals up there, including South Island Fernbirds, Powelliphanta patrickensis snails, South Island Tomtits, Western Weka and South Island Robins. There are some beautiful swimming holes along the Waimangaroa river and the scenery is positively stunning. Save Happy Valley Coalition has enjoyed much positive media attention over the last week, including an item on One News. If you haven’t yet come up I cannot urge you enough to come and see Happy Valley for yourself. The Coalition can use support from as many people as possible tramping in to visit them. If you are interested refer to this page for details

Kiwi tracks:

Tramping in via the Lower Waimangaroa Valley:

We are trying to live in the valley with the least ecological impact possible. Eating communally keeps waste and energy use to a minimum, and is a lot of fun. And for what we have, we are all carrying out what we brought in to be recycled where possible.

Washing up is also done communally, using donated ‘earth friendly’ chemical free washing up liquid, well away from any water courses.

We have a solar shower, but while the weather is good for most of us a dip (or leap!) into one of the swimming holes is keeping us clean, we are not using any soaps or cleaning items directly into any streams or rivers. No chemical based cleaning products have been bought into the valley at all.

To minimize the impact of our toilet waste it is kept together deep into the ground with a long drop like at DOC huts, which will be filled in and sealed over when we leave.

One very cool addition is our low tech fridge, made in a ditch with a towel over it, which is kept constantly wet from dripping containers above. The act of evaporation from the heat and wind keep the fridge cold inside. And it really works - try it at home!

For power we have kindly donated solar panels to charge up phones and other batteries. If anyone has a little wind turbine they want to donate we’d love to have one!

We have made a compromise with cooking on gas, which is a fossil fuel. Cooking on fire using dead wood is more sustainable as you are remaining within the carbon cycle. Carbon released from wood has been recently sucked in from the atmosphere. But when burning fossil fuels the carbon has been ‘fixed’ into the ground for centuries so when its burnt it ads to the total amount of CO2 in the cycle, adding to climate change.
However, when the valley is this dry, making fires would not be safe and we don’t want to risk fires spreading.

We have made a ‘psychological fire’ from a heap of sticks with a head torch inside – you find yourself standing around it it and it has kept us surprisingly warm! But we ‘put it out’ when we realised how many stars you could see without it.

We feel it is good to keep our energy consumption down as an added effort to reduce our carbon footprint, to help stop the increasingly chaotic changes to the earths climate.

Your ecological footprint is how much effect you lifestyle has on the planet - calculate yours at:
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/do/footprint/calculator.html

I’m feeling pretty lucky to have been seeing and experiencing such a stunning place with a inspiring group of people.

The planning and energy put into the logistics of transport & safety made the first few days of the occupation run smoothly despite the baking heat.

When I arrived in the there I’d just spent a week on a kiwi survey in another part of the South Island in a protected valley and not heard a single Kiwi. However in Happy Valley I heard Kiwi most nights, mainly between between 11pm and 5am. The Valley is also alive with Morepork, Weka, Bellbirds and many others.

Another big plus for valley life, for anyone thinking of joining us, is the cool clear rivers. Sadly some of them are already polluted from the nearby Stockton mine, but others are still clean and clear, so fresh there are large crayfish living in them.

Not too far from the camp are several deep swimming holes with waterfalls and jumping rocks which have made an exciting break from the sweltering heat. I’ve felt guilty many times as I’ve been having far, far, to much fun.. surely protesting is meant to be harder work than this!

The second day we were there a group of us went up the hill to see the adjacent Stockton mine.:It is huge, and you can only see an eighth of it from the ridgeline.. After all the planning, organising and effort of getting everyone to the valley it was a sobering reminder of why we are here occupying in the Valley, and only by being there was I struck with the full awful impact of what Solid Energy plan to do.

Although we are far out in a peaceful and remote wetland the mine is hard to escape with sounds of the trucks, horns and blasting day and night like some beast over the hill.

The stars have been out main evening entertainment, with a run of clear nights. We’ve been lucky with many shooting stars overhead.

Originally I got involved in the campaign to stop yet another climate destroying project, as if we are globally to stop the increasingly chaotic and devastating affects we are having on the the earths climate we need to stop mining and drilling fossil fuels. But now I equally want to protect this precious rare wetland and the home of the kiwis I have heard, and the snails, other animals & plants who’s home I have been sharing.

The occupation has begun!

A weekend of stunning weather, beautiful wetlands, swimming, kiwi calls, plus 6 hours of tramping, more swimming, Stockton-viewing, tree climbing, establishing base camp and swimming again; the occupation is off to an awesome start.

Before heading into the valley, locals Pete Lusk (Buller Conservation Group) and Rick Barber spoke on the area, the atrocities that have occurred in the past, and the importance of this campaign to prevent further damage to pristine environments like Happy Valley.

The tramping began about noon. Despite the incredible heat, and the fact that all our track markers had disappeared, people were cheerful and staunch (go crew!)... Stop Solid Energy! Save Happy Valley!

The beauty of the valley and the Waimangaroa River was interrupted by a sign stating that this area would be the edge of the mine site; this area would be mine pit; this river will be contaminated with Acid Mine Drainage. The beauty and expanse of Happy Valley is poignantly contrasted with the scarred and devastated landscape that is the Stockton open cast coal mine located not far from Happy Valley. That this area, this wetland, this bush, this habitat, these species could be so flippantly destroyed is almost incomprehensible.

Being in the valley, hearing the kiwi and enjoying the beautiful unpolluted rivers left us with the even stronger conviction that we have no choice but to win this campaign. There is no way a place like Happy Valley should ever be an open cast coal mine.

The response to the callout to join the occupation has been fantastic- a big thanks goes out to all those who made the effort. The occupation is on going so please come and join us!

See http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz/occupation.htm for transport details.

Finally, there is plenty that can be done outside of the valley so please keep up the pressure on Solid Energy and the Labour Government; distribute postcards, write letters to the ministers, hold a stall, join your local SHVC group - or start one! This valley must be saved - and it will be!

On Saturday January 28th, 75 people including members of the Save Happy Valley Coalition, the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society, the Buller Conservation Group, West Coast locals, students, environmentalists and professionals walked into Happy Valley in protest against Solid Energy’s proposed open-cast coal mine.

You can view a media story about the occupation on Stuff.co.nz. Daily reports from Happy Valley will be posted on this blog, with the first to come later tonight.

From Saturday 28th of January 2006 the Save Happy Valley Coalition will be indefinitely occupying the site of Solid Energy’s planned open cast coal mine in Happy Valley on the West Coast and we are inviting as many people as possible to join us.

Why? Because the mine will:

• Destroy the habitat of a number of endemic native species that are already threatened with extinction including great spotted kiwi (roa) and the snail Powelliphanta “patrickensis”.
• Pollute local waterways by acid mine drainage
• Contribute up to 12 million tonnes of climate changing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere when the coal is burnt for steel manufacture
• Devastate a beautiful pristine ecosystem that is too valuable to lose.

Solid Energy have recently cleared the last remaining legal hurdle and plan to start developing the mine site in 2006. The only thing that will stop them is a continuation of our grassroots campaigning, so we need as many people as possible to join us in Happy Valley, especially during the first weekend of the occupation. People coming later in the weeks after the initial weekend will also be much appreciated. You can stay for as short or as long an amount of time as you like! This is your chance to see why Happy Valley should be saved and contribute to a creative environmental campaign.

The route is marked, though there is no proper track. The walk takes less than half a day and you will be walking with others who have a good knowledge of the area. You need to come as a self contained tramper/camper and be prepared for unpredictable weather.

Happy Valley is located in the Upper Waimangaroa Valley, approximately 25km north-east of Westport. We access it by tramping from Cedar Creek Road, beyond Burnetts Face (near Waimangaroa). We will, however, all be meeting up in or near Westport beforehand.

We will update with more details closer to the date, but in the meantime if you want to know more about the occupation, to learn more about the tramping gear required, and to coordinate with others heading over, get in contact with the Save Happy Valley Christchurch group. Their details are:Save Happy Valley Christchurch
Phone: (03) 388 0978 (ask for Dan Rae or Francie Mountier) or Francie on 021 426 662
Email: savehappyvalley@yahoo.com

Hope to see you there!
Save Happy Valley Coalition http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz

Check out http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz/occupation.htm for more details on ongoing tranpsort to the occupation, and how you can support those in the Valley!

And go to http://www.savehappyvalley.org.nz/updates/update7.htm to order postcards calling on the relevant Ministers to stop the mine.

A dozen people may face court action for trespass after a private security company videoed campers in Happy Valley and on the outskirts of Stockton Mine at the weekend. Police set up a roadblock near Denniston and took the names of campers to match the video taken by guards from Wellington-based Gibson Security. A cop told us that those identified as trespassers on Solid Energy land will be summonsed.

The drama began around 7pm as we (35 campers led by Save Happy Valley group) were finishing dinner. Without any warning, three people wearing uniforms with dayglow jackets emerged from the thick scrub beside us. A fourth was not in uniform.

One of the uniformed people then told us they were there to check on our safety and security and would like to speak to us. Another began videoing everyone. Quickly it was becoming clear they were from a security firm and we asked them to stop videoing. The video man took no notice and a couple of our people got out cameras and began photographing them.

Their spokesman told us we had every right to camp where we were but then revealed the true purpose of their visit – to issue us with “pre-emptive” trespass notices. He asked us to give our names. We refused. I did however give my name, since I am well known to Solid Energy. One of the guards then filled out a form headed "Warning To Stay Off Property, Trespass Act 1980 Section 4". As well as the Stockton Mine, I’m banned from the Ngakawau coal handling plant, Solid Energy's Westport office and the corporate office in Christchurch. The duration is 2 years. The guard tried to hand it to me, I refused to take it, so he put it on the ground beside me. This was all videoed.

Next morning about 7am we had another visit, this time by three guards in black uniforms – rather like those of the armed offenders squad. Again they greeted us by saying they were at the camp to check on our safety and security. In answer to our questions the leader said they were also from Gibson Security and he had worked in a similar capacity on Lord of The Rings. He said the fourth (un-uniformed) man of the previous night's visit was a local man who is training to be a guard and had guided them to our camp.

After doing some work around the camp we took everyone up the bare plateau towards the Stockton Mine. I should explain here that almost all the campers had never been to Happy Valley or seen the moonscape of Stockton before. So the weekend was very much a familiarisation trip. It would be wrong to call all the campers activists – two were under-15s accompanied by parents.

As we approached the mine over a wide strip of conservation land (ie DOC) we could see what looked like big orange markers along the haul road leading to the Mt Fred opencast. These turned out to be security guards wearing dayglow jackets. As we neared the big sediment dam, four guards lined up on the dam wall opposite us. At this stage someone noticed we were being videoed, so I pulled back, not wanting to get arrested (we were right at the limit of the DOC land). A group continued forward, and put up our banner for some photos. They later told me they were warned they were now trespassing, and the police had been called.

We returned to camp with three guards, or maybe Solid Energy people, following us for a 100m or so.

As it was drizzling and the weather forecast was rain we packed up and headed out. We expected cops at the road end and had planned for some people to bypass them, but they were waiting for us with a roadblock at Burnetts Face, nearer to Denniston. Half a dozen cops went to each car and collected names and addresses. We were also photographed. A cop told me the police photos would be matched with those from Stockton and those who had trespassed would be summonsed. Others were told slightly different stories. This was all over very quickly and we drove off the plateau.

Apart from all this carry-on, we had a very successful and enjoyable weekend with lots of new people seeing at first hand the beauty of Happy Valley and the raped-over landscape and polluted waterways that is Stockton Mine.

Save Happy Valley Campaigners and interested members of the public headed into Happy Valley for the weekend. The 33 trampers wanted to see the pristine habitat of Happy Valley, and many also took the opportunity to climb to the ridgeline to view the atrocity that is Solid Energy’s Stockton mine.

We started tramping early Saturday afternoon, after some very windy driving! The stunning weather, plus crossing a swing-bridge, plentiful scroggin stops, photo opportunities, a swimming hole, and generally having a tramping party that is 33 people long meant that the tramping was at a pleasant pace.

The party included Coasters, as well as people from as far afield as Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Golden Bay, Germany, the United States. The publicly advertised trip was an opportunity for members of the public to view Happy Valley, and to find out more about the Save Happy Valley campaign.

The view from the first overhang up the Waimangaroa Valley was stunning. Of particular interest were sightings of shells of Powelliphanta “patrickensis” and the pill millicide. The track winds through the red tussock wetland, past awesome coloured mosses and lichens, and across creeks that are still home to freshwater crayfish – a good indicator that the upper Waimangaroa Valley at least is not yet polluted. The tailings of Solid Energy’s Stockton mine were soon obvious to the West, and the dam scarring the mountain-side was shocking.

We arrived at the campsite in Happy Valley early evening, and set up our tents. Some people went off walking, while the rest of us settled down to prepare our various dinners. Suddenly, bright orange dayglo jackets – and the three men inside them – appeared from the bush just above the campsite. They requested an audience with us, and proceeded to tell us they were there due to concern for our safety; a voice asked “What about the kiwis safety”?” One of the three proceeded to film us all, and would not stop when we said we did not wish to be filmed. A fourth man, devoid of orange high-glo vest, was also present. The men addressing us then acknowledged that many of us were experienced trampers, and that we were perfectly justified under law to be in Happy Valley as it is publicly owned land. They next stated that we were all pre-emptively trespassed from Solid Energy’s land. However, we did not provide them with our names and details. Many were finding the intrusive filming distressing; however, a number of trampers also made sure to get footage of the security guards. Pete Lusk, well known to Solid Energy, did give his name – and was presented with a "Warning To Stay Off Property, Trespass Act 1980 Section 4," that was “on behalf of Don Elder, CEO.”

This intimidation, while startling and unpleasant, shows how paranoid Solid Energy are about being exposed. So great is the damage that they cause every day, so destructive their mine sites, so unacceptable their proposal to mine Happy Valley that they cannot even cope with a peaceful tramping party looking around. Such behaviour is definitely in character for Solid Energy. One recent example of their anxious attempts to squash their growing opposition include them calling for Forest and Bird and Buller Conservation group to pay court costs of $379,342 for a two-week Environment Court hearing. In that same Environment Court hearing (on the permit for the mine in Happy Valley), a Landcare scientist was made to stand down from giving evidence for Forest and Bird – as the CEO of Landcare and the CEO of Solid Energy wished not to jeopardise the long-standing relationship between the two state institutions. Solid Energy also recently threatened to sue three Save Happy Valley members $200,000 for their ‘Stopping Climate Change in its Tracks” protest.

Once the security guards had left, we continued with our meal, and held a hui about the Campaign. There were brief outlines of various groups’ involvement in the work to Stop Solid Energy, Save Happy Valley, followed by a discussion of plans for summer. Save Happy Valley is committed to stopping this mine: this will involve political pressure, a growing momentum of public opposition, highlighting the unacceptable corporation that is Solid Energy, and direct action. There was also sharing of practical information, such as how to make an Official Information Act request, and how to write effective letters. Kiwi were heard before we fell asleep late at night.

The guards returned again briefly, around 7am the next morning. Once they had gone again, we ate breakfast and talked some more. Later, some stayed at the campsite while the rest walked up to get a view of the Stockton mine. This was an awful juxtaposition – the incredible slopes of Happy Valley suddenly contrasted with half of a ridgeline cut bare, seams of coal exposed, trucks transporting coal away, and the security guards standing as sentry. More filming, threats, and yells of “you’re trespassed” followed.

After some banner shots: Save Happy Valley, Stop Solid Energy clearly showing the Stockton mine, we headed back to camp. The walk out was much faster than the day before; this was partly due to a familiarisation with the track (Many of those present had never been to the Valley before). An awesome trip: we invite others to join us next time.