The NSW Nordic Ski Club and Reclaim Kosci are co-hosting a screening of “Underfrog”. The night will be used to raise awareness of the feral horse issue and raise funds for Reclaim Kosci to continue our work. Everyone is welcome. Doors open at 7:00pm for a 7:30pm start. Donations are optional. The film is suitable for all ages.
Date: Wednesday 24 July 2019
Time: 7.30 pm – 9.30 pm
Where: McMahons Point Community Centre, 165 Blues Point Road, McMahons Point, NSW 2196
Cost: Donation preferred
RSVP: At https://www.eventbrite.com.
Underfrog is a recently produced documentary by ecologist and film-maker, Harrison Warne. In the doco, Harrison set out to find and film the critically endangered northern corroboree frogs of Kosciuszko National Park. These frogs are unique and of worldwide significance. They are very small, with distinctive, yellow and black striping. The only place in the world where they are found naturally occurring is in the unique ecosystems of Kosciuszko National park at elevations of between 1300m and 1700m.
Over several months, during early 2019, Harrison enlisted the assistance of other field specialists, to search high and low, in prime locations within Kosciuszko for any signs of the corroboree frog. They kept keen eyes and ears tuned for their distinctive markings and croak. They found none and heard nothing of them. Not one sighting of frog or tadpole. Instead, during his search, Harrison found a national park being decimated by large numbers of out-of-control feral horses. With feral horses knowing no bounds, Harrison also found their impacts in declared Wilderness Areas and through areas of sphagnum bog and fen, a declared, endangered ecological community.
Kosciuszko National Park is a very significant, world renowned national park with bioregional significance and National Heritage status. We are screening Underfrog now, as next month, the NSW government will decide, not only the future of the critically endangered southern and northern corroboree frogs in the wild, but also, the fate of several endangered ecological communities found only in Kosciuszko National Park.
In June this year a petition signed by more than 12,000 people calling for the NSW government to repeal the recently legislated Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act was handed to NSW Labor at NSW Parliament House. The petition and the feral horse issue in Kosciuszko will be tabled and debated in NSW Parliament on 22 August, 2019. NSW Labor will be supporting a Bill to repeal the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act.
NSW Nordic Ski Club and Reclaim Kosci hope you can join us at the screening to barrack for the Underfrog.