Click or flick across for more photos of the park before and after the trees were removed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
THE destruction of willow trees that have been classified as weeds has left Mount Beauty residents feeling “shocked”, “horrified” and “hopeless”.
Energy giant AGL has been removing willows from around Mount Beauty’s pondage over recent weeks.
Tawonga South woman Lesley Meid, a resident of the area for more than 50 years, said she was most upset there had been no community consultation.
“We didn’t know this was happening until it was too late for us to even try and do anything,” she said.
“Look at this now, for God’s sake it was glorious.”
AGL project manager Timo Mantyvirta said the willows needed to be cleared because the trees were classified as a weed of national significance.
“These trees smother the native vegetation and take over.”
Mount Beauty wildlife rescue worker Jo Ingram said she was concerned for the wildlife that used the willows as their habitat.
“A bulldozer blade doesn’t do much for turtles,” she said.
“And as for birds, the ones that can leave have left and the rest are probably being eaten by foxes, it’s tragic.”
Mr Mantyvirta said the company had received advice from Ecology Australia, which did an environmental assessment report, outlining the removal of willows would be better for the environment.
“Ecology Australia has confirmed no significant species will be impacted and there will only be a short-term disturbance to them,” he said.
Opponents said they were upset about not being able to stop the “destruction” and it would take decades for the pondage to be restored to its former glory.
Falls Creek hotel owner Blanche Spargo was concerned there would be a drop in tourism as a result of the willows being cleared.
“We have had bushfires and that was hard enough to build up from and now this,” she said.
“It’s called Mount Beauty but what beauty do we have left here, it really is absolutely devastating to look at.”
Mr Mantyvirta said they were looking to revegetate the area in the next one to two years with wetland and deciduous plants, along with native trees.
“We want to keep the community happy so we are going to have deciduous trees back in there for the autumn colour,” he said.
“The Alpine Shire is also planning to get funding to build a boardwalk so people can walk through wetland on an elevated area.”
The lake has been temporarily drained for the project and community members are worried a residue of poisons would affect Victorian waterways.
“We are terribly worried because of the number of stumps that will be poisoned,” Ms Spargo said.
“When water is put back in the lake we don’t want the poison to end up in the Murray River and in our drinking water.”
A public meeting will be held on Thursday at 7.30pm at the Mount Beauty information centre, with representatives from AGL.
“We are hoping to get answers about what they are going to do for our future and we need to be reassured trees will be back and waterways will be clean,” Ms Spargo said.
“We feel we have been taken advantage of.”