New Members
Welcome to new members Helen Stubbs and Joan Firth and to Tony, Kingston’s Park Supervisor keeps us informed of projects underway and in the pipeline, and to Lee James from the NRA team.
Congratulations
To Nina for a well deserved Appreciation Award from Kingston Council in recognition of the many conservation activities in which she is involved and especially the research work undertaken to establish the Yammerbook Nature Reserve.
Meetings Attended
Nina attended the Living Links meeting at Beaumaris and reported that recreational, natural and cultural information has been collated to create living links between assets in the Dandenong Creek Catchment. Funding could become a problem – sponsorship is sought.Tony will send MBCL plans of the catchment area.
Brian and Wal attended an Urban growth boundary meeting at Cranbourne (changes to) and were concerned at the bureaucrats present complacent acceptance that “We have 800 years of coal therefore we don’t need to worry”!
Mary attended and spoke to the submission on Changes to Urban Growth Boundaries at the recent Panel Hearings.
Desal Plant. Wal reported on the meeting at Wonthaggi “to bury democracy”. Melbourne houses have been letter boxed. Wal has presented MBCL with excellent short DVD’s explaining the
environmental impact, energy consumption and cost to the community of this ill-conceived project. Members are encouraged to borrow the DVD’s from MBCL secretary.
Submissions
Changes to Urban Growth Boundaries submissions were prepared and forwarded also a submission re loss green wedge due to Moorabbin Airport development.
Waterwatch
Judy and Brian undertook Mordialloc Creek water quality testing at the Bowen Road site and reported that there was slight turbidity possibly due to recent rain – otherwise nothing unusual. Bowen Road works have been completed. Judy fears that with cars travelling over the creek to access Aspendale Gardens the tranquility of the site will be lost and bird life disturbed.
Parks Report
Tony Collins, Parks Superviser presented a comprehensive report outlining water conservation initiatives for sports grounds and parks in conjunction with South East Water.Piped water will go from Carrum to Kingston, the Peninsula, Cranbourne and Cardinia.
Golf courses in Dandenong and Kingston will benefit from this scheme. Staff changes at Kingston included Rebecca Cohen on maternity leave replaced by Lee Halkias from the NRA team. Parks upgrades include Highett Sports ground planted with warm season grass, Kingston Heath soccer ground will have a synthetic surface, Parks staff are supporting the Friends of Moorabbin Reserve at Linton Street.
Mordialloc Creek and Environs
Nina and Brian reported a crack in the Mordialloc Creek bridge underpass retaining wall. Reported to Council. Shared bike path under Wells Road bridge- work has been completed. Shared path is only 2 metres wide so will this be sufficient width for foreshore bike path??? George Woods Reserve playground is to be upgraded at a cost of $100,000. NRA team claim that there is bank erosion between the Chute Street boat ramp and railway bridge caused by the mature pines along the bank. These are to be removed and replaced by River Red Gums which are indigenous to the area. It is likely that wash from fast moving water craft may be the reason for erosion.
Attenborough Park
Revegetation work in Attenborough Park has been completed although the Master Plans for Hazel Pierce park, and the Pompei site have not been put out for public consultation.Banksias, casuarinas and Monterey Cypresses have been planted but surprisingly two Moreton Bay Figs were also planted. These are not indigenous trees.Will the community have a say as they have for Kingston Heath Reserve? Will the community have any input to plans for the George Woods Reserve?
Foreshore Happenings
The Monterey Cypress near the Lifesaving Club on the foreshore has had some of the dead branches removed by Council staff. Remaining branches appear healthy despite the tree being poisoned by vandals.Work has been carried out on the Parkers Road drain which enters the Bay near Parkdale kiosk. This section of foreshore is extremely narrow and badly eroded.
Climate Change
Despite Kingston CEO expressing an interest, in 2008, in setting up a climate change group nothing has eventuated, whereas City of Bayside has a Bayside Environmental Friends Network consisting of 17 Friends groups, landcare groups, schools, foreshore protectors and climate change campaigners.Would MBCL members be interested in networking with Bayside Environmental Friends. Discuss! Other ideas? Does Kingston Council have plans to deal with rising sea level and its impact on the vulnerable foreshore south of Mordialloc Creek? Is there any restriction on development in this area.? Will the Byron Bay scenario be repeated around Port Phillip Bay? Letting nature take its course has been recommended by Byron Bay council – or moving out of million dollar mansions threatened with the eroding foreshore into relocatable homes is the other alternative in this case.
Blue Wedges
Blue Wedges reports that storms, April 26 2009, caused extensive damage from Portsea to Seaford with collapse of a sea wall at Williams Road beach Mt Eliza and Kananook Creek flooding higher than in living memory. The EES and SEES Channel Deepening Inquiries both heard that tide heights would increase as a deepened entrance would allow more water to flow in and out of the Bay. Meanwhile climate scientists are in agreement that sea level rise is happening faster than expected and that we should prepare for “one in a hundred year” storms every twenty years or even sooner.Lack of rainfall in the Murray Darling Basin has caused the destruction of the Coorong and its bird life. A similar fate is likely for Gunbower on the Murray. DVDs are available illustrating this wetland’s wonderful flora and fauna now at risk.