Forthcoming Meetings
Kingston Heath Reserve next meeting will be at Cheltenham Moorabbin RSL 10am April 5th. This appears to be an active group achieving great results.
Victorian National Parks meeting at Box Hill Town Hall ,1022 Whitehorse Road, 6th April 6.30pm.This is a special meeting concerned with cattle grazing in Victoria’s Alpine National Parks. Port Phillip Conservation Council Annual General meeting 8.00pm 18th April at 47 Bayview Crescent, Black Rock. Speaker will be Jan Oliver President of Mornington Environment Association. She will speak about MEA’s campaign to save Mornington’s historic harbour from a marina. Visitors are welcome at this meeting.
Environmental Weeds
Following a lengthy discussion about Council’s use of the invasive weed Pennisetum setaceum at the Beeson Reserve ,Edithvale, it was moved at the March meeting, that a letter be sent requesting that Council’s weed information sheet be revised to include this species to discourage residents from planting it in their gardens. The Pennisetum (African Fountain Grass) is listed in the Catchment and Land Protection Act (CALP.) Arthur Rylah Institute advises that councils should resist planting this species. A response has been received to our letter. It will be tabled at the 6th April meeting. .
Meetings Attended
Walter attended a meeting Springvale Town Hall where the EPA fielded questions about their performance. Wal and partner attended a fund raising dinner at Mordialloc Sailing Club. Dredging is supposed to commence this month
Environment Protection & Biodiversity & Conservation Act
Reviewed in 2009 by panel but Government not responding.Act protecting only a limited number of species.
Waterwatch
Darren and Bronwen with Melissa carried out tests and found phosphate levels were double previous levels at Bowen Road test site. MBCL money is available if more chemicals or equipment is required. The Green Wedge discussion paper reports on the status of landfills in the green wedge. Of interest given that three major drains flowing through the landfill area feed into Mordialloc Creek:-
Historical Landfill Data provided by Kingston Council indicates that only four existing landfills have environmental controls around capping layer,gas emission, lining and leachate generation and monitoring. 13 landfils have limited records of environmental controls based on the above mentioned . 11 landfills had none or unknown information pertaining to environmental controls.
The majority of the landfills have been closed or are progressively being closed. Five landfills have an expected life of five years or less, and three landfills have an expected life of 10 to 20 years. What impact have these landfills had on groundwater?
The Collins Report
As a result of torrential rain in February Waterways residential estate was under threat of evacuation at one stage as the water level rose. Parks and ovals were damaged by flood water . Kingston’s foreshore was covered in 1000 tonnes of rubbish washed down the creek and drains.
Consultants are arranging soil tests and flora and fauna surveys at Yammerbook. Acid sulphate tests being undertaken in this area.
Authorities are adamant that street trees must be pruned under power lines to ‘prevent bushfires’. This will mutilate some magnificent trees around parks – along Mentone Parade near Brindisi Street for example.
Penny reports that water covered The Grange during the downpour.
Landscape work, branch removal and weed spraying is being carried out in Chicquita Park.
Hastings Port Expansion Plans
Sixteen environment and community groups have called for a halt on plans to expand the Port of Hastings which pose an unacceptable risk to Westernport Bay. Westernport has remarkable environmental and recreational values. Extensive seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh habitats are nurseries for fish species and foraging, roosting and breeding habitat for shorebirds and wader birds. Port expansion plans include new road and rail transport corridors, significant dredging of the channel, the decimation of 4-6 kms of mangroves and substantial land reclamation.
Dumped Household Rubbish
Nina reports on an increase in dumped household rubbish on the south bank of Mordialloc Creek near the pumping station. Waste included household items and rubbish, factory or building waste and garden waste.
Bay Trail
Great news for Bayside Council! VicRoads and DSE have approved a back of kerb bike track to complete their section of the track from Cromer Road to Charman Road. “Over the last two years investigations have been carried out to develop a solution which requires the least foreshore vegetation loss.VicRoads offered to reduce traffic lane widths between Cromer Road and Wells Road significantly reducing foreshore vegetation loss.”
The path straddles the boundary between the road reserve (VicRoads) and foreshore (DSE) and is 3 metres wide with a 1 metre shoulder on the road side and 0.5 metre shoulder on the foreshore. This complies with AustRoad guidelines and has been endorsed by a vicRoads safety auditor. Exactly what MBCL have been asking Kingston Council for the last five or six years!!! This solution was selected because 1 It was consistent with the majority of the Bay Trail in Bayside 2. It is more secure for families and cyclists next to the road. 3.It can be built form low maintenance materials i.e. concrete rather than gravel.
Again exactly the arguments which MBCL has been using to try and convince Kingston Council to adopt a back of kerb bike track to complete the trail!!
Jack Iggulden
Jack Iggulden , one of the founders of MBCL in 1969, died at his home in Bellingen NSW 8th October 2010. He was 93. He was a businessman, author, glider pilot and environmentalist.
In 1970 he became the founding president of Port Phillip Conservation Council. This led to his arrest in 1972 in a major demonstration at Mordialloc opposing a pipeline across the Bay.