Three Pieces of Rubbish
Walter reports that Port Phillip Conservation Council supports a scheme whereby people visiting bayside beaches take three pieces of rubbish home in addition to their own rubbish. Walter also reports that Beaumaris Motor Yacht Club is presently going though the EES process. It will be an act of environmental vandalism if that project is approves in a National Estate Registered site. Bayside Conservation Society are concerned at the number of trees to be removed for the back of kerb bike track.
Mordialloc Creek Master Plan
The pedestrian bridge form Hazel Pierce Reserve to the island is now off the agenda. Unfortunately an avenue of Canary island palms alongside the reserve is still on the agenda. The State Government has given sea scouts on the island $75,000 for repairs of their club house. All good news. Unfortunately the Arboretum in the George Woods is still threatened with a large regional playground. The Arboretum was planted in 1926 and should be retained a s a pleasant quiet space.
Waterwatch
Water quality testing has continued with readings of Mordialloc Creek water unchanged since November.
Masonic Lodge / Car Park
Renovation work is taking place on the building with the removal of Asbestos and drainage works. The Mayor wants to hold an open day when renovation is completed. Nina has written to the council suggesting a committee be formed to decide on possible uses for the building. Vacant land in Montgomery Street could be used as car park or sold for development. Residents of Montgomery Street surveyed, unanimously preferred a car park to ease the present congestion in the streets where residents find it difficult to find a park.
Bay Trail
Despite the fact that independent engineers and Bicycle Victoria have declared Cr Dundas’ option for the bike track along the cliff top and then along Mentone Promenade as being too dangerous, costly and environment vandalism, five councillors voted for this option. Rod’s DVD is progressing. It is designed to illustrate how a well planned shared bike path should be constructed and function using the successful Bayside bike path as an example. A back of kerb bike path to complete the section between Cromer Road and Charman Road will require removal of vegetation. Utilizing the grass verge and a 3 metre path on the edge of the reserve will leave a wide section of the foreshore for re-vegetation and erosion control on the cliff edge. The foreshore strip is wider than the cliff top in Kingston which is only seven metres wide in sections. If people are to be encouraged to use safe alternatives forms of transport as peak oil bites then a well build and designed track with good sight lines must be built wherever possible.
Ecological Burns in Bradshaw Park and other Reserves
The NRA team is embarking on ecological burns in parks and reserves with the aim of removing “woody weeds”. Unfortunately the so-called “woody weeds” are Coastal Tea-Trees which have survived the recent drought magnificently along the foreshore where other indigenous species suffered. Recent comment in the press concerning “ecological burns” have stated that much else besides the Tea-Tree is often destroyed. We are told to expect more droughts do to climate change so surely thriving trees, drought proof and salt-resistant, should be cherished.
Green Wedge Issues
Kingston Council discussed green wedge issues at 11.41 pm at the February 27th council meeting. This secretive move was queries in State Parliament by Brian Tee, Opposition MP asking why Cr Peulich wanted the meeting closed to the public – unless it was because certain councillors wanted a strip of land along Springvale Road removed from the green wedge to allow the development of a nursing home. The consultant, Lisa Riddell, advised that the Government wants the Springvale Road inclusion retained in the green wedge. Robin Parkin wants to use super funds to buy up green wedge farming land for food security.
Woodlands Wetland Braeside
Nina and Brian walked around Lake 3 in Woodlands Braeside. They found others also enjoying the area with some people fishing. The Redgum woodland is surviving thanks to Charlie Daniels pressuring Melbourne Water to prevent the trees succumbing to salt a decade or more ago.
Mordialloc Creek
Maintenance dredging of Mordialloc Creek from the mouth to Governor Road boat ramp will commence shortly. The process will remove sediments containing acid sulfate soils which causes odour and acidity problems. Melbourne Water has indicated that the current sediment levels within the creek are not impacting on its hydraulic function as a main drain. Dredging is therefore primarily for environmental, aesthetic and navigation purposes.
Additionals
Wells Road looks like it’s being greened with Australian and local native species according to the AGRA newsletter.
Mordialloc Creek Catchment Friends group working bee joined with Clean Up Australia along the creek near the Jack Grut Reserve.
A National Wildlife Corridor Plan from Darwin to Adelaide is being promoted with submission closing 24-4-2012
Blue Wedges report that our biggest export is air!! Because empty containers are all that ships are carrying – so why was dredging necessary? The Weekly Times has made it front page news at http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/03/21/458861_latest-news.html