Tag » Significant Tree Register

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 6th March 2002

The Parks

The Grange has had a controlled burn and pine trees have been removed. The hyacinth orchid is in bloom. A silver leaf stringy bark is in blossom. The CD has beautiful photos of flowers in the Grange. There has been planting in Braeside Park where die-back has occurred. River Red Gum seedlings are growing well. Pitrones, next to the Rowan Woodlands, is to be re-zoned for a retirement village. Although this may result in the Woodlands acquiring more land, the site is in Kingston’s section of the Green Wedge. PPCC. We are awaiting notification that Penny has been accepted as MBCL’s second delegate to PPCC, Stephen being our original delegate.

Significant Tree Register

Important reminder that we have until May to register trees, grasses, shrubs that we consider significant and wish to see protected for the enjoyment of future generations. Forms may be obtained from Council offices.

Mordialloc Structure Plan

Please find enclosed a form to fill in and return to the address listed if you don’t want to see 4-storey development rearing its ugly head in the study area. The Plan is a regurgitation of the rejected Tract Study 1988 with minor modifications and caters primarily for the cafe latte crowd with an outbreak of kiosks and cafes around the Island and the creek. Please obtain a copy of the report and make a submission. Closing date May 31st. Continue reading »

Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 6th February 2002

Correspondence

Submissions have been sent to:- City of Greater Dandenong C2 Amendment, Kingston’s Health Plan, Proposals for Edithvale Common, Objection to Vegetation Removal at the site of a retirement village Chelsea Heights, Copy of MBCL Linking People & Spaces in response to a request by the TCPA, Objection to the siting of a soil remediation facility in the DOIZ 25 metres from Dandenong Creek as proposed by the Hazardous Waste Consultative Committee.

MBCL Street Stall Sunday 17 March as part of Food and Music Carry-On

Significant Tree Register

Reminder that we have until May to register trees, grasses, shrubs that we may consider significant and wish to see protected for the enjoyment of future generations. Forms can be obtained from the Mentone office or libraries.

Soil Remediation Facilities

Two sites are proposed for soil remediation facilities both in the Dandenong Offensive Industrial Zone. The Cleanaway site would be only 25 metres from Dandenong Creek and thus has the potential to leach pollutants into the groundwater. There will be an opportunity to make submissions when possible sites are decided on by the HWCC.

Parks

It is important to nominate the Banksias and Monterey Cypresses in Groves Reserve on the significant tree register. Nina volunteered to do so.. Two new bird species were sighted in The Grange – male and female Satin Fly Catchers and Hard Head Ducks. The long awaited CD and booklet are now available for purchase. Melbourne Water have responded to concerns about weed infestation at Lake 3 Woodlands Industrial Estate. Epsom polishing pond has had a long term algae problem which Nina offered to monitor. Concern that exotic trees have been planted in the roads with roses at the base of the trees!! Drill’s Land friends group had a meeting on site 5th Feb. Also present were Tony Brindley to advise on establishing a peaty salt marsh wetland unique around Melbourne and likely to attract plovers and wading birds. Mike Carter, ‘Birds Australia’, supportive of the peaty marsh, David Digby, Kingston Parks & Reserves Team Leader, also supportive as is Ken Carney, AGRA who will formalise a Friends group. Jack Craw is a gorse expert who is keen to be involv Funding from the Bush Care Program ($12,000) will assist the project @ Drills Marsh??

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 3rd November 1999

Urgent!

An information session introducing plans for the Kingston Lodge residential and wetland development will be held at Mentone Council Offices, Mentone at 4.30pm Monday 29th November. Council will accept comments from groups and individuals concerning this controversial development. Stephen Hains will be present.

Significant Tree Register

Could members bring along their comments and ideas for a Significant Tree Register currently being considered by Council Environment Officers? It is hoped that this Register, coupled with a By-Law, may prevent the wanton destruction of mature trees on development blocks.

The Parks

Water testing at Braeside Park involves two Friends volunteers one day once a month to test five sites. A draft report on tests prepared by a volunteer is being published. Kingston Council is reported to be using a school to monitor water quality in Mordialloc Creek. When queried a council officer was uncertain of Melbourne Waters monitoring sites which are at Wells Road bridge and Pillars Crossing only. Glen Agnew is monitoring Dunlops Drain, Lake 3, Woodlands Industrial Estate and Mordialloc Creek with his own equipment. It was decided to write to Kingston CEO and Melbourne Water asking what is being done to monitor the Creek, mosquito larvae and algae blooms in Lake 3. The cost of chemicals for monitoring is $600 per year.
Open Day at Braeside Park was successful with 34 people attending a Heathland walk with Ron. Friends of Karkarook Park now has 6 members and automatic opening and closing gates with a people counter attached. Rangers are required to spend twenty minutes each day counting the golf balls which lob in the Park from the adjoining golf range! Our taxes at work! There were 1600 applicants for 12 positions with Parks Victoria.

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 6th October 1999

Residential Strategy Workshops

J.Eggleston and F Rimington attended the Workshop, October 13th, at Moorabbin Council Offices. Neighbourhood Agreements and Covenants places the burden of protecting residential amenity on residents. The process is time consuming and difficult to achieve in streets with 30 plus houses.

The Parks

Braeside Park rangers have been reduced to three. There were formerly eight rangers. Rangers now work seven days a week and in summer, from 7am to 8.30pm. An article recording these facts in the Friends of Braeside Park newsletter was picked up by the local paper and resulted in the Friends being asked to attend a meeting with the upper echelons of Parks management to ‘please explain’. The Parks persons angst may be premature given that the ALP policy on OUR NATURAL ASSETS states that Labor will “Properly resource and expand the role of park rangers”. and “Defining the role of park rangers as including environmental management and the provision of education and interpretive services.”

Excel’s Visit

Tony Collins, Team Leader Natural Resources for Excel has 14 natural resource areas to anage. He explained his plans for giving advice and assistance to Friends Groups in Kingston. He will attend MBCL meetings on a bi-monthly basis to answer questions and meet on site when necessary. MBCL’s role may be mainly monitoring the Creek and foreshore natural vegetation areas. Will query status of Attenborough Park /responsibility for South bank of the creek?

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Mordialloc Beaumaris Conservation League – Minutes – 1st September 1999

Braeside Park

Braeside park celebrated it’s 10th birthday Sunday 22nd September. Ten Volunteers were presented with certificates in appreciation of their commitment over the years.

Tree Destruction

Mara contacted MBCL concerned at the imminent destruction of a mature flowering eucalypt on a neighbouring block destined for unit development. There were three similar incidents in the last two weeks. The issue has been raised with Council Environment Officers and requested them to commence a Significant Tree Register to try to prevent the destruction of trees by developers before building commences.

Epsom Training Facility Panel Hearing

The Panel Hearing of Amendment L 47 to the Kingston Planning Scheme (Epsom and Environs) commenced on 6th September. The issue concerning MBCL, KCEC and Council was the ULC proposal to relocate a 7 hectare remnant community of Herb-rich Plains Grassy Wetlands (West Gippsland) Community to a flood retarding basin on the southern section of the site on Governor Road.
The Urban Land Corporation paid $17.5 million for the land which is targeted for a 428 house residential development. The development is opposed by the managers/owners of Moorabbin Airport since Epsom is the last piece of open space suitable for the flight path of aircraft taking off and landing. The site is in fact dysfunctional for housing because of aircraft, traffic and industrial noise, traffic problems and possible flooding as well as the most important issue the proposed relocation of the plants. Herb-rich Grassy Wetland (West Gippsland) Community is protected under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. There are more than 60 regionally significant species on the Epsom site and more were being located even while the Hearing was in progress. Despite this ULC has applied for a permit to relocate 20% of the species to the retarding basin. The remainder of the plants will be destroyed because of the filling required before housing construction commences.
Evidence presented at the Hearing confirmed that past attempts at relocating an entire grassy wetland community have not succeeded because it is impossible to exactly replicate che soil profile and hydrological regime.
We wish to thank Jason Stewart who attended our 1-9-99 meeting and took us through the Botanicus Report and planned strategies for the Hearing. Simon Cropper was Council’s Expert Witness at the Hearing as a Peer Reviewer of the ULC’s Biosis Report which favoured relocating the plants. I attended the six day Hearing and welcomed the support of Jason, and at the presentation of our submissions on retaining the plants in-situ, David Bainbridge, Brett Donaldson (KCEC) and Brian Pullen also KCEC. Report due in two three months.

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