Dear Members and Friends 

Greetings to all and welcome to the latest NRPG news.

The lead article for this edition outlines some positive interaction between the NRPG Executive and officers from the Kalamunda Shire. It is encouraging that the NRPG have been given a real opportunity to make a positive contribution to management of our local environment.

The committee have also been busy in other local issues including: commenting on the draft State Trail Bike Strategy; attending information sessions and providing support for action groups and written comment to government regarding the Western Power terminal proposal in our Shire.

The NRPG AGM is scheduled for Wednesday 12^th of March and a guest speaker is being organised. Notice for this meeting will be distributed as details are finalised.

If there are articles you’d like included in the next newsletter, or have changes for the web site, please contact me at murray@greenbase.com.au.

In the mean time, happy reading.

Murray Ryall

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NYOONGAR SEASON

BIRAK - BUNURU

By the time this newsletter is published, we will have moved from the dry and hot season of Birak to Bunuru. This is the hottest part of the year with easterly winds, but some relief from afternoon sea breezes. Occasionally heat troughs will bring thundery showers and humid conditions, which can cause fungal problems.

SHIRE INTERACTION

Over the past two months, the NRPG accepted an offer to meet with Rory O’Brien, Kalamunda Shire Executive Planning Manager, to discuss our environmental and planning concerns. On the 7^th and 28^th December, Steve Gates (NRPG Chair) and Tony Fowler (V. Chair) met with Rory O’Brien at the Shire. The meetings revisited a variety of concerns previously outlined in our 2007/08 budget request to Shire.

The nature of these meetings was positive, the responses generally satisfactory and we were encouraged by both the frank and open aspect of the discussion and the willingness of the Executive Planning Manager to address NRPG’s wide-ranging concerns and to consider proposals. The effectiveness of these meetings remains to be seen, but we look forward to working closely with Shire staff on the topics raised.

Our concerns and the Shire responses and comments include:

·         Native vegetation protection and Town Planning Scheme 3 (TPS3) – apparent lack of protection.

Planning schemes are not intended as instruments of environmental protection. The Shire’s Tree Preservation Policy is aimed at rural, rather than residential blocks. The Shire generally relies on the Environmental Protection Act for the protection of native vegetation.

·         Weed control legislation - lack of effective by-laws. – The Shire’s Weed Control By-Law is out-of-date.

The Shire generally works with Dept. of Agriculture’s ‘Declared Weed List’ as a means of controlling weeds, is aware that weed control is a major environmental problem and is working towards increasing its capacity to deal with this matter.

·         TPS3 submission – inadequate response to initial submission, where to from here?

Planning Scheme content is controlled by the State’s ‘Model Scheme Text’, which has very few opportunities for environmental management.

·         Kalamunda Biodiversity Project.

The draft report is complete and will be going to the Shire’s Executive Management Team in the next few weeks and, from there, to Council to obtain approval for community consultation.

·         Voluntary Environmental Levy – This NRPG initiative was previously not supported.

Staff will raise the matter again as it believes the concept has merit.

·         Foothills Regional Park – NRPG and State Government support for Urban Bushland Council (UBC) proposal.

This is a matter to be taken up with the State Government agencies.

·         ‘New residents’ leaflet – NRPG initiative to encourage newcomers and builders to reduce unnecessary clearing of native vegetation on residential blocks.

The Shire has a similar pamphlet covering this issue.

·         Shire Fire Risk pamphlet – still fails to place a value on residential area bushland and fails to explain the potentially devastating ‘fire/weed cycle’.

The Shire considers vegetation control on private residential land gets into the area of ‘withdrawing civil liberties’ and is reluctant to enter this area.

·         Bush Crew – need for retention and increase of hours to cope with increased demand for their services.

Staff is examining a current proposal for a dedicated Bush Crew to be employed on Shire reserves on a year-round basis rather than the present half-year tasking.

·         Creekline erosion and associated problems – it was agreed to inspect three problem areas.

Following the inspections staff will address the matters discussed.

The following is a chronicle of actions taken in relation to the last point. 

On Friday Jan 4^th 2008, Rory O’Brien, Steve Gates and Tony Fowler inspected the Toornaart Creek erosion control works carried out by the Shire in 2007. Joined by neighbour Martin Harban, failure of the works was highlighted together with problems arising from those works. Steve is to make comments to the Engineering Department before work recommences.

The original trio then inspected the outfall of the new Traylen Rd./ Josephine Crescent drainage pipeline into Crumpet Creek. The outfall and downstream creekline is an on-going (10 yr) NRPG/DEC rehabilitation project. Grave concerns are held over the likelihood of damage to this project from inadequate design and construction of the outfall.

At lower Poison Gully, we were joined by Elaine Sargent (Committee member and Sub-group coordinator) who highlighted additional problems created by trail and quad bikes damaging the areas under revegetation. Various strategies will be considered to involve the riders in future planning solutions.

Tony Fowler.

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Award for NRPG Friends Group

Congratulations to Linda Stanley and The Friends of Piesse Brook on their award. Last November they were named the winner of the 2007 Bush, Land and Waterways Award in the Western Australian Environmental Awards. In the seventh year of their project to remove invasive weeds from Piesse Brook in Kalamunda National Park, they looked upstream in an attempt to prevent weed seeds washing down and reinfecting their project. They now have the co-operation of the first 11 private landholders upstream, who have joined the project. In time they hope to get all 75 upstream landowners involved. The involvement of private landowners is a tremendous step forward and bodes well for the project.

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RECENT GRANTS

Congratulations to Margaret Fowler and Friends of Crumpet Creek on receiving $1100 for weed control from Department of Conservation and Environment. This project is now in its 10th year.

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Feeding Wildlife or Killing with Kindness

Many people find it irresistible to feed wild animals in their backyard, balcony or on an outing to a park or picnic area …Unfortunately, feeding wildlife is not only illegal (Conservation Act) but it is very harmful to the animals and their environment.

The following is from an information sheet produced by the Canning Catchment Group.

“PLEASE DON’T FEED US The bread that you feed us contains between 1 and 2 grams of phosphorus. This is enough to make a volume of lake water the size of a backyard swimming pool nutrient rich. A lake is considered nutrient rich (able to support an algal bloom) when available phosphorus in the water rises above only 0.02 grams per cubic metre.

Algal blooms in lakes also encourage midges to breed. Remember, nutrient rich water from lakes may end up in the river.”

Bread and other food such as mince, also make wildlife sick. They become reliant on this bread and thus do not eat other natural food. This can and does cause malnutrition and disease as only one type of food is being eaten. Bread and mince do not contain the right balance of nutrients to keep growing animals alive.  Also starvation occurs when feeding stops because people go on vacation or move.

Every year Kanyana receives many juvenile magpies with marked calcium deficiency. These numbers of defective birds are well above the normal distribution and are the result of feeding magpies meat, which has no calcium. These rapidly growing birds need good nutrition to go from hatched to fully feathered and flying in just a few weeks. Calcium is not only needed for strong bones and beaks but is used whenever muscles contract, especially the heart muscle and is important in building a strong immune system.

Dr Anne Fowler, noted wildlife veterinarian writes: “Disease is worse in areas where there is hand-feeding as this exposes young birds to high levels of virus and bacteria at a susceptible age and encourages the congregation of larger flocks than the natural “crèche” that occurs with young galahs (and thus the transmission of disease).”

We implore you not to feed wildlife. Instead, encourage natural feeding habits by planting a native garden that attracts wildlife for the insects (rich in calcium) and flowers (rich in vitamins, protein and energy) so you will still be able to closely watch these wonderful creatures live a healthy and natural life.

Extract from an article in Kanyana’s newsletter Spring 2007 with permission from Manager June Butcher.

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IF YOU NEED HELP…..

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