Archive: Dec 2020

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Season’s Greetings & 2020 report

Dear NRPG members and interested,

I would like to thank you all for your membership support through 2020 in which we have continued to stand up for Kalamunda’s environment in the following ways:

  • Public Submissions made – WA Native Vegetation Protection; Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act review; Perth Airport West (South) MDP; Old Railway Reserve; Heidelberg Park; Forrestfield North Environmental Conservation Areas (minor) amendment
  • Perth Airport and Jandakot Airport – Continued campaign with the Urban Bushland Council of WA and Friends of Ken Hurst Park (Jandakot) to lobby the airports/shareholders and Federal government to save as much remaining bushland and wetlands as possible
  • Schmidt Road – Advocated for and supported local Member Matthew Hughes MLA resulting in it being rezoned to save it from development and the potential to join it with the adjacent A-Class reserve.
  • NRPG ‘Bushcare Group’ – Started a new ‘mobile group and received a grant from Plantrite PL for the first revegetation project. (Supported by and liaison with City of Kalamunda)
  • Wilkins Road Reserve – a new NRPG Friends Group has started up to manage it.
  • Community engagement – we have re-started events such as speakers and bushwalks to raise our profile in Kalamunda and surrounds through the metro area
  • Yule Brook/Foothills Regional park proposal – Engaged with Dr Hans Lambers to re-initiate this proposal.
  • Continued liaisons – City of Kalamunda; Parks of the Darling Range Community Advisory Committee; Conservation Council of WA; Matthew Hughes MLA; Ken Wyatt MP; Kalamunda Community Environmental Advisory Committee (KEAC); Environmental Defenders Office; Southwest Aboriginal Land and Sea Council; Wildflower Society, Naturalists
  • Kalamunda ‘Local Hero award’ -Tony Fowler was recognised for his many years dedication to so many causes and activities – well deserved!
  • Kalamunda “Declaration of Climate Change Emergency” – continued liason with KEAC in their development of a plan to address the issue. (The Motion by Dr Michelle Bunn at the last City of Kalamunda AGM had overwhelming support by Kalamunda residents, and by large majority of Councillors).
  • Zig Zag vandalism – Credit to some of NRPG’s members in successfully lobbying of the City to temporarily close the road to reduce the vandalism to the area and killing of animals.
  • Fire risk mitigation – NRPG supports and has lobbied locally for DFES reduced impact clearing for fire access tracks/breaks, with some success so far. Besides fuel load reduction, this preserves native vegetation ground cover, reducing weed germination and erosion.
  • Prescribed burning – Supported the Denmark Fire Study Group Petition to the WA government to review these practices.
  • Tonkin Highway/Hale Rd Intersection upgrade – NRPG liaison with Main Roads to minimise environmental impact on adjacent reserves.
  • WA Forest logging – Confirmed to support the WA Forest Alliance “Forests for Climate Charter” and host a local showing of their new award-winning documentary “Cry of the Forests”.

On behalf of NRPG, I would like to give special thanks to Margaret Fowler who has been a member of NRPG for 30 years and served as Treasurer for the past 23 years, and has handed over the ‘reins’ to Cathy Bredemeyer. Margaret has also tirelessly and quietly donated her time in a number of ways, including the NRPG stall at the annual Zig Zag Walk, and bush reserve restoration efforts in several reserves. One of the higher visibility successes was the eradication of ‘bamboo’ weeds along the creek below Spring Rd in Kalamunda. Her attention to detail has given NRPG a stable base from which to operate, and been critical to the implementation of numerous restoration projects of Friends Groups under the NRPG ‘umbrella’.

Lastly, the NRPG Bushcarer Committee would like to wish you all the best for the festive season, and with your support we look forward to continuing to protect our incredibly valuable Environment in 2021!

Steve Gates

President, NRPG Bushcarers