Home

 

Earthcare News

July 2001

I do what I can, where I am

 

 

Wild Wonderful West Beach

Sunday 12th August

10am - 3.00pm

Come and treasure this beautiful place, while catching up with your Earthcare friends, and plant.

Delicious Lunch, Refreshments and some tools provided.

See you there!

 

 

Earthcare representatives recently had an important meeting with CoPP's hard working open spaces co-ordinator, Melissa Carmody (nee Francis). The meeting was constructive, with goodwill on both sides, but is yet to bear fruit. It was decided to draw up a charter to outline the respective responsibilities and officers involved from Earthcare and the City of Port Phillip in the protection and enhancement of biodiversity. This would give Earthcare greater say in issues that have a significant impact on biodiversity such as street tree selection and hopefully the planning of areas such as South beach and the Port Light Rail. It would also serve to commit Port Phillip to a level of support for Earthcare activities.

Also raised was the frustration at Excell's attitude and behaviours. Excell's lack of site preparation for planting and maintenance and lack of support for planting days, all was felt to be having a great impact on volunteer numbers.

 

 

NATIONAL TREE DAY AT ALMA RAIL RESERVE

ALMA PARK EAST

DANDENONG RD END

Sunday 29th July 10am-1pm

MELWAYS 58 E8

Queries Rob 9537 2599

 

 

 

My First Rakali Watch, July 3rd 2001 Jessica Kittson

 

Zoe, Michelle and I got out to the breakwater around seven. The night was clear and the sea was almost glassy.  As the newcomer of the group I watched the old hands deftly place the traps, set with aromatic oven warmed pilchards, on the rocky tidal beach and under the walkway.  After the traps were laid, we sat back to wait, eavesdropping on a penguin couple having a bit of a tiff. It wasn’t long until the first v-shaped wake appeared, trailing a rakali heading for the shore, the first of many.  We watched the rakali diving and bringing up food, sitting on the rocks to eat from their front paws.  Two young rakali spent their time together, foraging and playing.

As the evening wore on and we begin to despair over catching anything we heard the snap of the traps under the walkway, first one then a second.  Two rakali had fallen for the old pilchard-in-the-trap trick. We caught two females, managing to tag one of these amid hissing protests. My brag of the night is that I got to pat one. We were excited when another trap went off but it was just one of the two females again, unable to resist the lure of home cooking.

As far as I was concerned the night was a success. We saw between 4 and 6 rakali, all of which looked relatively healthy.  In the future we would like to attract greater interest in the rakali watch so we may further the scientific objectives of the study.  Further, we hope to begin using radio tracking devices, as in the past it has been hard to identify rat individuals, making it difficult to accurately determine population size and behavioural characteristics. 

The rakali watch was an evening well spent.  The rakali are a little more appealing than your average rat and the breakwater is beautiful by night. Please join us at the next watch.

 

Next rakali watch will be on the 20th of August 7.00pm, interested call Jessica 0412 103 550

 

 

What's On

 

22nd July         Federation Walk- Coastal Waterways. Meet Cnr Marine Pde and Elwood Canal 10am Bookings 9690 9584

26th July        Earthcare Meeting, Featuring Peter Smith From the Weather Bureau  7.30pm at The EcoCentre.

29th July        Planting for National Tree Day at Alma Rail. Alma Park East, Dandenong Rd end. 10am-12noon melways 58 E8  Details Rob 9537 2599

29th July          CoPP planting at Canterbury Rd near Armstrong St 10am -11.30pm mel. 58 H6

29th July          Little River Earth Sanctuary, Planting 10am -3pm details Melissa 5283 1357

5th August     Penguin Research. Meet at start of St. Kilda Pier 7pm Angela 9527 8334

12th Aug.        Planting at West Beach St Kilda, Cnr Pier Rd & Beaconsfield Pde 10am

19th Aug.        Planting, Friends of Sandy Rail, Riddell Pde Footbridge, Elsternwick 10am-12ish

19th Aug.        Planting, Friends of Port Melb. Foreshore, 9.30am -12noon details ph:9645 2269

19th Aug.        Friends of WestGate Park, Check noticeboard, Todd rd carpark for location 11am

20th Aug.        Rakali Watch & Catch 7pm Meet at Start of St Kilda Pier. Jessica 0412 103 550

26th Aug.        Federation Walk, Working people's trail, meet at Lagoon Pier, Beach rd Port Melb.

                        Bookings essential ph:9690 9584

30th Aug.        Earthcare Meeting, 7.30pm at The EcoCentre

 

 

Earthcare 0500 832 784   PO Box 287 Elwood 43184

The EcoCentre at the cnr Blessington and Herbert Sts, St Kilda Ph9209 6491

 

 

 

Josephine and Zoe's letter to the local papers

 

EARTHCARE ANGERED BY COUNCIL CONTRACTOR

 

Earthcare, a local, practical, volunteer environmental group is angry at being told “you’re a volunteer group, you can weed and pick up rubbish”. 

 

A council contractor employee said this to Earthcare Vice president, Zoe Hogg, last week after she had discovered that the plants that had been allocated for West Beach Nature Reserve had been planted elsewhere, so there were no plants available for an Earthcare planting scheduled for the 12th of August.  (West Beach is located just next to the Catani Gardens, where Pier road joins Beaconsfield parade).

 

Earthcare’s president, Dr. Josephine Samuel-King said-“Earthcare was instrumental in the original conceptual work and funding applications for the development of West Beach Nature Reserve.  Earthcare reserves more respect than to be pushed about and put down on the basis that we are “volunteers”.  It is ironic that in the year of the volunteers the word ‘volunteer’ is being used as an insult.”

 

“This is the last straw in a series of difficulties Earthcare has experienced with the council contractor, Excell, since it took over the management of the Natural Resources Areas three years ago.” 

 

Earthcare’s president said “Excell has:

·        Failed to maintain adequate control over weeds.

·        Does not have the knowledge of indigenous vegetation required to do its job.  For example Dr. Samuel-King has witnessed Excell staff spraying indigenous vegetation with roundup in the mistaken belief that they were spraying weeds. 

·        Failed to plant its quota of plants in the 2000 calender year. 

·        Repeatedly obstructs the involvement of community groups such as Earthcare.

 

Recent Green Palms award winner Zoe Hogg, said “Areas such as West Beach are valued by the residents of the City of Port Phillip.  They are environmentally significant and they provide ‘Wild Space’, local character and interest.  West Beach was established as the result of the hard work of residents.  They deserve to have their effort respected”.

Editors's note: Fortunately Earthcare applied for and received a Parks Victoria grant for $1500 dollars for plants for West Beach Salt Marsh, and will go ahead with the planting on August 12th

 

 

Earthcare's Next Meeting features Peter Smith from the Weather Bureau, talking about Weather

Thursday 26th at 7.30pm, The Ecocentre

 

 

News From the EcoCentre

The good news: the amendments to the constitution to position us to be
placed on the Environment Australia register of Environment Groups (and
potential Environment Australia funding) were carried unanimously at
Monday's meeting (see minutes).

The bad news: I've recently learned that we are also required to amend our
Statement of Purposes to comply with the Income Assessment Act 1997. This
will qualify the EcoCentre to become a Deductible Gift Recipient (ie.
donations to the EcoCentre Public Fund will be tax deductible). Technically,
this amendment requires the membership to be notified 21 days in advance of
a Special General Meeting where the matter will be voted on. Please see
attached EcoCentre Statement of Purpose. Although this Statement was
endorsed by the Committee at Monday's meeting, to be sure that the Consumer
and Business Affairs people are satisfied, I'm convening a

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE ECOCENTRE,

6.30PM, FRIDAY JULY 27.

 Best wishes, Neil Blake Coordinator



Sustainable Living at Home

Steve Cavicchiolo from the City of Port Phillip presented his ideas for sustainable living at home, to Earthcare members at the June meeting. He is keen to teach ordinary householders and flat dwellers just what they can do at the household level in the way of getting the most out of energy, water, wise purchasing, travel tips and waste management.

Steve is hoping to create neighbourhood groups for short periods of time and will give the groups books in which to record their data. This will enable the participants to see more clearly the advantages of sustainable living. Other incentives will also be provided. The scheme is modeled on a global action plan and an American publication called ECOTEAM.

After six months the groups will be able to calculate the savings which should be at least $500 per annum. There are already 4 teams in progress and he hopes to have many more when the plan is widely advertised in September. Interested in forming your own neighbourhood group? Contact Steve Cavicciolo Ph 92096474 or email scavicc@portphillip.vic.gov.au