Planting at Grosvenor Street Railway Bridge
Saturday 29th June 11am-2pm
The Balaclava station planting was one of Earthcares first activities.
The embankment has changed over the years from rampant weeds to a sample
of the original vegetation of the area.
Grosvenor Street Railway Bridge is an extension of this original planting, We
hope it gives joy to the local residents and the people on the trains. If you
have any questions about working on the railway cutting or about the project,
ring Rob 9537 2599.
We look forward to meeting you there on
Saturday 29th June 11am 2pm
What's on June / July
16th
June Friends Of Port Melbourne
Foreshore working Bee at Perc White Reserve (mel.56 F3) 9.30am-12noon.
Details Janet 9645 2269
27th June Earthcare
meeting, have a chat with your Earthcare friends.
29th
June Planting meet at Grosvenor St
Railway bridge.
Rob
9537 2599 11am-2pm
7th July Penguin
Research, meet at start of St Kilda Pier at 7.00pm Angela 95278334
14th
July Planting at Riddell Pde,
Elsternwick Melways 67 G4 10am-12noon 9537 2599
20th
July Friends Of Port Melbourne
Foreshore working Bee at Perc White Reserve (mel.56 F3) 9.30am-12noon. Details
Janet 9645 2269
25th
July Earthcare Meeting , at Cora
Graves Centre 7.30pm
28th
July Earthcare Planting at West
Beach 11am-3pm
Zoe
0402 164 482
Have
you noticed the lorikeets feasting on the blossom in the Yellow Box, recently. The photo
behind this page is of the pink flowering variety of Yellow Box Eucalyptus leucoxylon Rosea it is in full
bloom in Canterbury Road Urban Forest
near
Fraser Street Station.
Whats going to happen to our kids
if we dont clean up our drains?
Water Testing at Cowderoy Creek West Beach
WANT TO:
·
Learn a new skill?
·
Do a real bit of science?
·
Feel and breathe in fresh air?
·
Meet new friends?
·
Watch the kites fly in summer?
·
Learn about how polluted drain water affects penguins,
seagrass beds, you, me?
·
Help gather a database to try and reduce these effects?
·
Design a pamphlet to educate others about The Drain is Just
for Rain
If you have said yes to just one
of these why not join Eva and Nicki ?
Contact Nicki on ph/fax 95278834
Membership or Renewal Form
Membership
of Earthcare St Kilda Inc. is per calendar year, February to January.
Membership includes a
monthly newsletter and information about coming events.
I wish to join Earthcare St
Kilda Inc.
$15 Student Concession $20 Individual $30 Family
I wish to make a donation$
.
Please return to PO Box 287
Elwood 3184
Name
.
New Renewal
Address
Suburb/City
..P/Code
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Phone Number
.email
I would like to receive my
newsletter by email Yes/No
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How did you hear about us?
SEASTAR
The invasion has begun!
These North Pacific Seastars collected during January from the sea grass beds next to the kiosk on St Kilda Pier were quite small, approximately 2-6cm in diameter and about 50% of these were damaged. Unfortunately this situation has changed. There are a few small complete seastars on the sea grass beds but under the kiosk, particularly on the landward side, there are some very big healthy specimens. It was in July two years ago that the big invasion began and it worries me that this could occur again. Within two days, all shell fish had been devoured in this area. The result of the seastar invasion was the demise of the rakali colony next to the kiosk. SOLUTIONS.... talk to the fishermen and make sure they understand that the sea stars must be left to dry, not pulled apart and thrown back in....walk on the sea grass beds at low tide and remove the small sea stars.....talk to a qualified diver and ask them to take the big ones from under the kiosk....make sure that what you kill has five arms or parts thereof, is orange or yellow and has mauve tips to the arms. Under no circumstances remove anything with more than five arms because the eleven armed seastar will eat the North Pacific seastar. (The eleven arm seastar does not always have eleven arms)
Council is currently conducting a
Heritage Analysis of Natural Habitat Areas within the City of Port Phillip.
Biosis was selected as the preferred consultant for this job following
evaluation of two very competitive submissions.
Biosis will utilise the Australian
Natural Heritage Charter (ANHC) as the guideline for the process of assessment
and ranking of sites. The City of Port
Phillip manages a diversity of areas of differing natural significance and value. It is envisaged that by fully assessing and
ranking these sites according to the Australian Natural Heritage Charter,
Council will gain a better understanding of the requirements of the various
sites and subsequently implement specific management plans, policies and
conservationist principles best suited to each site.
The primary objective of the this project is
to follow steps 1-3 as outlined in the Australian Natural Heritage Charter
(ANHC). Firstly assessing each site then approaching all interested community
groups to eventually rank each site according to its heritage values.
The secondary objectives of the
project are:
·
To ensure that all elements of the ANHC are followed to
enhance and conserve the natural heritage of each area.
·
To consult with relevant external community interest groups
to ensure issues are adequately identified and addressed.
·
To provide an accurate and well-researched assessment of the
heritage ranking of each area.
Biosiss duties under this Contract will
include briefing with council officers, review of all background information
for all sites, primary collection of information on site, consultation with
community groups and major stakeholders and finally, the preparation of report
recommending heritage ranking of each site.
If you have any information that you believe would benefit
this important project, or if you would like to be involved in the consultation
process, please contact Adam Nitschke, Capital Works Coordinator, City of Port
Phillip on 9209 6687 or preferably by email: anitschk@portphillip.vic.gov.au
WEST BEACH LITTER
There was a light mist across the water as we gathered at
West Beach on the
morning of Sunday 26 May. The weather prediction was for a
cold morning, but
there was no wind and while not warm, it wasn't too cold
either and it
really was quite lovely on the beach - worth getting out of
bed for. The plants were a little late arriving, so I set off to pick up some
litter as you do.
For all those litter watchers out there, I am sure you will
be eager to hear
that there were two items of litter that were easily the
most numerous. The
first was polystyrene - not only from take away coffee cups
(the majority),
but also a surprisingly large amount of packing
polystyrene. Maybe some
of the residents upstream in West St Kilda had purchased new
electronic
equipment and not knowing what to do with the polystyrene packing, threw it
in the creek?
The second most numerous litter item was none other than
discarded City of
Port Phillip parking tickets - you know, the ones that print
out from the
ticket machines.
There are literally hundreds of them lurking in the sand
dunes, nestled in amongst the spinifex.
I have kept my
collection of
these tickets, which I intend to present to the Council,
with a request that
they do something about it.
So, you never know what you will discover at an Earthcare planting day.
Email aliart@bigpond.com
or zoemh@bigpond.com