Cowaramup Bay News and Views Newsletter of the Gracetown Progress Association Inc Summer 2012 Edition 7.1 http://gracetownprogressassociation.weebly.com/ click here for website _________________________________________________________________________________________________ This is the twelfth issue of the Cowaramup Bay News and Views. The aim is to keep interested members of our community informed and updated on environmental, social, political, economic and cultural activities affecting the Gracetown community. If you have any feedback from this issue or information of general interest to contribute to the next issue, please send to [email protected] or to the Gracetown Progress Association Inc., PO Box 356 Cowaramup 6284. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ President's Report Thank you on behalf of the GPA to all of the firefighters who kept Gracetown safe from the fires at the end of January. They did a terrific job and spent the best part of a week keeping the fires under control and the town safe. If the wind had shifted north the town would have been in deep trouble despite their efforts, so it was a very real illustration of one of the biggest issues that Gracetown faces. The Gracetown Fire Brigade is in need of equipment and would like to raise funds from the community to help pay for that equipment. Please take this opportunity to make a donation to the Gracetown Fire Brigade. Details of how you can do this are in this newsletter. Coincidentally, several GPA members met with Barry House MLC on the Friday following the fires. While the meeting had been arranged well in advance it provided an opportunity to reiterate the community’s concerns regarding the need for a second access road and a mobile phone tower to improve communications in Gracetown. We also discussed several other concerns regarding the proposed development. Immediately after the meeting Barry was contacted by the Telstra Area Manager who was keen to find out current views about putting a mobile tower at the old tip site above the town. I have written to the Telstra Area Manager to confirm that the Gracetown community is strongly supportive of the construction of a mobile tower to improve communications in Gracetown and the surrounding areas. The wider community also supports the construction of a mobile tower at Gracetown as is evidenced by the letters of support from local community groups, which I have passed on to Telstra. The position was most recently discussed with the Gracetown community at a general meeting of the GPA held in March 2011. The meeting considered and debated the fact that the positioning of a tower at the location (the old tip site above the town) and the height (approx 50 metres) required to provide the desired range of coverage may break the skyline of the ridge from some vantage points. However, the benefits to both the local community and people visiting the area from the ability to respond more effectively to emergency situations was seen to outweigh the impact on the visual amenity of the area, and a resolution supporting a mobile tower was passed by a strong majority. It is disappointing that Gracetown is not one of the 113 mobile sites announced by the State government on 3 January but we have been assured by Telstra that they are continuing to work towards a base station for Gracetown and that they intend to fast track it in light of the recent fires.
14
Embed
Cowaramup Bay News and Viewsgracetownprogressassociation.weebly.com/uploads/6/9/8/2/6982300… · Two recent risk fishing fatalities at Wyadup and Esperance are a timely reminder
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Cowaramup Bay News and Views
Newsletter of the Gracetown Progress Association Inc Summer 2012 Edition 7.1
http://gracetownprogressassociation.weebly.com/ click here for website
600 plants were added to the 8 revegetation sites around Gracetown during autumn and winter. This
was done with the help of two community planting days, the Cowaramup Primary School, CCG
volunteers and the GPA environment committee. National Planting Day was a great success this year
attracting 22 volunteers. The sites were weeded and the plants bagged to protect them from rabbits
and some of the sites mulched. Unfortunately the bags were removed from the plants beneath the
Osprey Perch and those plants were lost to rabbits. The plants will be replaced with planting in 2012.
We also have the ongoing work of weed control at all of the sites and brushcutting of the sites will be
done this summer.
500 plants are planned for 2012 to top up the reveg sites. We shall have the Cowaramup Primary
School helping again and plan to have two community planting days:
Sat 2 June , Foundation Day weekend
Sat 28 July, National Tree Day
This ongoing revegetation project is to increase the vegetation in the important wildlife corridor
linking North Point to Cowaramup Brook and South Point. This vegetation also helps to protect the
limestone cliffs, foreshore dunes and Cowaramup Brook from erosion by providing a vegetative buffer.
Weeds and Pests
We have been busy again this spring tackling weeds around the bay. The shire has sprayed the road
reserves and fire breaks for Geraldton Carnation Weed. The Cape to Cape Volunteers hand weeded
Geraldton Carnation Weed opposite the shop and from the tennis club car park and also removed
Double G’s from the oval. CCG hired a contractor to remove Willow from the Cowaramup Brook
and Cape Lilac from opposite Main Beach as well as spraying Polygala along Salter St and at the old tip
site. Reveg sites have been weeded over spring and re bagged to protect from rabbits. Rabbit populations are a problem so the bags are being kept on as long as possible. During December the
rabbit population has noticeably dropped. Myxomatosis has been introduced to the rabbit population.
This virus usually comes around every 5 yrs, knocking the rabbit population. It has been 8 yrs now – so
finally! The GPA also contracted the release of the Calisi virus to help knock the population. Great to
see the difference already.
Cape to Cape Catchments Volunteers
We have enjoyed the enthusiastic help of the Cape to Cape Volunteers throughout the year. They
have been involved around the bay with planting, weed control and spreading mulch. We have them
booked for three days work in Gracetown during 2012.
Thurs 9 Feb, seed collecting. Most will be donated to Prevelly to help with regeneration after
the fires.
Thurs 26 April, prep reveg sites/weeding.
Thurs 11 Oct, weeding Geraldton Carnation Weed.
Display Board
A display board with flyers and brochures containing Environment Information is at the Gracetown
Store. Much thanks to Peter Spence for building our display board and to Cass for finding space in the
store. We have a pamphlet about Geraldton Carnation Weed, a “Weed Alert” flyer with 10 garden
escapees, a plant list of “Local Plants For Limestone Gardens”, “Tips On Herring Fishing” and “Weed-
It-Out” and “Plant-This-Instead” pamphlets produced by the Cape to Cape Catchments Group, plus
info on Whale Watching, Hooded Plovers and Black Cockatoos and more. There is also now a
pamphlet on looking after the environment after the Margaret River fires.
Other Activities
We participated in the Cape to Cape Clean Up Day again on 8 Oct. Rubbish was collected from
Lefties to North Point and data compiled for Tangaroa Blue. Thank you to Jan and Bruce for
coordinating the day.
Hall Limestone Garden
The Hall Committee and Environment Committee are re doing the gardens around the hall. This has
support from the Shire and Landcorp. The Hall Garden will be a Coastal Limestone Display garden
showcasing our local coastal limestone species. The aim is to encourage the planting of our local
species providing habitat for native birds and mammals. Plants have been grown from local seed at
Cowaramup Tube Nursery. Plants were added to the site in April and again will be topped up in 2012.
The site has been mulched and is slowly starting to look like a display garden.
Flora and Fauna
The Cowaramup Brook began flowing in 2011 on 2 June, a month later than 2010, after a very dry
autumn and stopped flowing on the 24 November. So there was five months flow for 2011.
The Melaleuca heugelii [Chenille Honeymyrtle] is now in heavy flower near the coast and Melaleuca
preissianna [Stout Paperbark] along the brook north of town. These are both important supplies of
nectar at this time of year for honey eaters and honey and pygmy possums.
Groups of Bauden Cockatoos are busy feeding on the seed from Marri trees and Dryandra sessilis
v.cordata [Parrot Bush]. These are both very important foods for the cockatoos, a “Declared
Threatened Fauna” species. Hooded Plovers [Threatened] have been sited breeding on our beaches.
A nest was found at Lefthanders near the track. The nests are just scoops in the sand above the high
water mark and very difficult to see. This makes them very vulnerable to disturbance from foot traffic,
dogs and vehicle traffic on some beaches. DEC put a temporary fence around this nest site and 3
chicks successfully hatched. Another has been found and fenced at Grunters and two chicks have
successfully hatched. Hopefully this will show up in the annual Hooded Plover survey in February.
Fauna report forms are available at the Gracetown store to report any interesting fauna. These are to
be forwarded on to DEC to add to data already collected for this area. To be appreciated by
developers etc., records must be official. Fauna of special interest are the Western Ringtail Possum
There are some members who have not renewed their 2011 – 12 subscriptions to the GPA. Please consider doing so before this financial year finishes. From items in this newsletter you will be aware of the ongoing work of the GPA Committee and its sub committee in representing all of you in Gracetown matters – in particular that of the President David Martin who has devoted significant time to corresponding with, consulting and meeting with State Government department representatives, Shire of Augusta Margaret River representatives, members of State Parliament, road safety consultants and members of the GPA and Gracetown community. The Membership Application and Renewal Form follows in this newsletter.
Gracetown Progress Association Inc. Membership Application and Update Form Membership eligibility - please mark one of the categories below
A Tenant residing for more than 6 months within 5 km of Gracetown
B Owner or Ratepayer of property within 5 km of Gracetown
C Immediate family member of a or b above
D Nominee of company or trust that is owner or ratepayer in b above
E Member formerly eligible under a, b or c above who wishes to maintain membership
F Nominated by Committee
Note: all members must be 18 years and over
Name/s:
Postal Address:
Residential Address:
Gracetown Address:
Telephone Home: Gracetown:
Email:
(Email addresses will greatly help in forwarding information)
Payment: Status Last Expired: 2nd April 2011______________________
*If you are a current member, please check your details, and return this form, either by mail, email or drop to Bay Store, Gracetown.
Subscription $44.00 (incl GST) covers the applicant and their immediate family members or up to 6 nominees
of an eligible company or trust. Please enclose your payment for Membership either by:
Cheque made out to Gracetown Progress Association, PO Box 379, Cowaramup W.A. 6284 Cash (to the Bay Store with relevant info) or Direct transfer to: Bank Name: Bankwest Margaret River Account name: GPA General Account Branch Code/BSB BSB: 306-021 Acc’t Number: 416 622-2 Reference: Your Name/s – “GPA Membership Fees”
If paying electronically, please ensure you also forward the above information to the
If you have any other queries regarding membership status, would like an e-form or to forward membership renewal or contact information updates, please contact The GPA Secretary at [email protected].