KILLCARE WAGSTAFFE TRUST
NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2008
General Meeting Sunday November 9 at 9.30a.m. at Maitland Bay Centre
Guest Speaker:
(at about 10.30) - Spokesperson
from council will give a presentation entitled “Water Quality 2010”. Marie
Andrews may also attend.
ALL VISITORS AND RESIDENTS OF KILLCARE WAGSTAFFE ARE WELCOME
The
Agenda will include on-going concerns and projects and plans for the future.
Proposed New
Development
A
development application has been lodged with Gosford Council proposing to build
four shops and nine housing units at Hardys bay, in Araluen Drive adjacent to
the Bottle Shop. The structure would replace the present three shops and would
have seven levels terraced up the slope of the hill and two levels of
underground parking. Like the massive Ettalong edifice, it will have white
walls with large windows. Over one hundred major trees will be removed.
The
committee of the KWT have submitted a detailed objection to Gosford Council:-
·
The massive scale
is unsympathetic to the character of the area.
·
The conspicuous
high visibility location would dominate the landscape.
·
It contradicts
the Gosford DCP 159 guidelines for local “character”.
·
The Gosford DCP
89 for the area encourages buildings consistent with ‘the low density nature”
of the vicinity.
· 
The removal of
over one hundred mature Spotted Gum and Ironbark would have a high visual
impact on adjoining properties and would have a significant effect on the
resident bird and mammal population.
· Traffic congestion at the adjacent major intersection would increase and entry to the carpark would be a hazard.
· Minimal commercial benefit to the community as three businesses are removed.
More
details are available on our website at http://www.killcarewagstaffetrust.org.au and at the November General meeting.
Asparagus
Fern
Asparagus Fern is a plant from South Africa which is invading our
bush. It is considered a threatening process under the Threatened species
conservation act, and is difficult to eradicate.
There are two main types one that forms a ground cover (it can
cover the ground, smothering other plants and competing for soil moisture with
its dense root mat) and the other a finer climbing variety .This weed is a
garden escape producing copious numbers of red berries that are spread by
birds. To remove this weed, gather all the fronds together (you’ll need gloves-
small spines may be present) to expose where they emerge from the crown, just
below the surface. Cut the roots around the crown with a knife, spade or
pruning saw and pull the crown out of the ground. Dispose in the green bin.
There is no need to remove the water bladders as they contain no food and the
plant cannot reproduce from them. If you
can’t dig out the plant then remove all the berries (red and green) to prevent
further spread of this weed.
Three
Beaches Circuit Walk (Maitland Bay, Bullimah and Putty).
(With
thanks to Jeanette Blomfield)
This
5 kilometre walk starts at the Maitland Bay Centre car park.
Walk
down the Maitland Bay track, passing the Bullimah Lookout Track and then, soon
after, pause to admire the view from the large lookout rock on your left.
Within sound of the sea, pass the turn-off to Putty Beach on your right and
walk on down to Maitland Bay to explore this glorious long, wide beach (one).
Walk
back up the track, turning left onto the Putty Beach track. The path undulates
over headlands, past lookouts and across creek valleys on narrow bridges. When
you reach the wooden pathway, take a side trip down the steps onto the much
smaller Bullimah Beach (two). A wild exposed beach. Let your imagination take
over.
Continue
along the timber boardwalk and past the attractive coloured sandstone
formations to Putty Beach (three).
Walk
through the picnic area to the far right corner of the camping area. An
informal steep, rough track goes up the ridge spur to Killcare Heights.
(Majestic lookout at the top). Turn right and walk to the end of the road
(Jacqueline Ave). Just past the last house you will see the fire break/track
which leads up the hill to The Scenic Road. From there it is a short walk, via
Marie Byles Lookout, to the Maitland Bay Centre.
National
Parks Discovery Program - Walks, Talks and Tours.
The
Central Coast Region of the NPWS runs a series of year round activities,
conducted by a dedicated group of enthusiastic and experienced volunteers. The
Discovery program is designed to expose people to the wealth of cultural and
environmental heritage available within the local area. There are activities to
suit various age groups and degrees of fitness. The regular “Monday Meanderers”
is very popular. For details pick up a brochure at the Maitland bay Information
Centre or telephone 4320 4205.
Hardys Bay
Grave
The fenced grave of a young child can be found in Blyth Street Killcare (opposite 26). The
inscription is still fairly easy to read. “Sacred to the memory of John Menton,
born 1st of July 1837, departed this life the 1st October
1837.”
The land was still in the hands of the original settlers, the Ward family. According to C Swancott 1961 in ‘The Brisbane Water Story’, "It is believed that two of the Menton womenfolk while bringing a punt load of furniture, which had been unloaded from a ketch on an old Killcare wharf, to their home on the Eastern shore, were capsized and drowned. They were buried in a grave close to the headstone.
Fox Baiting
with 1080
It is widely recognised in the scientific
community, and by organisations involved in environmental management, that fox
predation is a serious threat to biodiversity. Community supported control
programs over a range of land tenures are required to effectively manage fox
populations. Fox predation poses a
serious threat to native wildlife, including threatened species. Since European settlement, over 20 Australian mammal
species have become extinct. This number comprises half of the extinctions of
mammal species in the world in the last 200 years. In addition, four species of
frog and 23 species/sub-species of bird are now extinct. It is likely that
specific extinctions may arise from a combinations of factors, however evidence
suggests that predation by foxes is a major factor and can result in depression
of native populations.
Foxes consume a wide variety of prey, carrion,
plant material and human refuse. In rural areas they mainly eat introduced
mammals such as rabbits, cattle, sheep and mice, as well as insects. Where
rabbits are less common or in natural bushland, the majority of
prey consists of native species. Semi-arboreal species such as ringtail and
brushtail possums may be common in their diet in forest environments. Foxes are
capable of taking prey up to the size of young kangaroos. Species including the
koala, bandicoots and gliders have been found in fox scats from Sydney and Port
Stephens.
Monitoring of sandpads before and after fox baiting
in the Gosford reserves provided few records for native species but abundant
fox and dog prints. This suggests that
these reserves may have already lost considerable native animal diversity and
that foxes are abundant. However,
caution is recommended in considering fox impacts in the absence of adequate
data plus other factors which may also be influencing biodiversity in these reserves
such as fire frequency and the effects of fragmentation and isolation.
Gosford City Council and the National Parks and
Wildlife Service are developing a regional fox management strategy for the
central coast.
Poison baiting with 1080 (sodium monofluroacetate)
is considered the most effective means of control currently available for
foxes. 1080 is incorporated into special baits. These baits are toxic to
humans, but a high number would need to be consumed before any ill effects
would be felt. 1080 does not accumulate in the body and is easily broken down.
As regulations prohibit its use within 500 meters of any residence in NSW, to
enable effective fox management, Gosford council successfully applied for
off-label permits for specific areas in both local government areas. The permit
reduces baiting distance restrictions from 500m to 150m from habitation, in
addition to containing a number of conditions that must be strictly adhered to
regarding public notification of fox baiting and baiting methods. Dogs and cats
are extremely susceptible to 1080. NOTE, dogs are prohibited from NATIONAL
PARKS AT ALL TIMES and from Council baited areas. It is highly unlikely that
cats will dig up the baits. If you think your pet has consumed a 1080 bait,
take it immediately to a vet.
1080 is naturally occurring in over 35 Australian
plant species and has no long-term environmental consequences. Soil microbes
and water rapidly break down 1080 and it does not accumulate in the food chain.
Baiting with 1080 is considered the most effective means of control currently
available for foxes. The use of bait
stations, where a single bait is buried, is preferable to aerial or trail
baiting for minimising impacts on non-target species. This is because the use
of clearly defined mounds surrounded by sandpads allow the operator to identify
animals visiting the mound and thus ensure that non-target species are not
taking baits. Burying the baits (at a
depth of at least 10cm) rather than leaving them on the surface, as may be the
case for trail and aerial baiting, is also preferable as native animals are
less likely to dig up buried baits than foxes.
Monitoring
is undertaken prior to and during the control program by using non-toxic baits.
Monitoring during times of non-baiting periods occurs, where reserve rangers
make note of fox/dog signs (e.g. scats and prints).
This newsletter is also on the Newsletter page of our
website. www.killcarewagstaffetrust.org.au