Often, progress in any endeavour seems frustratingly slow, despite the amounts of effort that
have gone into it. Then there are those rare occasions when the situation changes suddenly, when whole new vistas of possibility open up, that challenge the way we think, our habits of doing things.
If we can respond to the challenge, then much can be achieved, almost effortlessly it seems, in a wave of creative enthusiasm that overcomes any petty obstacle in its path.
We seem to have arrived at such a moment. Although small in numbers, our Friends group has a keen and dedicated committee; now we have developed a Constitution and created a banner to advertise our presence at workdays.
The proposal for an Environment Resource Centre at Reedbeds has been raised; now, at last, the pieces are starting to fall into place. We are looking to create new partnerships with Council and other groups, to take on new responsibilities.
A new and exciting situation lies before us - do we dare to respond, to take up this challenge?
the Editor
With the completion of the Management Plan for Patawalonga Creek, the steering committee
at the Airport has completed its initial objective, and regular meetings are no longer required.
Sharn Lucas has the task of tidying up the final draft of the Plan and copies are expected to be available soon.
Steve Green, the Airport's Environmental Manager, will continue to co-ordinate the activities of the various groups in the implementation of the Plan.
Greening Australia have been awarded a new contract and will be responsible for the heavier tasks, such as eradication of the woody weeds. These include the African Boxthorns and the Pyramid Trees (also known as Norfolk Island Hibiscus or Cow-itch or Itchyberry Trees, Lagunaria patersonii). These will be treated with herbicide and left standing, as they will still provide some habitat (nesting or perching sites) for birds, particularly the smaller ones (eg honeyeaters), during the time it takes for replacement native trees to grow.
Last year the Friends targeted another problematic weed, the Artichoke Thistle. We succeeded in cutting and swabbing all the thistles on the site and preventing them from seeding. However, some seed drift may have occurred from thistles on the other side of the silt ponds, and they will also regenerate from the seedbank in the soil. Once the winter rains set in and they start to grow, we will be able to get an idea of the extent of the problem. But these new plants will be small and easy to deal with, and we expect that their management will become easier over time as the seedbank becomes exhausted.
Jerry Smith, the 'Our Patch' project officer with the Catchment Board, has suggested that this year the Friends could target another introduced weed, Coastal Galenia (Galenia pubescens), also known as Carpet Weed. This weed is a problem, because its smothering growth habit prevents other native plants from germinating and becoming established. It is relatively easy to cut and swab and he believes that it could also be eradicated from the site, given enough concentrated effort over time. He has worked out a schedule for us, and attended our last meeting to give a presentation on this program.
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Removal of Silt Ponds begins
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In March, the long-awaited removal of the material in the silt ponds began. Initially, some
36,000 cubic metres of the coarser sands in Pond 1 (from the Glenelg Harbour project) has been excavated, to be used as backfill for the Barcoo Outlet pipeline. This is only about one tenth of the material in the ponds - some additional material may be excavated for the troubled Barcoo project, once it gets underway again. The remainder may be used to construct a golf course on the Airport's southern boundary.
The Airport has commissioned a $20,000 survey to determine the environmental impacts of the silt ponds on the Pat Creek, and to aid in the restoration of the site.
We can claim a small victory - DAIS originally wanted the track beside the Pat Creek to be
used for the removal of the hundreds of truckloads of excavated material. This would have caused great damage to the fragile site. Fortunately, Steve Green was able to veto this proposal and force DAIS to use an alternative route.
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Reedbeds Environment Centre
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The idea for an Environment Resource Centre (ERC) at the Reedbeds Community Centre
(RCC) has progressed since it was raised in our last issue. The Friends have been meeting
at Reedbeds since we began, and we are represented on the RCC Management Committee. Among the ideas that have been put forward for the ERC are that it could provide a number of services for local environment groups. These could include:
- a 'centre for environmental volunteering'
a meeting place/administration centre
a display / publicity / information centre
a library (a 'repository of local knowledge')
a herbarium (collection of plant specimens)
a plant nursery
a tool and equipment storage area
a Trees for Life depot
We already have a number of resources, including:
- this newsletter (in hardcopy and on-line versions)
websites for Pat Creek and the Friends
a class in basic webpage design
a press clippings archive (the entire 15 year archive compiled by the Conservation Centre)
a photographic archive
an extensive library of local and environmental history and issues
By offering a variety of activities, or ways of getting involved, we can cater for people
with differing interests, abilities and time commitments
By combining these activities under the umbrella of the ERC, we could create a synergy
that could help these groups to flourish, rather than to struggle on in isolation; administration costs would also be lower.
A meeting to discuss these issues, as well as to discuss extending the scope of the Friends to include Apex Park, will be held on Thursday 31st May.
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Friends of Parks -
Western Suburbs
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The purpose of this group is to get volunteers from the western suburbs to assist other
volunteer groups with projects in National Parks in the metropolitan area, or elsewhere in the
State. Despite being relaunched earlier this year, the group has struggled to attract interest or gain new members.
Part of the problem has been the lack of a visible identity - there is no National Park in the
western suburbs and advertised meetings, sometimes held in members' homes, have been poorly attended.
The setting up of an Environment Resource Centre at Reedbeds could offer a way around these difficulties. It could provide a meeting place with space for displays and publicity material. There would be networking opportunities with members of other groups using the Centre. Access to local parks (Pat Creek, Apex Park) for volunteer training in Bushcare techniques or workshops could be arranged.
In return, the Friends of Parks group could offer the Reedbeds ERC links to the wide network of Friends of Parks groups. There are two avenues that could be developed. One approach would be to develop links with Parks with similar coastal environments/vegetation.
The other possibility would be to link up with Parks in the Torrens/Patawalonga Catchment
areas.
By arranging a program of workdays in conjunction with these other Parks groups, volunteers from the ERC could visit a variety of sites and widen their experience and understanding, which they could then apply to their local area. Seeing what other groups are doing, their successes and difficulties, together with the social interaction - all these elements add to the richness of experience, the sense of participation, that volunteers find worthwhile.
Despite recently winning an Australian Museum Eureka National Science Prize for 'engineering innovation', the yet-to-be completed project has undergone a series of mishaps. Twice, the coffer dam surrounding the construction site has been breached by heavy seas; on the third occasion, it was overtopped by a high tide. Even the Parliamentary Public Works Committee in its latest report (no 152, May 2001) seems to be discreetly distancing itself from this controversial project.
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The URL of the Patawalonga Creek website is:
<URL=http://www.chariot.net.au/~littoral/pat-ck/pat-ck.htm.htm>
The URL of the 'Paper Bark' website is:
<URL=http://www.chariot.net.au/~littoral/pat-ck/pb/>
The URL of the 'Friends of Pat Creek' website is:
<URL=http://www.chariot.net.au/~littoral/pat-ck/fopc/>
Please email The Editor to be put on the list for email notification of new issues. This will result in a more timely delivery, as well as helping to reduce the cost of our mail-outs.
The next General Meeting of the Friends of Pat Creek will be at 7:30 pm, on Wednesday, 31st May 2001, at the Reedbeds Community Centre, cnr. Fitch & Halsey Roads, Fulham (carpark entry off Phelps Court).
Workdays at Pat Creek are held on the first Sunday of each month, from 10 am. Meet at the busstop (18B) on West Beach Road.
Henley & Grange Dunecare have workdays on the second Sunday of each month at the nursery in Atkin Street, Henley Beach, at 10 am.
CREATED BY:
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LINKED TO:
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 Ground Truth:
towards an
environmental history
of South Australia
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<URL=http://www.chariot.net.au/~littoral/pat-ck/pb/pb3-2.htm>
Web version created 28th May 2001; last updated 12th April 2002.
This page maintained by Andrew Winkler for the Friends of Patawalonga Creek.
Please email any comments or material for future issues to: The Editor
© Littoral Productions 2001
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