A succession of events over the next few weeks offers a rare opportunity to reassess our achievements to date, to take a good look at our successes and failures and to re-establish FoPC in a more sustainable form.
National Tree Day on July 30 is an ideal occasion to celebrate the recent National Trust listing of the significant trees at Patawalonga Creek.
A move to the Henley Community Centre offers the chance to become part of a more vibrant and environmentally aware community and to attract new members.
And two Curry Nights one month apart means that issues can be raised and discussed at the first event and any resolutions adopted at the second.
This is an essential task so that the group remains relevant to the local community and adapts to changing circumstances.
Andrew Winkler
In late May we received a letter from the National Trust of SA saying that our nomination of the stand of Swamp Paperbarks (Melaleuca halmaturorum) at Pat Creek had been assessed by their Significant Tree Steering Committee and accepted by the NTSA as a Classified entry.
CLASSIFIED: represents individual trees, stands or avenues that are essential to the heritage of Australia or South Australia and must be conserved (National or State importance).
This nomination was made nearly eight years ago and its success is apparently largely due to the efforts of STSC member Darrell Kraehenbuehl, author of Pre-European Vegetation of Adelaide: a survey from the Gawler River to Hallett Cove, who was our guest speaker at a Curry Night two years ago.
While this listing is very welcome, it is largely symbolic as it does not have any legislative backing. However this official recognition of the importance of the location should help with raising its profile to the general community.
It is also an ideal opportunity to develop contacts with the National Trust’s local Branches. A Port Adelaide Branch is currently being formed with the active support of the Holdfast Bay Branch.
Despite the success of our Curry Nights and the sister group, Friends of Gulf St Vincent, that arose from a Curry Night three years ago, FoPC itself has not flourished to the same extent. Although there have been some recent successes, such as the completion of the draft report of the Fauna Survey by Mel Rees and Nick Crouch and the creation of the 'laminated edition' of the Airport’s Herbarium for field use, participation in workdays at the Creek has remained fairly low.
FoPC could benefit from becoming a member group of Friends of Parks Inc. although this would mean members paying a nominal subscription ($5/year), which they do not currently pay. This would clarify issues such as public liability insurance and provide greater publicity.
So far the concept of an Environment Resource Centre for the region has attracted little attention, despite the opportunities this could offer for providing resources to local groups. There are many ways in which such a centre could function - sharing resources and skills; providing opportunities for volunteering; gathering information to build up a collection of local environmental history, etc. Such a centre might have support from various agencies including the NRM Board, and Coast Protection Branch.
Dr Scoresby Shepherd, FoGStV committee member and Curry Night volunteer, received an Officer of the
Order of Australia (AO) award in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to marine science.
April’s Curry Night with Dr Martin Hand speaking on 'Hot Rocks' drew a crowd of around 60 - our largest ever.
Because of this interest another three Curry Nights have been organised for this year, for 15 July, 12 August and 11 November, with more excellent guest speakers.
The venue for these events has been changed to the Henley Community Centre, 196A Military Road, Henley Beach. It's near Henley Square - one street back, behind the Ramsgate Hotel, and next to the police station.
If you can spare even an hour or two to help on the day, please call Andrew on 8234 1420
(after 7 pm, and please leave a message if I’m not home).
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Friends of Gulf St Vincent
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www.chariot.net.au/~littoral/fogsv/index.htm
The second FoGStV community forum to be held at Port Vincent was marred by two road accidents involving participants coming to the June 24th event.
Fortunately neither involved serious injury. FoGStV secretary Ian Kirkegaard and Conservation Council president Jane Corin had been due to speak, but even in their absence the event ran smoothly due to the efforts of Pat Harbison and the other organisers.
Highlights included a passionate presentation by Kirsten Benkendorff on her surveys of molluscs to identify areas of high marine biodiversity and SAFIC’s Claire van der Geest’s accounts of prawn biology, and turbidity of Gulf waters due to dredging.
Keith Jones’ work on the importance of seagrass and mangrove habitat for commercial and recreational fisheries was well-received, especially his account of how migration of juvenile tommy ruff with the Leuwin Current varies with El Nino years, and is a leading predictor of the size of the fishery.
The recently released DVD of The Amazing Adventures of Gavin the Leafy Seadragon was also shown, as were other locally-produced videos made by students at Flinders Uni studying natural history documentary film-making.
Attendance at around 35 was lower than last year, possibly due to the colder weather and higher petrol prices. There was a strong contingent from Middle Beach, which has been tipped as a possible location for the next forum (and AGM), to be held later in the year. Rapid Bay has also been suggested.
Ian Kirkegaard and Jim Douglas are continuing their involvement with the lead-up to the SALA festival, particularly with a project featuring schoolchildren constructing wooden fishing boxes based on those used by previous generations.
Saturday 15 July: Curry & Casserole Night
Fundraiser for FoPC & the Western Adelaide Environment Resource Centre.
6:30pm Meal:Cost: $15 ($10 Friends, S/P/U)
8:00pm Guest speaker: Dr Anthony Cheshire
Member, Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Board
Affiliate Professor,
Discipline of Environmental Biology,
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences,
University of Adelaide
Topic: Healthy seas: a vision for Adelaide's coastal waters
and environments in 2020
(attendance at talk only is welcome Free)
view details
Download the flyer for this event - PDF version (138 Kb)
To be announced: (We are currently looking for a new home.)
The purpose of the meetings is generally to discuss the work program for the coming workday and other on-going projects.
Workdays:
Pat Creek:
Sunday 30 July, from 10 am. National Tree Day
Sunday 6 August, from 10 am. Regular workday
Meet at the busstop (18B) on West Beach Road (west of Tapleys Hill Road,
and adjacent to the Creek and the silt ponds).
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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