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Looking back, Looking forward

Mid North Coast Branch

Meetings:

Third Monday of the month at 7pm;
Alternate months between Port Macquarie and Laurieton / Taree.
Contact: President - Bob Griffiths, ph. 6582 0787 or Secretary - Marion Nixon, ph 6584 8384

Email:

Newsletter: Click here to download a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader

September - December 2008 (848kb)
May - August 2008 (728 kb)
January - April 2008 (806kb)
September - December 2007(803kb)
May - August 2007(753kb)
January - April 2007(864kb)
September - December 2006 (1,160kb)
May - August 2006 (461kb)
January - April 2006 (942kb)

Vice Presidents: Roy Pullen & Bob Griffiths

The Mid North Coach Branch has about 120 members many of whom are active bushwalkers. Walks take place on most Saturdays and Sundays with as many as thirty-five people attending the most popular walks. Camps, excursions and social events are important parts of our activities programme.

CONSERVATION AND THE MID NORTH COAST BRANCH
A number of members of our branch are strongly committed to giving back something to our local environment which provides such a unique and magnificent backdrop for our outdoors activities program. We try to encourage all members to not just take from our environment but to give something constructive back. We do this through several projects.

1. DIAMOND HEAD REGENERATION PROJECT
In 1979, NPWS Ranger Mike Dodkin, initiated with our newly formed branch, a bitou bush eradication program which has seen twice annual bitou removal working bees over a variety of habitats including a very healthy patch of the now rare littoral rainforest in the Diamond Head area of Crowdy Bay National Park. Invasion of our bush land by bitou has been listed nationally as an ecologically Threatening Process.

Branch member, Gwen O’Dea was a member of the initial working group in 1979, attending bitou bashes every year until her death in 2005. She was awarded an OAM for her services to conservation through NPA.
Currently an average of 54 x 6 hour volunteer days go into the working bees, plus site inspections & administration. The current Ranger, Cathy Mardell is highly committed to and involved in this work, supported by Mike who is still on the scene as the Pest Species Management Officer.

In 1999 NPA received the first of eight NHT grants now totalling near $100 000, with further grants being applied for. These grants enabled us to initiate aerial spraying of the inaccessible cliff side area and fore dune spraying along an 8.5 km stretch of beach from Diamond Head to Dunbogan. The first grant also helped fund a huge program of track rehabilitation- basically the whole track around the headland was repaired/resurfaced.

In addition, professional bush regenerators are employed to remove infestations of lantana, Watsonia, Senna & morning glory. The very large headland now has the bulk of its weed strongly under control, requiring only one annual mop up. We have extended our bitou control work to both north & south of the headland, areas which require some harder volunteer effort at the second of our annual bitou bashes. The in-kind contribution generated by the grants now totals well over $250 000 from NPA and NPWS.

Most of the work that has been done would not have occurred without NPA initiating these grants. In 2002, the Diamond Head NHT project was expanded to include the project described below & is now called Diamond Head to Dunbogan Habitat Corridor Rehabilitation project. Port Macquarie Hastings Council has also become a project partner.

The work of our branch on this project has been recognised at state and federal government levels.

2. GOGLEY'S LAGOON PROJECT, DUNBOGAN
IIn 1999 NPA members began rehabilitating a number of severely degraded habitats between the edge of Gogleys Lagoon at Dunbogan and Kattang Nature Reserve. NPA member Sue Baker acted as Project Manager for a 6 month Greencorps team in 2000. In 2001 she coordinated a 2nd project in which a Greencorps Team worked for 3 months here and a further 3 months at Diamond Head.

In 2001, the Gogleys Lagoon Project won the Tidy Towns: NPWS Wildlife and Habitat Corridor Award. Works include removal of severe infestations of bitou, lantana and prickly pear over many hectares, as well as planting of 600 or so native seedlings.

An area on the eastern lagoon edge saw erosion control with fencing off of fragile dunes and building of a public access track to the beach- this has greatly enhanced the opportunity for both locals and visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

As part of this project NPA also controls bitou seedlings right along Pilot Beach where NPA member Jenny Kayberry has undertaken a program of extensive plantings of Casuarina equesitifolia. Jenny won an OAM for services to conservation through this branch for work such as this.

In 2006 we were awarded funding by the Community Water Grants to undertake further erosion control works. CWG is part of the Natural Heritage Trust and provides a great opportunity for communities to undertake water conservation measures and actions to improve water quality.

3. BIG HILL PROJECT
NPA worked with NPWS on annual basis for 14 years to remove lantana from what is probably the largest patch of littoral rainforest on the mid North Coast. Due to our other commitments we have now trustingly left this project in the hands of NPWS.

4. PELICAN POINT PROJECT
Over the past 20 or so years, member Gwen O'Dea has worked with other NPA members and local residents to rehabilitate another SEPP classified littoral rainforest at Pelican Point - we have removed much bitou & other weeds and hundreds of seedlings which Gwen raised have been planted.
In 2001 we received an NHT grant which enabled a vehicular track cutting through the middle of the rainforest to be sealed off, with sand laid over the badly eroded track so that it can revegetate. A rock wall was built along the front to prevent car access & a six car parking lot established outside the forest. We hold an annual working bee on the Sunday closest to World Environment Day.

5. CLEAN UP PROJECTS
NPA religiously participates in Clean Up Australia Day projects. One group works with NPWS to clean up park or reserve sites in the Taree district, a second group cleans up around the Camden Haven River foreshore and in dunal bushland where we have actually removed several old rubbish dumps.

Sue Baker
NPA Bush Regeneration Projects Co-ordinator

Photo by Henry Gold
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