NRPG Committee Meeting Minutes

5 March 2013 Steve Gates residence

Attendance:Tony and Margaret Fowler, Aileen Reid, Steve Gates, Alan Hill, Wes Bancroft.

Apologies:Katharine Outten

Steve moved the minutes of previous meeting (5 February 2013) be accepted. Seconded by Margaret.

Business Arising:

  1. Upper Lesmurdie Falls group. The Lesmurdie Falls group are getting organised. They will incorporate using Piesse Brook as a model.
  2. Friends of Hawkevale Bushland group - haven't heard from Tori but she has apparently told Alan they are going Ok
  3. Lesmurdie and Districts – we have sent a membership form.
  4. Hartfield Park –to be discussed further in General Business
  5. Kalamunda Shire – ongoing.

Correspondence Out:

  • Email response to LDCA
  • MRS amendment 1236/57 (17/1/13)*
  • Email enquiry to ACNC
  • Membership form sent to Iris Jones

Correspondence In:

  • LDCA request for membership form (which has been sent).
  • Email response to personal enquiry of the WA Environment Minister
  • Email response From ACNC. They will be expecting our AGM to be in June so we will have to amend that with them.
  • Shire advice of adoption of Old Road Board Master Plan
  • Bundle from R.J Wood Old Road Board etc.
  • Ray Owen Reserve annual report. Bruce Glover.
  • Steve-email from Mary Gray re public forum. Do we want to do article for UBC?

Reports:

Vice Pres:

Aviation Consult. Group – nothing much happening.

DRRPCAC – no meeting.

Perth Airport EnvironmentalCttee - The airport proposes to clear more nationally significant System 6 & Perth Bush Forever bushland . Alan commented that we need to remind the airport operator that Mundy Swamp is an important archaeological site (and an early, middle and late period camping ground) and has probably the highest natural and cultural heritage values associated with a wetland in the Shire of Kalamunda. It may be the right time again to ask the airport for an excision of it into State DEC parkland. Proposed new taxi-ways will involve impact on national environmental significant values and will trigger the EPBC. Act.

The previous system 6 area natural bushland trees that had been impacted by fill at the BGC site were reported as stressed and dying, and are now cut down. Mattiske’s were brought in and said the cause was a combination of stressors – both drying out and waterlogging. These natural trees remaining from system 6 conservation reserve times will be ‘replaced’.

FOTE – had a presentation from Eddy Wajon (DEC). works at Fairbridge. Ken Wyatt attended and also Eric McCrum..

Treasurer - nothing to report. We have received $254 back from GST. Everything is at the accountant in preparation for the AGM. The PO Box bill $99 is to be paid.

We’ve had four members rejoin already.

CSAC:Aileen reported that there was very poor attendance at CSAC’s last meeting so most of the agenda items were held over till the next CSAC meeting – that included a presentation to CSAC by Andrew Fowler-Tutt on the High Wycombe Industrial area and the Local Planning strategy.

Cons. Council- no meeting yet.

Ken Wyatt Advisory Group - no meeting.

Volunteer hours

Toornaart Creek / Crumpet Creek -2 / Poison Gully / Ray Owen
Quenda Creek 20 / Lesmurdie Falls / other

General Business

Alan attended the Perth NRM Heritage Trails workshop. He encouraged the heritage trail work to be consistent with the State’s previous work on greenways and ecological corridors (EPA, 2000) and the Shire’s wildlife corridors.

Wilkins Road bushland - ongoing. Chairman of DRRP has held discussion with Ministers for Env and Planning on the better protection of the K13 area of the Darling Range Regional Park. Protection of Wilkins Road will be easier if the K13 area is protected in the national park or as a new stand-alone regional park. The Wilkins Road area is 25 acres of Darling Range Regional Park’s best black cockatoo habitat bushland reserve on the Kalamunda ridge. Rare species and black cockatoo habitat are national environmental significance triggers. Alan commented that DEH have established an office in Perth for the Perth Peel strategic assessment so they would be talking more regularly with the State about these relevant issues. Alan suggested that the need to ensure protection of Perth Peel ecological corridors such as the EPA (2000) Long swamp/ Munday Swamp Hartfield Park/ Brixton St corridor; the better protection of the State’s Darling Range Regional Park and the 30 K13 reserve corridor, and Kalamunda’s other regionally important State corridors such as Kadina Brook, Poison Gully, Yule Brook should be referred to them in a simple letter. Alan will prepare something for Tony to send.

Hartfield Park – The Shire of Kalamunda’s proposed clearing of threatened ecological community bushland and black cockatoo habitat for car parks and playing grounds is ongoing. The proposal for an inappropriate offset and the spending of money on restoration of insecure degraded lands at Poison Gully has been modified. Tony needs Tamara to update SOK details. It will be interesting to monitor the Office of the Appeals Convener decision making on this inappropriate loss and the inadequate offset proposed.

AGM -Margaret will send out a reminder 10 days before. Alan Hill will probably become a cooptee. Wes will be more available after mid-year and is happy to be a committee member.

The membership form (pamphlet) states that members areentitled to attend committee meetings – This is incorrect and will need correction at next printing.

Perth-Peel Strategic Assessment - UBC heavily involved in.

Steve attended the Environment Matters Forum – he will summarise and circulate.

Next meeting – will be the AGM.

The meeting closed at 9pm