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STEP Matters 185
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- During the STEP walk at Agnes Banks Nature Reserve we came across an endangered Persoonia nutans with lots of little…Read More
- Beecroft is bearing the brunt of three significant infrastructure developments (North West Rail Link, Epping to Thornleigh Third Track and…Read More
- Interesting consumer research has found the number of Australians going bushwalking has risen significantly in the past five years. Findings…Read More
- A group of people living in the Shoalhaven region have seen the potential of the bushwalking boom. The Shoalhaven region…Read More
- The battle continues against coal mining under the water catchments in the Illawarra but there are some hopeful signs that…Read More
- At the end of March aerial surveys of more than 500 coral reefs from Cairns to Papua New Guinea revealed…Read More
- Technological developments have had profound impacts on our lives, some good and some not so good, some with immediate benefits…Read More
STEP Matters 184
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- The population of the Sydney metropolitan area is estimated to grow by 1.6 million people by 2031. According to the…Read More
- In STEP Matters, Issue 183, p4 (Concern about Changes to Biodiversity Laws) we explained the reasons for concerns about the…Read More
- In the past, councils expended significant funds in formulating local environment plans with zoning locations appropriate for different areas. The…Read More
- After promising that amalgamation would not be forced onto residents, the NSW Government is pressing ahead by moving the goal…Read More
- The Ku-ring-gai Bushcare Association is an unincorporated organisation that is supported by Ku-ring-gai Council which supports the Bushcare volunteer program…Read More
- The Paris climate change talks in December 2015 produced an agreement hailed as 'historic, durable and ambitious'. Developed and developing…Read More
- In November last year STEP held a talk by Dr Ian Percival on the unique volcanic diatreme that has been…Read More
- STEP committee member, Andrew Little, happened across an Echidna searching for ants in a driveway in Roseville Chase. It was…Read More
- Mark Diesendorf, UNSW Australia Can Australians be sustainable and enjoy endless economic growth? It’s not likely.Read More
- The Boomerang Alliance, a coalition of groups led by the Total Environment Centre, has been campaigning for more than ten…Read More
- Out thanks to the Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society for permission to publish this article that was originally published in Friends…Read More
- Two members of the STEP committee visited the Snowy Mountains in recent months. John Martyn saw plenty of flowers in…Read More
STEP Matters 183
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- About a year ago the discovery of a new species of Hibbertia in was announced. The species, with the scientific…Read More
- Sadly another STEP stalwart has died. Glenn Johnson was a member of the committee for nine years from 1984 to…Read More
- The Science Teachers’ Association of NSW conducts a program to assist students and their teachers to carry out scientific investigations.…Read More
- Wander through the bushland of Wahroonga Estate and you will see the delicate heads of native orchids peeping out from…Read More
- Ross Rapmund gave a fascinating talk on the changing birds in northern Sydney. He started with a slide which compared…Read More
- The NSW Government is currently considering legislation to implement the recommendations of the Independent Biodiversity Legislation Review Panel contained in…Read More
- This article by Connie Harris was originally published in the October edition of Native Plants for NSW. It concerns the…Read More
- Silly me; I thought world population now around 7 billion was going to stabilise at around 9 billion by 2050.…Read More
- Media Release 17 September 2015, The Hon Kelvin Thomson, Federal Member for Wills.Read More
STEP Matters 182
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- Last year the NSW Government’s planning legislation was rejected because communities were going to be left out of significant parts…Read More
- The Environmental Impact Statement on Hornsby Quarry was released in August with a closing date for submissions of 4 September…Read More
- The report on the review of the 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Code of Practice was released in August. The NSW Government…Read More
- The issue of waste and litter from single use plastic bags handed out by supermarkets and other stores has been…Read More
- The impact on marine life from plastic may be most obvious in coastal regions, but in August CSIRO released the…Read More
- Allan Dale Professor in Tropical Regional Development, The Cairns Institute James Cook Universiity. Originally published on The Conversation. Read the…Read More
- The Australian Government is reviewing the tax deductibility status of donations to environment organisations and is in the process of…Read More
- Ever heard of Shazam? It’s an app that tells you the name of that song you just can’t remember. Well…Read More
- This article has been written by Frances O’Brien, Group Administrator at Wahroonga Waterways Landcare. The site is part of SAN…Read More
STEP Matters 181
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- A new high quality walking map of the Berowra Valley has been published by Friends of Berowra Valley.Read More
- The Sydney Institute of Marine Science, located in a historic sandstone quarry on the Chowder Bay foreshore, has opened a…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council has received considerable flak over a decision to close an unauthorised mountain bike track down a steep hill…Read More
- Issue 178 (p2) of STEP Matters outlined the content of a preliminary draft plan of management for the Canoon Road…Read More
- In early 2015, Ku-ring-gai Council invited submissions on a draft plan of management for St Ives Showground and Precinct Lands.…Read More
- Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made by the Stop the Chop alliance have revealed that the NSW Government ignored expert…Read More
- This information came from an article written by Margery Street for Blandfordia, the newsletter of the North Shore Group of…Read More
- The efficacy of offsets depends on a strict set of rules and long-term consistency of application. The first article ponders…Read More
- Under the United Nation's climate change agreement Australia’s current greenhouse gas emissions reduction task is to reduce its emissions by…Read More
- This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.Read More
STEP Matters 180
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- Participants in Clean Up Australia Day once again noticed the massive extent of littering and rubbish dumping from vehicles. The…Read More
- The NSW Government election demonstrated the high level of concern about coal mining and coal seam gas. Several seats affected…Read More
- The residents of Malton Road and the Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust have been working for many months to try and…Read More
- Several past and present members of the STEP committee were delighted to be invited to a function at Ingleside on…Read More
- This article was written by former president of STEP, Barry Tomkinson, who has had a close involvement with the Berowra…Read More
- Previous issues of STEP Matters (Issue 173, p7–8 and Issue 175, p2) have highlighted the damage that is occurring in…Read More
- The release of the 2015 Intergenerational Report (IGR) by the Treasurer Joe Hockey brings nothing new to raise hopes that…Read More
- STEP member Ralph Pridmore describes his personal experiences with his local feathered friends.Read More
- This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.Read More
STEP Matters 179
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- The NSW state election is not far away and we have only just found out who the Liberal Party candidate…Read More
- Just before Christmas, NSW Premier, Mike Baird, and the Environment Minister, Rob Stokes, announced that the Government favoured the introduction…Read More
- Local environment groups have been calling for a moratorium on bushfire clearing under the 10/50 Vegetation Clearing Code while the…Read More
- The reasons for concern about the loss of old trees under the 10/50 Code are demonstrated by research.Read More
- Residents of Sydney's suburbs cannot help but notice the abundance of the native honeyeater, the noisy miner (Manorina melanocephala) in…Read More
- Jim Wells, former STEP treasurer, has contributed this detailed information comparing the finances of Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai councils. We leave…Read More
- Much of Ku-ring-gai’s money has come from apartment building construction. Contributions appear to be about $30,000 per unit with most…Read More
STEP Matters 186
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- The NSW Government has been reforming the legislation governing the operation of local government under the catchy title of Fit…Read More
- On 4 May 2016, the Senate Standing Committee on the Environment tabled a report on its inquiry into the Register…Read More
- Everyone likes a race; whether it’s the Melbourne Cup, some sporting event or an election. Winning is fabulous, losing can…Read More
- The NSW government has been undertaking a major review of the biodiversity legislation in response to farmers’ complaints about the…Read More
- Former NSW Crown Solicitor, Hugh Roberts, was treasurer of STEP from 1996 to 2001. In this period STEP began its…Read More
- The previous issue of STEP Matters 185 described the risks to Sydney’s water catchment in the Illawarra region from longwall…Read More
- Good news, a container deposit scheme is going to happen. The NSW Premier announced on 8 May that a scheme…Read More
- Australians buy more than 100 million litres of paint each year but around 5% of it ends up as waste,…Read More
STEP Matters 187
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- Sheldon Forest in Turramurra contains the second largest area remaining of the critically endangered Blue Gum High Forest covering an…Read More
- The tremendous efforts of the local community have produced some beneficial outcomes. Issue 185 of STEP Matters provided an update…Read More
- STEP welcomes new members of the committee and other members who would like to contribute to our work in some…Read More
- Two weeks before the Federal election with Warragamba Dam threatening to spill due to severe storms, the Baird government committed…Read More
- The Greater Sydney Commission has been created by NSW legislation with a brief to make Sydney more liveable, more productive…Read More
- There is surprisingly little information that describes, interprets and records heathlands and its ecology in Australia. However, Nick de Jong’s…Read More
- STEP was actively involved in the fight against the O’Farrell government’s legislation introduced in 2012 allowing amateur hunting in national…Read More
- In the 19th century deer were imported and released into areas like Royal National Park because they were regarded as…Read More
- Well the July election is done and dusted and the Liberal–National Coalition just scraped in. Despite Malcolm Turnbull’s previous statements…Read More
- John Martyn discovered this beautiful pink fungus in Sheldon Forest. Fungi expert Ray Kearney identified it as Cantharellus lilacinus. A…Read More
- Back in the 1970s, a speck of harbourside bushland in Hunters Hill achieved unexpected fame as the site of the…Read More
- To many people who are fascinated by Sydney's native flora but have no formal training in geology, the rocks around…Read More
- NSW residents are currently waiting for the state government to respond to the deluge of submissions opposing the new draft…Read More
STEP Matters 188
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- Yes, the brand new Lane Cove Valley map is now available. It has been produced by John Martyn with his…Read More
- Most people who live in the upper North Shore and who are interested in bushland, or gardening, or geology, or…Read More
- South Dural Residents and Ratepayers Group, a developer initiated lobby group, has made numerous applications since 1990 to Hornsby Council…Read More
- In November the Turnbull Government ratified Australia’s commitment to comply with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Australia has set…Read More
- Previously we've reported on Ku-ring-gai Council’s closure of the mountain bike downhill track that had been constructed illegally near Warrimoo…Read More
- There has been a flurry of legislative action and announcements during the final months of the year following varying periods…Read More
- Knowledge of some of the common endings of scientific names can help to make names less forbidding. It is well…Read More
- In last year’s Annual Report I noted the transformation happening in Sydney and the unknown impacts on our bushland, the…Read More
- Have you ever enjoyed the cool refuge that an underground cave offers from a hot summer’s day? Or perhaps you…Read More
- On Saturday 25 February 2017 the NSW Rogaining Association is holding LaneCoveRivergaine3, backing up the very successful LaneCoveRivergaines 1 and…Read More
- In 2015 the winner of STEP’s prize for a project relating to an environmental issue was awarded to Jade Moxey…Read More
STEP Matters 189
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- It's important that as many people as possible comment on the Greater Sydney Strategy and the North District Plan by…Read More
- Have your say on the North District Plan and the Greater Sydney Strategy by 31 March 2017. District Plans cover…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council has been developing plans to improve the Turramurra local centre over many years. As a resident of Turramurra…Read More
- STEP is delighted that our secretary has received Ku-ring-gai Council’s Australia Day Award for Outstanding Service to the Ku-ring-gai Community…Read More
- The geology of the Sydney Basin changes dramatically at the top of the Hawkesbury Sandstone, which is followed upwards ultimately…Read More
- Hornsby Council has moved to the next stage of planning for the redevelopment of Old Mans Valley and the Quarry.…Read More
- It’s a rare week when natural resource management policy penetrates the national news cycle not once, but twice. Nonetheless, last…Read More
- We've previously summarised our concerns about the application to rezone rural land to residential land. It is a relief that…Read More
- The Institute for Economics and Peace has supplemented their Global Peace Index with a Positive Peace Report 2016. But be…Read More
STEP Matters 190
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- Hollows as Homes The Australian Museum has joined the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Sydney University in launching a new…Read More
- Firstly, some history; in 2003 UTS decided to vacate the site and sought a rezoning for residential development with 560…Read More
- Thirlmere Lakes lie in an area that was subject tectonically to weak uplift and gentle monoclinal warping at the ill-defined…Read More
- Every day there’s an outdoor event to celebrate or commemorate something or other, and balloons will be released. It looks…Read More
- Following the serious power blackouts that occurred in South Australia and near misses in other states, gas-fired power stations have…Read More
- The Australian Association of Bush Regenerators was established in 1986 out of concern for the continuing survival and integrity of…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council has commissioned a report on developing the tourism potential of the municipality. Ku-ring-gai Destination Management Plan 2017 to…Read More
- The name Wianamatta is familiar through the loose usage of the term ‘Wianamatta Shale’ to embrace the Triassic rocks that…Read More
- Sydney's Blue Gum High Forests built colonial Sydney. By the 1850s most had gone. However a few patches survived. The…Read More
STEP Matters 191
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- In May the NSW government released regulations and codes that provide some of the detail on how the biodiversity legislation…Read More
- Over the past 200 years NSW has lost almost half of its bushland through land clearing and only 9% of…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council is anticipating that there will be a strong demand for biodiversity offsets once biodiversity legislation comes into operation…Read More
- STEP is supporting a great initiative by organised by Forestmedia, a small not-for-profit organisation that is aiming to increase community…Read More
- The Australian and Queensland governments are still pushing for the Adani mine to go ahead and are bending over backwards…Read More
- Lord Howe Island is a magnificent island about 600 km off the coast of NSW. Its unique landform as an…Read More
- There has been much media interest in the report that Sydney's population has reached 5 million. What has also been…Read More
- Our economy and society ultimately depend on natural resources: land, water, material (such as metals) and energy. But some scientists…Read More
STEP Matters 192
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- Male superb fairy-wrens change colour every year, from dull brown to bright blue. But being blue may be risky if…Read More
- The Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, was asked by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) to undertake an independent review…Read More
- One of the major concerns about the NSW government’s biodiversity laws is the fundamental flaws in the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme,…Read More
- STEP’s public fund, the Environment Protection Fund, is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) via the Register of Environmental…Read More
- The NSW government thinks that raising the spillway wall of Warragamba Dam by 14 m will significantly reduce the risk…Read More
- In the early days of settlement in NSW development decision-making took little heed of its impact on the environment, the…Read More
- Over the past century, average land surface temperatures have risen by almost 1°C across the Australian continent. Models suggest this…Read More
- Please consider sending a submission opposing Mirvac's rezoning and development proposal for land adjoining Cumberland State Forest in West Pennant…Read More
- A special resolution will be moved at our AGM to modify our constitution. In accordance with the constitution, official notice…Read More
STEP Matters 193
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- Can one form a friendship with a magpie – even when adult males are protecting their nests during the swooping season?…Read More
- Back in the 1980s IBM built an office complex at 55 Coonara Road, West Pennant Hills. The building design won…Read More
- Another round of ‘restructuring’ has hit our national parks staff. More managers and rangers with superb skills and experience have…Read More
- Hornsby Council weakened its Tree Preservation Order (TPO) in 2011 so that only tree species indigenous to the area (about…Read More
- Robin Buchanan reminds us that maps on smart phones have limitations. ‘Just another lost bushwalker’ said the weary voice of…Read More
- STEP applied for an Environmental Small Grant from Ku-ring-gai Council last year for further repairs to the STEP Track near…Read More
- The NSW Government forecasts of population growth for metropolitan Sydney over the next 20 years are frightening, at 37% or…Read More
- STEP continues to sponsor an award for a project about an environmental issue under the Science Teachers’ Association Young Scientist…Read More
- This year, for the first time, STEP supported a great initiative organised by Forestmedia, an organisation that is aiming to…Read More
- We recently wrote about the exhaustive research, economic analysis and consultation that has been undertaken into a plan to eradicate…Read More
STEP Matters 194
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- Our plans to celebrate STEP’s 40th anniversary will be announced later this year. Graeme Aplin has kindly offered to write…Read More
- The Plan of Management of the Canoon Netball Complex was amended in 2015. It involved improvements to landscaping and changing…Read More
- At the last Clean Up Day the largest number of items collected by far was beverage containers (about 30% of…Read More
- The last two issues of STEP Matters (Our National Parks Need Protection and Fifty Years of the NPWS but is…Read More
- It is with great sadness that Willoughby Environmental Protection Association (WEPA) reports the peaceful passing of long-term member, Harold Spies,…Read More
- It seems a long time ago when the NSW public were fighting an attempt in 2013 by the Shooters and…Read More
- Northern Beaches Council is currently considering a development application that has been submitted to build 95 seniors housing units, three…Read More
- STEP Matters issue 193 provided detail on the application by Mirvac to build 600 apartments in the former IBM business…Read More
- The Australian government has a framework of strategies and programs for the management of biodiversity. According to the Department of…Read More
- In the previous issue of STEP Matters we reported on the major loss of trees in Hornsby Shire in recent…Read More
- In the last newsletter we highlighted the loss of tree canopy in Hornsby Shire and illustrated the abrupt decrease in…Read More
- Did you know that your morning cup of coffee contributes to six million tonnes of spent coffee grounds going to…Read More
- Here are five common Australian energy myths and facts for the next barbeque when these questions about renewable energy are…Read More
- Good insulation in a tree hollow or a well ventilated drey provides better protection than a nest box on a…Read More
STEP Matters 195
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- There has been much local angst about the idea that lights be installed on some of the Canoon Road netball…Read More
- The Nature Conservation Council with the help of the Environmental Defenders Office won the case challenging the process of implementation…Read More
- All members of the local botanical, bushcare and conservation communities have been deeply saddened by the sudden death of Noel…Read More
- Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) are the mechanism by which the states are permitted to log native forest under accreditation from…Read More
- The Australian government proposal, first floated in 2016, to remove tax deductibility status from donations to environment groups unless they…Read More
- Australia’s rate of species decline continues to be among the world’s highest. Government decisions to promote population growth and resource…Read More
- It has been a long drawn out process to develop a National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA). In…Read More
- We gardeners are often urged to ‘buy native’, especially nectar-producing flowering shrubs like grevilleas and banksias – they attract birds of…Read More
- The preparation of STEP’s history by Graeme Aplin and the committee is progressing well and will be completed by our…Read More
- STEP was a sponsor of this competition last year. Over 1,600 children entered and created some brilliant art works. The…Read More
- FrogID is a project to help identify and survey frogs in your area. This is done via an app on…Read More
STEP Matters 196
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- We are delighted to announce that Katie Rolls (Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University) is the winner of…Read More
- The Powerful Owl is a keystone species of bushland in eastern Australia. The survival of the current population of this…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council is currently undertaking a review of policy for managing recreation in bushland areas. This will cover the way…Read More
- Just months after the hard fight to get tree protections strengthened in Hornsby, council is trying to water down those…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council’s decision to close the Warrimoo Downhill Mountain Bike Trail was taken in July 2016 (see STEP Matters 188).…Read More
- Back in 2016 the NSW government conducted a consultation process on a Wild Horse Management Plan for Kosciuszko National Park…Read More
- The South Dural proposal for rezoning and development of rural land has fallen through thanks in no small part to…Read More
- The NSW government has finalised the Low Rise Medium Density Housing Code and Design Guide that were the subject of…Read More
- Great cities need trees to be great places, but urban changes put pressure on the existing trees as cities develop.…Read More
- With the recent introduction of the Biosecurity Act, there is now more emphasis to think about our action in terms…Read More
- The iNaturalist website has been set up as a means for citizens and scientists worldwide to record their observations of…Read More
- The perfect way to learn about the geology that underpins the landscape and diverse flora of the Sydney region A…Read More
STEP Matters 197
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- STEP member, Beverley Gwatkin, came up with the great idea of conducting walks for people unfamiliar with the amazing features…Read More
- This walk on 22 June was fascinating. We heard all about the diverse diet and life of the local Kai’ymay…Read More
- Our 40th birthday party on 22 July was a great occasion to remember the bold actions of the STEP people…Read More
- Over 700 native plant species and 300 vertebrate species have been recorded in Ku-ring-gai. On 19 June Chelsea Hankin (council’s…Read More
- Call for Review of 10/50 Legislation At their meeting on 11 July, council resolved: to write to the state government…Read More
- 2018 Budget The NSW government is flush with money thanks to the property boom. But, according to the Opposition, the…Read More
- The ABC reported that the May budget has reduced the budget allocation of funding to the biodiversity and conservation division…Read More
- What if Australia were to stop farming? At approximately 3% of gross domestic product, the removal of agriculture from the…Read More
- There are many books on the environment, as you will see if you scan the shelves of bookshops like Kinokuniya,…Read More
- The amount of development along Epping Road is astronomical. Sure, this development is near the Chatswood to Epping train line…Read More
- We recently received a message from a fellow bird enthusiast about his blog called the Ultimate Beginners Guide to Bird…Read More
STEP Matters 198
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- We have conducted two introduction to bushland walks this year, one in Sheldon Forest/Rofe Park and the other along the…Read More
- STEP is one of a group of environmental organisations that has got together to write a position paper on the…Read More
- The speaker at STEP’s AGM on 30 October was Lesley Hughes, Distinguished Professor of Biology from Macquarie University, who has…Read More
- We recently reported on the application for development on Bayview Golf Course for seniors housing units in an area that…Read More
- In recent months there have been several more bad policy decisions by the NSW government that go against scientific common…Read More
- Issues 193 and 194 of STEP Matters give a rundown of the convoluted application process by the Hills Council through…Read More
- The NSW government wants to bulldoze a large tract of community land around Flat Rock Drive to construct the Northern…Read More
- Such a simple title for such a comprehensive book – the subtitle ‘A photographic journey through the rich and varied geology,…Read More
- This is not a recent issue. The process of approval of this mine application by Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO)…Read More
- The names of many of our native trees were taken from perceived resemblances of their timbers to those of traditional…Read More
- STEP has been giving a Young Scientist prize at the annual awards every year since 2001. During this period the…Read More
- This year 2749 children participated in the Children’s Threatened Species Art Competition. There were 2397 entries and over 100 schools…Read More
- In 2018 STEP celebrated our 40th year of activity with a party at Lane Cove National Park and the publication…Read More
STEP Matters 199
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- It is estimated that there are fewer than 21,000 koalas left in NSW. The population may have reduced by more…Read More
- Australia’s total population grew by 390,000 over the year to 30 June 2018. In August 2018 Australia’s population hit the…Read More
- The Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust has been working for the local community for many years, keeping them informed about local…Read More
- Clean Up Australia was founded 30 years ago by Ian Kiernan. It is sad to hear of his death in…Read More
- In Issue 198 of STEP Matters we described the latest application by the Hills Council through the Gateway Process to…Read More
- Lane Cove National Park will be expanded, albeit marginally, with the addition of 0.6 ha near the river at North…Read More
- We have all been shocked by the mass killing of fish in the Menindee Lakes and other areas in January,…Read More
- Frances O’Brien worked as the Environmental Officer at Wahroonga Waterways Landcare for four years and has written a book about…Read More
- It may not look like a pristine expanse of Amazon rainforest or an African savannah, but the patch of bush…Read More
- We have been alerted to a perplexing situation by a Streamwatch volunteer. Streamwatch was established in 1990 by Sydney Water…Read More
- The participants of John Martyn’s walk in the Watagans on 5 December 2018 were treated to some great views of…Read More
STEP Matters 200
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- The rainforest corridors along the gullies of northern Sydney have been called by many names as ecologists try to describe…Read More
- The Aboriginal heritage of northern Sydney reminds us that these precious environments around us have been valued and nurtured for…Read More
- Our local and regional environment owes so much to its geological heritage. We live in the Sydney Basin, an epicontinental…Read More
- In February 1805 botanist George Caley (sent out by Sir Joseph Banks) made an exploratory trip from Pennant Hills across…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai has a rich environmental history. Some even consider it to be the birthplace of the Australian conservation movement because…Read More
- Walking along hand built stone paths into the bushland property Ahimsa is a step back in time and an inspiration…Read More
- 1956 was my second year out from Sydney Teachers’ College where I trained as a physical education teacher. As a…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is part of a geographic, geologic and eucalyptus sandstone bushland arc that encircles Sydney. This 12,963 hectare…Read More
- The early European history of the area that became Lane Cove National Park could be said to stem from an…Read More
- Sydneysiders are lucky to have several national parks within easy reach of suburbia. Their existence is thanks to a situation…Read More
- On the high ridges north of Sydney Harbour grew a tall, open forest of blue gums, blackbutts and casuarinas with…Read More
- Berowra Valley bushland stretches from south of The Lakes of Cherrybrook to the Hawkesbury River. The valley has a long…Read More
STEP Matters 201
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- Western Sydney University and the University of New England have set up a Citizen Science Project called the Dead Tree…Read More
- STEP has supported the Threatened Species Children’s Art Competition since 2017. The competition has been a great success and has…Read More
- The NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee, established under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, has made a Final Determination to list…Read More
- We are very pleased to announce that the John Martyn Research Grant for 2019 has been awarded to Gabriella Hoban.…Read More
- The final deadline was set at 31 May for submissions on the Hills Council’s applications to the NSW government to…Read More
- The transport sector is Australia’s second fastest growing source of carbon dioxide emissions and yet we still don’t have any…Read More
- The costly problem of ash dieback has been highlighted in New Scientist. This fungal disease caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus was…Read More
- When the USA became serious about WWII they brought about an amazing mobilisation of their entrepreneurial industrial potential. That is…Read More
- Visiting Tasmania at leatherwood flowering time in February was a nice experience apart from the weather. It has a perfumed…Read More
- In May 2019 the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published its global assessment of the state…Read More
- Our walk in Fox Valley on 14 April revealed some surprises. A Powerful Owl was spotted and there were several…Read More
- We welcome Peter Clarke as a new member of the committee. He is well known for his work with Ku-ring-gai…Read More
STEP Matters 202
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- Hornsby Shire Climate Action has set up an online petition calling on Hornsby Council to declare a climate emergency. Declaring…Read More
- From July the management of the Streamwatch program was taken over by the Greater Sydney Landcare Network. This is a…Read More
- NSW Forestry Corp has lodged a proposal to sell off parts of the Cumberland State Forest for housing subdivision. More…Read More
- The Office of Environment and Heritage has alerted the Hills Council to the fact that the presence of Blue Gum…Read More
- Good news! The Land and Environment Court has upheld the decision by the Northern Beaches Council and Sydney North Planning…Read More
- Hornsby Council is undertaking a four-month review at a cost of $70,000 into potential rezoning and acquisition of land in…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is one of the most popular national parks in NSW, with over 3 million visits each year.…Read More
- On 25 May the Friends of Lane Cove National Park put on a special celebration. They were founded in 1994…Read More
- Since the re-election of the Berejiklian government there has been a mixed bag of news in relation to the environment.…Read More
- River red gums, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, are among the most iconic of Australia’s eucalypts. They are the most widely distributed of…Read More
- There is lots of research demonstrating the benefits of trees in urban areas. Not only do they camouflage the grey…Read More
- CSIRO Futures released a report in June on Australia’s future in the next 40 years, called Australian National Outlook 2019…Read More
- This is a great opportunity to do some Christmas shopping. We have decided to reduce the price of our books…Read More
- STEP is supporting the screening of the film 2040 at Roseville Cinema. Booking is essential. We need a minimum of…Read More
STEP Matters 203
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- Members of the Lane Cove Bushland and Conservation Society and the Lane Cove community have been saddened by the death…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council is soon to decide whether to install synthetic turf at Mimosa Oval in Turramurra. Click here for our…Read More
- In the last issue of STEP Matters we reported good news that, in April 2019, the Land and Environment Court…Read More
- There is a parcel of land at the end of Chestnut Road, Mt Colah that has been privately owned for…Read More
- As this is being written in late-August, Sydney is enjoying another near cloudless day. There’s been no rain for weeks…Read More
- The article explains that the Snowy 2.0 project will be a financial disaster and that the project will also cause…Read More
- Lithgow coal miners want job security. Environmentalists want protection for the Gardens of Stone region’s upland swamps, endangered wildlife and…Read More
- National park land At the Nature Conservation Council annual conference Environment and Energy Minister Matt Kean was positive in his…Read More
- In this time when science is our main hope for combating climate change, it was so uplifting to attend the…Read More
- From January 2019 the National Herbarium of NSW has been closed while its collection of plant specimens is relocated from…Read More
- The NSW and federal elections in 2019 had the unfortunate result of leaving us with business as usual. No policy…Read More
- You may be wondering what happened on 12 November, the evening of STEP’s AGM. Owing to temperatures in the 30s,…Read More
STEP Matters 204
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- We have written several times about Mirvac’s proposal to develop the land at 55 Coonara Ave, West Pennant Hills that…Read More
- The local residents living near Mimosa Oval, Turramurra that is part of Rofe Park have been campaigning strongly against Ku-ring-gai…Read More
- Mermaid Pool, a rock pool below Manly Dam was named in the 1930s for the naked girls who used to…Read More
- Australia and the world have been horrified by the devastating bushfires that have been burning along the east coast and…Read More
- In November the results of an aerial survey of feral horse numbers was released. The numbers have increased by more…Read More
- The decline in koala numbers in NSW has been highlighted over many years by environment groups. The major causes have…Read More
- Currently there are several reviews taking place into biodiversity management at the federal level: Senate inquiry into faunal extinction review…Read More
- After a prolonged process of research, impact assessment, economic analysis and discussion with residents the Lord Howe Island Board got…Read More
- At the start of the bushfires right up to December the government refused to talk about the influence of climate…Read More
- While we may stand on a clifftop lookout and gaze in awe at its world-class sandstone scenery, it wasn't the…Read More
- The state and federal governments are unwilling to discuss the issue of Australia’s population growth. The general view is that…Read More
STEP Matters 205
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- Considering that we have had to cancel or postpone our walks and talks we decided it is appropriate to take…Read More
- The Australian Association of Bush regenerators (AABR) is cautioning against rushing in to replant burnt areas. They are advocating a…Read More
- The NSW government is not holding sittings in Macquarie Street but decisions are still being made, with most of them…Read More
- This strategy has taken many months to finalise after extensive consultation was undertaken with interested groups, often with competing interests.…Read More
- Sydney escaped the extreme bushfire experiences of last summer but the heatwaves, strong winds and extremely dry bush conditions could…Read More
- Optimistic, prosperous – a country of rare beauty, blessed with abundant natural resources. Australia has all the ‘golden eggs’ ’needed to…Read More
- China decided two years ago to ban the importof plastics for recycling and several SE Asian countries have limited imports.…Read More
- This article is based on recent visits by John Martyn to two different burnt areas, the Blue Mountains and the…Read More
- Many Australians feel compelled to help our damaged wildlife after this season’s terrible bushfires. Suggested actions have included donating money,…Read More
- NPA NSW has released a new research paper that has found that the claimed benefits of the Snowy 2.0 project…Read More
- We are pleased to announce that the John Martyn Research Grant for 2020 has been awarded to Ruby Paroissien. Ruby…Read More
STEP Matters 206
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- Suspension of old growth forest logging but other logging continues The government has suspended plans for the Natural Resources Commission…Read More
- As feared by the residents of West Pennant Hills and environment groups the NSW government has ignored the more than…Read More
- The process of partially filling in the void that was Hornsby Quarry using spoil from the excavation of the North…Read More
- The Coalition government just does not get it! Scott Morrison has stated in relation to the COVID-19 response that: What…Read More
- Documentary maker Michael Moore’s latest offering, Planet of the Humans, rightly argues that infinite growth on a finite planet is…Read More
- Many of you will know the Empire Marina at Bobbin Head, and if you have young kids or grandkids, buying…Read More
- Love, sex and mate choice are topics that never go out of fashion among humans or, surprisingly, among some Australian…Read More
- Reintroducing protected species into the wild has been near impossible due to predation by cats and foxes unless the site…Read More
- ARENA is the Australian Renewable Energy Agency that is tasked with improving the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies and increase…Read More
STEP Matters 207
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- On 6 May the Sydney North Planning Panel conducted a hearing into Hornsby Council’s DA for the works of Hornsby…Read More
- The Powerful Owl Coalition, of which STEP is a member, presented a submission to a Sydney North Planning Panel on…Read More
- On 14 August some good Hornsby Council decisions were made. Byles Creek Valley Local residents of the Byles Creek Valley…Read More
- An article in the last issue of STEP Matters explained the bad news that the rezoning of the IBM site…Read More
- The EPBC Act that has been in force since 1999 is required to be reviewed every 10 years. The second…Read More
- The NSW Government Architect has released a draft Greener Places Design Guide that is open for comment until 28 August.…Read More
- We are all aware of the impact that the use of 1080 poison has had on the local population of…Read More
- It has been a bad decade for bats. Prior to the emergence of COVID-19, they were already in severe decline…Read More
- Amid the urgent need to slow climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency makes sense. But as Australia’s…Read More
- On Thursday morning 18 June the Friends of Lane Cove National Park held a special celebration at Carter Creek to…Read More
- In April this year an international citizen science bioblitz event was held. Volunteers from all over the world recorded flora…Read More
- A group of researchers from Macquarie University are currently conducting a national online survey that aims to examine people’s connection…Read More
STEP Matters 208
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- Welcome to the annual report on the 42nd year of operation of STEP Inc. Believe it or not, 2020 has…Read More
- The Nature Conservation Council held their annual conference on 31 October via Zoom. There were speeches by Matt Kean, the…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council is currently developing plans for conversion of two existing sporting fields to synthetic turf. Both could have impacts…Read More
- Now our bushfire season has officially started it’s interesting to look at the devastating fires in the western US: still…Read More
- It seems good that the cost to students of environmental degrees has been cut but the direct government funding has…Read More
- Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) is an independent not-for-profit organisation. They work on many fronts to encourage informed public debate about…Read More
- New research shows lyrebirds move more litter and soil than any other digging animal When you think of lyrebirds, what…Read More
- I came across this book through a very positive review in the Weekend Australian. Its author is ecologist Matthew Colloff,…Read More
STEP Matters 209
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- In many areas of Ku-ring-gai people living near bushland have been busy constructing bike tracks for their family and neighbours…Read More
- In the November 2020 newsletter we explained concerns about the proposed change to land clearing regulations that would allow landowners…Read More
- In November 2020 we were alerted by residents of North Turramurra that the Glengarry Girl Guides site was up for…Read More
- The Mirvac development of the old IBM site next to Cumberland State Forest in West Pennant Hills was fast-tracked by…Read More
- The North Connex Tunnel that is a direct link between the Sydney Newcastle Expressway (now called the M1) and the…Read More
- The final report on the review of the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act headed by Prof Graeme…Read More
- There has been much relief that the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has ruled against the expansion of the Dendrobium Mine…Read More
- The NSW government is ploughing ahead with plans to build the Northern Beaches tunnel link at great expense estimated at…Read More
- We previously wrote about the damage the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project will cause to the sensitive environment of the Snowy…Read More
- The Linnean Society of NSW was established in 1874 and is one of Australia’ oldest scientific societies. Their objective is…Read More
- The Clarke Medal is awarded each year for distinguished research in the natural sciences conducted in Australia and its territories.…Read More
STEP Matters 210
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- The Friends of Berowra Valley are sad to report the death of founding chair, Robert ‘Bob’ Salt OAM on Easter…Read More
- We are pleased to announce that the recipient of the John Martyn Research Grant for 2021 is Erin Rogers. She…Read More
- The long-awaited plans for the redevelopment of Hornsby Park and Westleigh Park are now open for submissions until 2 June.…Read More
- In the November 2020 issue of STEP Matters we outlined the current issues with proposals to install synthetic turf on…Read More
- We have just found out about a proposal for an 18-storey office tower to be built on the Eden Gardens…Read More
- Picture this: you’re in your backyard gardening when you get that strange, ominous feeling of being watched. You find a…Read More
- The devastating fires over the Black Summer in the Blue Mountains have produced one remarkable display, the pink flannel flower…Read More
- Arguably there are fewer animals in the world that are feared more than sharks. But the reality is that they…Read More
- Glyphosate, most commonly marketed as Roundup, is extensively used as a herbicide in agricultural areas and bushcarers know how effective…Read More
- It is 20 years since the Grey-headed Flying-fox was listed as a threatened species under NSW and Commonwealth legislation. This…Read More
STEP Matters 211
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- The land that comprises the St Ives Showground, Wildflower Garden and Community Nursery are important areas for conservation as well…Read More
- We haven’t heard much lately about Mirvac’s planned development on the IBM site in West Pennant Hills next to the…Read More
- In our previous newsletter there was a last-minute story about a proposal to build an 18-storey tower at Eden Gardens…Read More
- Early this month the Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment announced that Macquarie Park has been chosen as one…Read More
- In STEP Matters 210 we described the strong community opposition to plans by several councils for the installation of synthetic…Read More
- The Byles Creek Valley Union has been fighting for several years for the valley to be protected from further development.…Read More
- In Issue 191 we wrote about our concerns about the effectiveness of the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme (BOS) to be established…Read More
- The key recommendation of Prof Samuel’s review of the EPBC Act was that the national environmental standards need to be…Read More
- Since 2017 STEP has supported the Threatened Species Children’s Art Competition. The competition was instigated by Forestmedia Network, a non-profit…Read More
- This information has been provided by the Willoughby Environment Protection Association, a member of the Powerful Owl Coalition. WEPA was…Read More
- In the Issue 209 we reported on the community concern about Ku-ring-gai Council’s determination to remove an illegal mountain bike…Read More
- Birdlife Australia’s regular newsletters have a regular series of snippets about well-known birds. Here are some about the Grey Fantail,…Read More
- Staghorn ferns belong to a group of tree-dwelling plants known as epiphytes. Tree canopies are a challenging environment for plants…Read More
STEP Matters 212
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- Earlier this week, NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean claimed he was ‘fortressing’ threatened species from extinction within our national parks…Read More
- The NSW Bushfire Inquiry recognised the need to identify the most important natural and cultural assets in the national park…Read More
- It is interesting to note that there are some local asset of intergenerational significance (AIS) sites protecting an unusual plant,…Read More
- The Morrison government has proposed scrapping recovery plans for almost 200 endangered species and habitats. Recovery plans are documents that…Read More
- In the previous issue of STEP Matters we provided information on what wasn’t happening with the Mirvac development on the…Read More
- The St Ives Showground and Precinct Lands are a complex mix of developed areas with a long history within a…Read More
- My concern is that weeds occur along all land that has been disturbed in otherwise pristine bushland areas. These are…Read More
- Under the Paris climate change agreement the majority of countries have made pledges to get their greenhouse gas emissions down…Read More
- We have all been out and about this spring and have made some new discoveries of orchids, some quite rare…Read More
- Although most of our walks and talks have had to be cancelled there has been lots of activity behind the…Read More
- To help STEP members learn more about the environmental credentials of candidates in Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai we sent them a…Read More
STEP Matters 213
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- Welcome to the annual report on the 43rd year of operation of STEP Inc. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021…Read More
- Much has been written in the press about the stalemate that developed within Ku-ring-gai Council following the ‘election’ of a…Read More
- In the last parliamentary sitting week of the year the Coalition attempted to legislate some major changes to the National…Read More
- Our highly intelligent and loud sulphur-crested cockatoos have developed a new skill, opening wheelie bins in order to raid their…Read More
- The Friends of Lane Cove National Park were planning to hold a celebration this year commemorating 30 years of volunteering…Read More
- It is good to see the Young Scientist Awards being run again this year. The winner of the STEP award…Read More
- NPWS has released a set of documents for consultation on an updated cycling strategy in national parks and reserves. The…Read More
- After 90 hard years of campaigning the NSW government has finally decided to declare some protection for the Gardens of…Read More
- A couple of months ago, I sat in on an Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) event via Zoom for its donors…Read More
- Between July 2003 and January 2017 Greg was Commissioner, Fire and Rescue, NSW. Being a former employee is an advantage…Read More
STEP Matters 214
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- 'What’s in a name?', asked Juliet of Romeo. 'That which we call a rose by any other name would smell…Read More
- There have been several items of news that are making the Warragamba Dam project look increasingly less likely to proceed.…Read More
- As one drives north along the M1 towards Gosford and cross the Hawkesbury River Bridge one has magnificent views of…Read More
- The Wahroonga Estate was acquired by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1898 when the land was just an orchard. The…Read More
- It is ten years since the Powerful Owl Project was initiated under the auspices of Birdlife Australia. This highly successful…Read More
- We have a rival? Well actually no! The Southern Tablelands Ecosystems Park has very similar interests to ours. The Park…Read More
- There are many books dedicated to nature and the environment, most of them good, some very good, but this one…Read More
- I can't quote a price for this book because it was a gift or rather a swap. I met the…Read More
- As one who enjoys long bushwalks and studying nature, having walked as a ‘swaggie’ from Yuleba to Surat along the…Read More
STEP Matters 215
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- The NSW and Australian governments still want a rapid increase in population This will place great pressure on new outer…Read More
- This important discussion paper on population and climate change by Ian Lowe, Jane O’Sullivan and Peter Cook was published in…Read More
- The EPA released the three-yearly State of the Environment Report (SoE) in February. There are some pluses but mostly it…Read More
- The Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) is a voluntary scheme, administered by the Australian government’s Clean Energy Regulator. It aims to…Read More
- Eucalypt Australia holds a competition every year asking people to vote for their favourite out of a short list of…Read More
- There are nearly 20,000 introduced plant species in Australia – roughly the same number as our native species – and while some…Read More
- When we attached tiny, backpack-like tracking devices to five Australian magpies for a pilot study, we didn’t expect to discover…Read More
- Richard Flanagan provides a depressing description of the Tasmanian salmon farming industry in 189 pages. This review looks at environmental…Read More
STEP Matters 216
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- At last we have some good news to report. The country is breathing a sigh of relief following the defeat…Read More
- Australia is losing more biodiversity than any other developed nation. Already this year the charismatic and once abundant gang gang…Read More
- On 10 May 2022 Chantelle Doyle gave our members a presentation on her extensive PhD work on conserving Hibbertia spanantha.…Read More
- Trees play an important role in defining the character of Ku-ring-gai. Council has been going through a process to develop…Read More
- Tradescantia fluminensis, commonly known as wandering trad is one of the worst weeds in Sydney’s bushland and home gardens. This…Read More
- In November 2021 the NSW government announced the creation of the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area. This means this…Read More
- In Issue 211 of STEP Matters we wrote about the review being undertaken by Hornsby Council of the planning controls…Read More
- Dr Holly Parsons and the Powerful Owl team from Birdlife Australia, with financial assistance from a Ku-ring-gai environmental levy grant,…Read More
- In June 2021 NSW introduced a Plastics Action Plan. The most visible action is the plan to reduce harmful plastic…Read More
- In great news for the circular economy, the Thornleigh Community Recycling Centre is now able to accept hard plastics! This…Read More
- As reported in Regenavitus (newsletter of the Friends of Lane Cove NP), the botanical name of the pesky weed known…Read More
STEP Matters 217
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- In our submissions STEP has often highlighted the issue of the disruption to animal behaviour from artificial light spill. Examples…Read More
- Near the end of Quarter Sessions Road in Westleigh there is a large area of land (34 ha) that was…Read More
- We are all aware of trees being chopped down and poisoned in order to facilitate development (subdivision) or views. The…Read More
- Fungi are poorly known. Of the estimated 3 to 8 million species in existence, only about 120,000 species ever have…Read More
- The first State of the Environment (SoE) report for Australia was produced in 1996 by a team led by Prof…Read More
- In August the NSW Environment Minister, James Griffin, announced a project, dubbed the Seabirds to Seascapes project that aims to…Read More
- While Ku-ring-gai Council was in caretaker mode in December 2021, Mayor Cedric Spencer signed the documents giving the go-ahead for…Read More
- WildThings NSW is a local not-for-profit organisation with a goal to promote, protect and enhance urban wildlife and their habitats…Read More
STEP Matters 222
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- Australia’s national parks, botanic gardens, wild places and green spaces are swarming with an invasive pest that is largely flying…Read More
- A group of residents in West Pymble took Ku-ring-gai Council to the Land and Environment Court for a judicial review…Read More
- The synthetic hockey surface was installed about 30 years ago and is now worn out. The Northern Sydney and Beaches…Read More
- There has been much angst expressed at Ku-ring-gai Council forums and meetings about the grandstand project. Sure there is a…Read More
- Typical low maintenance plantings on public land have low diversity, visual appeal and function. Monocultures of strappy plants such as…Read More
- At the August council meeting it was decided to trial the introduction of a new recycling service of items that…Read More
- Prepare to appreciate the world under your feet (well, your feet grounded on the earth, maybe not on a concrete…Read More
- Finally there is the prospect of real action on feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park – please make a submission by…Read More
- This book was of great interest having lived in Perth for 9 years and worked and travelled at length in…Read More
STEP Matters 223
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- Welcome to the annual report on the 45th year of operation of STEP Inc. There is a brighter outlook for…Read More
- Those of you who attended Ian Dunlop's STEP AGM talk on 4 November may have ended up distressed by the…Read More
- At our AGM on 4 November, Ian provided a clear message about the future of the Earth and humankind. He…Read More
- Grayling Reserve is a small area on the corner of Grayling Street and Binalong Street in West Pymble. It covers…Read More
- Our Black Summer fires were closely followed by record rainfall and flooding. We were actually up in the Blue Mountains…Read More
- ‘What an amazing opportunity …’ was a student response overheard during a lunch conversation at the recent biodiversity survey held at…Read More
- Would you like to take part in our citizen science project? STEP is becoming increasingly concerned about the potential impact…Read More
- Two threatened species, the Eastern Pygmy Possum and the Red-crowned Toadlet, are both listed as Vulnerable under the NSW Biodiversity…Read More
- In the previous edition of STEP Matters there was an article about the NSW government’s proposal and consultation on reinstating…Read More
- STEP has given a prize for environmental projects in the Science Teachers Association of NSW Young Scientists Awards for 22…Read More
- The Upper House of the NSW parliament has been conducting an inquiry into how the planning system can be improved…Read More
STEP Matters 224
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- In December, just as we were looking forward to a peaceful holiday break, the NSW government released plans for new…Read More
- Myrtle rust is an invasive species of fungus that threatens plants in the Myrtaceae family. Researchers want to know more…Read More
- According to 2020 data Ku-ring-gai currently has an urban forest canopy cover of 45%. The Urban Forest Strategy is to…Read More
- A planning proposal for the redevelopment of the Lourdes Retirement Village at the end of Stanhope Road in Killara was…Read More
- Domestic cats and dogs pose a serious threat to wildlife because of their natural hunting instincts. With a large number…Read More
- The Ku-ring-gai Bushcare Association (KBA) came up with the idea to run a competition to encourage cat owners to keep…Read More
- This book is delightfully easy to read but not so easy to review in a limited space as it moves…Read More
- Hornsby Council is making good progress on the development of the Hornsby Park and Quarry site with works almost completed…Read More
STEP Matters 220
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- At the time of finalising an article for our last issue of STEP Matters we were still waiting for the…Read More
- In Issues 217 and 219 of STEP Matters there was some information about the proposals for development by Hornsby Council…Read More
- The draft Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park Plan of Management was exhibited for public comment way…Read More
- The Centre for Population, part of federal Treasury, was established in 2019 to improve data collection on how Australia’s population…Read More
- We have been part of Ku-ring-gai Council’s microbat surveys for some time as part of the Pool to Pond program.…Read More
- The Albanese government has passed revisions to the Safeguard Mechanism legislation with the help of the Greens in the Senate.…Read More
- STEP members were sad to hear about the death of Harry Locke in February. Harry and his wife Neroli were…Read More
- One of Australia’s leading climate scientists, Prof Will Steffen, died in January. Steffen has been hailed as a brilliant climate…Read More
- Ever heard of Stockwellia? No? Well actually me neither, till reading this book! Stockwellia quadrifida is a rainforest giant found…Read More
STEP Matters 219
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- The Mirvac development of the former IBM business park at West Pennant Hills is proceeding. In September 2021 the application…Read More
- I have to admit I didn’t know anything about the location of Westleigh until the Westleigh Park Master Plan development…Read More
- Early in 2021 the owner of the Eden Gardens nursery complex on Lane Cove Road in Macquarie Park submitted a…Read More
- In November 2022 the Friends of Lane Cove National Park alerted us to the news that Naamaroo was on the…Read More
- Manly Warringah War Memorial Park Is an area of 375 ha that covers the Manly Dam, its catchment area and…Read More
- In October, at NSW’s Local Government Annual Conference, a motion calling for better protection of wildlife on development sites was…Read More
- In STEP Matters Issue 213 we commented in detail on the new draft NPWS cycling strategy. This is a highly…Read More
- Nothing has been happening with the Warragamba Dam wall raising proposal for some time. The idea was first raised by…Read More
- Victoria has legislated to enable backyard fruit growers who use the wrong netting and those who sell or advertise it,…Read More
- We are still waiting for the review of environment factors for Ku-ring-gai Council’s project to install synthetic turf at Norman…Read More
- As reported in STEP Matters Issue 216 Hornsby Council voted in favour of changing the zoning and other conditions in…Read More
- The Friends of Ku-ring-gai Environment (FOKE) has initiated a fascinating project aiming to gain aspiring georegion status for the Ku-ring-gai…Read More
- The northeastern Sydney Basin is bounded by Sydney Harbour to the south, the Hunter River to the north, the coastline…Read More
- KCNP’s current plan of management is over 20 years old and its review is moving at a glacial pace. In…Read More
- The future of Barrenjoey lighthouse has long been a bone of contention. The submission summary reported that adaptive re-use of…Read More
- In 2018 the Powerful Owl Coalition highlighted the importance of reducing artificial lights near bushland in the publication Protecting Powerful…Read More
STEP Matters 218
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- The owner of Lourdes Retirement Village at the end of Stanhope Road in Killara have been trying for several years…Read More
- The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) has been struggling to cover demand for its services since 2013 when the Federal Government…Read More
- NSW has two million hectares of public native forests along the coast. They are home to diverse wildlife and myriad…Read More
- There is a plethora of international agreements that relate to the protection of the Earth’s biodiversity. The overarching convention is…Read More
- Australian cities are good at growing – for decades their states have relied on it. The need to house more people…Read More
- It's difficult to write a simple review of this book because it works at several different levels. But first of…Read More
- Welcome to the annual report on the 44th year of operation of STEP Inc. Our lives have, in theory, returned…Read More
- STEP has given a prize for environmental projects in the Science Teachers Association of NSW Young Scientists Awards now for…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council has a new way for you to check whether a permit has been granted for trees being removed…Read More
STEP Matters 221
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- The Chief Scientist’s report, Synthetic Turf Study in Public Open Spaces has finally been released but fails to give definitive…Read More
- We congratulate former STEP treasurer and councillor on Ku-ring-gai Council, Anita Andrew, on receiving the W.R. Browne Award for 2023.…Read More
- High net immigration is putting huge pressure on governments to get more housing built. But do we need to do…Read More
- There has been a lot of publicity about the proposed development of an area of land known as Lizard Rock.…Read More
- The local orchid Genoplesium baueri (endangered), also known as Bauer’s Midge Orchid, was added to the IUCN Red List of…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council has recently completed a recreation needs study. The June meeting agreed to put the study out for public…Read More
- Ku-ring-gai Council is developing a masterplan for the St Ives Showground and Precinct that will guide future improvements and define…Read More
- We are pleased to announce that the recipient of this years’ award is Margarita Gil-Fernández for her project entitled Mycorrhizal…Read More
- We have decided to expand our commitment to environmental education, and this year we have awarded our first ad hoc…Read More
- Have you ever wondered about all the little creatures that may visit your garden at night? A wildlife camera has…Read More
- STEP families may be interested in Country Town, a children’s picture book that will be coming out soon. Isolde Martyn…Read More
Government plans to increase housing density are roundly condemned
In December, just as we were looking forward to a peaceful holiday break, the NSW government released plans for new policies aimed at increasing housing density to cater for the massive increase in demand brought about by recent and projected high levels of immigration. We all understand the need to boost housing supply in the right areas to avoid adding to the existing suburban sprawl but the way the government is going about it is totally unacceptable.
The explanatory document, the Explanation of Intended Effects: Changes to Create Low- and Mid-rise Housing (the EIE), makes some grandiose statements. It claims that:
The changes will give NSW households more choice and promote vibrant, sustainable and liveable communities …. Our longer term aim is to enable better planning that is led locally.
This all plain spin.
The reality is that a new planning system is being imposed without opportunities for local input. Council local environment plans (LEPs) and controls will be overridden by ‘non-refusal standards’ determined on a one-size-fits-all basis.
The headline description of the new housing typology is that they will be well-located and well-designed. However, the standards in most of the redevelopments will create housing that leaves only room for a small or medium size tree in a small garden. Existing mature tree canopy will be severely reduced so all the government rhetoric about creating ‘liveable’ communities in the face of climate change will become meaningless. These mature trees and their environmental benefits cannot be replaced.
The EIE applies to the Six Cities Region that covers the Illawarra, Blue Mountains, Sydney and Newcastle and lower Hunter with the exception of dual occupancy provisions that apply to the whole state.
Transport Oriented Development (TOD)
Another announcement was made in December that has potentially drastic implications for the established suburbs of Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville. No consultation with the public is to occur and Ku-ring-gai Council has had limited opportunity to have their say to the Department of Planning. This development standard is to be implemented from 1 April. More detail is further on in this article.
When will this all happen?
First of all the government has to finalise the new State Environment Planning Policy (SEPP) that governs the implementation of the policy. The intended effective date is mid-2024. So time is tight.
The government did invite feedback from the public, councils and stakeholder bodies. This is currently being considered and a response will be published. Whether they will modify the policy to recognise the outpouring of criticism remains to be seen.
The intention is to ‘fast-track’ the new housing plans so it is likely that the problematic complying development process with private certifiers will be used. In 2022 only 48,000 new homes were completed in NSW. The goal of this new policy is to build 75,000 new homes over each of the next 5 years in accordance with the new housing accord agreed between the states and federal governments.
How will it happen?
That is the big question that will determine whether the intended large increase in the number of dwellings does actually occur. It appears that developers will be knocking on doors with generous offers to buy people’s houses. Alternatively landowners will put their place on the market. The take-up response is unknown so the outcome is unpredictable.
The normal process is for councils to be given new housing targets over a wide time frame and they then carry out strategic analysis and community consultation to identify where the increases should occur by rezoning areas for higher density housing development. Controls are defined taking into account local conditions such as existing infrastructure, topography, local character and heritage, biodiversity protection and bushfire risk. They aim to avoid issues like overshadowing and increased stormwater flood risk. This provides certainty for all parties that enabled long-term planning.
Non-refusal standards
This time the state government proposes new ‘non-refusal’ standards – if types of development are compliant with such a standard, they cannot be refused. As these are to be implemented under a SEPP, they can overrule LEPs or Development Control Plans. These standards are outlined in the EIE.
In recent budget estimates hearings the Minister for Planning claimed that councils will retain their powers to control development. Yes okay, but only if the council controls are similar to or more permissive than the non-refusal standards in terms of the housing outcomes. This is obviously unlikely.
The implementation of the EIE is undermining the government’s own existing statutory strategic planning framework that coordinates new housing plans. The government is working on new regional and district plans to be released in 2024 that should inform local council plans. In June 2023 the government abolished the Greater Cities Commission that had the role of determining these plans. This function has been brought back to the Department of Planning. So currently we do not have a holistic plan allocating when and where the increased housing numbers should go together with the associated infrastructure needs.
Higher density standards
There are three types of higher density housing that are to be implemented:
- dual occupancy in R2 (low density) residential areas
- low-rise housing in R2 zones within 800 m of railway stations and local centres
- mid-rise housing in R3 (medium density) zones within 400 m of railway stations and local centres
1. Dual occupancy in all low density (R2) zones in the whole of NSW
This change may have the most significant impact in the character of our cities and towns. Currently many councils do not allow dual occupancy in R2 zones. This includes Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai. If this option is taken up by many landowners then the tree canopy cover of all our suburban areas will reduce significantly.
Under the non-refusal standards, any block that is at least 450 m2 could be converted to dual occupancy. Another house can be added to the existing one on the block or an existing house can be knocked down and replaced with two houses. Larger blocks that are common in northern Sydney of over 900 m2could be sub-divided into two blocks and then two dual occupancies could be built – four houses in all. Currently the local trend is to knock down established houses and replace them with a much bigger single house. Will this trend continue as well?
In either case established tall trees and gardens are being cleared and replaced with smaller trees and hedges that will be of limited value for cooling the environment and providing habitat for wildlife. The EIE prescribes a minimum number of trees be planted depending on the size of the block but they only need to be a small tree (5 to 8 m – bottlebrush size) for a medium size block and medium tree (8 to 12 m – jacaranda size) for a larger block of over 600 m2.
2. Low-rise housing close to local centres
Low-rise housing as defined in the EIE is to be permitted in R2 zones within 800 m of railway stations and local centres (zoned E1). The definition of local centre is up for discussion. It is intended to apply to places with a good range of services such as a full-sized supermarket and restaurants. In our area it would apply to St Ives. It is also intended to apply to centres with good access to public transport. St Ives has poor public transport and frequent traffic congestion.
Low-rise housing will include:
- manor houses – two-storey flat building – can be four or more flats depending on land area
- terraces – row of dwellings
- townhouses or villas – multi dwelling housing
Manor houses
Terrace
The specifications for maximum floor space ratio and minimum site area will mean that the space remaining for gardens and trees will be very limited. The minimum tree canopy target for larger blocks is 30% assuming the trees will reach maturity compared with the current guideline of 40%.
The greater density will increase the need for car access. This means more driveways with less space for street trees.
It appears that sub-division will be encouraged so that the normal sized lot in the northern Sydney area could be sub-divided and replaced with two or three low-rise developments.
3. Mid-rise housing
Mid-rise housing is to be permitted in E1 (local centres) and R3 (medium density) zones within 800 m of railway stations and local centres. This is defined at residential flat buildings or shop-top housing. The maximum height allows for building up to six to seven storeys (maximum height 21 m) within 400 m of the station or town centre and up to four to five storeys (maximum height 16 m) in the 400 to 800 m radius.
Developers can add extra floor space if affordable housing is included. If 10 to 15% of the gross floor area is allocated to affordable housing then the height can be increased by 20 to 30% respectively. This means a six to seven storey building can be increased to eight to nine storeys.
Mid-rise housing
Transport oriented development
Four station areas, Gordon, Killara, Lindfield and Roseville have been identified as places appropriate for Transport Oriented Development (TOD); 31 areas in total have been identified for the TOD in the Six Cities Region. This Imposes mid-rise housing (six to seven storeys) within 400 m of these stations to be applied to all residential areas. Some of these areas already have higher rise development but the majority of areas are low density. Not only that, but 40% of these areas have a concentration of heritage housing.
The minister claims that the non-refusal standards can be avoided if Ku-ring-gai Council does their own strategic assessment and works out planning controls that will enable the new housing numbers to be accommodated before the TOD requirements are implemented. But they come into effect on 1 April and the government advice on the expectation of new dwellings has not been provided.
The government proposals have been roundly condemned
There is a long list of problems with the government’s denser housing proposals. Ku-ring-gai Council’s website contains their lengthy detailed submissions. On 3 February an extraordinary meeting passed a resolution that:
- Condemns the State Government for its irresponsible approach to planning for the future of the built and natural environment in
- Rejects the proposed changes to planning controls and demands that they be withdrawn with genuine consultation to be undertaken with councils and their communities, as intended by the National Housing Accord 2022.
Brief summary of issues
The proposals basically do not conform with the Environment Planning and Assessment Act and the principles of ecologically sustainable development.
Ku-ring-gai Council’s analysis of the higher-density development configurations for mid-rise housing shows do not even conform with the government’s own SEPP 65 Design Quality of Residential Apartment Development.
Government claims that there will continue to be opportunity for genuine merit assessment of developments, taking into account local character, biodiversity and heritage matters are meaningless. As currently announced the two SEPPs will apply a top-down one-size-fits-all approach.
The landscaping and building parameters prescribed in the non-refusal standards are not suitable for established suburbs. The planning system must continue to allow the consideration of issues such as consistency with existing built form, tree canopy targets, topography, bushfire risk with the need for asset protection zones and stormwater management.
As announced, development types will be determined by the developer resulting in a mishmash of housing styles throughout Sydney particularly in the areas near stations and local centres.
The mid-rise development of up to seven storeys near railway stations along the Pacific Highway from Roseville through to Wahroonga is very concerning. This will create a wide strip of development about 1 km wide that will be a barrier for wildlife movement between north to south bushland. The land falls away sharply on the southern side of the highway where the impact of the ridge barrier will be emphasised. These areas retain the seedbank and soils that are essential for the survival of the last remaining areas of remnant critically endangered forests.
Councils must be able to limit the amount of clearing on properties when additional dwellings are added so that mature trees are retained. The blanket dual occupancy approval provisions must not proceed.
The two proposals for ‘transport-oriented development’ and ‘low and mid-rise housing’ together endanger more than 4,000 heritage properties (items and sites within heritage conservation areas).
Help tackle the spread of myrtle rust
Myrtle rust is an invasive species of fungus that threatens plants in the Myrtaceae family. Researchers want to know more about the extent of the problem, and they are asking for public help.
Alyssa Martino, a PhD student at the University of Sydney who is studying myrtle rust infection and leads the iNaturalist Gum Tree Guardians project says reports of myrtle rust will give the team a broader understanding of the extent of the disease.
If you see some myrtle rust please upload photos using the iNaturalist app and provide other information such as the species of the host plant, age of the plant and how much it and other nearby plants are affected.
Calls for stronger tree protection measures
According to 2020 data Ku-ring-gai currently has an urban forest canopy cover of 45%. The Urban Forest Strategy is to increase this to 49% by 2036. However the level of canopy cover is going the wrong way and there is increasing community concern about tree destruction, both legal and illegal.
In recent months there have been some extreme examples of tree destruction in Middle Cove (over 250 trees) and Longueville (about 300 trees and shrubs). There are many examples of trees being removed in order to ‘improve’ views or increase property value as the size of a home rebuild is increased.
There is some dispute about the level of canopy loss. Council’s measures are that 1.4% of canopy has been lost over the two years to 2022. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald quoted data from a study compiled by consultancy group ArborCarbon for the state government and analysed by the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue. This claimed that the Ku-ring-gai had lost 8.2% between 2019 and 2022. The discrepancy is so large that the baseline or methodology needs to be examined.
The article stated that, altogether, Greater Sydney’s tree canopy barely changed; trees covered 21% per cent of the city in 2019 and, in 2022, cover was 21.7%. That’s a long way off from the government’s target of 40% coverage by 2036. That target will totally unachievable if the housing proposals go ahead as announced (see previous article). A large proportion of the increase needs to occur on private land. Only so many trees can be planted along streets and in parks.
Responses by local councils
Several local councils presented motions to the local government conference in November 2023 calling for increases in penalties for tree vandalism and illegal removal. The motion passed called on Local Government NSW to:
- Urgently undertake a review of the legislative regime for tree protection and seek increased penalties and deterrents, including significantly increased fines and community service for the destruction and vandalism of trees in NSW. The review is to include the destruction and vandalism of vegetation in environmentally sensitive areas such as riparian zones, areas of high biodiversity value and foreshore protection areas. The review should identify opportunities to better coordinate tree protection across NSW, along with improved education and awareness around the importance of tree protection to build stronger community support.
- Advocate for effective reform to improve collaboration and coordination in education and enforcement to combat tree vandalism in NSW.
Upper house petition – please sign
The Legislative Assembly of the NSW parliament has put up a petition calling on the government to significantly increase penalties for urban forest tree vandalism. It also calls for the recognition of trees as 'natural assets' in the Integrated Planning and Reporting framework of the Local Government Act.
Click here to sign the petition.
The preamble to the petition explains that councils lack resources for thorough criminal investigations, hindering effective prosecution. Despite the illegality of tree vandalism under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, only 19 cases were prosecuted from 2018 to 2022.
The petition also asks the Legislative Assembly to call on the government to amend the NSW Local Government Act to include trees in councils' asset registers as 'natural assets', allocate a budget for a collaboration of councils to undertake pilot projects to integrate natural capital/asset reporting in balance sheets and develop natural asset data capture and management standards. Recognising trees as 'natural assets' helps us appreciate their true value including their role in combating climate change and preserving biodiversity.
What’s Ku-ring-gai doing?
1. Strengthened tree regulations
Council is now enforcing strengthened tree regulations.
Residents who breach the conditions of their DA or Complying Development Certificate through illegal tree removal, will be required to replace them with a like tree in addition to fines. Residents undertaking works on their land should expect to be monitored and conditions enforced in accordance with their development approval.
2. Illegal Tree Removal Community Forum
Tuesday 26 March, 6 to 8pm
Ku-ring-gai Council Chambers,
818 Pacific Highway, Gordon
This text comes from council’s website.
Council invites all community members and groups to a public forum addressing the critical issue of illegal tree removal in our neighbourhoods. This growing problem threatens our tree canopy - an invaluable community asset we must protect.
We will discuss the challenges faced in curbing the threat, as well as potential solutions. Most importantly, we seek to hear from you - the community - regarding your insights into the problems and opportunities before us. What actions can we take together to protect our trees and urban forest?
The session will concentrate on three crucial aspects:
- the primary obstacles in sustaining and enhancing our tree canopy
- compliance and regulation – measures that can be taken to prevent or remedy tree removal
- education – discouraging people from wanting to remove trees
By registering now, you can share your views in advance of the forum. This will aid in guiding the forum discussion by addressing questions on the above topics in the registration form.
This is a call to all who care about saving our trees to get involved. Join the forum and make your voice heard in developing community-driven strategies to turn the tide on illegal tree loss in Ku-ring-gai.
3. TreeCare
A group of concerned citizens has been working with some of the councillors and staff on ways to ensure that our iconic trees are cared for. The plan is to set up a TreeCare group that will install protection measures such as and information signs around significant trees on public land. The angophora at the edge of the car park at the St Ives Showground has been suggested as the first site.
4. Tree Watch
A new community action group has been formed called the Voices of Ku-ring-gai with goals of lifting the standard of integrity, environmental protection, transparency, accountability, and community-mindedness of Ku-ring-gai Council.
One of their first initiatives is to set up a scheme called Tree Watch. Community members who opt into Tree Watch can download a poster for their community notice board or place a plaque on their fence or gate. This alerts the neighbourhood to the fact that the person who lives there places a high value on the precious and sensitive ecosystem in the neighbourhood.
The group will share information about tree losses and how to report to council if someone spots tree loppers in action and council’s website shows that the tree removal has not been approved. However, their main objective is to educate the community about the benefits provided by maintaining our tree canopy.
Lourdes development application is refused
A planning proposal for the redevelopment of the Lourdes Retirement Village at the end of Stanhope Road in Killara was first submitted in February 2018. The proposal was to rezone the site from R2 low density to R3 medium density residential. The proponent also sought to amend the usual R3 maximum building heights to heights ranging from 9.5 to 22 m; and amend the maximum FSR from 0.3:1 to 0.75:1 under Ku-ring-gai LEP 2015.
The key objective of the planning proposal was to facilitate the redevelopment of the site to increase the number of dwellings for seniors housing and make improvements to the current facilities that are very rundown.
Ku-ring-gai Council refused the application mainly on the grounds of bushfire risk and its inappropriate location for the planned expansion of seniors housing including a building six to seven stories. Therefore the application had to go through the Sydney North Planning Panel (SNPP).
The proposal was reviewed by the SNPP and progressed into the gateway determination process in November 2018. The Department of Planning then engaged in discussions with the proponent, Levande, aimed at addressing some of the concerns about the project. In May 2022 the department made a gateway determination that the planning proposal could proceed to the development application stage subject to a long list of required amendments and consultation with authorities and public exhibition. These were to be submitted to the department for review and endorsement prior to public exhibition in September 2022. Finally, prior to the final panel hearing, further amendments were made including a change to zoning of the site to include a strip of C2 land (environment conservation) and updates on reports.
Throughout this prolonged process Ku-ring-gai Council has pointed out shortcomings in the plans particularly in relation to bushfire risk. They disagreed with the consultant’s statements that the site has low fire risk and that satisfactory protection measures can be engineered during the detailed DA stage.
These statements were effectively endorsed by the RFS without any independent review. The RFS did not explain the basis for their support and did not object to the plans stating that issues could be sorted out in the DA stage.
The protection measures involved the construction of townhouses that would act as a special fire protection facility. In other words, a buffer protecting the high rise part of the site that would be an aged-care facility. However, the purchasers of these townhouses could have the same dependency and accessibility issues as the residents of the aged-care component of the site.
The final SNPP hearing occurred in December. Many residents of Lourdes and members of community groups including FOKE and STEP presented to the hearing. Ku-ring-gai Council made a detailed presentation criticising the bushfire reports and many other aspects of the project plans and consultants’ reports.
We were all relieved when the panel decided to reject the proposal unanimously and requested that the previous decision to agree to the gateway determination to amend the LEP no longer proceed.
The SNPP reason for their decision was primarily that the solution for bushfire risk was not appropriate. They did acknowledge that the site provided desirable facilities and needed to be upgraded and made some suggestions of alterations that could improve the planning outcome.
This is not the absolute end to the proposal. The minister makes the final decision about what happens next.
Domestic cats and dogs pose a serious threat to wildlife
Domestic cats and dogs pose a serious threat to wildlife because of their natural hunting instincts. With a large number of unowned (stray and feral) and free-roaming cats and dogs, it’s important to manage domestic pets to minimise the damage that can be done to other, more vulnerable species.
It’s difficult to estimate the impact domestic cats have on wildlife, however studies suggest a suburban domestic cat can kill and bring home anywhere from 5 to 30 native and non-native animals each year.
Pet owners should:
- keep cats inside, even if it’s just at night when native animals are most active
- keep dogs inside at night, or confined to a secure space on the property
- provide a safe environment for wildlife in their garden and encourage a wildlife-friendly backyard
- identify pets with a collar, tag or microchip
- add collar bells for cats
- de-sex their pets
If a pet brings in an animal, if possible take it straight to a vet. The saliva of dogs and especially cats, contains bacteria that is toxic to wildlife. It is known amongst WIRES carers and rescuers that animals bitten by a cat or a dog have a small window (usually a few hours) where antibiotics must be administered, or the animal is unlikely to make it.
Lizards such as Blue-tongues often reside in backyards and can have around 15 gardens within their territory. It is likely the lizard has lived in the area for some time and is adept at avoiding hazards such as cats and dogs. However the rescue office receives a large number of calls for Blue-tongued Lizards who have sustained injuries such as puncture wounds or broken backs from domestic animal attacks.
This article has been contributed by Andrew Little. It is a transcript of presenter notes by Jess Styan, WIRES Rescue and Care of Wildlife on the North Shore, as part of WildThings NSW Forum on Sunday 15 October 2023.
Initiative to keep cats safe at home
The Ku-ring-gai Bushcare Association (KBA) came up with the idea to run a competition to encourage cat owners to keep their cats inside and protect wildlife. Residents were provided with information about the risks to wildlife and cats if they are allowed to roam outside. They were invited to submit photos of their cat safely inside and have a chance to win a $500 voucher to install cat enclosures for their pets. Over 130 entries were submitted so it was a difficult task to select the winners.
The competition was funded through an Environmental Levy Grant and was a partnership between Ku-ring-gai Council, Catnets and KBA.
The KBA was established in 1994 to represent bushcare, streetcare and parkcare volunteers at Ku-ring-gai Council. The KBA committee meets monthly with council to provide input into native vegetation management issues and assist with organisation of activities such as convenor forums.
Book review: What the trees see: A wander through millennia of natural history in Australia
This book is delightfully easy to read but not so easy to review in a limited space as it moves widely from topic to topic despite being embraced by a common theme, being Australia’s incredibly diverse tree flora and the human interaction and exploitation both pre- and post-European occupation.
An early chapter captured and intrigued me right away because we lived in Perth for nine years, and he writes through the eyes of a First Nations woman as she traversed Perth's original landscape with its native trees, now changed largely beyond recognition. But the portion of that chapter that deals with Rottnest Island was an eye opener for us who visited the island regularly and actually had our honeymoon there. The brutal incarceration of Aboriginal prisoners and the gradual destruction and thinning of the native flora meant that what we saw on visiting bore little resemblance to its original state.
One chapter features the Leichhardt Tree Nauclea orientalis, a member of Rubiaceae or the coffee family. The so-named tree in Mackay is probably 200 years old and has survived incredible danger and destructive forces like tropical cyclones, has lost all its neighbouring companion flora, but has survived the destructive fate of so many native trees. So-named because it was encountered and recorded by explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, the author highlights its cosmopolitan distribution in the south-west Pacific and its recognition by Melanesian islanders of the Kanaka slave trade as a reminder of home. But of course it was also part of the largely lost native flora of the Yuwibara First Nations inhabitants of the Mackay region and part of its rich history.
The previous paragraph was a brief 10 pages, illuminating and dense with information, but numerous other chapters follow comparable themes with diverse species and settings. For example, having worked inland and encountered isolated palm groves – oases in the middle of nowhere – I was fascinated to learn of the possibility that these had been brought south by First Nations travellers from closely related tropical palm groves, and had only modestly diversified and evolved to fit their new homes.
He touches a number of times on the huge diversity of eucalypt species, highlighting Dean Nicolle’s Currency Creek ‘tree museum’ in South Australia. He intertwines this with Murray Bail’s Eucalyptus novel, a story in the vein of that country and western song Wolverton Mountain. Coming from Britain which has only 15 or 20 truly native tree species, you can spend a lifetime learning only a small fraction of what Australia has to offer even if you never get beyond the eucalypts.
What author Dave Witty’s professional qualifications are or what he does for a living when he’s not writing books or articles never came clear (he has been awarded a Nature Conservancy nature conservation prize and has published articles in Meanjin and Griffith Review among other journals). But it’s made clear he grew up in Britain and migrated here, and had a long standing relationship that failed after 12 years. The latter arose as an uncomfortable backdrop on several occasions in the book though it did tend to soften and humanise it, and it was good to learn he subsequently met and married a new partner and they have a young daughter.
Dave Witty, Monash University Publishing (2023) 284 pp (reviewed by John Martyn)
Can you suggest a name for the new park at the Hornsby Quarry?
Hornsby Council is making good progress on the development of the Hornsby Park and Quarry site with works almost completed on the landform of the roads, pathways and stabilisation of the surrounding walls and slopes. A lot of new planting will be required. They hope to complete the park by the end of 2024.
Council is currently going through a process of deciding a name for the new park. This involves consultation with focus groups, indigenous groups and the broader community. It will be a long process even before a proposal goes to the Geographical Names Board.
Council is looking for a name that reflects the history and also gives a sense of the future direction of the place. There are many historical elements at the site, such as the quarry (geological), Higgins Family cemetery (heritage) and the Crusher Plant (industrial) as well as the aboriginal custodianship and rare Blue Gum Diatreme Forest. Send suggestions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Annual report 2023
Welcome to the annual report on the 45th year of operation of STEP Inc. There is a brighter outlook for the environment in 2023 following the election of the Minns Labor government. But we have to be vigilant in advocating for stronger action.
The report on the NSW Review of the Biodiversity Conservation Act was scathing about the loss of biodiversity over the past
5 years that was supposed to be conserved under this Act. Strong action is required in implementing the recommendations. The same applies at the federal level as we await release of the revision of the EPBC Act.
A change of attitude towards coal and gas mining, native forestry and land clearing is vital for progress on climate change and loss of biodiversity.
Activities
Talks
Our post AGM talk in 2022 was given by Professor Michelle Leishman on creating resilient urban green spaces in the face of climate change.
So far in 2023 we have held talks on the aboriginal heritage of the Ku-ring-gai GeoRegion, Powerful Owls and the future approaches to bushland management in Hornsby Shire. We will be hearing about Ku-ring-gai bushland management in a talk by Jacob Sife on 25 November.
Walks
We scheduled 7 walks that featured national parks and the variety of vegetation that is a feature of northern Sydney bushland. John Martyn also introduced us to new reserves in outer Sydney; well worth a visit. With the period of hot weather lengthening we are reluctant to schedule walks during the November to February period. We thank our volunteer leaders, David Roberts, John Martyn, Helen Logie and Mark Schuster who shared their local knowledge and Beverley Gwatkin who has organised these walks.
Publications
We are still offering a year’s free membership to anyone who buys a book or map. Sales of our maps is still strong and there is a steady demand for our books.
We printed an updated version of the Middle Harbour North map. There is still a demand for paper maps that give a big picture for planning of potential walk itineraries.
Committee
The STEP committee has, as always, been a great group of people to work with. We owe a huge thank you for all their efforts.
We thank Jim Wells for keeping track of our finances and compiling monthly finance reports. Trish Lynch continues to keep Facebook up to date and find news of local activities and wildlife discoveries. We have closed down our Twitter account because the decline in its popularity. John Burke did a great job of highlighting environmental issues while Twitter was a strong source of commentary.
There have been several issues to review this year, often this is in association with other groups such as the Natural Turf Alliance. The committee members work well together in organising activities, responding to questions from the public and, writing submissions.
Newsletter
We are continuing to publish five issues of the newsletter each year. We have ceased providing hard copies of STEP Matters with members receiving a pdf version via email. Links to individual topics are also included in the email and are on our website so anyone can pick out particular articles of interest. These articles also have links to previous articles on related topics and all our past newsletters are on our website.
While the newsletter concentrates on local issues and events we also cover broader national environmental issues that affect us all. We aim to be educational but not too technical. I hope they are of interest, but feedback is welcome. Also, contributions from members about local events and developments can be published in the newsletter or on Facebook. If you have read a book that you think will be of particular interest to our members, please send us a review.
Accounts
The net cash balance at the end of the financial year reduced compared to last year because we awarded three research grants (see more detail below).
The Environment Protection Fund (EPF) balance is on-hold in case a major issue arises. We need to maintain this separate fund that is part of our deductible donation status. The fund’s purpose is to support our environmental objectives. We received a total of $365 in donations in the past financial year.
Our general fund can be used to support educational projects as well as the EPF. We are keen to support more environmental projects so please contact us if you have any ideas.
Again we thank Allan Donald, chartered accountant for his completion of the audit on a pro bono basis.
Education and research grants
The John Martyn Research Grant supports student research in an area relating to the conservation of bushland. The grant for 2023 was awarded to Margarita Gil-Fernandez to support her research on anthropogenic disturbance and its impact on mycorrhizal fungal diversity.
STEP will also award an ad hoc research grant for worthwhile projects. Vanessa McPherson and Michael Gillings gave a talk to members last year about their research into coral fungi that has ramifications for improving strategies for bushland restoration. We awarded a grant to Vanessa that will help progress her research.
For many years STEP has been donating a prize in the Young Scientist Awards run by the NSW Science Teachers Association. The selection of a winning project out of a wide range of ecological issues is an interesting exercise. We are still judging this year’s entries with help from Syd Smith and Gaye Braiding.
Advocacy
Synthetic turf and the Westleigh Park development with its extensive ‘unsanctioned’ mountain bike trails in endangered turpentine forest were again our main areas of attention. It is concerning that the current government sports grant system is facilitating the installation of synthetic turf instead of improving natural grass with the result that the field is effectively no longer a space for community use and other sports. The Chief Scientist’s report on synthetic turf highlighted the environmental harm and potential risks health from the use of this product. STEP, as part of the Natural Turf Alliance, is calling for a moratorium on its installation and awarding of grants until guidelines are issued by the NSW government and further research can be carried out.
There were many issues with the approval process carried out by Ku-ring-gai Council in relation to the synthetic turf at Norman Griffiths Oval but its installation is proceeding.
We made submissions on the major Hornsby Council development plans at the quarry and Westleigh that currently do not provide protection for this high quality bushland.
Submissions were made on some Ku-ring-gai Council plans of management and the Urban Forest Strategy.
The Mirvac development at West Pennant Hills continues to need scrutiny and submissions. There are still concerns about excessive development plans at North Turramurra Recreation Area, Lourdes and Eden Gardens that have not been resolved.
Conclusion
A community group like STEP works best with many lines of communication. We enjoy a good relationship with other community groups and local council staff. Information sharing is an important part of our work. To that end we appreciate feedback from our members and reports on local issues that we may not be aware of. It is becoming harder to keep track of local developments as the local newspapers have shrunk considerably.
Jill Green, President
29 October 2023
Book review: Humanity’s Moment: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope
Those of you who attended Ian Dunlop's STEP AGM talk on 4 November may have ended up distressed by the implications for the future from human-induced climate change, and frustrated by the slow progress of political action. As such you may not want to read any more bad news having also had more than enough from the current global scene. But I’m still strongly recommending this book, for quite a variety of reasons.
We’ve all heard of the IPCC, and maybe also read or heard the climate-sceptic’s nonsense: that it’s just a bunch of academics in ivory towers massaging dodgy data on screens to predict disasters that will probably never happen. Well Joëlle Gergis is a fully fledged climate scientist, an academic currently linked to ANU, who's a true insider on IPCC reporting, and her story is telling, compelling and very personal. In various contexts she highlights the intense scrutiny and work, often at night and into the early hours and mostly unpaid, by the thousands of scientists from all over our besieged planet. If there is any better evaluation of this ground-breaking global organisation I’ve yet to come across it.
But there’s much more to this book because it’s a personal journey by somebody who’s professional, dedicated and almost obsessive in her devotion to her science and its message. The implications of hers and the IPCC’s work have left her depressed and almost suicidal at times but she soldiers on under a worsening climate and its disasters. In this respect, the content of the book may seem repetitive at times but I never wanted to put it down. I can think of many public figures for whom it should be compulsory reading. But it does end on a hopeful note, that the means of fixing things are widely available, and work is in progress on many fronts.
Joëlle Gergis, Black Inc (2022) 325 pp (reviewed by John Martyn)
Talk by Ian Dunlop – what kind of world do we want?
At our AGM on 4 November, Ian provided a clear message about the future of the Earth and humankind. He summed up with a quotation from a statement made in 2021 by Sir David King, former UK Chief Scientist:
What we do over the next three to five years will determine the future of humanity.
The talk was about global warming. It was also about the urgent need to change the paradigm of growth and capitalism that underpins our economic systems.
Firstly, here is some background to his arguments.
Club of Rome – limits to growth
Fifty years ago, the Club of Rome created a computer model that projected trends in the variables that define human society: population, food production, industrial output, pollution and use of non-renewable resources.
At the time all these variables were increasing and were assumed to continue to grow exponentially while the ability of technology to increase the efficiency of use of finite natural resources grew only linearly.
The model predicted that the continuation of these trends would lead to a limit in the second half of this century. The most probable result will be a sudden and uncontrolled decline in population and ecosystems with flow on effects on industrial capacity and the supply of our basic needs.
Many studies have shown that the trends predicted are proving to be realistic. The limit of available non-renewable resources is being reached which will affect our capacity to continue our current lifestyle. Our civilisation only works if it grows, but that growth is now destroying the resources that maintain the civilisation.
The most obvious limit – our climate
The recent extreme weather experience in many locations around the world and the reports from the scientific experts highlight that we are getting close to a situation where temperature increases will exceed the ideal set in the Paris Agreement of 1.5°C and the fall-back position of 2°C is becoming harder to achieve.
We are already reaching tipping points, namely changes in the Earth’s systems that will be impossible to reverse, such as melting of the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets and boreal permafrost. Once these changes are set in train the trend of temperature increases and sea level rise will be even harder to reverse.
The climate system has a strong level of inertia so any response to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will take several years to have any effect on temperature levels.
If emission levels are not reduced urgently to zero, not just net zero, we are on a path to temperature increases of 3°C or even 5°C that will make human life on our planet unliveable for most people. Zero emissions is required to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere that is the driving force behind climate change.
How can we turn around these frightening prospects?
There is a lot of optimism expressed about the ability of technology to slow down emissions. But implementation of these technologies is too slow. Forget about the conflict that we are experiencing. These security threats and the need to build up military capacity are less urgent. What we need is radical change in the economic system. Is this possible?
Ian Dunlop is a member of the think tank called Earth4All that focuses on systemic change for global well-being. They are presenting two scenarios:
- Too little too late – what if we continue on our current destructive path?
- Giant leap – what if we achieve the fastest transformation in history?
Earth4All has gathered leading thinkers to advice on the economic ideas that show the most promise to unite societies and bring long-term prosperity to the majority. The current trend of an increasing gap between rich and poor has to change. Instability will be the outcome if the poor have to bear the brunt of impacts from climate change.
There are five core changes that are needed:
- poverty – more government planning and less market influence in economic development
- inequality – transfers from the few rich to the many poor
- empowerment – education, health, contraception, and opportunity to all women
- food – regenerative agriculture, higher efficiency, fairer distribution
- energy – shift from fossil fuels to renewables, higher efficiency, carbon capture and storage
Forces working against change
The free market will not solve the problems. However, what the world needs is not profitable from the investor perspective using conventional criteria.
Existing jobs are threatened – we need to move from jobs creating emissions and using natural resources to jobs restoring nature and re-using materials
Government measures will not be popular. These will entail such measures as higher taxes and more regulation.
Ian Dunlop suggests that the disparity in wealth means that the richest 10% could pay to make these changes happen.
Change remains possible and solutions exist if we choose to take them. Cooperation, not conflict, is the essential ingredient.
Communities must speak out loudly, bluntly and frequently about the urgency for change.
Ian Dunlop has been a writer and activist on climate change for about 50 years and he is chair of the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group.
Build-and-ride scheme at Grayling Reserve – a difficult balance
Grayling Reserve is a small area on the corner of Grayling Street and Binalong Street in West Pymble. It covers an area of about 1,300 m2. There is a creek on one side plus a narrow strip of bushland. Two sides are bounded by houses and the fourth side is a narrow entrance from Grayling Street. The remainder is a grassed area with a few saplings. Visibility of the grassed area is screened by the bushland.
In the bushland there are several large Blackbutt trees with hollows that are likely to be over 100 years old. These trees are increasingly rare in Ku-ring-gai and need special protection. There is one Blackbutt that would have a girth of about 5 m at the Grayling Street entrance. There is also a Lomatia myricoides (River Lomatia) and some Allocasuarina torulosa which are quite unusual in West Pymble.
The major part of the reserve is classified as critically endangered Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest on council mapping. The reserve is also an essential wildlife corridor.
The trees in the reserve used to be roosting sites for Powerful Owls, Boobook Owls and Tawny Frogmouths. Gliders have also been seen in the past and there are markings on the trees from their activity. The neighbours have advised that they have not seen this wildlife since the bike park disturbance occurred.
During COVID, in 2021, the locals started building bike jumps and paths in the cleared area of the park. This area is only small, about 900 m2. Even though this construction was unauthorised, council recognised the demand for this sort of informal facility. The building is an integral part of the fun as well as the bike riding.
After some consultation with the neighbours and an environmental assessment, in May 2023, council decided to trial making the bike park official and provided some dirt and tools to assist with building jumps.
Signs were erected advising the conditions of the trial, for example:
Do not dig, use the materials provided
Tread lightly, don’t harm bushland or plants
Keep the site clear of rubbish
However, by July there were reports from neighbours of anti-social behaviour with older children harassing the younger ones, night time disturbance and dangerous riding in nearby streets. Trees were being damaged, some small Callicomas chopped down and dirt piled up against the Blackbutt at the entrance. Water was being taken from neighbouring properties. Creek crossings were being created interrupting the flow of the creek.
In response council placed temporary signs with stronger warnings in several locations around the site, for example:
Do not harm trees or plants or this track will be closed
Damage continued and the signs were pulled down so council closed the site and undertook a survey of the local community.
This site is not suitable for a bike park
STEP’s submission argued that this area should be a reserve, that is a quiet space for passive enjoyment for visitors and habitat for wildlife; not a highly disturbed play area. The area is not visible from the street and is too small to be a useful bike park.
In September council responded to the consultation feedback by deciding to close the build-and-ride park trial, saying the reasons were the various environmental and social issues. The announcement noted that signposted conditions of use had been repeatedly broken by users. Details are here: .
The West Pymble Facebook page erupted with comments expressing outrage at the removal of a valued facility. It seems the value had been abused. However there is a strong interest in the concept of a build-and-ride site.
Often it is the build aspect that is the most popular – sand pits for bigger kids? Council is looking for suggestions from the public of sites suitable for trials of the build-and-ride concept.
Fires and floods
Our Black Summer fires were closely followed by record rainfall and flooding. We were actually up in the Blue Mountains for a week in February 2020 when it virtually poured every day, accumulating more than 500 mm. Soil on steep slopes was either winnowed or swept away along with a mind boggling volume of charred debris. But outcomes from such a scenario can be even worse in a safety sense, as described in an article from The Atlantic Weekly (first published on 1 November in High Country News). I’ve reproduced a couple of paragraphs below.
Two Septembers ago, the residents of Grotto, Washington, woke to the Bolt Creek Fire ripping through the mountains above their homes … No one was hurt, and no houses burned. But now, wildfire survivors in Washington now face a new threat: debris flows. Wildfires can lessen the soil’s ability to absorb water, so when thunderstorms, rapid snowmelt, atmospheric rivers, or rain falling on snow occur in a burned area, that can create a roaring earthen river. Debris flows can move quickly — 30 mph or more — sliding from the uplands to the valley floor in a matter of minutes.
Debris flows are more dangerous than mudslides and slower-moving landslides: They can sweep away boulders, trees, and cars, and threaten everything in their path, including roads and homes and the people who live in them. Last year, in Washington’s Okanogan County, two residents were rescued from their home after earth flowed through a burn scar. Another flow destroyed a cabin and sent a foot of water and mud into at least 30 structures. And in 2018, 23 people were killed when heavy rains triggered a debris flow in the burn scar of Southern California’s Thomas Fire.
John Martyn came across this article in Apple News that’s very relevant for fires in our mountainous districts.
Biodiversity camp – Muogamarra Nature Reserve
‘What an amazing opportunity …’ was a student response overheard during a lunch conversation at the recent biodiversity survey held at Muogamarra Nature Reserve on 1 November 2023. Now in its second year, the biodiversity camp coordinated by Gibberagong Environmental Education Centre (GEEC) and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service provides an opportunity for students to learn about their local environment, fauna, wildlife survey techniques and careers in the environmental field.
GEEC staff, teachers and students were overjoyed by the support offered by our local community-based environmental organisation, STEP. STEP so willingly offered a grant to help financially support this important project. With living costs at a high, the grant provided by STEP helped us subsidise the cost of the experience to students, purchase ten pairs of binoculars and help pay for secondary teachers to attend.
Year 10 students from Ku-ring-gai HS and Turramurra HS were invited to apply for this opportunity. Upon meeting these students in the morning, one could immediately pick up on the passion and interest of these young people.
It was most disappointing for all involved to learn of a total fire ban on the Tuesday. This meant that all tracks were closed and our extensively planned overnight biodiversity camp could not run in the original format. Unfortunately, we could not do the overnight component. Due to the challenges in coordinating such events, were very lucky to proceed with a full day event on the Wednesday.
There was a silver lining in running a modified program. As we travelled into Muogamarra early in the morning we spotted two families of Glossy Black-Cockatoos. This was an amazing experience and opportunity for our students to observe this beautiful species feeding early in the morning on specific feed trees. It also provided our resident Glossy Black-Cockatoo expert and NPWS Chase Alive Volunteer, Barbara Hamilton with the opportunity to collect valuable observational data on these birds.
During the morning, the students were very fortunate to listen to two expert presentations. The first presentation was delivered by Kathy Potter from the Frog and Tadpole Study Group (FATS). Kathy so generously shared her expertise on local frog species, identification, habitats and how we can encourage frogs into our urban landscape.
This was then followed by an excellent presentation by Barbara Hamilton, Chase Alive Volunteer and local bird expert. Barbara spoke taught the students about local bird identification, evolutionary history of birds, bird distribution and how to attract a variety of birds to our home environments.
Armed with our fantastic binoculars, funded fully by STEP, we were set to conduct our survey walks. We listened and looked for all animals, especially birds. The students also collected the wildlife cameras that were set-up in the weeks prior to the survey.
Unfortunately, we did observe a European Red Fox on the wildlife camera. This will be provided to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for future management of the site.
Despite the limitations on the surveys, we did manage to identify over twenty species of animals during the survey. This information will be provided back to NPWS. Ideally, we would like to have completed more surveys during the evening and very early morning.
The major benefit of this fieldwork is the seed that has been sown in our next generation. The students were overwhelming enthusiastic about learning about our local environments, especially our fauna. They felt more connected to their local environment and have left with not only more knowledge about fauna, habitats, and survey techniques. Most importantly, the students left with an even deeper passion and love for our natural environment. So much so, they are going to do follow-up fauna surveys at their own schools as well as present their learnings to their broader school community.
Gibberagong EEC would like to express our deepest gratitude to all involved – teachers and students, STEP, NPWS, Kathy and David Potter (FATS), Barbara Hamilton (Chase Alive) and Gibberagong staff.
Brad Crossman, Teacher, Gibberagong Environmental Education Centre
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Spanish moss
Would you like to take part in our citizen science project?
STEP is becoming increasingly concerned about the potential impact of the introduced Spanish moss on our bushland and so we are trying to establish where it is and on what trees it is growing.
How you can help
Please send details of any Spanish moss you see growing on trees to Robin Buchanan (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Ideally:
- send a geotagged photo (you may have to enable location) OR details of the location (e.g. street, park, suburb); and
- if known, the name of the host tree (common name is fine)
Fire management guidelines: Eastern Pygmy Possum and Red-crowned Toadlet
Two threatened species, the Eastern Pygmy Possum and the Red-crowned Toadlet, are both listed as Vulnerable under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and could be termed a ‘flagship’ species for biodiversity in Ku-ring-gai.
In the next few years some hazard reduction burns are planned in bushland which contains existing populations of both these species. As a result Mark Schuster (Ku-ring-gai Council’s Bushfire Technical Officer) has written two very detailed fire management guidelines to help maintain both habitat and viable populations when planning and implementing burns.
The Eastern Pygmy Possum is a small nocturnal marsupial, and in Ku-ring-gai its preferred habitat is either woodland or heath as it is highly dependent on flowering banksia species – particularly Banksia ericifolia.
The Red-crowned Toadlet is a small, distinctive frog found around temporary creeks and soaks in sandstone habitats in woodland, heathland and dry sclerophyll forest.
Click below to download the fire management guidelines for:
Good news on effective control of feral horse numbers
In the previous edition of STEP Matters there was an article about the NSW government’s proposal and consultation on reinstating aerial culling of feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park. In October there was the pleasing announcement that the ridiculous decades-old ban on aerial shooting of feral horses is to be repealed. The latest government survey of horse numbers has actually shown a small decrease of about 7%. There is a long way to go to get down to the target of about 3,000 from the current estimate of about 17,000 horses.
This decision throws a lifeline to more than 30 endangered species that call the Australian Alps home, including the southern corroboree frog and mountain pygmy possum. Our park rangers can now finally get on with the task of removing thousands of feral horses from our fragile alpine environments – before the mountains and rivers are trampled beyond repair.
Young Scientist Awards 2023
STEP has given a prize for environmental projects in the Science Teachers Association of NSW Young Scientists Awards for 22 years.
This year more than 800 students submitted projects, and STEP’s winner is Isabel Fisher from Roseville College. Her project investigated the effects that the presence of a mycorrhizal (fungal) network has on seed germination and growth for Acacia linifolia and Acacia ulcifolia.
The project showed that the fungal network had a positive impact. This finding could have a direct relevance to local bush regeneration methods.