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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 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
The feral flying under the radar: why we need to rethink European honeybees
Australia’s national parks, botanic gardens, wild places and green spaces are swarming with an invasive pest that is largely flying under the radar. This is yet another form of livestock, escaped from captivity and left to roam free.
Contrary to popular opinion, in Australia, feral colonies of the invasive European honeybee (Apis mellifera) are not 'wild', threatened with extinction or 'good' for the Australian environment. The truth is feral honeybees compete with native animals for food and habitat, disrupt native pollination systems and pose a serious biosecurity threat to our honey and pollination industries.
As ecologists working across Australia, we are acutely aware of the damage being done by invasive species. There is rarely a simple, single solution. But we need to move feral bees out of the 'too hard' basket.
The arrival and spread of the parasitic VarroaVarroa mite in New South Wales threatens to decimate honeybee colonies. So now is the time to rethink our relationship with the beloved European honeybee and target the ferals.
What makes a hive feral?
European honeybees turn feral when a managed hive produces a 'swarm'. This is a mass of bees that leaves the hive seeking a new nest. The swarm ultimately settles, either in a natural hollow or artificial structure such as a nesting box.
With up to 150 hives per square kilometre, Australia has among the highest feral honey bee densities in the world. In NSW, feral honeybees are listed as a 'key threatening process', but they lack such recognition elsewhere.
Feral honeybees have successfully invaded most land-based ecosystems across Australia, including woodlands, rainforests, mangrove-salt marsh, alpine and arid ecosystems.
They can efficiently harvest large volumes of nectar and pollen from native plants that would otherwise provide food for native animals, including birds, mammals and flower-visiting insects such as native bees. Their foraging activities alter seed production and reduce the genetic diversity of native plants while also pollinating weeds.
Unfortunately, feral honeybees are now the most common visitors to many native flowering plants.
Are feral bees useful in agriculture?
Feral honeybees can pollinate crops. But they compete with managed hives for nectar and pollen. They can also be an reservoir of honeybee pests and diseases such as the Varroa mite, which ultimately threaten crop production. That’s because many farms rely on honeybees from commercial hives to pollinate their crops.
So reducing feral honeybee density would benefit both honey production and the crop pollination industry, which is worth A$14 billion annually.
Improved management of feral honeybees would not only help to limit the biosecurity threat, but increase the availability of pollen and nectar for managed hives. It would also increase demand for managed honeybee pollination services for pollinator dependent crops.
What are our current options?
Tackling this issue will not be straightforward, due to the sheer extent of feral colony infestation and limited tools at the disposal of land managers.
If the current parasitic Varroa mite infestation in NSW spins out of control, it may reduce the number of feral hives, with benefits for the environment. Fewer feral hives would be good for the honey industry too.
Targeted strategies to remove feral colonies on a small scale do exist and are being applied in the Varroa mite emergency response. This includes the deployment of poison (fipronil) bait stations in areas exposed to the mite.
While this method seems to be effective, the extreme toxicity of fipronil to honeybees limits its use to areas that do not contain managed hives. In addition, the possible effects on non-target, native animals that feed on the bait, or poisoned hive remains, is still unstudied and requires careful investigation.
Where feral hives can be accessed, they can be physically removed. But in many ecosystems feral colonies are high up in trees, in difficult to access terrain. That, and their overwhelming numbers, makes removal impractical.
Another problem with hive removal is rapid recolonisation by uncontrolled swarming from managed hives and feral hives at the edges of the extermination area.
Taken together, there are currently no realistic options for the targeted large-scale removal of feral colonies across Australia’s vast natural ecosystems.
Where to now?
For too long, feral honeybees have had free reign over Australia’s natural environment. Given the substantial and known threats they pose to natural systems and industry, the time has come to develop effective and practical control measures.
Not only do we need to improve current strategies, we desperately need to develop new ones.
One promising example is the use of traps to catch bee swarms, and such work is underway in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges. However, this might be prohibitively expensive at larger scales.
Existing strategies for other animals may be a good starting place. For example, the practice of using pheromones to capture cane toad tadpoles might be applied to drones (male bees) and swarms. Once strategies are developed we can model a combination of approaches to uncover the best one for each case.
Developing sustainable control measures should be a priority right now and should result in a win-win for industry, biosecurity and native ecosystems.
If there is something to learn from the latest Varroa incursion, it is that we cannot ignore the risks feral honeybees pose any longer. We don’t know how to control them in Australia yet, but it is for lack of trying.
We would like to acknowledge the substantial contribution made by environmental scientist and beekeeper Cormac Farrell to the development of this article.
Amy-Marie Gilpin, Research Fellow, Ecology, Western Sydney University; James B. Dorey, Adjunct Lecturer, Flinders University; Katja Hogendoorn, Research fellow, University of Adelaide, and Kit Prendergast, Native bee ecologist, Curtin University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Norman Griffiths court case: a loss for the community and the environment
A group of residents in West Pymble took Ku-ring-gai Council to the Land and Environment Court for a judicial review of the decision to proceed with the construction of a stormwater mitigation system and synthetic turf soccer field at Norman Griffiths Oval. A group called Natural Grass at Norman Griffiths (NGANG Ltd) was registered in order to conduct the case and receive community donations.
This follows council’s decision to proceed with the project in early March 2023 after the release of the Review of Environmental Factors (REF), version 8, two weeks earlier. The haste in starting work was a cause of much frustration in the community and a fiery public forum meeting. After all we had had to wait over 14 months to see the details of the design and the REF. The time available to review the REF was inadequate; much shorter than promised. The councillors dismissed the relevance of the environmental issues raised by the community on the grounds that the REF provided assurance that the issues were not significant.
An injunction was accepted by the court to stop construction past the stormwater mitigation system stage until the case was decided. The case was expedited so there would not be a long delay before contractors started laying the turf.
Over $120,000 was raised towards the costs of the case and expert witnesses. This is a demonstration of the high level of public interest and concern about the use of synthetic turf.
The gross pollution trap and diversion to underground detention ... but what about the water flow from the hill above the field?
Last minute amendment to the REF
NGANG was right! The time allowed to review the REF was too short. The REF was missing some of the analysis required about environmental impacts following an amendment to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). Council decided it was okay to make a last minute amendments so version 9 was published on
4 July. Sadly, the L&E Court did not see that this expediency was an issue that could prevent the project proceeding but it is another demonstration of council’s poor governance.
Court case begins on 2 August
The main arguments submitted by NGANG were that:
Not all required environmental issues were considered to the fullest possible extent
The case was a judicial review where the relevant task is the consideration of the decision made by council. The judgement explained that a challenge may be made on the basis that the decision-maker should, acting reasonably, have made some additional inquiries. Expert evidence as to what the outcome of those inquiries would have been is, in some cases, admissible. Expert evidence was provided by Dr Scott Wilson, a microplastics expert and Dr Martens, a stormwater expert. Council also engaged three experts on flooding, pollution and ecology.
NGANG argued that council had not examined and taken into account to the fullest extent reasonably possible all matters likely to affect the environment following the installation of the synthetic turf. This is a duty imposed under section 5.5 of the EP&A Act.
NGANG’s case was that there should have been inquiries covering:
- a pollutant load study to assess microplastic pollution;
- a flood study to understand the flood impacts on the area and whether the stormwater detention proposed would function in the manner intended; and
- an investigation and understanding of where the overland stormwater flow path would be located in circumstances of an extreme rainfall (1 in 100 year event); and the investigation of the impact of the overland flow path upon the Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest below the field.
There was disagreement between NGANG’s expert and council as to the adequacy pf the onsite stormwater detention system (OSD). As an observer of the case, it appeared that much of the discussion of the OSD was at cross-purposes in referring to the existing system versus the new system. A new system had to be installed because the hard surface of the synthetic turf could not retain the stormwater. The old grass surface acted as the OSD.
The court ruled that the judicial review could not consider the merits of council’s decision and could only review whether it was acting reasonably. The judge rejected the evidence of Dr Martens and Dr Wilson that was sought to be tendered to establish the duty to make further inquiries in the circumstances of this case.
Stormwater system
Dr Martens advised on the requirement to undertake a study to understand the flood impacts on the area and whether the stormwater detention proposed would function in the manner intended. The report in the REF by Optimal Stormwater Ltd determined that the proposed system was capable of operating in the manner and to the specifications for which it was designed. The judge ruled that, in the circumstances, there was nothing on its face that would cause a decision-maker to consider that the opinions expressed were not reliable or not properly formed. The suggestion that the council was not entitled to take ‘at face value’ the information in the Optimal Report has no foundation. The question remains as to whether the specifications are adequate.
Microplastics
The ruling in relation to this issue indicates that the wrong question was being asked. On the evidence contained in the REF there is a goal of minimising microplastic loss from the synthetic field and identifies the measures to be adopted to achieve such goal. It is acknowledged that 100% capture is not possible, especially in extreme rainfall events but no further inquiries were recommended.
There is an obligation to commission an environmental impact statement
The other main ground argued by NGANG was the failure to comply with section 5.7(1) of the EP&A Act. This provision contains within it two obligations, first to determine whether the activity has a significant effect on the environment and secondly, if so, to not carry out the activity or grant an approval until it has obtained and considered an environmental impact statement (EIS):
In submissions NGANG formulated this ground on three bases:
- If the court found on the evidence that there was a prospect that the flood mitigation scheme being an integral part of the activity did not work as asserted by the manufacturer, either in not acting as an OSD system or not sufficiently capturing the overland flows, the court would find, on the evidence, that the proposal was likely to significantly affect the environment.
- If the court found on the evidence that the OSD system would not work as designed the infill and microplastics will not be sufficiently captured or retained on-site and will be washed down into the receiving environment, including Quarry Creek.
- A separate impact which has not been assessed from the overland flow path, which is the water diverting to the south over the field and then discharging into Quarry Creek, and the potential impacts on the adjoining STIF and Quarry Creek from that overland flow.
The judgement stated that consideration of significant impact on the environment is so broad and far reaching that it was unlikely to be determined as an objective fact by the court in judicial review proceedings. Therefore the question of whether an activity is likely to significantly affect the environment is not an objective jurisdictional fact but is a matter for the determining authority (the council) to determine acting reasonably. It seems that the precautionary principle doesn’t have any weight in this case whereby uncertainty does not justify inaction.
In this case the Judge found that council had acted reasonably. Statements by Dr Martens that the impacts may occur were insufficient to permit a finding of a likely significant effect on the environment. Modelling of changes in the hydraulic performance had not been done to enable the Court to make its own assessment.
Full steam ahead but what will happen when the plastic grass needs to be replaced?
So sadly, the construction of the synthetic turf field is now proceeding at maximum pace with completion possible by the end of this year.
The synthetic surface will not last forever, the lifetime with normal levels of use is 8 to 10 years. The question is, will council be able to replace the surface with synthetic turf? Now that a stormwater mitigation system is in place the flood risk from the field that acted as a stormwater detention basin has been substantially ameliorated. So it would be an excellent base for a natural grass field.
Currently there is no effective system for recycling the materials in synthetic turf so the large volume of material ends up in landfill. The evidence of environmental harm from the use of synthetic turf overseas is growing as is community opposition to its use because of the heat and injury risks. Several states in the USA have banned future installations of artificial turf because it contains dangerous chemicals such as PFAS compounds.
The Chief Scientist’s review into the design, use and impacts of synthetic turf in public open spaces highlighted the need for more research into human health and environmental impacts. Microplastics are a becoming more and more pervasive in our waterways. They can also interact with soil fauna, affecting their health and soil functions. Synthetic turf breaks down with people running over it and general deterioration from sunlight exposure. This breakdown increases as the turf blades age. The Norman Griffiths REF acknowledges that it is not possible to capture all the microplastics that will break off the turf. They will be washed off the field by rain but also blown away by wind due their small size of less than 5 mm.
We understand that council will be testing Quarry Creek for microplastics but the soil within the STIF forest and bushland below the field should also be tested.
The outcome of the chemical analysis must be taken into account when the replacement of the field surface is considered. Also we hope that the guidelines developed from the Chief Scientist’s review will provide meaningful decision making processes.
Ultimately the question that has to be asked is about the appropriateness of adding a large area of plastic to the environment when there is a viable natural alternative; that is real grass!
There has been such strong community opposition to synthetic turf at Norman Griffiths and in other parts of Sydney it will be difficult for councils to ignore in making future decisions.
Ku-ring-gai High School hockey field
The synthetic hockey surface was installed about 30 years ago and is now worn out. The Northern Sydney and Beaches Hockey Association (NSBHA) has been working on a project to renew the surface and upgrade the players’ amenities. They originally proposed a totally new facility at Barra Brui oval in St Ives on the edge of Garigal National Park. That was eventually knocked back because car parking space was too limited. So the project is proceeding at Ku-ring-gai High.
The project is being funded through a NSW Office of Sport – Sporting infrastructure Grants ($2,720,000), NSBHA funding ($480,000) and a Ku-ring-gai Council contribution for specific carpark works ($1,000,000), giving a total of $4,200,000.
The council meeting in August voted to proceed with the joint project at Ku-ring-gai High. We cannot provide more details as all the reports presented to the meeting were confidential. The meeting minutes note that council is accepting the risks and costs associated with the project and the general manager is to be the delegated authority to execute the draft Heads of Agreement on behalf of council. What are the ‘risks and costs’? The grants are intended to cover the construction and installation costs.
Car parking is an unknown element of the project. A new parking area on the school grounds requires approval under Part IV of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, for which council would be responsible. It is hard to see how the car parking can be increased without affecting the broad area of bushland in the school grounds that abuts Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and contains some rare plants.
The meeting minutes note that the development of the field will occur irrespective of whether development consent is obtained for the car park upgrade. In the staff report for the meeting it is stated that the project is justified because the project will lead to better containment of impacts on-site and hence reduced impact on the local community. We can’t see how impact will be reduced with more traffic on Bobbin Head Road. If the car park upgrade does not occur there will be more demand for parking on Bobbin Head Road.
North Turramurra Recreation Area grandstand
There has been much angst expressed at Ku-ring-gai Council forums and meetings about the grandstand project. Sure there is a need to improve the facilities at the ground but the proposal is over the top. The cost of the proposed 300 seat grandstand plus café, change rooms, offices, treatment rooms, corporate and media facilities has gone beyond the estimate obtained in August 2022 of $5.5 million. A recent quote obtained by Council was $7.76 million. The proponent, the Northern Suburbs Football Association (NSFA) thinks the $7.7 million figure is overly conservative, but $5.5 million is still enormous!
At the council meeting on 28 July a detailed debate occurred over whether council should proceed with a Heads of Agreement and accept the risks, costs and benefits. The motion put before the meeting noted that the project may not be financially feasible but is driven by ‘economic, social and environmental value offered to the community’. This is an odd statement as the community has objected vociferously about the social impacts in particular (increased traffic, noise, bushfire risk).
The NFSA is bearing the construction and operating costs. They were advised that two grants were approved, one a Female Friendly Community Sports Grant for $500,000 and the other from Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund for $3.6 million. So the NSFA is fronting up at least $1.4 million.
There are still several concerns with this ambitious project:
- The cost looks likely to be higher than covered by funding.
- As pointed out by Cedric Spencer in a motion presented to the August council meeting, it is not clear that the grant applications had council’s consent. This is a prerequisite to grant approval.
- Council will seek assurance that a grant that benefits football, is not inconsistent with the key objectives of the Multi-Sport Community Facility Fund.
- The long-term master planning for NTRA when it was developed in 2011 never contemplated a facility of the scale and nature proposed by NSFA. It was a multi-year project funded from development contributions, general revenue and a special rate variation levied on all residents of Ku-ring-gai. The project cost some $30 million. It was not carried out for the benefit of one dominant sporting group which is what it would become with the implementation of the grandstand proposal. The NSFA would be the primary users of this site at the expense of all other users.
- There is conflicting information about the longer term plans for the site in reference to the amount of usage and the traffic that would be generated. It seems a very expensive project if, as declared by the NSFA, the usage of the three fields is not going to increase.
- There are rumours that there are intentions to convert one or more of the other two playing fields to synthetic turf, which would be strongly opposed.
Ku-ring-gai Council is trialling a woody meadow project
Typical low maintenance plantings on public land have low diversity, visual appeal and function. Monocultures of strappy plants such as Lomandra longifolia and Dianella or single shrub species like saltbush are often the plants of choice that provide little contribution to biodiversity.
Since 2015 Melbourne University, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, has been trialling a novel low-cost and resilient approach to urban greening, using natural shrubland structures as templates to create beautiful, diverse plantings of Australian shrubs which are maintained through coppicing.
The idea is that coppicing (hard pruning to 10 to 20 cm high) every two to four years will promote flowering and rapid canopy closure to exclude weeds and reduce maintenance. With their high number of flowers, woody meadows encourage insects such as native bees, small birds and other wildlife.
Woody meadows are highly adaptable and can be used in a wide range of urban settings including railway easements and roadside verges, roundabouts, parks and gardens, and as part of water sensitive urban designs like raingardens and retention basins. Their low water use and maintenance requirements, coupled with high visual appeal and adaptability make them an attractive, cost-effective solution for councils and urban land managers challenged by climate change and often limited green space funding.
Councils, government agencies and developers are embracing this idea, with more than 6,000 m2 of woody meadows established around Australia that include approximately 40,000 plants from 150 different species.
With more 25,000 m2 of plantings planned for 2023, you’ll likely be seeing woody meadows popping up in your neighbourhood soon.
In August council’s environmental staff and 14 local volunteers planted 400 tube stock in Transmission Park in St Ives Chase to create the trial woody meadow. The plantings will develop over the next 12 to 18 months and staff will monitor the site to test whether biodiversity is increasing through more sightings of insects, birds and animals.
The evidence from this initial planting will help decide whether to extend woody meadows to other public land in Ku-ring-gai.
A new recycling service has come to Ku-ring-gai
At the August council meeting it was decided to trial the introduction of a new recycling service of items that are currently not included in council’s recycling contract. After a two year trial period its cost effectiveness will be assessed. Items covered by the service include:
- soft plastics
- clothing and linen
- small household appliances such as electrical tools, hairdryers, irons, toasters, laptops and game consoles
- coffee capsules, batteries, medicine containers, printer cartridges and sealed paint tins
Residents are able to book a collection from their home direct to the recycling depot. Residents can use their own bags to separate recyclable items from their general waste. Bags can also be provided by RecycleSmart. Make your booking via the RecyleSmart app.
Collection of larger items can be booked as an add-on to an existing pickup.
Book review: Underground Lovers: Encounters with Fungi
Prepare to appreciate the world under your feet (well, your feet grounded on the earth, maybe not on a concrete slab).
There is a network of mycelia that belong to their own kingdom: Fungus. Lacking chlorophyll, they grow from the tips of microscopic hyphae and digest nutrients externally (underground) before absorbing them into the mycelium.
One hypha is a microscopic filament but together they form a fungus mycelium (the network). Hyphae can not only branch but also fuse, or ‘anastomose’ and exchange genetic material. The cell walls are made of chitin, a hardness also found in arthropod exoskeletons. The mycelial scaffold essentially mirrors exponentially the life forms above ground. Mycelial networks bind soil particles while also aerating the soil, creating spaces in the soil. This architecture allows water to penetrate soil’s deepest horizons.
The fungi also form alliances with plants, or even digest other organisms. Fungi and algae, forming lichens, create soil on rock – as on exposed rock left by the retreating Vatnajökull ice cap in Iceland.
Many plants depend on mycorrhizal fungi – the fungi forming beneficial relations with roots: hyphae extend the roots’ absorbable surface; the tree provides sugars from photosynthesis while the mycorrhizal fungi make nitrogen and phosphorus available to the tree.
The author gives us good reason not to clear-fell, nor burn our forests in super-hot conflagrations, nor overheat the earth with global warming, nor over-fertilise and apply weedicides to our monocrops; even the high-velocity gale of the leaf-blower dislodges spores, let alone grasshoppers, beetles and frogs. It kills the fungi.
Some ‘old growth’ trees reach hundreds of years of age; but the fungi beneath them are at least as long-lived. Old forests support a greater diversity of fungi than young, or obliterated, forests.
Interesting allusions – Pouliot mentions her US Northwest rented V8 Dodge Charger not being the ideal field vehicle ‘with the clearance of an echidna’.
The ninth chapter Women as Keepers of Fungal Lure fills a gap. I searched for books on fungi and nearly all the citations are of men’s studies.
The tenth chapter Restoring Fungi is apposite given the fungus talks by Emeritus Prof Michael Gillings and Vanessa McPherson of Macquarie University. They observed that sites where works such as a drainage pipe had been laid hosted far fewer fungi than undisturbed (or merely weeded) sites. A property owner demonstrates that we need to create diversity and reduce stresses. On her property she supplied diverse organic matter of different species, size and age, and eliminated tilling, digging, excavating, heavy machinery and even hard hooves of stock.
Mistletoe contributes to restoration, providing nectar for butterflies, gliders and possums; and when it dies its leaves enrich the soil with phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium.
Lichens colonise bare earth and are part of the cryptogamic crusts essential for forming a film that reduces wind and water erosion. This crust of fungi, algae, cyanobacteria and mosses over the soil fixes carbon and nitrogen – and is destroyed by stock. The property owner, Kazuko, observes ‘We should be starting with soil crusts rather than trees when restoring ecosystems’.
Fungi have infiltrated Landcare! Officially restoring waterways, agricultural and natural areas since 1989, the movement now recognises the necessity of healthy fungi.
The author has travelled the globe and gives examples of mycophiles’ world-wide fungus hunting throughout the book. There is a species register with common and scientific names of fungi and lichens, plants and animals; a glossary, selected sources and an index. The editor might have picked up the constant misuse of ‘among’ and ‘between’. Despite the listing of 11 images, there are no photographs. Our desire for pictures and descriptions of so many intriguing species and descriptions probably needs a mini-encyclopaedia!
Alison Pouliot, NewSouth Publishing, 2023; 278pp (reviewed by Margery Street)
Feral horses in Kosciuszko
Finally there is the prospect of real action on feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park – please make a submission by 11 September 2023.
Penny Sharpe, NSW Environment Minister has announced a proposal to amend the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Management Plan to permit aerial culling of feral horses. There is an urgent need for action as the number of horses has been increasing rapidly. The government says the most recent official count estimate was that there are between 14,501 and 23,535 feral horses across the park.
Under the management plan agreed to under the previous government, the number of horses had to be reduced to 3,000 by 2027 in order to limit the damage they are doing to the sensitive alpine ecosystems. About 30 endangered native species and their habitats are at risk of extinction due to introduced animals, including wild horses.
However the current management methods used such as on ground shooting, trapping and rehoming are not effective. The numbers are still increasing. More effective action must be taken before the situation gets even more out of control.
The proposal is open for submissions until 11 September. Submissions need only be short. There are various ways to submit, listed on the government's Have your Say page.
Book review: The Memory of Trees
This book was of great interest having lived in Perth for 9 years and worked and travelled at length in WA for more than 40 years, including in many areas covered in the book, set predominantly in the south-west and south of the state. It's written by freelance ecologist and writer Vicki Cramer, whose research and publications through institutes like Curtin University and the CSIRO span a wide range of WA ecology, from bats and marsupials to Western Australia’s management, exploitation and clearing of eucalypt forests. In 2021 she was awarded a Dahl Fellowship from the charitable organisation Eucalypt Australia. Though set almost entirely in WA, the book mirrors the natural vegetation situation in other states and the threats it faces.
The Memory of Trees is divided into long, quite detailed chapters dealing with topics such as Jarrah forests and their threats, the West Australian Wheatbelt and salinity, the amazing Great Western Woodlands with their vast areas of trees growing in climates so dry that trees really shouldn’t grow at all. And, of extreme importance for us in NSW, the subject of bushfire, of hazard reduction and cultural burns and their history and arguments for and against. Relevant to fire and overshadowing everything covered in the book of course is climate change, the biggest mover of the goalposts that we face.
How many plant species are native to the south-west of WA? Well, the book cites 8379 would you believe (but of course new species are discovered every year so that’s by no means the final figure). Of that number, 1750 are native to Fitzgerald River National Park for example, a big park of nearly 3,000 km2 flanking WA’s south coast, big yes, but that’s very, very rich! (Blue Mountains World Heritage with around 1500 species is three times as big). And then the Stirling Ranges: full of endemic species, some of them isolated to individual peaks. These are examples of the fragile communities surviving as large islands of natural vegetation flanked or surrounded by land cleared for agriculture? What species have been lost through the clearing process? We will never know the full number, plant or animal.
Stirling Ranges and Fitzgerald River are flanked by the WA Wheatbelt. Vast areas of forest and woodland were cleared through waves of settlement, and managed on a broadacre basis with no treed remnants allowed to remain that get in the way of the massive harvesters. Farms have merged over time and families have moved away, much as is happening in Europe. The ancient impoverished wheatbelt soils were boosted, and have to be regularly topped up with superphosphate and trace elements. Natural vegetation over most of the wheatbelt is restricted to corridors and fringes along boundaries and roadways, plus isolated small copses. Mass tree removal, their roots no longer pumping, led to gradual rise in salinity – covered by a chapter in the book that highlights the recovery efforts of landowners and community groups but also political sidestepping, ignorance and neglect. Governments like to bypass salinity, highlighting grain yields, but a brief Google search will tell you that the WA wheatbelt yields a ball park figure of around 2 tonnes of grain per hectare – Ukraine by comparison, in its heyday, achieved roughly double that.
The Jarrah forests, featuring Eucalyptus marginata, were a backbone to WA’s historic economy. The rich, deep red, termite resistant timber is hard to source today except through recycling, but it was used in building and construction, in termite proof railway sleepers and in flooring and furniture, and it was exported globally. But it grows on iron and alumina rich laterite terrain large areas of which have been mined for bauxite. Bauxite, a chemically extreme end member of a soil profile, is typically only a few metres thick and so vast areas have to be stripped and mined to yield a commercial tonnage. Companies however are obligated to stockpile and restore the surface material, and the author describes traverses with colleagues in areas ranging from pristine and even rare old growth forest to sites in various stages of restoration. But one comes away with the impression that nothing can truly replace the lost forests. And then of course there’s climate change pushing winter rainfall southwards, and Phytophthora dieback!
Now for the Great Western Woodlands: these are truly vast but exceptionally vulnerable, made up essentially of eucalypt species some of which recover from fire, like the numerous species of mallee, while others are obligate seeders and are incinerated. If you’ve travelled the wheatbelt and the southern goldfields you’ll be familiar with the copper-red trunks of salmon gums. If you’ve driven east of Norseman you’ll have seen fine examples of Great Western Woodland, and perhaps be stunned to learn that the seemingly healthy trees are growing in less than 300mm mean annual rainfall. The author's field descriptions in areas east of the wheatbelt town of Hyden are both illuminating and saddening: overall the vast woodlands are threatened by climate change, reduced rainfall, human activity and most especially by fire.
Later in the book the author veers towards positive aspects: the Gondwana Link and the Nowanup Cultural Community. Gondwana link, which involves Bush Heritage among other groups, acquires land to revegetate to eventually form a chain of natural vegetation from the coastal forests of the south-west 1000km to the east to join up with the Great Western Woodland. Nowanup on the other hand was established to rally behind and promote Noongar cultural elements of which include cultural burning, which is perhaps the only way to mitigate and soften the devastating effects of climate change and fire on the woodlands and forests within a realistic time frame.
Viki Cramer, Thames and Hudson, 2023, paperback, 292 pp (reviewed by John Martyn)
Chief Scientist’s report finally released – there should be a moratorium on new synthetic fields
The Chief Scientist’s report, Synthetic Turf Study in Public Open Spaces has finally been released but fails to give definitive guidance.
Main conclusion is wrong – we cannot treat synthetic turf as an experiment!
The report developed a set of recommendations that it states will (p vii):
allow NSW to adopt an accelerated ‘learn and adapt’ approach to the use of synthetic turf under NSW conditions … If applied, they will allow NSW to set the scene over the next decade, using new fields as a testbed to contribute to innovation and data-driven decisions.
This statement is totally at odds with the precautionary principle. New synthetic fields should not be approved if the major issues cannot be addressed.
The Natural Turf Alliance is calling for the NSW government to put a stop to all plans for synthetic turf on playing fields until there is sufficient information to enable more evidence-based decision making processes. It is only right to take a precautionary approach to ensure that there are no regrettable long-term impacts on human health and the environment. Also, many of the highlighted issues could have significant financial consequences.
In the meantime, there is an urgent need to upgrade some playing fields, and natural turf can be used. Councils are already managing hundreds of natural grass fields. There are ways of doing a better job of upgrading and maintaining these fields. The report acknowledges this but then says nothing more.
Background
There has been considerable community concern about the installation of synthetic turf on playing fields, particularly in environmentally sensitive locations, and bad experiences with the planning process. Following a public enquiry in early 2021 that amplified these issues, in November 2021, Rob Stokes (then) Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, asked the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer to provide an independent review into the design, use and impacts of synthetic turf in public open spaces.
It was promised in mid-2022. It took the Greens to issue a standing order in the Legislative Council for it to be finally released on 9 June 2023. The report was dated 13 October 2022. Who was trying to hide the results? Was it the Minister for Planning, Anthony Roberts whose desk it was sitting on? The excuse given was it that was ‘cabinet-in-confidence’ and consultation was taking place with councils and sporting bodies about the guidelines that should be issued for synthetic turf installations. In the meantime lots of decisions are being made without this information.
What the report says about natural turf
The first item of the terms of reference is:
- Identify, describe and provide advice on:
(a) key scientific and technical issues associated with the use of synthetic turf compared with grass surfaces in public spaces
The report states (p v.):
Best practice guidelines for improving the performance of natural turf have been developed in NSW. If applied to installation and ongoing management of natural turf sporting fields, these practices may allow increased performance of natural turf fields to meet demand.
In the more detailed discussion of the recommendations, in reference to an example of the guidelines developed for the Lower Hunter, the report states that analysis in the guidelines reported:
that when lifecycle costs and carrying capacity were considered, natural turf fields built to best practice were more cost effective than alternative options including synthetic turf.
Nowhere in the report is there a comparison of the scientific and technical issues that apply to the use of natural grass and synthetic turf. It is frustrating that there is no discussion about making a choice between the two. They are treated as separate entities.
Natural turf is already proven to be a better option
At the community forum organised by the Natural Turf Alliance on 23 June the speakers demonstrated that natural turf will be successful in terms of available playing hours if the correct soil preparation and drainage system is applied. Councils just have to improve their practices.
Demand for synthetic turf
According to the report, which is at least a year out of date, there are currently about 181 synthetic turf fields in NSW in public and private (eg schools) spaces. This compares with about 30 in 2018. The support for these installations has been driven by the soccer associations that are arguing that available playing hours are too restricted on grass fields to meet demand. This has been the case in the past couple of years that were abnormally wet.
Demand is increasing with population growth and it is argued by the soccer associations that the game is becoming more popular as women are taking up the game.
There are other arguments about several issues such as relative life cycle cost and water use that still being debated.
The concerns about use of synthetic turf
The report describes many issues with the use of synthetic turf and many where more research is required.
Chemical composition
Many synthetic sports fields in NSW feature long synthetic blades supported by infill, the most commonly used infill is styrene butadiene rubber crumb sourced from recycled tyres. The crumb is imported and there is a lack of information about potential contaminants such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Currently, there is insufficient information and a lack of standards about the materials and chemical composition of synthetic turf. Other types of infill such as cork, are being used in newer fields but the review does not provide detail about these.
Longevity of synthetic fields
Overall, it is not clear how Australian climatic conditions will affect expectations about the longevity and carrying capacity of synthetic fields compared with overseas experience that is the basis of current decision making about installation and cost-benefit considerations.
Sustainability
Practices and standards for recycling and disposal are changing locally and overseas. Australia banned the export of waste tyres including tyre crumb from January 2022 so this component of synthetic turf has to be recycled locally or sent to landfill. The process of separating turf into components that are reusable is highly complex. Plans for a recycling facility near Albury have not yet been established.
Health
Heat impacts are a priority area for research. The commissioned reports and literature review did not identify major health risks associated with the use of synthetic turf, although it was noted that significant knowledge gaps remain and research should prioritise the potential health impacts of chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and some heavy metals. The health impacts of the high heat levels of synthetic turf are not discussed in detail but the closure of fields in hot weather is canvassed especially for younger children.
The report notes that per- and poly-fluoroalkyl compounds have been found in low concentrations in the turf blades and base carpet. They create a risk of cumulative harm to aquatic and soil life, the environment and ultimately human health.
Social and wellbeing effects
Important considerations for planners and councils will vary with each site and include reduction in community access, odours from synthetic materials and increased artificial light.
Environment
Many potential impacts are raised that need to be mitigated. Microplastics and infill have entered waterways. Design guidelines are now in force to control leakage but their success still needs to be monitored. Older fields have been observed to lose a lot of rubber crumb especially as they age. The impact of escaping infill and turf fibre (microplastics) on local soil and ecology needs to be researched.
Fragmentation of animal habitat and disruption of ecological functions will occur through the loss of natural grass, increase in heat and additional light at night. The report states that synthetic turf is unsuitable for locations with flood and bushfire risk or in sensitive ecological locations.
Recommendations
Community groups concerned about the increasing use of synthetic turf have highlighted several issues. Many of these are the subject of recommendations in the report.
1. Planning approval process
In most cases a development approval process is not required from the local council. The assessment required is a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) subject to requirements defined in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulations.
The report looked at a sample of REFs and found many gaps in coverage of these requirements, for example:
- climate change impacts on surface heat and stormwater
- impact of impermeable surface on soil health
- waste disposal at the end of life of the turf
- micro and nano-plastic contamination
- impact of increased light and heat on fauna outside the footprint of the field
The approval process does not provide clear requirements for community consultation. The report highlights this gap in the process:
Early community engagement that continues through the planning period enables discussion and representation of all stakeholders.
Consultation was sadly lacking in the case of Norman Griffiths.
2. Mitigating environmental risk
A plan is needed for the development of appropriate standards for best practice installation and use, consistency with net zero targets and end-of-life solutions via industry engagement with government and researchers.
In addition, fields in proximity to sensitive ecosystems should be independently assessed to assist with management of identified environmental issues. Risk assessments should be undertaken so that synthetic fields are not approved in areas of high environmental risk including bushfire prone areas or those with higher likelihood of flooding.
3. Future data and research
The report recognises that the scale of public investment in sporting infrastructure requires a more systematic and data-driven approach to decision-making. There is a vast amount of existing information from different sources about the design, management and performance of sporting fields, but these are not readily available or collated. A more accessible and reliable source of verified information is required.
Data collection should be complemented by the research program to address key knowledge gaps in human health and environmental impacts. A key research priority is understanding the characteristics and composition, including the chemical composition, of materials used in synthetic turf and associated layers.
Anita Andrew – award from Geological Society
We congratulate former STEP treasurer and councillor on Ku-ring-gai Council, Anita Andrew, on receiving the W.R. Browne Award for 2023. This award is presented to a person for distinguished contributions and demonstrated impact to the Earth sciences in Australia.
Anita has been joint editor-in-chief of the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, the official journal of the Geological Society of Australia, for 13 years, and has been instrumental in maintaining the high standard of this international publication.
The medal honours the life and work of geologist William Rowan Browne, 1884–1975 who was a field geologist with a love of the high country and its glaciated terrain. He was a major supporter of the need to conserve Kosciuszko for all time, against much opposition.
Response to housing shortage – will it trash liveability?
High net immigration is putting huge pressure on governments to get more housing built. But do we need to do this at the expense of planning rules that are intended to create housing areas where people might actually enjoy living?
The new NSW government has announced that it will scrap local council and planning panel processes for developments worth more than $75m if they include at least 15% affordable housing. Developers will be able to go straight to the Department of Planning via state significant development rules so that decisions will made more quickly.
Further, these developments will also gain access to a 30% floor space ratio boost, and a height bonus of 30% above local environment plans.
Councils have been assured by the Minister for Planning (Paul Scully) that they will be consulted about the strategic merit of these proposals and council local environment plans will not be overridden.
The reforms are set to take effect later this year and are a part of the government’s commitment to construct 314,000 homes over five years.
Huge growth in population over 2022
It is not hard to see why we need so much new housing. Australia’s population grew by almost half a million during 2022 to reach 26,268,000 people at 31 December 2022. The annual growth was 496,800 people (1.9%). Annual natural increase was 109,800 and net overseas migration was 387,000.
Status of Lizard Rock development proposals
There has been a lot of publicity about the proposed development of an area of land known as Lizard Rock. The outcome could be significant development for other areas of bushland in the Northern Beaches Council area. First some background.
The Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 established Aboriginal land councils to manage land to provide an economic base for Aboriginal communities as compensation for historic dispossession and ongoing disadvantage. The Metropolitan Local Land Council (MLALC) owns several areas of land in the northern beaches area. Any development of this land is subject to an approval process with several stages.
Development delivery plans
In September 2019 the MLALC requested the Aboriginal Land SEPP be amended to include its land holdings in the Northern Beaches Council planning processes. This is facilitated by a Development Delivery Plan (DDP), a strategic plan that sets out the development objectives for priority land owned by local Aboriginal land councils. The DDP will help Aboriginal people develop their land to support their community and protect Aboriginal cultural heritage. It will also provide new homes and jobs for the wider community.
Nine sites (six initial sites and three future sites) were identified in the Aboriginal Land SEPP and a draft DDP. Click here for a map of the sites. These documents were exhibited by the Department of Planning for public comment prior to approval. Many submissions were made on issues including bushland and environmental impact, traffic, infrastructure, open space, bushfire and Aboriginal heritage. However these detailed issues will be considered in respect of each individual planning proposal and subsequent development application.
Lizard Rock planning proposal
Of the six sites, Lizard Rock on Morgan Road, off Forestway in Belrose was earmarked as the most suitable opportunity.
Lizard Rock site
Since October 2022 the proposal for development of this 67.7 ha site has been gone through the stages of the planning approval process, namely a planning proposal and then a gateway determination that have been reviewed by a planning panel and approved subject to various conditions.
The proposals have been opposed by politicians on all sides and the Northern Beaches Council on the grounds of the loss of pristine environment, bushfire risk, the significant congestion created and insufficient regional infrastructure. The mayor, now local MP, claims that the northern beaches already has plans to build sufficient housing in better locations
In June 2023 the planning proposal was supported at gateway determination, subject to several gateway conditions. This is for 450 low-density residential lots with 10% allocated for affordable housing. Approximately 19 ha of the site will be preserved and restored as conservation areas or public open space.
Next steps for Lizard Rock
The amended planning proposal will soon be publicly exhibited for a minimum of 30 working days to allow feedback on the proposal. Then the updated planning proposal will submitted to the department for finalisation assessment and the local environment plan and amendment will be drafted and made.
Next steps for the remaining sites
The remaining five sites require further investigation. Future land uses could include residential, industrial, employment and environmental conservation. These sites could have planning proposals or development applications submitted over the next five years.
Genoplesium baueri now on global list of endangered species
The local orchid Genoplesium baueri (endangered), also known as Bauer’s Midge Orchid, was added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species last year at COP 15. It is currently also listed as endangered under the NSW and federal biodiversity conservation legislation.
This classification means that it is at high risk of extinction in the near future. The inclusion in the Red List adds international significance to the classification and opens up international funding opportunities for people working to conserve these orchids.
There are some populations in the St Ives Showground precinct in the vicinity of the Wildflower Garden and nursery. This may restrict development because the plan of management mentions the possibility of road connections and increased parking between the Wildflower Garden and Showground.
Reasons for endangered classification
The NSW Scientific Committee (2012) has identified the following reasons for the endangered classification.
The main reason is the orchid’s highly restricted geographic distribution that is projected to continue to decline. The number of populations of G. baueri is uncertain. Based on records from herbaria and sightings, there are estimated to be between 20 and 30 populations between Port Stephens and Ulladulla and likely to be less than 250 individuals.
Geographic distribution is precarious for the survival of the species based on severe fragmentation of populations; continuing decline inferred and projected due to current threats of disturbance from trail bike riding, rubbish dumping and urban development; and extreme fluctuations in the number of mature individuals.
The species does not produce a new tuber at the end of each growing season but instead persists from the same tuber-like perennial root. Jones (2006) suggests that cultivation is ‘impossible’.
Plants do not regularly appear each year, despite favourable seasonal conditions. When plants do appear, they are only above ground for approximately two months before dying back to a dormant state. Whilst the appearance of plants above ground may fluctuate from year to year, individual plants may remain dormant in the soil. Nevertheless the number of plants of G. baueri is considered to be low.
Reference
Jones DL (2006) A Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia including the Island Territories. Reed New Holland: Sydney
Ku-ring-gai recreation needs study
Ku-ring-gai Council has recently completed a recreation needs study. The June meeting agreed to put the study out for public exhibition but it is not there yet.
The outcomes are important for putting the demands for the use of our natural areas into perspective.
Population
Ku-ring-gai’s population is growing and becoming more diverse. Current population is 124,000. Around 17,000 more people will live in the LGA by 2041 (Department of Planning population projections, 2022). In 2021, around 25% of residents live in apartments, 28% speak a language other than English at home, and families with children and young people make up 46% of households.
People want more spaces to participate in informal recreation for fun
Fun and enjoyment (90%), fitness and exercise (88%) and getting fresh air (88%) are the main reasons residents use recreation spaces. Walking (87%) is the most popular recreation activity followed by bushwalking (75%). Other popular activities include picnics (64%), relaxing (58%), walking the dog (48%), fitness activities (44%) and running (44%).
Sports are still in high demand, but non- traditional sports are emerging
Local sporting clubs and peak bodies indicated that participation in organised sport remains popular, reporting a 41% increase in participation in the past five years. There is also increasing demand for spaces for informal social team sports, emerging games such as Padel and pickleball, as well as demands for more spaces for women’s sports.
Sporting fields
A review of the facilities against benchmarks indicates that there are adequate sports fields but their quality should be improved. This is a major barrier for participation with the issues being lighting, amenities, maintenance, safety and unfit facilities for female participation.
There is an oversupply of tennis courts and a need for more basketball courts.
Analysis of council’s formal booking data shows that natural turf sports fields operate below capacity throughout the year, indicating the opportunity to improve their capacity and utilisation. However there are questions about whether the booking data is a true indication of actual usage. It can be observed that tennis courts get a lot of informal usage.
Sports fields and sports spaces can no longer be single purpose or single code to meet needs. The availability of suitable additional land is limited and expensive. This means planning for more diverse and equitable open spaces and recreation facilities that are designed for shared uses by children, older people and dog owners.
Council should undertake a study to determine which sporting codes can share effectively and how to optimise existing sports fields and sports courts to make them more multi-purpose.
In our view synthetic turf is not the answer. Upgrading existing grass fields and improving maintenance will meet the needs of existing organised sports. The study highlights the need for more flexible and multi-purpose use of these fields. This cannot occur with synthetic turf that is focussed on facilities for a single sport.
Open space and parks
There is a need for more open space especially near the railway line. Based on the benchmark of 1 ha per 1,000 people Ku-ring-gai is well below the minimum requirement of 124 ha of parks to support the current population in 2021.
Natural areas
It is acknowledged that natural areas are predominantly conserved or preserved for passive recreation. There are limited opportunities to provide recreational spaces in natural areas. There is still a need to better connect them to the public open space network, as well as expand the recreational trails, where possible. The emphasis should be on ‘where possible’. The walking trails could be improved in many ways such as signposting and better linkages but there is little opportunity for new trails and bike tracks without compromising the quality of bushland.
Draft masterplan for St Ives Showground and precinct
Ku-ring-gai Council is developing a masterplan for the St Ives Showground and Precinct that will guide future improvements and define a longer term vision for the precinct.
This follows the Plan of Management (PoM) that was finalised in October 2021. The PoM sets the overarching principles and direction for the masterplan and must be adhered to as a regulatory document. We have already reported on the fraught consultation process of development of the PoM.
As a first stage council is seeking input from the community about the masterplan with the objective of creating a plan that will:
… ensure it meets the needs of current and future users and the wider community.
Online survey and submission website
Click here to respond to a survey about the current facilities. You can also provide written comments or upload a letter. The closing date is 17 July, 5 pm.
There are several issues that STEP will be commenting on that are not included in the survey. The written submissions will contribute to the contents of the masterplan. It seems that it is difficult to influence council to change a draft plan once it has been published. This will take place in August with the final draft going before council in September 2023.
User groups such as bike riders and soccer players are likely to be commenting so it would good to hear the views of those of you who value the biodiversity of the precinct (as was demonstrated during the STEP walk led by Mark Schuster in February).
What is being surveyed?
The survey asks questions that are narrowly focussed on opinions about the facilities at the showground including suggestions for changes or improvements. There are also questions about the capacity to hold larger events for more than 300 people.
Parking and traffic movements are the most obvious issues. The showground is already highly congested on weekends given the popularity of the playground and regular events such as the markets and horse riding. The PoM states that:
The lack of formal parking and users creating informal parking areas can cause soil erosion and compaction, which impacts negatively on the environment, vegetation, and water quality.
A major part of the parking area near the entrance is actually in amongst vegetation that is classified as Duffys Forest that is endangered and should be protected. It is a dust bowl or muddy mess depending on the weather. It is only going to get worse if more facilities are going to be developed.
The PoM gave a high priority to defining parking controls and preparing a landscape plan to guide the rehabilitation of the Duffys Forest but no plan has been seen yet.
Some sort of public transport system has to be developed as well as a safer way of exiting onto Mona Vale Road especially when major events are held such as the Medieval Faire.
We are also concerned about the health of the trees that are supporting the high ropes course.
The current PoM is not actually a plan for many parts of the Showground precinct. For areas like the nursery and former Greenfields tip it is merely a set of suggestions or ideas. One concern is the plan to upgrade the link between the Wildflower Garden and the Showground. The area contains prime Duffys Forest vegetation as well as the endangered Genoplesium baueri.
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John Martyn Research Grant for the Conservation of Bushland 2023
We are pleased to announce that the recipient of this years’ award is Margarita Gil-Fernández for her project entitled Mycorrhizal Fungal Diversity Associated with Small Mammals in Response to Anthropogenic Disturbance.
Margarita has provided the following description of her work.
I received my Master of Research degree from Macquarie University where I am currently completing my PhD degree. I am interested in mammal ecology, from small mammals to big carnivores, including invasive species. I have experience in research planning, experimental design and implementation, as well as data collection, management and data analysis. To date, my research projects have primarily been field-based, including projects for small mammal trapping and monitoring, camera trapping, and forest health research.
Anthropogenic (e.g. agriculture and urbanisation) and natural (e.g. wildfires and insect outbreaks) disturbances are currently increasing. One of the main strategies plants employ to cope with these stress conditions is to form mutualistic associations with mycorrhizal fungi, which enable them to better acquire water and soil nutrient resources. The distribution of mycorrhizal fungi is tightly linked to animals, with rodents and several Australian marsupial species being the key dispersers of these fungi.
Therefore, the composition of small mammal communities could influence the make-up of mycorrhizae communities and in turn the composition and resilience of vegetation communities.
We aim to examine the relationship between anthropogenic disturbance and mycorrhizal fungal diversity associated with small mammal communities around Sydney, to help inform management strategies that will enhance forest resilience to disturbance as well as inform the conservation practices of native small mammal species.
The study will take place in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, which is bounded by urban development and hence is exposed to increased anthropogenic disturbances. We will trap small mammals at 10 sites in and around the park and scats of the captured mammals will be collected to assess mycorrhizal fungal diversity. We will then extract the DNA from the scat samples to identify mycorrhizal fungi species being dispersed by these mammals using genetic analyses known as next-generation sequencing barcoding. Our results will provide new insights into the impacts of anthropic environments on small native mammal communities and the mycorrhizal fungi they disperse, with implications for the management of native plant species that depend on these fungi.
Research Grant
We have decided to expand our commitment to environmental education, and this year we have awarded our first ad hoc research grant to Vanessa McPherson from Macquarie University for her project Fungal Biodiversity: Diversity, Distribution and DNA.
Vanessa will examine club and coral fungi in the Lane Cove Valley and surrounding regions, using DNA barcoding to identify and characterise novel and existing species.
New specimens will be prepared for Herbaria and characterised microscopically to unify morphological and DNA data. Existing Herbarium specimens will be processed for DNA analysis. This project will definitively identify diverse species of clubs and corals, assemble a reference collection of specimens and photographs, generating DNA databases and morphological keys for identification of Australian species. New species, phylogenies of fungal taxa and distribution maps will be published in the scientific literature.
Night visitors
Have you ever wondered about all the little creatures that may visit your garden at night? A wildlife camera has been on our wish list for some time but we finally got round to getting one when former STEP president, John Burke, showed us the photo of a wallaby he’d caught on his camera. His garden backs onto a huge bushland area but behind us we have only a very small bush reserve surrounded completely by homes so we knew any of our visitors would be far smaller.
Our first experiment resulted in the usual suspects: a brush tail possum, a ringtail and a rat. There was also a pair of bright eyes across the fence watching from our neighbour’s tree.
The next location we chose for setting up the camera was a series of snuffle holes close to the gate adjoining the bushland and the first images taken that night revealed a very healthy-looking bandicoot. We were so delighted but what chilled us was an image taken not long after of a large cat sniffing the bandicoot’s trail.
It really brings it home how vulnerable our native animals are. There are districts like the Blue Mountains where owners are required to keep their cats in at night. Although it’s not mandatory in metropolitan Sydney, it’s a matter of management — sticking a pot plant in front of the cat flap, saying no to Tiddles. There are mixed reports as to whether collars with bells are a solution because it has been found that some cats are clever enough to move so stealthily that their bells don’t alert their prey. So if you own a cat and live near bushland, please consider keeping it in at night.
Our latest camera experiment has been to set it up to watch the nesting box on our paperbark tree and see if it has any occupants at the moment. The box was designed for a glider but we did suspect that little ringtails had used it and the bark approach to the box showed signs of traffic. So far, we have seen nothing emerging or disappearing into the box (maybe we did not set a long enough timeframe) but our camera has caught a very active ringtail on the tree.
We would encourage STEP members to think about getting a night camera (can be used for general security, too) especially if you have a family. Encouraging kids to understand more about the world of our precious native animals and to appreciate how precarious life can be for these little creatures in our urban environment is one of the ways to safeguard them for the future.
Country Town, a history book for young readers
STEP families may be interested in Country Town, a children’s picture book that will be coming out soon. Isolde Martyn (one of our long time members), Robyn Ridgeway and local illustrator Louise Hogan have created an imaginary inland town that reflects the experiences of many real towns over the last 200 years. From a First Nations People’s camp by a river crossing, young readers can follow the ups and downs in the town’s story right through to the present day. Many themes of Australian history are woven into the artwork and text so it’s a great way to learn about the past and it will be useful in triggering discussions in class and at home.
Why imaginary? Well, say the creators, it would have been very rigid having to tie it down to one location. This way it has a far wider appeal and can hopefully inspire kids, wherever they live, to think about what came before the buildings around them and how the land has been changed.
ISBN 9781922696342 (HB) 9781922696359 (PB)
Publisher: Ford Street Publishing
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