Relations between Bega Valley Shire Council and the North Tura Beach Residents Association (NTBRA) appear to have hit a new low in the tussle over management of a small portion of the reserve.
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Residents said they are “bewildered” by a council press release on December 20, accusing them of “unauthorised clearing at Tura Head”.
NTBRA secretary Chris Young said the media release was issued after a community working bee removed dead wattle from an area at The Point and Dolphin Cove.
“The area, previously pasture, is less than 2ha of the plus 80ha Tura Head Coastal Reserve. The aim of the working bee was to remove the dead materials adjacent to and along beach access tracks and tidy up the poorly managed area before Christmas,” Mr Young said.
“All the dead wattle that was removed during the working bee was stacked in neat bundles adjacent to where it was taken. The removal was undertaken by hand, which minimised impacts to existing flora and fauna.
“Work undertaken by the community group was also consistent with previous discussions with council staff regarding the management of the area,” Mr Young added.
NTBRA president Les Murphy said the group had notified the mayor Kristy McBain and other councillors to explain what they were about to do.
Someone organised for 40 council tip vouchers to be given to us to help with the clearing.
- Les Murphy, president of the North Tura Beach Residents Association
In a move that appeared to endorse the group’s plans, 40 council tip vouchers were given to the NTBRA to assist with the removal of the dead wood.
Then a couple of days before the working bee Mr Murphy received an email from council telling him not to go ahead.
“I couldn’t understand it. There seemed to be some confusion. I replied that the councillors were happy so we were going ahead,” Mr Murphy said.
Just before Christmas over 30 people participated in the working bee.
Mr Young said they were encouraged by the many expressions of relief from other residents and passers-by that something was finally getting done.
“In our view, removing dead wattle from a revegetation area is not considered clearing under the NSW Native Vegetation Act 2003, but normal management. Council staff has agreed with us many times that the dead material needed to be removed to help manage this area of the reserve and maintain the beach access tracks. Our work also demonstrated a cheap and ecologically effective vegetation management technique with minimal disturbance,” he added.
The original plan was to take the dead wood to the tip and use the tip vouchers that council had given the group but Mr Murphy said they decided to leave the piles for inspection.
“The mayor and several other councillors were advised of the working bee some weeks in advance and no objections were raised with the residents group. A council officer we spoke with agreed that the work we had planned was ‘benign’ and said that with more notice he would have been pleased to work with us. A uniformed ranger who inspected the site at the end of the working bee said she was satisfied with our activity,” Mr Murphy said.
The area has been the subject of a representations to council over the last two years by both the NTBRA and Living with Nature led by local resident Libby Hepburn.
Ms Hepburn wants to see the natural environment preserved and protection of a wildlife corridor in the area.
Council attempted to mediate between the two groups and held a meeting September 14 with representatives of both groups. As a result a number of recommendations were agreed, with consensus not reached on other items.
At council’s October 11, 2017 meeting both groups made presentations and council unanimously voted to see the agreed actions from the September meeting go ahead when budgets allowed.
Council also voted to re-establishes emergency access previously provided at Dolphin Cove and The Point, re-establish native grasses that had been colonised by invasive species such as sallow wattle, kikuyu and African love grass and call for expressions of interest from community members to establish a volunteer group to assist in the management and maintenance of the public reserves in the vicinity of The Point and Dolphin Cove Drive, Tura Beach.
Council's media release has been widely interpreted as an attempt to intimidate our community group, further confounded by the threat of ongoing investigations. We have nothing to hide. We are proud of our work and welcome everyone to come down and judge it for themselves.
- Chris Young, secretary of the North Tura Beach Residents Association
During discussion at the council meeting councillor Robyn Bain commented that it had been going on for two years and she hoped that everyone could get on with their lives and added that it was encouraging that everyone wanted to see a healthy environment.
But Mr Murphy said despite representations to council and offers of volunteer labour, council had not moved matters along.
“Despite two years of talking to council nothing has happened,” Mr Murphy said.
“Council should focus its attention on properly managing the reserve areas with the support of our committed local volunteer group,” Mr Young said.
"We have prepared a preliminary Site Management Plan and have forwarded it to council and we are very much open to suggestions from other residents who use the area. Already the working bee has stimulated interest from other community members about finally improving the area from both an ecological and public access perspective,” he added.
“Council claims to hold all the regulatory powers to prevent residents from continuing with their good work, but continues to demonstrate that it is unwilling or unable to take responsibility itself. Council's media release has been widely interpreted as an attempt to intimidate our community group, further confounded by the threat of ongoing investigations. We have nothing to hide. We are proud of our work and welcome everyone to come down and judge it for themselves,” Mr Young said.
