The Point, Dolphin Cove
On Friday, November 9 I was approached to sign a petition instigated by the North Tura Beach Residents Association (NTBRA). The petition asked people to support the “clean up” and removal of dead wood at the Point and at Dolphin Cove. I did not sign.
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This sort of “clean up” was the cause of much discussion and a number of letters to the editor last January. There were two public meetings (one called by the NTBRA and one by the BVSC). The BVSC using their own resources and independent experts drew up a Management Plan for the areas concerned.
The Management Plan recognised that these areas were vital in providing a continuous corridor of vegetation allowing native flora and fauna to be able to move back and forth from the land south of Tura Beach and the Bournda National Park.
The report of the Scientific Committee established under the Threatened Species Conservation Act stressed the importance of dead wood in native bush land. This wood sustains the insect life that forms the base of the food triangle on which species above it depend.
This petition is an attempt by the NTBRA to undermine and side step the decisions indicated in the Site Management Plan. If we are to preserve our local flora and fauna we must preserve the native bushland in which they live. A 2014 analysis of 3000 species worldwide indicated that 50 per cent of all individuals had been lost since 1970. Whilst we can not do anything directly to affect worldwide change we can act locally.
There have been those cynical enough to suggest that the NTBRA is only interested in the two small pieces of bush land between their houses and the sea in order to enhance their views and increase their house values. I call upon the NTBRA to respect the decisions made in the Management Plan, to work with BVSC and the working party set up under the Management Plan and give nature a “fair go”.
Greg Box, Tura Beach
The Anzac Spirit
The nation’s call to arms, to confront a threat to freedom,
Inspired the young and patriotic, who rallied from every region,
But they knew not the horror and sorrow that lay ahead
In the war to end all wars, the First World War.
On lands from afar they fought and fell, where the jaws of death did dwell,
For many, their vision of adventure suddenly came to naught,
Amid the carnage, stench and ruin, in which they were caught,
But relief from suffering came, with the angels of Nightingale fame.
Though stricken with horrendous losses, they defied the enemy forces,
So let not their valour be in vain, or else we’ll bear the shame,
For freedom’s worth defending, much less a life worth living
Under the heel of a foe, where the seeds of darkness grow.
Oh, those gallant souls, whom we owe so much,
Were unflinching in the face of death,
And gave their all to their last breath,
Their sacrifice is now forever etched
In our nation’s consciousness,
For they bravely served the nation - to the death!
And became our inspiration - to cherish, no less.
Honour and glory, this is their story:
Duty, mateship, fearless, courage and selflessness.
Their duty is done; and ours has come
To defend their legacy.
They were the pride of their homeland: Australia and New Zealand,
Comrades across the Tasman Sea, who vowed as one to fight the enemy,
They were true to their creed and intrepid in deed
On the battlefield, where the Anzac Spirit was born.
Lest We Forget.
Geoffrey Dove, Tura Beach
Coastal reserves policy
One rule for Pambula, another for North Tura Coastal Reserves. Where’s the consistency in council policy? Zero-tolerance for Coastal Reserve destruction? Yet council wants to clear the North Tura Coastal Reserves.
What’s going on here?
If you are interested in what has been happening around the Coastal Reserves at North Tura, you will remember that following a community consultation process initiated by Council, the community let the council know in no uncertain terms, that we want and expect council to protect our coastal reserves. In fact 86 per cent of people who wrote submissions at the public meeting and a similar number in a follow up online survey said they value our nature and wildlife, and want Council to protect our coastal reserves ahead of any other actions.
You would think this was a clear enough mandate for council to approve a Site Management Plan (SMP) which included protection and recovery of the coastal reserve vegetation. After the community consultation process a SMP was drawn up which defined the coastal reserves, planned for improvements to access on both sides, and removal of weeds and restoration of the vegetation to improve the loss of biodiversity and maximise the important wildlife corridor. Council accepted this plan and council officers started to implement it.
Suddenly in May, Councillor Nadin put forward a motion which proposed removing the Coastal Reserve vegetation and reducing the wildlife corridor to grass. We found this difficult to believe given all the work that had gone into the original SMP, but somehow this motion was passed!
Let’s be very clear about the only issue here. There is not and never has been any disagreement over improved access and maintenance of the steps to the beach. The only point where there is total disagreement is that of the clearing of the coastal reserve vegetation.
Some councillors appear to support one small group of people – who all live on The Point, or Dolphin Cove Drive – who are intent on getting the coastal reserve vegetation removed to improve their views.
This ignores the reality that this small strip of vegetation is a vital corridor of connectivity for wildlife from the Bournda National Park to Tura Headland. The advice from ecologists and masses of scientific evidence shows how important wildlife corridors are to the ability of birds, bees and animals to travel across our landscapes and thrive. Council appears to be ignoring evidence that this vegetation is important and needs to be protected and restored. In doing so, council goes against all their existing policies in wishing make this small area of reserve a special case for council approved destruction.
Not only the community consultation at Tura but also the BVS Community Strategic Plan 2040 is clear about what our community wants. After extensive community consultation, the first agreed Priority is: “Our air and water are pristine and our natural environment and rural landscapes are preserved. We would also preserve more of our natural resources and protect our scenery and rural vistas from over-development”.
Council also has a legal responsibility to minimise the clearing of vegetation and to work to improve biodiversity. After the May 1 decision, council officers went through the new proposals and sought advice as to whether the actions being proposed would go against their legal responsibilities. The legal advice they have been given is that before clearing this vegetation, lengthy, expensive and time consuming reports would need to be commissioned to justify the clearing, and probably in a number of instances council could face legal action by environmental protection agencies and possibly civil action too.
Council officers again gave council a balanced and sensible response explaining why the May 1 proposals should not be put into the SMP yet at the October 31 council meeting this advice was ignored, still no retraction was made and the matter has been deferred until November 21.
So, at present we have some members of the council attempting to go against their own strategic plans, against the results of lengthy community consultations on both shire and community levels, against an agreed and balanced SMP and against the state and federal legal framework of environmental protection.
You have to ask why this particular small but vital area of coastal reserve is of so much interest to council that it has wasted significant ratepayers resources to date and seeks to go against all sensible advice and clear the North Tura Coastal Reserves for which it has a responsibility of protection? Can council explain this?
This is a difficult situation, but council has a responsibility to take action. The most constructive way forward will be for councillors to review very carefully the good advice of its own officers, follow the policies expressed in the Pambula case and revert to the original SMP of February 2018.
Chris Warner, Tura Beach