Local Paper Supports Reserve

You can't read it but this article by Benjiman Preiss, Emerald Hill Times June 2010, highlights that the Management Plan addresses both the environmental and safety issues for the Reserve. These issues were raised in the reference group and community consultation conducted earlier this year by the council to gain professional and community insight into the issues surrounding the reserve. The article also points out that the land owners, Port of Melbourne Corp are yet to adopt the plan or announce whether they will provide funding for the recommended upgrades.

Blue Wrens out today

My Camera was not versatile enough to record any pics of the little birds but I thought it was important to note that I heard and saw a couple of groups of blue wrens out feeding in the Reserve this weekend.
It was a pleasure to see the 5 or 6 birds in each group flittering around and their presence is a reminder of the importance of the recent fencing which will protect vegetation for them to continue to live in. The recent drought conditions would have made it tough on these little creatures but they looked perky as ever.

Race Horses - Frequent visitors a few years back

This sign will most likely be removed in the near future as it stands in the middle of a path to the beach. It is a reminder of the racehorse period in the reserve earlier this decade. I have lost my records and pics of the events but the reserve became a popular venue for horse swimming by racehorse owner Lloyd Williams.

It was a daily occurrence for several of William's trucks to arrive from Flemington Racecourse with up to 20 horses. They would assemble on the grass section at the western end then proceed down to the water and do laps up and back to the 1st rock groyne. I was concerned about the wear and tear these heavy beasts' hooves would inflict on the reserve as well as the shell habitat we know exists in the intertidal zone. The council supported my efforts to remove the horses from the reserve. It took about 18 months, the installation of 3 of these signs and finally the local law enforcement officers fining of the horse people before they seized their visits.

About a year later Lloyd Williams had purchased a massive property at Mt Macedon, installed a training track and swimming pool, had run ins with the local council and went on to win the Melbourne Cup with Efficient.

Rabbit Control

This rabbit baiting program was arranged by Michelle Ritchie (COPP Open Space Tech Officer) at a cost of $8K. Today I spotted 1 or 2 rabbits today next to a large bush of Atriplex, Coastal Saltbush, where I know there are numerous burrows. A few more weeks of the program are still to run so I hope the rabbits get into the poisoned carrot bait.

Gates -Management access to fenced areas

A cyclone gate was place in each fenced area to allow access for maintenance. I noticed today that two gates at the western end were open and being used for "beat" access. The gates are only screwed on so I am concerned about them being stolen. I have emailed David Hehir at COPP to ask if the gates can be attached in such a manner that they are not so easily removed.

The small signs are attached next to each gate.

Working Bees June & July 2010

These two picture show our plantings for June and July working bees. Damien from Citywide brings along plants from St Kilda Indigineous Nursery and the necessary equipment for us to put them in. We use water retention gel to keep up moisture to the young plants.
The bottom picture is the result of planting Distichlis, Sporobolus and Zoysia in an area where Cynadon couch has begun to overrun Zoysia. Damien had sprayed the area to kill not only the Cynadon but everything else. It is a trial to see if we can stem the influx of Cynadon.

Perce White Management Plan Adopted

A long name, Perc (sic) White Reserve Landscape Management Plan and Master Pan, was adopted by council at the 24th May 2010 meeting. Anne Callaghan, Ian Gould (community reference group member) and I spoke to the councillors in support of the plans adoption.

Decisions still to come; Port of Melbourne support and funding for plan and funding from council in 2010/11 budget. Only $50K has been allocated in the COPP draft budget.

Protective Fencing Goes In at Perce White Reserve

The two pictures immediately above show remains of the stylish hardwood post and stainless steel fencing installed in 2007. Unfortunately much of it proved too tempting to thieves and begun to disappear soon after installation.

The fencing has been installed by a contractor under the management of David Hehir, Foreshore Coordinator, City of Port Phillip. The funding for the fencing came from the City of Port Phillip and a Federal Coastcare Grant involving the following Govt Departments; Australian Government Land & Coast Division, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

The Grant process was lengthy with the submission preparation commencing in mid 2008 and approx $17,000 being granted in March 2009. Part of the Grant is to be spent on designing and installing six or seven Interpretive Signs which are yet to come.

The fencing was installed to protect the foreshore and foredune areas by reducing the number of informal tracks traversing the reserve, particularly in the Eastern Half. The fencing is in accordance with the COPP Perce White Management and Landscaping Plan 2010.