Maria Creek Transformation 2018
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Lot 66 Plant Out May 2015
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Revegetation
Lot 66 plant-out on the 24th of May 2015 by members of C4 and a few others who wandered in and decided to help out. It was a perfect day for the outing and the breakfast cooked up by Jan and Maurice Franklin proved to be a big hit with all involved.
| Green Army.pdf |
The cleared vegetation running parallel to Coolibah Street, Wongaling Beach.
Council’s response to vegetation clearing works conducted at Coolibah and Kwila steets.
Myself and Cr Bryce Macdonald raised community concerns we perceived over clearing of access to drains at Wongaling Beach. Council has investigated the concerns, please find following councils response.
In response to a number of concerns raised by the community and Councillors regarding the vegetation clearing works conducted in and adjacent to the open drains between Coolibah Street and Kwila Street, Wongaling Beach, please be advised as follows: -
· These drains are part of council's infrastructure and require regular cleaning to prevent flooding of property and houses during significant rain events, as occurred in 2006-07.
· The open drains were constructed to service the developed area and are part of council's responsibility to manage and to do this access is required for appropriate machinery.
· The drains where this work has occurred are on council owned free hold land.
· The drains were cleaned for the first time in a considerable period following a major rain event in 2006-07 that resulted in flooding through houses and property. The supervisor in charge at the time received permission from the relevant senior council staff to clean the drains and accesses to remove debris and to reinstate the capacity within the drain. I understand there was considerable debris from Cyclone Larry left in the drains.
· Drain cleaning has been carried out on an annual basis ever since to mitigate flooding. It should be noted that no flooding has occurred since cleaning operations recommenced in 2006-07, including the major rain depression that followed Cyclone Yasi.
· Works undertaken recently were for the cleaning of the access track adjacent to the east-west drain from Coolibah Street to the main north-south drain that discharges to Porters Creek. This work involved removal of fallen trees, dead vegetation and small re-growth vegetation from the track and pushing it back to the existing tree line. I understand that this access has not been cleaned since at least Cyclone Yasi and most likely well before that. This work also involved pushing of sand and roots to the existing tree line to allow access for large machinery.
· Access is required for a 20 tonne excavator as this is the size of excavator required to both clean the main north-south drain north of the junction and to cross the main drain (excavator lifts itself across the drain).
· The east-west drain was cleaned by way of removing vegetation (mostly fallen trees) only using a grab bucket. This was done to minimise the disturbance to the existing bed and thereby minimising sediment displacement.
· Erosion control measures (silt fencing) have been installed where deemed necessary.
· The access track along the main north-south drain to Porters Creek forms part of the major flow path with the deeper drain section catering for low flow situations (i.e. most normal rainfall events).
· The east-west access track cleaning was required as the alternative accesses used in recent years were no longer available as they traversed private property.
· The cleared areas will be allowed to revegetate along the edge of the track to the tree line and the track will be kept clear by slashing on a regular basis.
· In some areas the cleaning appears to be wider than necessary, however, the cleaning was done to allow machinery access and the debris and sand pushed back to the existing tree line. The existing tree line does not follow the alignment of the drain perfectly giving the appearance of being wider than necessary in parts.
Cheers
Cr Alister Pike Cassowary Coast Regional Council
Myself and Cr Bryce Macdonald raised community concerns we perceived over clearing of access to drains at Wongaling Beach. Council has investigated the concerns, please find following councils response.
In response to a number of concerns raised by the community and Councillors regarding the vegetation clearing works conducted in and adjacent to the open drains between Coolibah Street and Kwila Street, Wongaling Beach, please be advised as follows: -
· These drains are part of council's infrastructure and require regular cleaning to prevent flooding of property and houses during significant rain events, as occurred in 2006-07.
· The open drains were constructed to service the developed area and are part of council's responsibility to manage and to do this access is required for appropriate machinery.
· The drains where this work has occurred are on council owned free hold land.
· The drains were cleaned for the first time in a considerable period following a major rain event in 2006-07 that resulted in flooding through houses and property. The supervisor in charge at the time received permission from the relevant senior council staff to clean the drains and accesses to remove debris and to reinstate the capacity within the drain. I understand there was considerable debris from Cyclone Larry left in the drains.
· Drain cleaning has been carried out on an annual basis ever since to mitigate flooding. It should be noted that no flooding has occurred since cleaning operations recommenced in 2006-07, including the major rain depression that followed Cyclone Yasi.
· Works undertaken recently were for the cleaning of the access track adjacent to the east-west drain from Coolibah Street to the main north-south drain that discharges to Porters Creek. This work involved removal of fallen trees, dead vegetation and small re-growth vegetation from the track and pushing it back to the existing tree line. I understand that this access has not been cleaned since at least Cyclone Yasi and most likely well before that. This work also involved pushing of sand and roots to the existing tree line to allow access for large machinery.
· Access is required for a 20 tonne excavator as this is the size of excavator required to both clean the main north-south drain north of the junction and to cross the main drain (excavator lifts itself across the drain).
· The east-west drain was cleaned by way of removing vegetation (mostly fallen trees) only using a grab bucket. This was done to minimise the disturbance to the existing bed and thereby minimising sediment displacement.
· Erosion control measures (silt fencing) have been installed where deemed necessary.
· The access track along the main north-south drain to Porters Creek forms part of the major flow path with the deeper drain section catering for low flow situations (i.e. most normal rainfall events).
· The east-west access track cleaning was required as the alternative accesses used in recent years were no longer available as they traversed private property.
· The cleared areas will be allowed to revegetate along the edge of the track to the tree line and the track will be kept clear by slashing on a regular basis.
· In some areas the cleaning appears to be wider than necessary, however, the cleaning was done to allow machinery access and the debris and sand pushed back to the existing tree line. The existing tree line does not follow the alignment of the drain perfectly giving the appearance of being wider than necessary in parts.
Cheers
Cr Alister Pike Cassowary Coast Regional Council
View looking eastward from Coolibah street to Kwila street. Drain is on the left.
C4’s response to CLEARING between COOLIBAH and KWILA streets WONGALING
The area adjacent to the drain is zoned Conservation Precinct and was virgin forest prior to the CCRC pushing the East-West track. The site is probably the best example of Mesophyll vine forest on beach ridges and sand plains of beach origin at Mission Beach. It is an excellent example of littoral rainforest in an accessible public protected area. Being 100% RE 7.2.1, it equates wholly with the critically endangered ecological community listed under EPBC as Littoral Rainforest & Coastal Vine Thickets of Eastern Australia. Fieldwork has confirmed this.
The Littoral Rainforest Listing Advice, Conservation Advice and EPBC Policy Statement identify 5 threats to littoral rainforest: Clearing, disturbance and modification; inappropriately placed paths/tracks including beach access and amenities; Invasive weeds; inappropriate fire regimes; and Trampling, browsing and grazing by feral animals and livestock. The recent activity increased the first 3 of these 5 threats.
The subject site is already in a small patch with lots of edges and surrounding weeds. Removal of vegetation including ground cover, use of heavy machinery, and pushing cleared material into remnant areas makes small patch such as this even smaller and increases edges and the likelihood of transformer weed invasion and decline of the ecological community.
The site is also essential cassowary habitat.
C4’s response to CCRC explanation
It is incumbent on CCRC to use appropriate machinery and provide appropriate instruction and supervision of operations in such an important ecological area.
Cleared debris should not be pushed into the Conservation Precinct as this severely reduces and degrades the area.
The CSC had for 30 odd years managed to traverse the private property and mats and/or a smaller cheaper machine could have been used to avoid lawn damage. An alternate East-West approach is available and councils leave easements for this purpose.
The entire area has been left in a state which is prone to erosion (the wet is approaching) since all the top soil has been removed and the surface left very rough.
Environmentally this has been a needlessly destructive exercise and the action and response shows a disregard for a community which cares for the beauty of the area and a Tourism organization that is planning to base their future on nature based tourism.
The area adjacent to the drain is zoned Conservation Precinct and was virgin forest prior to the CCRC pushing the East-West track. The site is probably the best example of Mesophyll vine forest on beach ridges and sand plains of beach origin at Mission Beach. It is an excellent example of littoral rainforest in an accessible public protected area. Being 100% RE 7.2.1, it equates wholly with the critically endangered ecological community listed under EPBC as Littoral Rainforest & Coastal Vine Thickets of Eastern Australia. Fieldwork has confirmed this.
The Littoral Rainforest Listing Advice, Conservation Advice and EPBC Policy Statement identify 5 threats to littoral rainforest: Clearing, disturbance and modification; inappropriately placed paths/tracks including beach access and amenities; Invasive weeds; inappropriate fire regimes; and Trampling, browsing and grazing by feral animals and livestock. The recent activity increased the first 3 of these 5 threats.
The subject site is already in a small patch with lots of edges and surrounding weeds. Removal of vegetation including ground cover, use of heavy machinery, and pushing cleared material into remnant areas makes small patch such as this even smaller and increases edges and the likelihood of transformer weed invasion and decline of the ecological community.
The site is also essential cassowary habitat.
C4’s response to CCRC explanation
It is incumbent on CCRC to use appropriate machinery and provide appropriate instruction and supervision of operations in such an important ecological area.
Cleared debris should not be pushed into the Conservation Precinct as this severely reduces and degrades the area.
The CSC had for 30 odd years managed to traverse the private property and mats and/or a smaller cheaper machine could have been used to avoid lawn damage. An alternate East-West approach is available and councils leave easements for this purpose.
The entire area has been left in a state which is prone to erosion (the wet is approaching) since all the top soil has been removed and the surface left very rough.
Environmentally this has been a needlessly destructive exercise and the action and response shows a disregard for a community which cares for the beauty of the area and a Tourism organization that is planning to base their future on nature based tourism.