Botany Bay and Catchment Alliance

THESE are the shocking images that have provoked an overwhelming response of disgust from our readers.

Tonnes of waste from engines to filing cabinets and thousands of plastic bottles lines the banks of the Cooks River through Canterbury, Campsie, Hurlstone Park and Earlwood.

The Express visited three sites along this short stretch of river at Picken Oval, Croydon Park; Lees Park, Ashbury and the renowned “PET cemetery’’ of Tasker Park, Canterbury, where thousands of plastic bottles have been collected in the mangroves.

The litter is an environmental shame but it reveals only what is visible to the naked eye.

The invisible threat of fecal contamination and dangerous levels of E.coli is the river’s biggest enemy.

Test results released by the Cooks River Valley Association reveal E.coli levels 60 times higher than those acceptable for human contact or swimming, and nine times higher than acceptable for secondary contact, such as boating. (more…)

The following figures were given on a daily basis for beaches within the Botany Bay and Georges River for the three weeks commencing Sunday 22/01/2012. The pollution is said to be caused by stormwater overflow from various land sources. A high percentage is from sewerage outflows.

* Rainfall data has been used to predict the likelihood of bacterial contamination at swimming sites in Botany Bay and lower Georges River. When pollution is likely, swimmers may be at increased risk of contracting illness and swimming at these sites should be avoided.

Statistics from “Beachwatch” website, NSW Department of Environment and Heritage

The following are excerpts from the January Oatley Flora and Fauna Conservation Society Newsletter.

GEORGES RIVER

The Georges River begins its journey approximately 60km south-west of Sydney in the town of Appin. From here the river flows north towards Liverpool, through the Chipping Norton Lakes Scheme, then east until it reaches Botany Bay. It was an important focal point for Aboriginal life and culture in the southern Sydney region, offering both food, transport and dreamtime links. The early 1800′s saw European settlers migrating to areas along the river and it became increasingly important as a transport route. There is some evidence of agriculture associated with early settlement, but this was limited by the ruggedness of the landscape and limited suitability for farming. Widespread clearing and expansion of urban development after WWII changed the landscape of the river and impacted on water quality. The prevailing view at the time was that intertidal areas (wetlands and swamps) were wastelands, unsightly and a threat to public health. Removing mangroves made it easier to dump waste to raise the ground to a “healthy” level suitable for sports grounds. Opposition to this devastation lead to the establishment of O.F.F. and other environmental groups from the 1950s. The NSW National Parks and

Wildlife Service (NPWS) was established in 1967 and the Georges River Combined Councils Committee [GRCCC] in the 1970s. www.georgesriver.org.au/

NATIVE VEGETATION – GEORGES RIVER N P

Georges River National Park (NP) is a small urban reserve of over 500 hectares with fifteen disconnected portions of mostly vegetated land that lie north and south of the river between Sandy Point and Salt Pan Creek, Lugarno. North of the river, the Park lies within an urban-residential setting.

The largest portion of the reserve is on the southern banks between Sandy Point and Mill Creek, and its southern boundary links to the Woronora Plateau. The first declaration of the Georges River reserve was in 1962 responding to dramatic human induced changes to the catchment area. It was designated a national Park in 1992.

Some remarkably undisturbed examples of the original environments remain. However, despite its proximity to a large urban population, the native vegetation had not been the focus of a detailed vegetation mapping study. NPWS saw the need for such a study with the results to be added to a recently completed map of native vegetation across the Sydney Catchment Area (SMCMA). This study h a s  n o w  b e e n  c o m p l e t e d . T h e first draft of its report was published in November; the final report will be out soon. www.environment.nsw.gov.au/parkmanagement/

DHARAWAL STATE CONSERVATION AREA

“The Bulli Seam Operations, BHP’S 30 year plan to longwall coalmine in the Appin to Wollondilly region, was approved 3 days before Christmas. The plan has been modified from its original proposal and now excludes any mining activity in more than 98% of the Area. (more…)

The follow is and excerpt from Rockdale City Council Environmental News

Bushcare

Been wanting to get involved in a hands on environmental activity that gets you outdoors where you learn new things? Check out our upcoming bushcare days below, no experience necessary, children welcome!. Please give the relevant bushcare contact a call if you are coming down.

Coolibah Reserve

Meet at end of Hannam St, Turrella

Wednesday 15 February 5:30pm to 7.30pm for bushcare & planting

Wednesday 14 March 5:30pm to 7.30pm for bushcare

Bushcare contact: Mia Dalby-Ball mia@dfe.net.au, 0488 481 929 (more…)

The following article was published in the Canterbury Bankstown Express newspaper and written by reporter ADAM VIDLER. We congratulate Adam and his article and express our sadness to Chris Bartlett’s family.

THE Mudcrabs, the Cooks River eco-volunteers, will hold a celebration of the life and achievements of group founder Chris Bartlett this Sunday.

The event will be held at 4pm at Rosedale Reserve, at Croydon Park, opposite the Beamish St footbridge on the Cooks River.

Mr Bartlett, of Earlwood, founded the volunteers group in 2005. He died on December 23 of after a battle with liver cancer.

The Canterbury Citizen of the Year in 2009 was born in England and migrated to Australia as a boy.

He worked as a patrol officer in Papua New Guinea before independence and as a school teacher in Sydney before retiring.

The committed environmentalist always travelled by bicycle.

The Mudcrabs group, which now has more than 450 members, is affiliated with the Cooks River Valley Association.

The Mudcrabs work most almost every weekend along the Cooks River and have removed thousands of cubic metres of litter from the over the past seven years.

They have also planted more than 10,000 native plants along the river.

Chris was a strong advocate of container deposit legislation to try to limit the amount of litter getting into the river.

He lectured to school groups about the benefits of natural resource management and how to bring the Cooks River back to health.

Mudcrabs member Peter Munro said Chris was also committed to animal welfare and would take in and care for many abandoned or stray animals.

“Chris will be sadly missed by all who knew him,’’ he said.

The following link shows the original article from the Canterbury Bankstown Express:- http://express.whereilive.com.au/news/story/goodbye-to-mudcrabs-founder-chris-bartlett/