environment

Southern Estuaries Coastal Management Program

janinerThu, 28/04/2022 - 3:56pm

Have Your Say: Midcoast Council

MidCoast Council is in the process of preparing a Coastal Management Program (CMP) for its Southern Estuaries including the areas of Wallis Lake, Smiths Lake, Karuah River, Myall Lakes, Kore Kore Creek and North Arm Cove. Estuaries are the areas where the freshwater from the river meets the salt water from the ocean.

The CMP will be a ten-year action program to help manage and protect our waterways.

You can have your say on the Mid Coast Council website or you can email the team at haveyoursay@midcoastcouncil.nsw.gov.au ....

Beware the Ides of March

janinerSun, 03/04/2022 - 11:27am
Loose oyster line during strong winds

We have an internet enabled weather station and we like to keep a track of the rain. Occasionally we miss a week or two when a spider decides to take up residence or some sticks fall in the working parts, but overall, it works well.

In March this year, we had 367ml with 99ml falling on the 31st March. From the beginning of the year, we have had about 540ml. Our catchment is waterlogged and there is erosion everywhere. The water in the Cove is brown and currently unsuitable for swimming. Instead of going in the water, it would...

Glossy Black-Cockatoos - field guide

Information
bobreidThu, 24/03/2022 - 4:31pm

In the latest EcoNetwork EcoUpdate there was a reference with a link to a Glossy Black-Cockatoo count being held this coming Saturday 26 March. 

The South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo is at risk of population decline after losing many of its feed trees in the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020. Data collected during the Great Glossy Count will support vital bushfire recovery and conservation work by informing habitat management for these birds.

EcoNetwork Port Stephens - latest newsletter

Information
bobreidThu, 24/03/2022 - 3:55pm

EcoNetwork Port Stephens was founded in 1993, with a vision of ecologically sustainable communities existing in harmony with the natural environment.

It is a not-for-profit, apolitical and 100% volunteer-run organisation dedicated to the interest of all who treasure and want to preserve the natural beauty and biodiversity of our Port Stephens estuary, peninsulas and rural hinterland.

NACCAi has been an affiliated group of EcoNetwork for many years.

Autumn Wild Dog Control Programs

janinerSat, 05/03/2022 - 4:17pm

Wild dog populations and foxes cause significant problems for farmers and native animal populations. The range of these animals can be up to 30 square kilometres, so they can be a pest over a wide area. The Hunter Local Land Services (LLS) assist landowners to carry out autumn and spring baiting programs. Participants must do a 2 hour online training course which provides accreditation to bait for 5 years. Bait will be available for collection at Buladehlah, Stroud and Bunyah Hall in late March and early April.

If you are interested in more information, contact Kirstin Bisley on 02...

Please help - Clean Up Australia Day this Sunday 6 March

Information
bobreidSun, 27/02/2022 - 9:13pm

Cleaning up all of Australia is perhaps a bit too much for our small community, but we can all do our bit by spending two hours helping clean up North Arm Cove this coming Sunday 6 March.

We are meeting at the Community Centre at 8am and are aiming to finish at about 10am.

So if you can please come along and help. This year John Kugel is doing the organising and he will be on hand at the Community Centre to look after the paperwork and allocate clean up areas. If you can come along with car and trailer it would be a big help.

Are there protected sea grasses and live oyster reefs near you?

janinerSun, 30/01/2022 - 4:26pm
North Arm Cove

Did you know that there are live oyster reefs in North Arm Cove? Some are naturally occurring, and some are the remnants of past oyster farming. There are reefs next to the shore off Cove Boulevard and Eastslope Way, plus several more off the non-urban area, near Bulga Creek and up Bundabah Creek.

According to DPI Fisheries, research has shown the important role these reef areas play in maintaining estuarine processes such as water quality and aquatic species diversity and abundance. Efforts to protect and restore oyster reef and bring back lost ecological functions are growing globally.

The...

Draft NSW Mainland Marine Park Network Management Plan 2021-2031

janinerThu, 13/01/2022 - 4:30pm

General information is available about the Draft NSW Mainland Marine Park Network Management Plan on the Have Your Say website and on the DPI website. The information is mostly promotional. I had trouble locating the actual draft management plan. To save you time, go to https://yoursay.marine.nsw.gov.au/stage-1 , and scroll half way down the page. The link is in a column on the right hand side labelled documents.

One of the criticisms of the document is that it allows the Government a lot of wriggle room when there are competing interests. Pages 15 and 16 talk about "trade-offs" in...

Marine Park Community Webinar

janinerThu, 13/01/2022 - 3:17pm

A community webinar will be held on Wednesday 19th January at 6-7pm on the draft Management Plan for the NSW Mainland Marine Park Network. Port Stephens is part of the five marine parks covered by this management plan. If you would like to attend the webinar, details are in the letter below. Public consultation on the draft plan closes on 31 January 2022.

Dear marine park stakeholder,

As you may be aware the NSW Government has recently released a draft Management Plan for the NSW Mainland Marine Park Network (2021-2031) to seek stakeholder and community input into the future of the...

Is it Safe to Swim in the Cove after Rain?

janinerSun, 19/12/2021 - 9:38pm

With the holiday season nearly upon us and further rainfall predicted, it is worthwhile remembering that our water quality can be affected by heavy rain. If the water is brown or we have had recent heavy rain, it is better to be cautious. If in doubt, one way of checking the water quality is to go to the Food Authority website and see whether the Port Stephens oyster harvest areas are open. https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/industry/shellfish/status

The oyster farmers test the water to see if it is contaminated. If a harvest area is not open, then it would be a...

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