| Friends of
Rietvlei AGM |
| Please
remember our AGM
on Thursday 10
May 2012 at
20h00. |
| The venue is
the Rietvlei
Education
Centre, OFF Grey
Avenue, Table
View. After the
official
business (which
will hopefully
be short), there
will be
presentations on
their activities
and updates by
the staff and
the students at
the Rietvlei
Wetland Reserve. |
| PLEASE
REMEMBER TO
RENEW YOUR
MEMBERSHIP – WE
NEED YOUR
SUPPORT! |
|
|
 |
|
Membership |
|
As stated above another
financial year has come to an
end and this means members have
to renew their subscriptions.
The committee has decided to
leave the fees at the same rate: |
• ORDINARY:
R 50.00 pa
• FAMILY:
R 60.00 pa
• JUNIOR:
R 20.00 pa
• CORPORATE: R
300.00 pa
• 10 YEAR MEMBERSHIP (Per
Person): R 250.00 |
|
This amount is very reasonable
and we ask you all to pay a
renewal, as well as encourage
you neighbours and friends to
join. There is strength in
membership numbers. The attached
form must be completed and
returned with payment. |
|
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND
CONTINUING SUPPORT |
|
|
|
TABLE BAY NATURE RESERVE QUARTERLY REPORT : JANUARY–MARCH 2012 |
|
The latest Quarterly Report for
the Table Bay Nature Reserve has
been distributed, the report is
a most interesting document and
is available on the Friends of
Rietvlei website. |
|
The report mentions that the
Rietvlei Management Working
Group, on which the Friends of
Rietvlei is represented by Niel
van Wyk, had it’s 100th meeting
in January – this working group
meets every two months and plays
an important role by involving
stakeholders in management
decisions for the Rietvlei
Wetland Reserve. The Working
Group is both the management
committee for the Rietvlei
Protected Natural Environment in
terms of the Environmental
Conservation Act, and the
advisory committee for the
Rietvlei Local Nature Reserve in
terms of the Nature Conservation
Ordinance. In terms of estuaries
the Working Group also plays the
role of the Estuary Management
Forum. Thus this committee is an
important bridge between the
paid managers and the users of
the area. Apart from Friends of
Rietvlei, there are also
representatives from Milnerton
Aquatic Club, local ratepayers
associations and other spheres
of government. |
|
Another highlight mentioned and
illustrated in the report is a
very successful prescribed
ecological burn at the Milnerton
Racecourse section on 7 March
2012. This burn was in the
northern area, which is
sandwiched between residential
precincts in Royal Ascot, and
was the third and final of the
three management blocks to be
burnt in the current cycle. The
first block was burnt in 2008,
the second in 2010, and this one
this year; the burning cycle
will probably only resume in
2020 as at this stage a 12-year
burning cycle is recommended.
However, this could be adapted
depending on results of
vegetation surveys and
monitoring that are continuing
regularly in the nature reserve. |
|
Over the three month period
there has also been a lot of
clearing of invasive plan
species – extensive clearing of
Port Jackson proceeded in the
Diep River area and follow-up
work was done in both Diep River
and Rietvlei sections. An
Expanded Public Works Programme
(EPWP) team has also been kept
busy clearing Typha capensis
(bulrush) from the Wave’s Edge
wetland west of the R27. This
work is still continuing,
although there are plans to burn
the excess Typha growth as soon
as possible. Public consultation
was held about the burning
application and some heated
debate arose. There were local
residents who were very anti
burning with the creation of
soot, ash and smoke, as well as
the risk to wildlife that cant
escape the fire. Other residents
feel that the typha growth is
invasive and causing irritation
to health and comfort so they
welcomed any method to reduce
typha. The Blaauwberg Subcouncil
approved the burning permit at
their April meeting so a
suitable burn day is now
awaited. |
|
|
|
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS |
|
While several of the proposed
developments for which we have
submitted comments over the last
two years are still going
through the approval processes,
there is one that is now again
in the limelight. This is the
proposed mixed-use development
on the Gold Circle stables
property on Koeberg Road. The
property adjoins the important
Milnerton Racecourse section of
the Table Bay Nature Reserve,
and we are concerned that any
development there may affect the
nature reserve. |
|
You may recall that Friends of
Rietvlei appealed against the
environmental authorisation (Apr
2011 Newsletter), as a result an
amended environmental
authorisation was issued in
March 2012 which addresses some
of the issues we were concerned
about. In the meantime the
Removal of Title Deed
Restrictions has been approved;
and currently an application for
Rezoning to Sub-divisional Area
with a basket of rights is under
consideration by the City. |
|
Friends of Rietvlei has made
specific recommendations
regarding the size of a
biodiversity corridor between
the two sections of the nature
reserve; as well as the
placement of a public open space
corridor along the eastern
boundary of the reserve. |
|
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|
OUR INDIGENOUS GARDEN |
|
Our indigenous garden at the
bottom end of Grey Avenue is
improving gradually under Gail
McDonald’s keen attention. She
needs assistance and is still
looking for donations of
suitable plants or snips, as
well as any pair of hands keen
to help her in the garden.
Contact Gail on 082 937 8759. |
|
|
RIETVLEI CONTACT NUMBERS:
Environmental Education Centre – 021 521 9900
Entrance Gate – no number currently available due to
construction work.
Emergencies and standby number - 071 268 9637
Rietvlei Manager office number - 021 550 1086 |
