minutes of the 18 June 2011 Meeting - Western Cape Birding Forum

The Cape Bird Club

Western Cape Birding Forum

Now represents 17 clubs with more than 2,000 members in the Western Cape.

Minutes at Durbanville Nature Reserve, Durbanville on Saturday, 18 June 2011.

Vernon Head - Chaired the Meeting.
Sylvia Ledgard - Minutes.

Present
Cape Bird Club: Vernon Head, Sylvia Ledgard, Anne Gray, Jo Hobbs, Otto Schmidt
Hermanus Bird Club: Barbara Palmer, Terry Demmer.
Somerset West Bird Club: Brian Dennis, Ben Kakebeeke.
Tygerberg Bird Club: Gerald Wingate, Brian Vanderwalt, Helene Thompson, Lesley Teare.
West Coast Bird Club: Keith Harrison.
Paarl: Yvonne Weiss.
BLSA: Ross Wanless (Seabird Division)

Also attending
Dr Tony Williams, Mel Tripp.

Apologies
John Carter, Jill Mortimer, Dave Whitelaw, Peter Nupen, Robyn Kadis.

Welcome

Vernon welcomed all.

1. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING (5/3/2011): Agreed.

2. ADDITIONAL ITEMS FOR THE AGENDA.
BirdLife Stellenbosch

3. NOTE OF RECORD.
WCBF congratulates Peter Ryan and Vernon Head on their respective appointments as President and Chairman of BirdLife South Africa.

4. OWL AWARDS 2011.

Recipients in the Western Cape were:

Russell Hall (Sea Harvest): Russell has been working with the Albatross Task Force since 2006, giving access to their vessels to collect data on seabird bycatch in the hake trawl industry and testing mitigation measures. He has been instrumental in seeking solutions to problems associated with discard management and more recently with sticky grease on trawl cables. He is chairperson of the newly formed Seabird Task Team of the Responsible Fisheries Alliance.
Graham Brill (I & J): Graham has been supporting the work of the Albatross Task Force since 2006 by allowing ATF instructors access to their vessels and facilitating a number of important research projects including mitigation devices to reduce the mortality of seabirds during fishing operations. He is a member of the Seabird Task Team of the Responsible Fisheries Alliance.
Mel Tripp: Mel joined the Cape Bird Club in 1988 and served on the committee for many years, including as vice-chairman. He was chairman of the organising committee for the BLSA AGM in Saldahna. He has served with distinction on BLSA’s marketing committee since its inception and is at the forefront of the rebranding process presently underway.
Sylvia Ledgard: Sylvia joined the Cape Bird Club in 1993 and served as honorary secretary for over 10 years. She has championed BLSA projects in the Western Cape, was a founder member of the Western Cape Birding Forum and has served as honorary secretary since its inception.
Keith Harrison: Keith was a founder member of the West Coast Bird Club, chaired the club for three years and is their current conservation officer. He represents WCBC at the Western Cape Birding Forum, is involved with the Berg River Estuary Management Forum and the Environmental Management Framework for Saldahna Bay and Velddrif. He is involved with numerous bird monitoring projects and surveys and writes a bi-weekly column for the local “Westlander”. He comments on Environmental Impact Assessments relating to a variety of developments and more recently wind farms.
Owl Awards 2012: Nominations are open for 2012 and should be sent with citations to Vernon Head, copied to Nikki McCartney (events@birdlife.org.za ).

5. BLSA MARKETING STRATEGY (presented by Mel Tripp)
The thrust on the marketing strategy started 18 months ago. There were great opportunities for marketing BirdLife South Africa more effectively and professionally and the initiative was welcomed by the CEO. The strategy would be geared to raising BLSA’s profile in the marketplace by enhancing public image and awareness and providing opportunities for funding. Initiatives underway are:

Billboard Advertising: Continental Outdoor Media are giving us free hoarding wherever they have spare spots. We just pay for the printing. We have six themed billboards in circulation around the country.

Save our Seabirds Festival (10-16 Oct. 2011): S.O.S 2011 will be partnered by BirdLife South Africa’s Seabird Division, the Department of Environmental Affairs, Iziko Museums, V&A Waterfront and the City of Cape Town. The Jupiter Drawing Room, headed by Graham Warsop, has offered to create a marketing strategy for the festival, which takes place during National Marine Week. Events being planned are:

Free lectures by top speakers in the fields of Seabird and Marine Conservation.
Free cheese and wine
“Oceans of Life” photographic competition, with all the finalists’ images displayed at Iziko South African Museum for the duration of the Festival.
School kids art/sculpture competition with the Plastics industry using waste plastic.
Active demonstrations with disabled community at Ocean View making torilines.
Open-air concert with “Freshly Ground” at the V&A Waterfront.
SA Agulhas moored at the Waterfront as a floating education venue for school kids.
Pelagic trip for seabird enthusiasts on the SA Agulhas at the end of the week.
Displays of sponsors and coastal environmental agencies throughout the shopping malls of the V&A Waterfront.
Promotion of the SASSI (South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative) at all restaurants in the V&A Waterfront.

Diemersfontein Wines have brought out the label “For the Birds”, a red wine which is on sale at R45/bottle. A portion of sales goes to Seabird conservation. They will be sponsoring a billboard.

Viral Marketing advertising will be done through the BLSA Website and Facebook.

Public Service Announcements: ETV will give free airtime for five 30-second commercials focusing on endangered bird species, e.g. African Penguin, Cape Parrot, Wattled Crane, Seabirds. Species used will depend on what footage SABC has. The concept is being drawn up by the Jupiter Drawing Room and will portray the conservation of birds and their habitats through words, images and sounds, using an hourglass with the message “The longer we wait, the more we lose”. The theme will be elegance and simplicity. Voice-over will be done by Sir David Attenborough. The production company Velocity is looking at creating the footage, which will also be used as posters and advertisements in other media.

Gift Membership Packs: Two gift packs will be on offer - “Wings One” (ordinary) and “Wings Two” (corporate). “Wings One” has been launched and we are gearing up for corporates this year. Leads on contacts for the latter should be fed back to the Forum. Style is elegant on recycled paper. WCBF

Pin Badges and Greeting Cards: Will be looking at designs.

Membership Cards: Being re-created in credit card size, full colour, with an up-style look.

BLSA Logo: Being re-designed to conform to BirdLife International corporate branding style.

Birding Big Day:

SAPPI is not keen to continue sponsoring this event in the current format. BLSA remains their NGO of choice but their interest is focused more with community initiatives surrounding their plantations.
The Marketing Committee is looking at developing a BBD Garden category.

Bird of the Year (Barn Swallow). The school leg of National Bird Week was funded this year by ACSA and we will be engaging with them and SAA to carry this forward to the “Spring Alive” event for returning Barn Swallows (4 Sept-20 Nov). “Bird of the Year” billboards will be erected at airports.

Comment:
(LT): Why not open the event to other airlines?
(VH): The objective is to align with a particular corporate and incorporate the message they want to promote. This must be a national carrier.

Sasol Birds & Birding Fair at Johannesburg Zoo: All lectures were fully supported and the sponsors were happy with the outcome.

IBAs: An international and national drive on IBAs is underway. Marketing for funding will focus on corporates taking ownership of specific IBAs to their benefit by association. A funding strategy has been prepared, using Strandfontein as a test case.

SA Fashion Week: BirdLife South Africa has been asked to host the closing event in Cape Town in July. Fashion Week is sponsored by Precious Moloi-Motsepe and top designer Stefania Morland will present designs inspired by birds.

Golden Bird Patrons: A club of patrons who contribute significantly to BirdLife South Africa. Four membership options will be on offer:

African Golden Oriole: R25,000p.a.
African Golden Weaver: R50,000p.a.
Golden Bunting: R75,000p.a.
African Golden Pipit R100,000p.a.
Sappi is assisting in the packaging of an exquisite folder for Golden Bird Patrons.

Congratulations: WCBF congratulates Mel Tripp and the marketing team for the creativity and scope of the marketing campaign and their drive and professionalism in putting it together.

6. EVENTS
(1) Outdoor Adventure and Travel Expo (Presented by Lesley Teare)
TBC has been considering new ideas to attract younger members into the club and is proposing that Bird Clubs associated with WCBF look at the possibility of participating in the Outdoor Expo with a view to reaching a younger market. The concept would be to promote birding and increase club membership.

Dates: Friday 14 October - Sunday 16 October
Venue: Bien Donne (located between Paarl and Franschoek), but this may switch to V&A Waterfront.

Noted that the dates coincide with S.O.S. Week, so relocation to the Waterfront could offer the opportunity of linking up.

The Outdoor Expo is held annually in Cape Town and Johannesburg and attracts about 19,000 visitors. It is well established and has the support of large companies and government organisations. The focus is the outdoors and outdoor accessories, adventure activities, travel destinations and products. We can target people who enjoy nature - hikers, caravanners, campers, nature travel, etc. - and showcase birdwatching, bird clubs, birding routes and destinations in the Western Cape region and beyond.
This year a “Go Eco” section has been added, the purpose of which is to educate and enlighten visitors about the effect we have on the environment. We could come in with bird-life, their habitats and general environmental and conservation matters.

Exhibitors include outdoor industry leaders, adventure travel and eco-tourism, game lodges and B&B’s, tourism agencies and authorities, some of which we could network with.

Partners/co-exhibitors would be WC Bird Clubs and BLSA and could also include “Africa Birds & Birding” and “Africa Geographic”, Diemersdal Wine Estate, Edward Snell (Glendower) Stretton’s, Photographic and Binocular/Scope suppliers, book publishers/suppliers, pelagic operators, etc.

Prices for indoor exhibition space: R1,600/square meter for full package or R1,150/square meter without the trimmings (carpeting, lighting, etc.).

Lesley has set up a meeting with Expo MD Shirley Shearer at the Waterfront on 7 July. Vernon and Mel will attend.

(2) Cape Town Bird Fair Proposal (Brian Vanderwalt)
Based on the successful outcome of the Sasol Birds & Birding Fair in Johannesburg, the question arises, why not in Cape Town? Brian has looked at the D’Aria Wine Estate in Durbanville as a possible venue. It has a winery, function hall, restaurant, on-site accommodation and birding wetland. A good time would be February/March. It would be possible to involve local lecturers, AB&B, local photographic /binocular/telescope suppliers, etc.
(MT): Sasol could be approached with a view to running an event in Cape Town simultaneously with that in Johannesburg.

(3) SANBI Kirstenbosch Biodiversity Expo 5-8 May, 2011 (Anne Gray)
This was the fourth year of running the Expo at Kirstenbosch. It is geared largely to giving biodiversity information to junior and senior school pupils and showing what careers could be looked at in conservation.

There was a wide variety of stands, each promoting their individual message showing the conservation work being done in the Western Cape region on many fronts. CBC showcased Strandfontein Waste Water Works and Rondevlei Nature Reserve as examples of what has been achieved with good conservation management, and Intaka Island at Century City where habitat has been restored and created for waterbirds, bushbirds and a diversity of insects and small mammals. Two Xhosa speaking birdguides from Intaka Island manned the stand for two days.

Scholars who visited the stand came from schools across the Peninsula and from towns in the Boland. The opportunity was used to publicise the Barn Swallow as “Bird of the Year” and posters were given to teachers of visiting schools and also to Cubs groups.

Enquiries were made about club membership, the junior club, the Flamingo Bird Club, courses and windfarms.

BLSA’s Seabird Division ran a stand but RW felt it had not been worthwhile for them. VH suggested that next year WCBF could become involved and Seabirds could be incorporated in a WCBF stand. Anne indicated there was some uncertainty at this stage regarding what direction the Expo would take, as the organiser Augustine Morkel was leaving SANBI.

(4) Cape Winelands Expo and Youth Festival 30 June-2 July (Anton Odendal): Schools in the region are coming to the event. AO will supply NBW packages to teachers.

(5) “Save our Seabirds”Festival-2011 10-16 October (Vernon Head):
This is the third year of S.O.S. Our goal is to make the S.O.S. festival for Seabirds and Marine conservation the biggest environmental festival in the country and we would like to see the concept of festivals taken forward to Terrestrial Birds. The S.O.S. model can be used for initiatives in this direction.

Programme details for S.O.S. 2011- refer to Marketing Strategy. Currently, the problem is getting the information into the clubs. Brochures are being produced and we will use the electronic media. We are looking for ways of reaching the communities. Iziko have 12 museums around the country and could be one avenue for communication.

7. IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS (IBAs)
The IBA project identifies and works to conserve a network of sites critical to the survival of endangered and vulnerable bird species. A focal point for WCBF this year is the establishment of the IBA project in the Western Cape.

IBA Workshop (25 & 26 June): WCBF is bringing the heads of the IBA team, Daniel Marnewick and Ernst Retief, to Cape Town to conduct a workshop which will equip participants with the knowledge, understanding and tools to carry out IBA assessments and site monitoring. The training programme will cover IBAs and IBA assessments, EIAs and, by popular request, Wind Farm developments. Planned outcome is the formation of a Regional IBA Conservation Working Group to take the process forward in the Western Cape. Workshop participants will include representatives from the Cape Bird Club, Tygerberg Bird Club, BirdLife Overberg, West Coast Bird Club, ADU, SANParks Honorary Rangers and CapeNature.

IBA Workshop Funding (Brian Dennis): The budgeted cost is R8,000. We are holding R3,000 in funds contributed earlier by the Clubs. The Forum was asked to approve an additional R3,000 from Clubs to cover costs on the same basis as previously agreed, i.e. an annual contribution of R1 or R2 per member Forum members were asked to take this to their committees. Contributions can be made between now and the end of the year.

WCBF
(Note: Actual costs amounted to R6,550, so in effect with a further R3,000 from Clubs, the Workshop can be regarded as having been fully sponsored by local Clubs.)

Overberg Municipality proclaimed an IBA: AO reported that BirdLife International has proclaimed the whole of the Overberg Municipality as an IBA. Of concern is the proposed nuclear power plant at Bantamsklip which would see power lines running through the entire Overberg district and up to Worcester. The Overberg Wheatbelt (IBA SA115) stops at the N2 and the area from the west to north of the N2 is not covered. It is proposed that this section be included.

Strandfontein (IBA SA116)

Proclamation as a Reserve: Strandfontein is set to be incorporated in the proclamation of the False Bay Nature Reserve. The proposal has gone through a number of line functions in City Council departments and there have been no major objections. There are rumours that developers intend reapplying to build the ring road. The declaration of the area as a Nature Reserve would be an obstacle to this development.
Funding Proposal: The City is in favour of BirdLife South Africa’s approaching a corporate funder and are co-operating by providing documentation to incorporate into the proposal, extending our agreement on joint management, and drawing up an MOU between themselves and BLSA which would facilitate offering a sponsor naming and advertising rights.

8. WCBF FINANCES (Brian Dennis)

Funds held at 17 June 2011 R15,321 (inclusive of R3,000 from Clubs)
Less IBA Workshop costs R8,000 (est.)
Less two more meetings (2011) R3,000 (est.) R11,000
Balance: R 3,321
Plus members donations for 2011 R 3,000
Expected Balance at Year End : R7,321

Brian emphasised that it was important for WCBF to build up a buffer to remain solvent.

9. ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS
(1) Wind Farms: West Coast Update (Keith Harrison): It must be noted that Renewable Energy does not mean Wind only. Other forms included in Eskom’s estimate of requirements are hydro, solar panels, solar concentrated power, bio, domestic refuse and alien plants.

The industry is new to South Africa, so there are no regulations in place for controlling development. The DEA is responsible for determining sites and protocols are being prepared but at present it is a free for all. There are over 7,000 Wind Farm applications nationally. The West Coast District Municipality has about 25 applications, of which five have been passed and others are at various stages in the process. The area of concentration is from Langebaan to St. Helena Bay, west of the R27, which involves 12 sites incorporating 315 turbines of about 943 MW capacity. The number of turbines on a site can be calculated by dividing the Mega Watts by 2 or 3. Each site will house a generator and turbine masts up to 150m in height.

The as yet undetermined flyway for West Coast waterbirds could be through this area. Studies are being done to provide information at site level. Assistance is needed from “local eyes” to give indications as to where professionals should work. Six radar surveys are planned where birders’ help will be needed. Site monitoring is a long term process, i.e. the basal study, during construction and during production, through each season, day and night. Commenting on EIAs takes time through the stages of scoping report, environmental impact report and public participation.

Effect on Birds and Bats: Overseas research papers indicate that effects on birds in order are:

Habitat destruction;
Species dispersal;
Collision mortality.

Very little is reported about bats but they are more seriously affected than birds as they only have to be drawn into the wake of disturbed air for the sudden change in air pressure to cause their lungs to bleed.

Comments:
(MT): Bats: There are incidences overseas of impacts on bat populations, which could have implications for the long-term sustainability of the agricultural industry. The loss of bats means an increase in the insect population and consequent imbalance in the environment.
(AO): Applications for wind farms in the Overberg are overwhelming.
(BvdW): A balanced approach is needed. We cannot turn everything down.
(VH): BLSA, EWT and the Wind Farm industry are working together. Sensitivity site mapping is in process and a “Best Practice Guidelines” document has been drawn up for use by the wind farm industry and government.
(TW): Eskom is commissioning a number of surveys.

(2) Fracking in the Karoo: Shell International has applied for an exploration licence to prospect for shale gas in a vast area of the Karoo across three provinces - the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape.
Applications have also been registered by Canadian Falcon Oil and South African registered Bundu Gas Oil.

Update on Developments (reported by Dave Whitelaw): There has been a considerable amount of activity with a number of well reported anti-fracking meetings.

Anti-Fracking points:

Lawyers for Karoo residents, including Johan Rupert, have lodged an application to declare Shell’s application illegal as it did not comply with the Mining Act with regard to public participation.
US Environmental Protection Agency is due to publish a major report on the safety of the process early next year.
New York Times claims it has documents from this agency that provide evidence that fracking poses greater threats to both health and the environment than was previously thought. A major problem is that water used in fracking is fed into sewage systems which are unable to extract some of the heavy metals, toxins and radioactive material.
France has banned fracking.
UK is considering imposing restrictions.

Pro-Fracking:

Fracking has received support from some local engineers and economists, in particular from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
Shell has commenced an advertising campaign claiming that no ground water contamination has ever been documented, based on a US study that failed to show ground water contamination but did show that gas leaked into the water.

Legal/Political:

Generally agreed that the Government moratorium on fracking applies only to future applications and not those currently being considered.
PetroSA is to make final recommendations to the Minister on the application. The panel comprises representatives from the Dept. of Mineral Resources, Trade and Industry and Science and Technology, but no one from the Dept. of the Environment or the Planning Commission. The DA has requested that the panel be broadened to include these bodies.
The DA claims that the Dept. of Mining Affairs has no policy regarding fracking, inadequate
capacity and a poor record on monitoring compliance.

Noted:

Fracking in the Sutherland region has been vetoed due to concerns that communications systems used by the hydraulic fracking operation would affect the SKA radio telescope and impact adversely on South Africa’s bid to host the SKA. South Africa and Australia are shortlisted as possible hosts.
The potential impact on bird populations in the Karoo is being looked at by Dr. Richard Dean.

SPECIES CONCERNS
Northern Rockhopper Penguin: Tristan da Cunha Oil Spill (Ross Wanless): A vessel carrying cargo from Brazil crashed into Nightingale Island on 16 March, one of the most important seabird breeding islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, supporting a breeding population of the endangered Northern Rockhopper Penguin. The logistics of reaching the island meant that response was slow and disjointed - it takes 6 days’ sailing from Cape Town. Five days after the event, the salvage tug John Ross reached the island with specialists on board for salvage operations, equipment to treat oiled birds, and an environmental advisor to assess the magnitude of the spill and the response required. SANCCOB offered their services and a team arrived a couple of weeks later on a second vessel. On 19 March, the cargo vessel broke up, with heavy oil leaking into the sea. Half of the Rockhopper Penguins had finished their moult and gone back to sea. The young birds had gone.
The Insurers tried to rescue the boat. It took them three weeks to charter a helicopter and get resources to the island. The lead time for treating oiled birds is short and after one week the birds started to deteriorate. SANCCOB and others worked hard but it was too late. 50 Birds were released and 3,000 euthanased. 20,000 Birds are unaccounted for.

The Tristan islands are a British Protectorate and conservation responsibility falls under the RSPB. Ross has been invited to Folkstone to discuss what went wrong and see how things could have been handled differently.

10. SABAP2 UPDATE (Peter Nupen)
Stats: Of the 1,836 pentads in the Western Cape, 1,293 now have at least one Full Protocol Card. This represents 70.4% of the Western Cape that has been atlased. Atlasers in the W.C. have submitted in excess of 11,000 FPCs, which is a great achievement. Nationally, 913 observers have submitted 54,100 FPCs. This means 52.3% of all pentads right across RSA have at least one FPC.

Sponsoring atlasing in Remote Pentads: Peter thanked the Cape Bird Club for part sponsorship of the Knersvlakte Atlasing weekend held from 3-5 June. Seven participants from CBC and two from Pretoria took part in a very successful programme. The team covered 22 new pentads, plus another three were covered for the second time. These were areas mainly to the north, east and west of Vanrynsdorp. Valuable information was collected for SABAP2 and many full Out-of-Range forms were generated, which will highlight species expansion and confirm particular species in their specialised habitats.

(VH): Clubs can help increase coverage of the Western Cape by sponsoring atlasing in remote areas.

11. ADU
Les Underhill retires at the end of the year. Issues are:

(1) Succession: It is likely that Res Altweg from SANBI will take over as Director of the ADU.

(2) The ADU’s status at UCT: Departments at UCT require funding. The issue is being addressed by BLSA, The Fitz and SANBI. BLSA is working on funding applications to ensure the ADU goes forward.

Comment:
(LT): Can the ADU not sell some of the technology they have developed? This would raise big money.
(VH): All options are being looked at.

12. BIRDING ROUTES (Anton Odendal)

The “Bird Finder” brochure for the Overberg is being sold at tourism offices, at the four points of entry into the country and at selected accommodation establishments (Price R10).
We have a contract with the Eden (Garden Route) and Winelands Municipalities for similar brochures. - Changes in local authorities following Local Government elections disrupted negotiations in progress but the new Municipalities have expressed interest in the birding resources and educational material we have produced.
The website has taken off.
Tweewaterskloof Municipality has approved a project to clean up the Palmiet River. Tru-Cape may be interested. Serious consideration is being given to creating a bird sanctuary in the upper Palmiet.

13. FLAMINGO BIRD CLUB (Anne Gray)
The Club is progressing with the first club meeting and talk having taken place. Binoculars bought with money raised are being used at outings, but it is noted that small size bino’s are needed for the younger children. A further R4,000 was raised for a digital projector. Anne has a panel for speakers and outings. The advent of this club is very significant in the agricultural area of Phillippi. News on the club is featured on the Cape Bird Club website.
(BvdW): Hestelle at the University of the Western Cape has asked how they can get involved. They have a good venue at UWC.

Proposed Atlantis Bird Club: The opportunity exists to get a club going at Atlantis. Bennett Friedman, who worked at Intaka Island, is keen to start a nature club and work with the youth there. GW undertook to contact Charlene at Aquifer Marketing who may be able to assist with information/contacts and will forward details to Anne.
Action: Gerald Wingate/Anne Gray

14. BLSA MATTERS (Vernon Head)

Revised BLSA Constitution: Amendments to the Constitution were ratified at the AGM in March. The most significant change is that Clubs are now classified as Bird Clubs and not as Branches so as to avoid litigation problems, should such arise in the future. Official approval of the document is awaited from SARS and the Dept. of Social Development, following which the revised Constitution will become valid. GW noted that the Constitution will need to be updated on the BLSA website. A template for Club constitutions will be drawn up.

“Bird of the Year”- Barn Swallow: Sponsored by ACSA. “Bird of the Year” 2011 encompasses two events: National Bird Week (3-8 May) and “Spring Alive” (4 Sept.-20 Nov.). Clubs can apply to BLSA for R1,000 funding for publicity JoePeu-education@birdlife.org.za
Noted: It is essential to get educational material/information to the clubs well in advance for distribution to schools. AO advised that generally speaking teachers ask for additional packages and BLO has reproduced from old ones.

Indemnity Form: A standard form has been drawn up.

Finances: BLSA broke even in the 2010 financial year. All monies for conservation projects come from funding.

Avitourism: BLSA Avitourism Division’s brief is to support the local birding tourism industry and professional bird guides by providing information and resources to local and international birders through the website. The development of a network of Birding Routes and the training and mentoring of local guides remain a priority.

Comment:
(BvdW): A problem is the cost of advertising on the website.

15. OTHER MATTERS

BirdLife Stellenbosch has dissolved. Brian Dennis was mandated to get a list of members and assist them to become members of other clubs.
Action: Brian Dennis.

Tourism Hub (KH): West Coast District Municipality has sponsored a hub on the R27. Statistics on tourist interests are needed by the Municipality and birders are encouraged to visit and record their birding interest for the Western Cape.

Birding Events Publication “The Birder On Line” (LT): Birding events can be viewed on the website www.thebirderonline.com To have events mentioned in this publication, write to editor@thebirderonline.com

NEXT MEETING: Saturday, 1 October 2011 - Venue to be confirmed (Intaka Island or Durbanville Nature Reserve).