Conservation Committee Minutes of Meeting - 11 January 2010

The Cape Bird Club

MINUTES OF THE CAPE BIRD CLUB CONSERVATION COMMITTEE

Minutes of the meeting held on Mon 11 January 2010 at Dave's house.

Present: Dave Whitelaw, Felicity Ellmore, Frank Wygold, Isabella Haydon, Cliff Dorse, Suretha Dorse, Gavin Lawson.

Apologies: Doug Harebottle.

1. Strandfontein - The trustees will look at expanding the management plan and reapplying for funds from WWF.

Cliff will remind Asief about Victoria’s reports.
A watch tower run by a Heathfield security company has been build at the weir. They should put one up at the info centre. It will cost R500/month. Could the bird Club fund it?

2. Paarden Eiland - The Fire Department have destroyed paths with their truck when the reed beds burnt. The Paarden Eiland working group should handle issues like this. Part of the problem is that there is no budget for Paarden Eiland. Need funding to repair the path.

Frank is going to concentrate on finding some other accommodation this year. He has to be out in April 2011. What about applying for Lotto funding to build a centre for Frank. Applications must be in by 29/1/10. Cliff will send the criteria to Dave. Will need the City’s support but Frank says that is no problem. Dave will ask Vernon if he knows an architect.

3. Raapenberg - Suretha sent a list of contacts to Maya - Isabella will contact Simon Fogarty to take her place at Raapenberg, if he can’t do it Dave will contact Charles Saunders - Dave saw an article in the newspaper about a development at Oude Moulen but didn’t get a chance to read it. The tenants have signed 6 month leases so something is going to change. Isabella will try and find out more about the plans.

4. Edith Stephens - Nothing to report.

5. Flaminkvlei - Nothing to report.

6. House Crow - Dave hasn’t heard from Louis Stafford – she got back from leave today.

7. Penguins - Dave still doesn’t know what Rob was going to tell him. Rob has been on leave.

8. Phillippi Wetlands - as part of the Biodiversity Network, the City conducted a wetland prioritization process. Cliff will print out a map of the Philippi wetlands with the erf. Numbers on it.

9. Princess Vlei development - he City applied for an extension to the validity period of the existing ROD. The formal process as per the requirements of DEA&DP will include a Public Participation Process and I&AP’s will have another chance to comment on the proposal.

10. Other – There was an article in the Cape Times on the joys of quad biking in the Atlantis Dune Fields. Dave is going to write a letter to point out that there needs to be controls in place and that quad bikers must not move into ecologically sensitive areas. The dune field are the only place in the city where the quad bikers should be.

Dave will contact John Yeld and see if he will write an article. Malmesbury Air estate – each house will have its own hanger. Will keep watching for information.

NEXT MEETING - 19h30 on Monday 22 Feb 2010, at Dave’s house.