The Cape Bird Club

MINUTES OF THE CAPE BIRD CLUB CONSERVATION COMMITTEE

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 7 June 2010 at Dave’s house.

Present: Dave Whitelaw, Felicity Ellmore, Gavin Lawson, Doug Harebottle, Shaun Overmeyer, Cliff Dorse, Suretha Dorse, Frank Wygold.

1. Strandfontein - Victoria still hasn’t sent reports to Gavin for the website. Cliff will talk to Asief tomorrow.

  • Work is progressing on the info centre.
  • Security – need a tower like the one at the weir. Dave will write a letter to Joanne. Budget is tight at the moment.
  • The bequestees had a meeting with Vernon about finding additional funding.
  • Cliff met with Asief about a budget or the plans
  • Dave spoke to Res Altweg, then spoke to Jenny Day. Need to see if the change of habitat has helped the birds. Also need to find out what food there is in the mud. This year they drained the pans were drained too late. Should be a site meeting this spring and give them a timetable for lowering the pans.
  • Dave phoned Asief to find out who to contact about the helicopter filling its bucket at Strandfontein but hasn’t taken it further. Shaun was there two weeks ago and there were two microlites flying around.
  • They are busy clearing the hyacinth at Zeekoevlei, maybe they will clear at Strandfontein next.

2. Paarden Eiland - Frank has put in an offer for the scout hall but has not heard anything yet.

  • Not sure what the hospital wants to do with the building when Frank is out. He has spent R82 000 fixing it up. The hospital told them they want to demolish it. When Dave phoned Carlisle’s secretary she said that they wanted to expand the facilities at the hospital.
  • Frank is still looking for someone to take over his centre. He wrote to Jenny Day – they don’t want to take it over. Frank also wrote to Ally Ashwell. Gavin will contact her.
  • Need to think about someone else to take over. What about Wessa? What about moving to the envirocentre at Strandfontein? What about Driftsands.
  • Frank has found a colony of Vleirats at Paarden Eiland.
  • Common Platannas are coming into the vlei from the Diep River – there is some chemical in the river driving them out. The chemical is affecting the mucus on their skin. Frank did tell Pat Titmus – someone has contacted Scientific Services.
  • Port Jacksons – Frank spoke to Table Talk complaining about the Port Jacksons. Someone cleared the area but now there are lots of small plants and nothing is being done.
  • Sewage Pipe still hasn’t been protected against excavation.
  • The bulrushes are colonising at a fast rate.

3. Raapenberg - Shaun went to a trup meeting. He asked about the housing development, they said don’t worry about it. But they put it on the agenda. They don’t spend much time on conservation issues.

  • The Land Claim issue has faded away.
  • Need to meet with James and Maya to find out what should happen.
  • Shaun, Dave, Maya, Lesley and the Wheelers must draw up a management plan for the riparian edge.

4. Edith Stephens - Doug had a meeting with Luzann Isaacs to discuss the way forward for the Cape Flats Bird Club.

  • They want to link with CBC, put up posters at Edith Stephens advertising CBC activities.
  • They want to have quarterly events – suggest August (garden birds), December (Bird Calls). The help they want most is expertise from CBC members.
  • Doug contacted Mark Anderson – he is going to send 50 of the checklists.
  • Dave will email Luzann to ask her what or who do they need. Contact heather Howell as well.
  • Felicity will email Penny Dichmont’s replacement at LEAP school.

5. De Plaat / Flaminkvlei - Dave received an email from one of the club members that live near 
there. He is worried about the fact that they have moved the urban edge so that development can take place. Keith Harrison is sure that the urban edge is back in the old place.

  • Need to emphasis that there are many undeveloped plots among the developed plots to the north of the river so there is no need for development along the river.
  • There are already lots of bird club members involved.
  • Doug will contact Pierre de Villiers. Must also contact Paul Hardcastle at DEAD&P

6. House Crow - nothing new.

7. Penguins - Dave still hasn’t managed to get hold of Rob Crawford and Lauren Waller.

8. Phillippi - There are only 3 or 4 landowners in the important areas. The land use is compatible to birds although the farmers do shoot the gulls. The area is outside the urban edge.

  • Need to send them letters to say we want to do counts or monitoring on their property. Doug will write them letters, Cliff will give him the addresses.

9. Princessvlei - The city is busy appointing a consultant for public participation..

10. Air Estate - Could be pockets of Renosterveld that would make it a no go area. The plants would probably be the important thing in the area, not the birds.

11. Windfarms - having workshops to formulate policy about windfarms in August. The positioning is important.

  • Dave will contact the man that operates the radar at King Shaka airport.

12. Toll road/ring road - Desire du Preez contacted Cliff today. They have finalised the EIA.

  • Province and the City will fight this.

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

                                                                                                                                            

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