HOW GOOD IS THE GOOD NEWS ON THE FORESHORE?

The Toronto community has welcomed the recent news that Lake Macquarie City Council will place a modest café on the waterfront at Bath Street site and not a six-storey apartment tower.

On the surface the community’s two-year campaign to preserve the public foreshore for recreational use looks to have been successful, however, community unease still exists that Council is not following up with all of its previous decisions to protect this key piece of public waterfront for future generations.

The concern is that the ‘operational’ land of the proposed café and car park could still be sold off to a developer and, under the current zoning, be built upon at higher density.

Council’s resolution of September 2019 to defer further work on the large commercial development at Bath Street also included the integration of this site into the Toronto Foreshore Masterplan and initiating a process to reclassify the site as ‘community’ land.

Unfortunately, the community is still in the dark over Council’s implementation of the other aspects of last year’s resolution, still waiting almost 12 months later! 

In the past few years Council has reclassified numerous ‘Community land’ holdings around Toronto to ‘Operational land’, allowing the lots to be commercially developed or sold. It would be equitable for the Toronto region to regain some public land by reclassifying the Bath St site to ‘Community land’ for future generations .

TFPG and community leaders want Council to respond to the urgent need to provide more and not less recreational parkland for our rapidly growing population. The COVID crisis has brought even more awareness of the need for open-air public recreation.

TFPG is advocating for the Bath Street and adjacent ‘operational’ land to be reclassified and rezoned as ‘community’ land in perpetuity. Community classification does not preclude a long-term lease of compliant businesses such as café, information centre or equipment hire.

TFPG are encouraging the community to respond to the Council's online survey and include a comment about the importance of permanent protection of all the public foreshore as ‘Community land’.

Council’s very brief online survey https://shape.lakemac.com.au/future-toronto is providing an opportunity for the community to say what features they would like to see included on the Bath Street parkland. The survey is open till Monday 24 August.

Make your comment count.

Annual Squirrel Glider Nestbox survey

Hunter Intrepid Landcare and the CPPA will be teaming up for Squirrel Glider Surveying

Delight on the Saturday 3rd of November from 10am.

We’ll begin the morning, heading out onto the idyllic West Ridge of Coal Point to survey the presence of the Vulnerable Squirrel Glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) in nest boxes, as well as moving and replacing unused boxes to other spots within the reserve, before breaking for lunch and finishing up.

This event is at no cost. Lunch is provided.  

Schedule: 

9:50am - begin arriving at the Progress Hall, 197 Skye Point Road, Coal Point – park at

Gurranba reserve. Landcare banners will be flying at the parking area. WHS induction

10:15am - car pool to Whitelocke St West Ridge Reserve entrance. From there we’ll survey the boxes containing previous evidence of Squirrel Glider activity, and move any disused boxes around the West Ridge Reserve.

1:00pm - begin carpooling back to the progress hall for lunch platters from Woolworths, and finish.

Requirements:: Long pants, hat, good sturdy shoes, drink bottle, keenness.

Please RSVP to Suzanne coalpointprogress@gmail.com, so we know how many people are coming and for catering.

BioBlitz for beginners

The votes may all have been counted but on Saturday September 14^th from 9am till night time the local flora and fauna of the Coal Point peninsula will be the focus of the polls.

September is Biodiversity month and it will be celebrated at Progress Hall with walks & talks, surveys, displays and an opportunity to find out what resources are available to help you learn about and care for the web of life that surrounds your home.

The variety of life from giant gums, amazing animals, frilly fungi to soil microorganisms and everything in between is biodiversity. 

The inaugural BioBlitz event will have experts on hand to help you identify that weird plant or the curious night time noise. 

There will be opportunities to learn some survey and identification skills too. What does a habitat hollow look like, how does a GPS work, how are plants surveyed and how do you know what birds are in the area are some of the questions that will be answered.

The day of discovery aims to share local knowledge and resources.

9:00-4pm Progress Hall open for displays and discussion. Do you want a hand with weed control, native plants or nest boxes? Book in for an expert to advise on what treasures you have in your yard. Find out who are the local wildlife carers and experts and what Council can do to help. 

10-11 am -Birds in the bush. Walk & talk around Stansfield Reserve with bird observer Tom Clarke. 

11.30-12.30- Know your natives. A look at the plant survey plots around Stansfield Reserves and what’s in them with botanist John Moen. 

12.30-1:00- Wildlife carer Catherine Rowe explains her role and that of the Native Animal Trust Fund. 

1-2:30 Habitat hollows. What cracks and crevices do our local wildlife have to live in. A survey of the West Ridge reserves with nocturnal mammal expert Chris McLean

1.30-2.30 - Birds and the bush. Walk & talk around West Ridge Reserves with bird expert Tom Clarke and botanist John Moen.

6:00 pm What goes thump in the night? Spotlight tour of West Ridge Reserves with Chris McLean. Meet at the top of Whitelock Street. Limited numbers RSVP essential.

All activities, except for the spotlight tour, start at Progress Hall, 197 Skye Point Rd, Coal Point 

Food and drinks available at the hall. 

To assist in coordination of the day please RSVP to  coalpointprogress@gmail.com or ring Trees In Newcastle during office hours on 4969 1500.

Where is the good growth?

As part of the TSLS project a ground-truthing survey will be conducted on Saturday 9th February to locate critical habitat features and corridor connections needed to support the vulnerable wildlife in our community. 

There will also be some spotlighting happening along the West Ridge, Stansfield Reserves and Threlkeld Reserve to get an idea of numbers of nocturnal animals along the peninsula.

Worried about possums in your roof?

Supporting the local Powerful Owl population is one way to keep possum numbers down. 

These large dark grey-brown owls are and few and far between. They mate for life, live for over 30 years, are in need of some good old growth trees for nesting and their preferred food is possum...one a night.
 
You can help provide local data on these big birds by joining in The Powerful Owl survey-http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/surveys/Powerful-Owl-Project

Pedestrian Options & Accessways

Thanks again for the feedback on the various accessways around the community. Apologies for any distress caused to adjacent neighbours in the quest for clarification.
The amended access information will be supplied to LMCC for any further investigation as part of the ongoing process to get up to date local information available on how to traverse the area by foot.
The Toronto Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group -Cycling and Pedestrian Group met in March and are trying to gather some local information about why people cycle and how to get more people engaged in this healthy lifestyle option.
A short online survey has been put together to gather your thoughts.
If you'd like more information about the is group please contact group leader Tony Stephens- stay@bellchapel.com.au phone 4959 8811 or
Nico Marcar- nico.marcar@gmail.com

Sustainable Neighbourhoods Snapshot

The Sustainable Neighbourhood process is moving along with monthly meetings being held by the steering group and council's facilitator. 

A very interesting survey seeking our thoughts about where we live will be delivered to our letterboxes by Easter which will feed in to the local community workshop proposed for Late May or early June.

At the April meeting the idea of having a community forum to better understand the Development Application process was touted and received support by those present. 

Laman Street Figs

Whether you live in Newcastle or not, most people in the region have visited the Regional Art Gallery, visited Civic Park and been impressed by the colonnade of figs majestically lining Laman Street and framing the backdrop of the cultural precinct, making a cultural statement that trees do have pride of place in this city and in this region.

In two weeks Newcastle City Council is going to vote on a motion to fell the Hills figs on Laman Street. Please make a stand so these figs can stay.

Actions you can take include writing to the Newcastle Councillors, writing a letter to the newspapers, or take 20 seconds to complete an online petition at

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/laman-street-figs.html, it can even be anonymous.

The petitions urge and implore council to delay the removal of the trees until a community design panel can be formed by council to consider arboricultural advice, the relevant resources and risk issues and the full range of options available to council and the community to address the future of these trees and make appropriate recommendations to council.