Members of the Kowmung Committee DAMIT or Conserve It? Holly at Pope’s Glen have already poisoned willows on some In an expensive and highly organised Pope’s Glen Bushcare’s Alan Lane sections of the river. With the co-operation campaign, Hawkesbury Council backed believes that last month’s “Weed of the of the NPWS, further sections of the group DAMIT predicts a disaster on a Month” should be the weed of the month Kowmung will be tackled. A short but scale far eclipsing the combined tragedies every month. This point of view is steep day’s walk of Cyclone Tracy, Ash Wednesday bush- understandable—the holly in Pope’s Glen from Kanangra fires and Newcastle earthquake if the dam is amazing. It suckers under the ground Walls offers access wall is not raised: “Save us all—Raise the like bamboo and forms clumps of spiky to the river. Wall”. (No mention of possible side- bushes which are a bush regenerator’s For details on benefits of a flood-free Hawkesbury nightmare —and there are lots of holly joining a team plain—enormous real estate profits!) bushes in the surrounding gardens to contact Pip Walsh Raising the wall of Warragamba Dam provide a ever-renewable seed source for on 02.517.1121. will flood the valleys of two large wilder- more holly bushes to spring up in The Great Grose Gorse Walk ness areas in the Southern Blue Mountains, bushland. The Great Grose Gorse Walk, organised including the pristine Kowmung River. Maybe one day we can convince the by the Friends of the Blue Gum Forest, Downstream there will be major impacts Department of Agriculture to declare the on the Hawkesbury-Nepean environment. BMCC bushland staff, and NPWS, will be plant a noxious weed—perhaps we could held between August 24 and September 1. The Kowmung Committee needs our persuade one of their staff to spend a day support. Gorse and broom each produce weeding in Pope’s Glen! thousands of seeds and the seeds remain “The Kowmung Committee’s There are, however, (unfortunately), campaign to prevent the raising of viable in the soil for years. The trick is to other gardens plants which invade find them before they can set seed. Each Warragamba Dam is only halfway bushland in the Blue Mountains........ complete. The first part, to convince the noxious plant that is removed or killed represents a large number of potential Government to abandon the dam raising Weed of the Month plants that would otherwise flourish and plan, was successful. HONEYSUCKLE (Lonicera japonica) multiply. “The next stage is to ensure A scrambling vine which is grown for its Catchment areas needing volunteers for Government implements this position. half day and day activities include Hawkesbury Council sponsored DAMIT is sweet-smelling spring flowers. It has thin Minnahaha Reserve, Pope’s Glen, Braeside placing increasing pressure to revive the Walk and Govett’s Leap. Valley areas stalky stems which dam raising plans. The lobby group is involve two and four day overnight walks. become woody and scaring local floodplain residents and There will also be a day activity in the thickened with age; politicians into believing that they need a lower Grose River area. 23 metre higher dam. leaves are usually lobed Enquiries to Eric Mahoney (BMCC) “Until the EIS for the non-dam raising or toothed and the 82.0787, or Kath Ireland (NPWS) 87.8877. option—a second spillway—is approved, strongly scented and construction begins, the Kowmung flowers are yellow/white with a pink- August Guest Speakers . Committee cannot breathe easy. tinged tube. This vine forms roots at the Guest speakers at the August general “The EIS for the second spillway is due leaf joints or nodes, and scrambles to meeting on Friday 30 August will be Ian for release in August and community entwine with other plants, thus making it Brown and Dave Noble of NPWS who will education and support is vital to see the difficult to remove. talk about recreational management in the proposal adopted.” Honeysuckle invades bushland from Wentworth Falls and Katoomba regions of Members are urged to write letters to adjoining gardens, or is introduced through the Blue Mountains National Park. the Penrith Press(513 High Street, Penrith), garden dumpings. Representatives of the University of the Hawkesbury Gazette (PO Box 999, Remove by pulling firmly at each stem Western Sydney will address the meeting North Richmond 2754) and other news- until a node is reached, then cutting each about their Jamison Creek restoration papers (e.g. Sydney Morning Herald, cluster of small roots with a small knife. project. The meeting starts at 7.30 pm at Letters Ed, GPO Box 3771, Sydney 2001). Once you reach the main root system dig it The Conservation Hut end of Fletcher Kowmung Fact Sheets that you could use out. Parts of the vine which are thoroughly Street, Wentworth Falls. Visitors are to help present your argument, prepared to tangled in other plants and off the ground welcome. brief politicians last year, can be obtained should be cut and left in place. from either Pip Walsh 02.517.1121 or Do the National Park a favour and Keith Muir on 02.241.2702. don’t grow this plant in your garden. Cut Kowmung Committee urgently needs it down...put it in the big bin...take it to the “Hut News” , the newsletter of the funds to help with the campaign. Send tip. Who needs to grow a weed!! Blue Mountains Conservation Society Inc. P.O. Box 29, Wentworth Falls, 2782. donations to The Kowmung Committee Kowmung Walk. President: Colin Williams 84-1899 Inc., GPO Box 2090, Sydney 2001. Walk the banks of the middle Kowmung Secretary: Les Coyne 57-3327 Donations are tax deductible. Editor: Christine Davies 87-7246 River over the October long weekend (5-7 Deadline for September issue is Aug.27 Oct) and hunt out feral willows. Hut News , No. 109, August 1996—Page 1. Land Use Report Visit to Vietnam —Graham Alcorn. SUMMIT GEAR Sydney’s Second Airport: Bunyip’s article about China in the NSW’s Leading Manufacturers 19 August 1996 is the deadline for May Hut News prompts me to write about and Distributors of submissions on the Federal Environment RUCKSACKS Vietnam, which I visited for six weeks BICYCLE ACCESSORIES & Protection Authority’s enquiry into the site from the beginning of March 1996. CLIMBING HARNESSES of Sydney’s second airport (address to The problems seem much the same — REAR OF 88 KATOOMBA STREET Second Sydney Airport Draft EIS basically, millions of people.....very nice Guidelines, Environment Assessment KATOOMBA 2780 (PHONE 047.823467) people, I might add, friendly, handsome, OPEN 99----55 MONMON----FRI,FRI, 99----1212 SAT. Branch, Environment Protection Agency, healthy, cheerful. 40 Blackall Street, Barton, ACT, 2600). I can speak only of the North—Hanoi, gibbons in large enclosures. These were Blue Mountains Council is now the capital, and various trips into the young animals confiscated from markets. opposed to a new major airport in the country, where every inch of cultivatable The Hill Tribes people would have shot the Sydney basin. The Federal EPA’s land is planted in rice and, in some places, guidelines are still ambivalent about how vegetables. mothers to obtain the babies. much attention the new enquiry will pay to I didn’t see evidence of smoke pollution The answer, of course, is to provide the option: Neither Badgery’s Creek Nor in Hanoi, nor an emerging wealthy class. these people with an alternative and easier Holsworthy. Few cars, thousands of bicycles and two- way of making a living. One of our Both sites could seriously increase air stroke motor bikes and scooters. Also, I splendid Blue Mountains residents, and noise pollution in Lower Mountains/ read somewhere that the motor bikes here Rosemary Morrow, is doing just that, Penrith, and the Badgery’s Creek site only appeared in the last five years. teaching the Hill Peoples of Vietnam, Laos would create massive development Goodness knows what will happen in the and Cambodia, permaculture. pressures through the entire Mountains. next five years. At present there is an I guess I was just unlucky. The Both Council and individual residents attractive air or innocence and equality. Worldwide Fund for Wildlife has an office should write to the EPA, urging more What for me was amazing and in Hanoi. But they had gone to another attention to the Neither/Nor option. disappointing was the absence of birds. building and I couldn’t trace them. A BMCS secretary is holding a copy of Vietnam has more bird species than world bird study organisation also has an the draft guidelines for the study. official there, but he was away in Laos. I New BMCS Sub-Committees Australia—over 800. It is said to be the best bird country in South-East Asia. I rang and rang in vain a professor who had • To look at issues concerning planning, compiled a bird list. subdivision and the new Environment saw 19 of them. They must be up in the dense jungles of the inland mountains. A magazine article gave glowing Management Plan accounts of Vietnam’s wildlife—a new (EMP2) within Blue Through thousands of acres of soggy rice fields I saw three egrets and one species of pheasant just discovered, a new Mountains Council area. mammal as big as a cow, the Saola, was • To look at landcare cormorant. A magazine article describing a hill where nine species of egret roost and discovered only three or four years ago, funding throughout the and since then a new species of deer.