Hut News Issue no. 389 March 2021 Blue Mountains Conservation Society Inc. HUT NEWS March 2021 No zoo or hotel at Bodington Hill Members will have seen recent media reports that a For a full listing of the environmental and scenic zoo and hotel development proposed at the old issues that the Society believes will need to be ‘croc park’ at Bodington Hill, Wentworth Falls has addressed and thoroughly assessed, visit the been granted State Significant Development (SSD) campaign page status on the basis of the capital investment value involved. At this point, no concrete plans are In addition to the environmental issues, bushfire available but the Society understands, based on risk and highway traffic and road safety need to be media reports, that the development could include carefully evaluated. When the original, much less a 56-room hotel, function centre, cafe, zoo, souvenir ambitious development was approved over thirty shop, walking trails and viewing platforms. years ago, highway safety and traffic management including entry and exit to the Great Western The significance of SSD status is that the Highway was the critical issue. development does not need to comply with the local planning framework, including the current Members driving past the site will be aware that zoning, and will bypass local approval. Instead, the there is a concrete crash barrier separating proposal will be assessed and approved by the oncoming traffic on Bodington Hill. How NSW Government-appointed Independent eastbound vehicles will enter and exit the site Planning Commission. As Mayor Mark Greenhill presents a significant problem. The original told the Gazette (January 27, p.4), “Council’s role is development contemplated an internal road joining essentially reduced to being able to make a Tableland Road, with eastbound vehicles exiting submission”. and re-entering the Highway at the top of Bodington Hill, at the ‘Pot Shop’. The Society shares Council’s concerns about the proposal bypassing local environmental protection The Society also questions the appropriateness of a standards, setting a precedent for development in zoo within a World Heritage Area. Visitors come to the bushland buffer between towns and the Blue Mountains to experience the natural jeopardizing the World Heritage Area. environment and to enjoy Australian flora and fauna in a natural setting, not caged behind a fence. Given the environmental sensitivity of the site, the majority is zoned E2 Environmental Conservation The State Significant Development process and under the Blue Mountains LEP, which prohibits community consultation intensive development. Development is highly The Society understands that the NSW Department constrained by the presence of steep slopes and of Planning, who will be managing the SSD hanging swamps on the site. It is very hard to process, has not yet received a Development imagine that a hotel, function centre and associated Application for the proposal. This will be a long developments such as internal access roads and car process and there will be opportunities for public and bus parking, as well as a zoo and associated input. tourist facilities, can be contained within the small portion of the site currently zoned for The Society will notify members when the plans development. are on public exhibition. Printed on Australian made 100% recycled paper 1 Hut News Issue no. 389 March 2021 About us The Blue Mountains Conservation Society (BMCS) Management Committee Monthly is an incorporated voluntary group of about 900 meeting, 20 February, 2021 members helping to conserve the World Heritage Blue Mountains region. It was originally the The following is a summary of key topics and Katoomba and District Wildlife Conservation particular issues discussed at the monthly meeting: Society, formed in 1961. • Katoomba airfield and opposition to commercial helicopter charter proposal. We are governed by a management committee and • Plans to improve communication with members much of our conservation work is undertaken by and the public and inclusion of the topic in the sub-committees and campaigns. We also have a next planning day. native plant nursery, several bushwalking groups • The upcoming Mick Dark talk organised jointly and a Bushcare group. with Varuna. • The Sunset Gathering catering and organisation Visit us and likely attendance of 50 people. • ‘The Weather Diaries’ movie to go ahead due to www.bluemountains.org.au. large numbers booked. Facebook: Blue Mountains Conservation Society • Submission and meetings with Council about Twitter: bmcsnsw Draft Lawson Crown Lands Plan of Management. The Management Committee • Process to better coordinate requests for media There are 22 positions on the management interviews and media releases committee and a full list of members occupying • Plans for a history of conservation in the Greater those positions can be found on page 10 and on our Blue Mountains and request for support funding by the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage web page. Area Advisory Committee. • The AGM on 31 March, 2021 and talk by Dr. The following are some of the officers who you Kellie Leigh.. may want to contact. • Submission about Katoomba Masterplan • President: Tara Cameron, preliminary consultation process. [email protected], 0418 824974 • Senior Vice President: Madi Maclean, Become a member [email protected] You can become a member by • Second Vice President: Susan Crick, • Contacting our Membership Secretary, Ross [email protected] Coster on 02 4739 2987 • Treasurer: Elizabeth Howard • Emailing Ross at [email protected] [email protected] https://www.bluemountains.org.au/ • Land Use Officer: Angela Langdon • joining.shtml or scan this with your mobile: [email protected] • Publicity Officer: Rebecca Knight [email protected] Contact us • Call the Membership Secretary, Ross Coster on 02 4739 2987 • By mail at PO Box 29, Wentworth Falls, NSW 2782 • By phone at 02 4757 1872 (leave a message) • By [email protected] • By Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ blue_mts_conservation_society/ Printed on Australian made 100% recycled paper 2 Hut News Issue no. 389 March 2021 Welcome to new members A warm welcome to our new members who are as follows: Catherine Peake Nathalie Verellen Nicky Dakin Anthony Raper Laetitia Smith Megan, Brad and James Murray Kerry and Paul Rice Judith Sampson Jan Lambert Zoe Wheat Lesley and John Tarlinton Joel Robinson There are 896 members. Koalas on the AGM agenda Our annual general meeting will be held on Our guest speaker will be Dr Kellie Leigh. Her talk Wednesday 31 March at 7 pm. To book your will follow the annual general meeting. attendance go to https://www.eventbrite.com.au/ Kellie is Executive Director/CEO of Science for Wildlife e/annual-general-meeting-to-be-followed-by- and has worked on koala conservation and research in guest-speaker-dr-kellie-leigh-tickets-143546949791 NSW and Victoria for nine years. Due to Covid restrictions, possible lighting issues at the Conservation Hut and an expected high During her previous ten years in Zambia she founded the non profit organisation, the Zambian Carnivore attendance, we will be holding the meeting at Programme using the African wild dog and other large Wentworth Falls School of Arts. All are welcome. carnivores as flagship species for landscape-scale conservation, and secured core funding from the World Wildlife Fund Since returning to Australia she has developed conservation programs for a variety of organisations based on her successful model of combining research, on- ground conservation action and community education and engagement. She completed her PhD through the University of Sydney where she maintains an Honorary Research Fellow position and has taught the wildlife population management components for a Masters degree. Her research expertise is focused on the application of science to conservation challenges and includes conservation biology, genetics, behavioural ecology, and recent innovative work in training and evaluating wildlife detection dogs. For full details of the AGM, including Management Committee positions, please refer to our website - https://www.bluemountains.org.au/ index.shtml#agm For further information, please contact Alan Page - [email protected] Printed on Australian made 100% recycled paper 3 Hut News Issue no. 389 March 2021 When words aren't enough Susan Crick It seems that smoke from last summer’s fires has Every now and again nature beckons us to look brought them forth as if to emphasise that not more closely as Alan Page has shown with his everything is lost. They offer a silver and pink camera and this photograph of an individual pink lining to the dark cloud of that season, perhaps a flannel flower. The detail in these small flowers is reward for bearing its tribulations. almost beyond the casual observer’s focus and is so perfect, so fine, that words are not enough. Right now, on the shallow soils across the wild exposed ridges there are thousands of these tiny jewels. When I recently first saw swathes of them at Mount Hay, it was as if a legend had come alive. Photo> Alan Page Printed on Australian made 100% recycled paper 4 Hut News Issue no. 389 March 2021 Ramblings Alan Page A juvenile Copperhead snake near our back door found a Spotted Sun Orchid (Thelymitra ixioides) sent our household into a spin recently. It had gone without spots - but was delighted with its honey by the time a camera arrived, but we’re pretty sure snaps fragrance. The Pomaderis genus still does that is what it was. my head in. The full name is Highlands Copperhead. They’re I have over 250 Blue Mountains native plants on viviparous – that is, they bear live young rather my website (waratahsoftware.com.au), and as I go than laying eggs. The young are venomous from back now and freshen up the photos (by adding a the get-go. scale and watermark) and check their identity, I discover that there are sometimes changes to The Botanic Chasm.