News

Weeds out of control in the Borough of Queenscliffe

SBEA President, Greg Parry, is calling for action on the spread of weeds in the Borough of Queenscliffe. Much attention has been drawn to the damage to coastal vegetation caused by bike riders, but much larger areas of our native vegetation have been damaged by the long-term neglect of exotic weeds. These changes are slow, insidious and less dramatic but probably more serious in the long term. Ecologist Mark Trengrove…

Roel Wasterval passes presidential baton

Roel has been a very active member of SBEA for 20+ years and was treasurer for many years prior to becoming President. His wife Sue was also President for four years, so the Wastervals have been major contributors to SBEA almost since its inception more than 25 years ago. Roel will continue to be our representative on the Bellarine Catchment Network. Greg Parry was elected as our new President, Neil…

Plants in love with rain

Our nursery plants are loving the recent rains and high humidity. Sarah Roberts, the nursery’s coordinator, is very busy in the nursery at this time of year and also provides advice to gardeners who drop in to buy plants on Wednesday mornings and every third Sunday morning. Sarah is also finding a new use for old potting mix, which she is popping it into a compost bin for later use…

Update on ‘The Point’ water monitoring program

Many of you will have noticed that extensive earthworks are proceeding where the Moremac housing development meets Swan Bay at Lakers Cutting. These earthworks will establish the input and discharge channels linking Swan Bay to the canal that runs through the development. There are several silt screens in place to minimise the spread of sediment disturbed by the earthworks from entering Swan Bay. My limited observations suggest these have been…

Celebrating the work of Jill Warneke

A giant chocolate cake, a certificate of appreciation and a stirring round of applause marked our AGM’s celebration of Jill Warneke. Since the establishment of the nursery in 1997, Jill has been its driving force as the volunteer coordinator. Her dedication, enthusiasm, hard work and leadership has meant that the nursery has grown from a few boxes of plants in 1997 to the sale of 14,500 plants and the donation…

Water quality report sent to Government and developers

In our December Newsletter we included findings from a report, prepared for us by consultancy Marine Ecological Solutions, that analysed water quality at ‘The Point’ canal estate. SBEA is concerned that the estate may increase nutrient concentrations in Lakers Cutting, potentially lead to algal blooms and de-oxygenation, and cause a loss of amenity to nearby residents. When sending the report to the Victorian Government and the developers, SBEA President Roel…

Damping down in the hothouse

Damping down in the hothouse A new fan is making life much more comfortable for the plants – and volunteers – in the nursery hothouse. Thank you to Swan Bay Environment Association (SBEA) Committee members Roel and Greg, who installed the fan to reduce moisture build up inside the hothouse. Street trees potted SBEA Nursery Coordinator, Jill Warneke, spent a morning working with two Borough officers transferring tree seedlings (mainly…