Fox baiting program is under way south of Ballina
July 17, 2008
The annual fox baiting program has begun on the North Coast from South Wall at Ballina to approximately 6.5km south of the 4WD access at Black Rocks in Bundjalung National Park.
National Parks says that, now in its 10 year, the program, a joint initiative of the Department of Lands, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB), has been successful in increasing fledgling numbers of one of the most significant bird populations in the State, the pied oystercatcher.
The fox is the pied oystercatcher’s main predator, as they seek out clutches of eggs laid in shallow depressions in sand dunes just above the high tide mark and also target chicks.
The baiting program aims to reduce fox numbers prior to the pied oystercatcher’s breeding season, which begins in August/September.
Pied Oyster Catcher is breeding; beach users urged to be careful
July 10, 2008
Beach users from Ballina south to Evans Head have been urged to take extra care during the Pied Oyster Catcher breeding season.
General Manager of the Department of Lands, Graham Harding, has announced that the bird’s breeding season of the has commenced and urged drivers to take care on the beaches south of Ballina.
Mr Harding said the Pied Oyster Catcher breeding season extends from July though to December.
“I urge people driving on the beaches between South Ballina and Evans Head to adhere to the maximum legal speed limit, which is 30km per hour,” he said.
$10,000 worth of tools stolen from Casino building site
July 10, 2008
Offenders have stolen a large amount of power tools and other tools valued at approx $10,000 from a building site in North Street, Casino, between 4.30pm Tuesday afternoon and 6am Wednesday.
After forcing entry to the site, then to a storage area, tools were taken from the site; some of the tools were extremely heavy.
If anyone has any information about the theft or has knowledge of these tools being on-sold, they are asked to contact Casino Police on 66-620099 or Crime Stoppers on 1800-333-000.
Stolen from the site was:-
Richmond Local Area command police report
July 7, 2008
Offenders have stolen a blue 100cc Yamaha motor cycle from Piper Drive, Ballina, between 5pm Friday night and 9pm on Saturday.
Information to Ballina Police on 6681 8699.
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Police have arrested and charged by future court attendance notice a 19-year-old Ballina male with malicious damage to business premises in Links Avenue, East Ballina, between 9.47pm and 10pm on Saturday night.
Cannabis, rifle seized in Evans Head raid
June 5, 2008
Cannabis and a firearm were found during a drug arrest at Evans Head this morning.
Police resources from Richmond Local Area Command conducted a search warrant on a Beach Road Evans Head property at 7.45am, police said.
Seized in the warrant were 46 cannabis plants, and a large amount of cannabis leaf (more than 10kg).
A firearm, a .22 calibre rifle, was allegedly seized, as well as a motor vehicle which is suspected of being stolen.
$100m in Community Coastcare funding available
June 4, 2008
Local community groups and individuals are being urged to apply for funding under the Federal Government’s new $100 million Community Coastcare package for the protection and rehabilitation of beach and coastal habitats.
The funding has been announced as part of the Rudd Government’s $2.2 billion Caring for our Country initiative.
Member for Page Janelle Saffin said Community Coastcare would offer local communities, organisations and individuals grants of up to $50,000.
She said larger grants of up to $250,000 would be available for works in high-priority coastal areas such as nationally significant coastal wetlands.
Rising sea levels could cause 50m loss of shoreline: academic
June 3, 2008
A sea level rise of up to half a metre will lead to an average loss of around 50 metres of shoreline, impacting heavily on many parts of Northern NSW.
That’s the grim prediction from Dr John Hunter, who will give the keynote address at Southern Cross University’s 2nd Regional Forum on Climate Change and Coastal Communities on July 3 and 4.
Dr Hunter, an oceanographer with the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre based in Tasmania, said the sea level was predicted to rise by up to one metre in the next 100 years, leading to a dramatic increase in flooding and erosion along the coast.
“In the last part of the 19th century we have seen sea levels start to climb significantly and we can expect that by the end of the century it will rise by half to one metre,” Dr Hunter said.
Evans Head ratepayers reject rates proposal as ‘unfair’
May 16, 2008
More than 150 people turned out at Evans Head last night to voice their objection to Richmond Valley Council’s rates proposal for 2008/9, which has been described as unfair by the Evans Head and District Rateapyers and Residents Association.
“In a series of motions the meeting rejected unanimously Council’s proposed ‘unified rating structure’ which would see the ratepayers of Evans Head subsidising Casino, the residents and businesses of the former Richmond River Shire Council paying hefty increases in their rates for next year, and rates in Casino fall even though the Minister has approved a 7.5% increase in rates for 2008/9,” association president Richard Gates said.
“The meeting demanded that Council put in place a rating structure which treated all residents fairly in keeping with Council’s charter under the 1993 NSW Local Government Act where Council may raise funds by ‘the fair imposition of rates’.
“The meeting asked Council to consider the consequences of its actions, which Council has not done, but is required to do under the Local Government Act.”
Spitfire pilot Ted Sly flies solo again at age 90
April 25, 2008
If it was your 90th birthday this Sunday, how would you celebrate?
If you said ‘fly solo’, then you must be just like Ted Sly.
Evans Head committee wants action from Sartor
April 23, 2008
The Evans Head and District Water Committee has called on Planning Minister Frank Sartor to act on his Far North Coast Regional Strategy.
“In December 2006 NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor released his Far North Coast Regional Strategy, a blueprint to accommodate another 60,400 people, well beyond the carrying capacity of the land,” spokesman Dr Richard Gates said..
“In the foreword to his document, Minister Sartor states that his ‘Strategy provides for a balanced approach to development and conservation … in conjunction with a proposed regional conservation plan’.
“It is now 15 months since Sartor delivered his developers’ Strategy and there is still no sign of the regional conservation plan.
