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UPDATE ON CLYBUCCA WETLANDS REHABILITATION OPPORTUNITIES

Date: Saturday March 4^th – 4.30pm to 6.30pm

Venue: The Oddfellows Hall, 22 Kemp Street (opposite NORCO) West Kempsey

Presenter: Max Osborne, Senior Land Services Officer, North Coast Local Land Services

Cost: Gold coin donation

Clybucca Wetlands is a large area of land, some 10 km² kilometres or 10,000 ha, on the northern side of the Macleay River floodplain. It lies east of the hills, west of Yarrahapinni Wetlands and is divided by the new Pacific Highway dual carriageway.

The Clybucca wetlands has been described as an “Estuarinescape Twilight Zone” by those who are exploring opportunities for its rehabilitation. The wetlands, including Mayes and Doughboy Swamps have sections which are at or below sea level, were once thriving wetlands and drought-poof refuge pastures for graziers prior to being modified by drainage, particularly in the 1960s to 70s under the extensive flood mitigation and drainage scheme.

The drainage and gates installed causes the Acid Sulphate Soils (which are found below the alluvial topsoil) to dry out during times of low rainfall. When “re-wetted” by rainwater, acid run-off along with often water containing low levels of dissolved oxygen flows into the estuary. This discharge, combined with resultant iron leachate/flock and other dissolved metals such as Aluminium, severely degrades water quality, impacting fishing and oyster industries, quality of pasture and soil health, tourism potential, and biodiversity.

Max Osborne, Senior Land Services Officer with North Coast Local Land Services, collaborating with a government inter-departmental working group, has been working towards rehabilitating this significant area of back-swamp and wetlands for the past 3 years.

SOMR encourage you to attend the presentation to see what ‘behind the scenes’ progress has been made and the opportunities for future progress.

Please support and share what is potentially a rare ‘Good News’ story, endeavouring to bring Clybucca Wetlands from the “Twilight Zone”- Back to functioning wetlands, with improved water quality, estuary dependent industries, recreational opportunities and healthy environment.

The progressive restoration of the smaller Yarrahapinni Wetlands to the east and downstream has shown that restoration is not only possible but happens relatively quickly. It is now a thriving estuarine wetland with greatly improved fish and bird habitat and with regenerating mangrove and saltmarsh Endangered Ecological Communities.

This project is supported by North Coast Local Land Services, through funding from the National Landcare Programme and Catchment Action NSW

For a print version of the poster go to Clybucca Update Poster_2017-02-20-MSpdf

Hillgove Mine News

Operations are still on hold while some exploration for viable gold deposits is carried out.

In 2015 Hillgrove Mines lodged a DA to expand mining operations to Clarks Gully. The site is part of the Hillgrove Mine lease. The proposed development would allow continuing mining after the orebody at the current excavation site is depleted. SOMR lodged a submission detailing concerns about the effects of the work on the health of the Macleay River catchment (see the post on this website October 2015)

18 months after submissions were lodged with the then Dumaresq Armidale Council, the application will finally come before the newly amalgamated Armidale Regional Council’s meeting on Wednesday,1 March.

In preparation for the Council meeting there will be a site inspection on Monday, 27 February. Anybody who lodged a submission can attend. SOMR President Arthur Bain will speak about our concerns at the Council meeting.

Read the presentation: SOMR Presentation to Armidale Regional Council and reporting in the Armidale Express http://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/story/4501916/council-grants-conditional-approval-for-hillgrove-mine-expansion/

A perfect day on the water!

The following article was submitted by SOMR to the Macleay Argus and with some editing was published in the print edition on Tuesday 6 October.

People came from near and far to experience the beauty of the Macleay River, enjoy the exercise and learn about the issues affecting the estuary. For the third consecutive year, the community group Save Our Macleay River (SOMR) has organised The Paddle on the Macleay.

Paddlers leaving Fishermans Reach

In brilliant sunshine and with favourable tide and tail winds, 50 paddlers, young and old, set out from Fishermans Reach near Stuarts Point, arriving at the Golden Hole and the entrance to the restored Yarrahapinni Wetlands ahead of schedule.

Eight members of the Port Macquarie Hastings Canoe Club joined in their sleek and fast boats. Club Secretary Caroline Webber said, we take every opportunity to explore the rivers on the Mid North Coast and we are particularly interested in the Macleay. Several members of our club participated in the last year’s Paddle on the Macleay. This is an excellent opportunity to be guided into the wetlands.”
Family groups chose to paddle three seater Canadians. Amongst them, Jeremy Buckingham,
Greens Member of Parliament, with his wife Sarah and son James from Bellingen and the
Robinsons from Kempsey.

Beautiful handcrafted boats

The Tilmouths from Collombatti had beautiful handcrafted ply-wood kayaks.

The youngest and furthest travelled visitor was 10 year old Darcy Penfold from Queensland, accompanied by his grandmother Louise Turner of Aldavilla. He impresssd everybody with his enthusiasm and stamina, especially into strong winds on the return trip.

Before the boats entered the wetlands through a gap in the levee, National Parks Ranger Penny Kendall gave an introduction to the land the visitors were standing on. One relevant feature is a very large midden, mounds of shells and artefacts stretching for kilometres, testifying to the use of the area by Dhanggati and Gumbaynggir nations over thousands of years.

NPWS Ranger Penny Kendall

Penny also described how the area was drained in the 1970’s, which did not result in the good grazing land hoped for.
Instead acid sulphate soils and ‘black water’ poisoned the land and waters downstream.
After a lengthy process of negotiation by the Yarrahapinni Wetland Reserve Trust and later National Parks and Wildlife Service, tidal re-inundation effectively began in 2008. The tidal flow of saltwater resulted in an immediate reduction in acid sulphate soils. The speed and extent of the recovery was surprising. Click here to read The Yarrahapinni Wetlands Story

Once inside the wetlands, the participants could see firsthand how beneficial the re-inundation has been for fish and bird habitats. Besides many other bird species, three black necked storks, Jabirus, were spotted. Many paddlers even made a lasting contribution after Penny suggested they collect mangrove seeds along the banks of the open water and scatter them in the wetland’s broadwater. “I made sure I dropped them where they’d easily find a foothold to grow”, said Zalie Davison of Greenhill.

Rupert Milne Home, event organiser and ex-Chair of the Yarrahapinni Wetland ReserveTrust, described the Paddle on the Macleay 2015 and the restoration of the wetlands as wonderful successes. “Now we need to address the restoration of other wetlands such as the Clybucca,” he said.