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FEATURE - NATIONAL PARKS |
Clean
Up near National Parks
David Paull
NPA's Western Woodlands project officer
Clean
Up near National Parks |
| Helping to restore properties, national parks and reserves in the wake of the January bushfires will be a State and community priority. However, another important community clean up, namely Clean Up Australia Day is on as usual —this year on Sunday March 3rd. |
| Clean Up Australia Chairman
Ian Kiernan said the need for a Clean Up Day was stronger than ever, as
recent events (not specifically fires) had highlighted the increase in
illegal rubbish dumping, particularly in areas where community vigilance
was not able to prevent it.
"During Clean Up Day last year, illegal dump sites emerged as one of the most prominent issues for local communites," Mr Kiernan told the Journal. "As a result of individual action on Clean Up days since 1989, more than 165,000 tonnes of waste has been removed from the Australian environment — which adds up to about four million wheelie bins of waste!" he said. |
A Clean Up volunteer shows a nasty collection of cigarette butts picked up on the roadside into Botany Bay National Park during last year's Clean Up Day. The Botany Bay National Parks and Wildlife Service office at Kurnell is involved in Clean Up campaigns alongside the local community. |
Clean up Australia Day falls on Sunday March 3rd and more information may be found by:
calling toll-free 1800 024 890 or visiting www.cleanup.com.au
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A National Parks perspective by Col Davidson, NPWS Ranger, Scheyville. Scheyville is named after William Schey (of German origins) and pronounced Skyville. Over the years of Clean up Australia, activities have been conducted within all the reserves managed from the Cumberland North Area office of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), located at Scheyville. When local NPWS staff learn that an area has been gazetted as a new reserve or addition to an existing reserve they immediately know what lies ahead of them. A CLEAN UP. As any observer should notice, Sydney bush is so often used as a tip and NPWS officers know and realise that when you "get a bit of bush you also get a bit of rubbish". What you get and where you get it can be dependent upon the past history of the site and the activities that have occurred there. If the new patch adjoins a residential development you can be sure there will be the refuse of a full range of building trades. If the area is somewhat removed from habitation then the rubbish is likely to be commercial, often delivered by truck or from the home Do-it-yourself-er and delivered personally by trailer. If the site is unfenced the rubbish will be somewhere down the tracks the motorbikes and 4WDs have made, next to the burnt-out cars. A Swedish visitor once commented "Back home we would never dream of treating our bush like that. It is too precious" — and the Sydney bush isn’t? |
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