Dear All,
This sounds a bit alarming http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/coal-terminal-may-destroy-bird-habitat/2609238.aspx Swan Pond and Wader Pond straddle Wagtail Way. It is true that the Kooragang Nature Reserve probably will not be adversely affected by the coal loader, but Wagtail Way and the adjoining ponds are, unfortunately, not included. Railway works for the new coal loader would probably mean Swan and possibly Wader ponds are likely to be buried.
What can be done to stop the new loader. Newcastle will be at capacity as a coal port by the time the new loader No. 4) comes on line. The increased demand for loader capacity from the new mines planned for the Bylong and Liverpool Plains-Gunnedah areas come on-stream, Newcastle’s coal capacity will again be inadequate, and so, more loaders will be required. And where will the new loaders be placed? Well it won’t be along Newie’s harbour front. I have often wondered why the arch of the arch of the Stockton Bridge was so high. With a mean clearance at high water of 30m, you can fit more than a tinny under it.
If any Newcastle birders have any further information on these plans, perhaps they can share.
Carl Clifford ===============================
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Comments
One response to “Coal loader extensions on Ash Is, Newcastle; and end to Wagtail Way birding”
Hi Carl, It is a bit alarming, but I don’t think Swan (or Wader) Pond will be “buried” as such. Certainly they will be severely impacted (and parts of Swan Pond might be buried!). The future of these ponds, including the famous “Wagtail Way” is of major concern to Hunter birders (amongst others). Info (from both sides) on “T4” can be seen at Port Waratah Coal Service’s website and the Climate Action Newcastle’s website. If you dare, you can read the (voluminous) Environmental Assessment on the Dept of Planning and Infrastructure’s website (though it may be offline now, as the time for public submissions has past). Hundreds of submissions were made and I think this is keeping a lot of people very busy as we speak (type!). The Hunter Bird Observer’s Club put together a detailed submission on T4, which along with some individual members’ submissions can be seen at http://www.hboc.org.au/index.cfm?menukey=35 The proposal will see the effective loss of ‘Deep Pond’ as a functioning wetland. This wetland is on the eastern side of the existing railway track and is extremely important as it is the only large freshwater wetland in the Hunter Estuary. I don’t have to explain to birders how important a large (26ha) freshwater wetland is within a mosaic of Ramsar-listed tidal mudflats, saltmarsh, roost-sites etc. But it is very important, not just for the shorebirds that prefer to use freshwater wetlands, but also as an important piece of habitat for significant numbers of waterfowl; in particular Chestnut Teal. It is also a major drought refuge and there are several records of Pink-eared Ducks (200+), Freckled Ducks, Blue-billed Ducks, Native Hens etc etc, as examples. The other issue is the potential impacts on Swan and Wader Ponds as you point out Carl. Incidentally, ‘Kooragang Nature Reserve’ is now ‘Hunter Wetlands National Park’ and Swan and Wader Ponds fall inside it. As far as I am aware, there was a section of the National Park that “should not have been gazetted” to make way for infrastructure development such as T4. I think it got through as an ‘administrative error’. So now, parts of the NP will be excised to provide this infrastructure corridor, which is to a distance of about 200m ‘swampwards’ of the railway tracks. The whole story is extremely complex and I’m not going to discuss politics. It is complicated by a history of planning errors, unfulfilled promised offsets for internationally significant wetlands already lost and now promises of other offsets for these future losses. I suggest if anyone is interested, reading HBOC’s submission at the link above would be a good start. Cheers Mick
________________________________ Sent: Tuesday, 3 July 2012 7:02 PM
Dear All,
This sounds a bit alarming http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/coal-terminal-may-destroy-bird-habitat/2609238.aspx Swan Pond and Wader Pond straddle Wagtail Way. It is true that the Kooragang Nature Reserve probably will not be adversely affected by the coal loader, but Wagtail Way and the adjoining ponds are, unfortunately, not included. Railway works for the new coal loader would probably mean Swan and possibly Wader ponds are likely to be buried.
What can be done to stop the new loader. Newcastle will be at capacity as a coal port by the time the new loader No. 4) comes on line. The increased demand for loader capacity from the new mines planned for the Bylong and Liverpool Plains-Gunnedah areas come on-stream, Newcastle’s coal capacity will again be inadequate, and so, more loaders will be required. And where will the new loaders be placed? Well it won’t be along Newie’s harbour front. I have often wondered why the arch of the arch of the Stockton Bridge was so high. With a mean clearance at high water of 30m, you can fit more than a tinny under it.
If any Newcastle birders have any further information on these plans, perhaps they can share.
Carl Clifford ===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org/ =============================== ===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================