Hi all, Just a quick note to remind anyone planning to bird at the Alice Springs Sewage Ponds that the site is first and foremost an industrial workplace and that our access is a privilege, not a foregone conclusion. Our continued access to the site is conditional on our following the rules which are spelled out in the induction process. There have been some incidents recently where birders have flagrantly broken the rules and this has come to the attention of Ponds staff, and its not uncommon for correspondence they receive from birders to be “less than polite”. Please remember, when birding at the site you are representing birders as a whole, breaking the site’s rules puts everyone’s future access in serious jeopardy. You are a guest when birding at the sewage ponds- please behave accordingly. There could be changes to access conditions coming in the near future which we may find restrictive- if this comes to be I ask everyone to accept it with good grace (regardless of personal opinions). There have been difficulties with the personal induction process which are being worked on, please be patient. Importantly, do not ask to use anyone else’s key if you have not completed the induction- that is a serious ‘no no’ and results in the donating keyholder losing their access privileges entirely. An alternative is to attend one of the organised events run periodically by BirdLife Central Australia or Alice Springs Field Naturalists. Another is to contact me- I have an arrangement with the Ponds administration allowing me to deliver an on-site induction and provide guided access to the ponds for a fee. The Alice Springs Sewage Ponds is one of the finest in the country and is top of every list for birding sites in Central Australia. Its everyone’s responsibility to safeguard our access for the future, and the simplest way to do this is to simply obey the rules and ‘be nice’! Regards Mark Carter Birding and Wildlife.com T ++61 (0) 447358045 mark@desertlife.com.au http://www.birdingandwildlife.com ABN 31234450010
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I’d like to add a bit to Mark’s message, just as warning of possible exclusion from wetland areas. There is no access to any poo ponds in South OZ at all, they are all very fenced off. Penrice saltfield has gone through a series of exclusions over the last few years and now has very stringent access rules which include safety clothing such as high visibility jackets, safety glasses, metal toecaps on boots, long trousers and long sleeved jackets, as well as having to have currently valid induction status. The Price Saltfield on Yorke Peninsula also had the same set of rules before it was closed a couple of years ago because of careless birders needing to have their vehicles rescued by saltworks staff. No access at all now. Although these are brilliant birding areas, many birders now just can’t be bothered complying so don’t visit – this of course being the saltworks management’s intent in the first place. They don’t want us in there !! Tony. —–Original Message—– Mark Carter Sent: Wednesday, 10 June 2015 9:19 AM Hi all, Just a quick note to remind anyone planning to bird at the Alice Springs Sewage Ponds that the site is first and foremost an industrial workplace and that our access is a privilege, not a foregone conclusion. Our continued access to the site is conditional on our following the rules which are spelled out in the induction process. There have been some incidents recently where birders have flagrantly broken the rules and this has come to the attention of Ponds staff, and its not uncommon for correspondence they receive from birders to be “less than polite”. Please remember, when birding at the site you are representing birders as a whole, breaking the site’s rules puts everyone’s future access in serious jeopardy. You are a guest when birding at the sewage ponds- please behave accordingly. There could be changes to access conditions coming in the near future which we may find restrictive- if this comes to be I ask everyone to accept it with good grace (regardless of personal opinions). There have been difficulties with the personal induction process which are being worked on, please be patient. Importantly, do not ask to use anyone else’s key if you have not completed the induction- that is a serious ‘no no’ and results in the donating keyholder losing their access privileges entirely. An alternative is to attend one of the organised events run periodically by BirdLife Central Australia or Alice Springs Field Naturalists. Another is to contact me- I have an arrangement with the Ponds administration allowing me to deliver an on-site induction and provide guided access to the ponds for a fee. The Alice Springs Sewage Ponds is one of the finest in the country and is top of every list for birding sites in Central Australia. Its everyone’s responsibility to safeguard our access for the future, and the simplest way to do this is to simply obey the rules and ‘be nice’! Regards Mark Carter Birding and Wildlife.com T ++61 (0) 447358045 mark@desertlife.com.au http://www.birdingandwildlife.com ABN 31234450010
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