Category Archives: Resources

Changes to the Noxious Weeds Act 1993

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

From the 1st of July 2017 the NSW Government has replaced the Noxious Weeds Act 1993 with the Biosecurity Act 2015. Under the Biosecurity Act 2015, the Blue Mountains City Council, as the Local Control Authority, has a legal obligation to manage the biosecurity risk posed or likely to be posed by reducing the impacts of Priority Weeds.

WHAT IS BIOSECURITY?

Biosecurity refers to the protection of native plant communities; reducing the risk to human health: and the risk to agricultural production, from invasive weeds.

WHAT DOES THE NEW BIOSECURITY ACT MEAN FOR ME?

Under the Biosecurity Act, landowners have a responsibility to control the risk that Priority Weeds on their property pose to neighbouring bushland and properties.

Residents will see a change in the terminology used, for example, the term Noxious Weed will be replaced with Priority Weeds or Biosecurity Matter, and weed notices/orders will be issued as Biosecurity Directions under the Biosecurity Act. There are also some changes target invasive plants identified as Priority Weeds compared to previous Noxious Weeds lists.

Therefore the Noxious Weeds Classification of individual weeds is no longer correct.

Will the Biosecurity Act change the way Council manages weeds on private property?

No. Council’s Urban Weeds Program and the process for inspecting private properties for invasive weeds will continue unchanged. Council will also maintain its current approach to education and enforcement relating to invasive weeds. Council will maintain the current process for issuing Weed Control Notices. The main differences will be the terminology used and that Orders will be issued under the Biosecurity Act. They will be known as Biosecurity Directions.

For further information on Priority Weeds in the Blue Mountains please download the Priority Weeds Information Booklet here;

https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/files/PriorityWeedsInformationBooklet.pdf

Blue Mountains Priority Weeds Information

For further information on the Greater Sydney Regional Strategic Weed Management Plan 2017, and can be found on:

Department of Primary Industries website

https://greatersydney.lls.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/722368/Greater-Sydney-Regional-Weed-Mgmt-Plan-29-June-2017_FINAL-web-res.pdf

or download the FREE NSW Department of Primary Industries weed app

NSW Weedwise app

Where you will find the weeds listed for the Blue Mountains including a profile of the weed and your Biosecurity duty under the Biosecurity Act 2015.

Water Sensitive Cities Workshops

Help shape a sustainable water future for the Blue Mountains

Do you want our waterways to be healthy in the long term? To live in a place that is more resilient to heatwaves, drought, flooding and bushfire?

Our city faces significant challenges (such as climate change and urban development) that will have a big impact on our waterways and the way we use water. To secure a sustainable future, we need to rethink how we use and value water now. As a member of our local community, your knowledge and ideas are vital to this discussion.

Have your say

Council, together with Water NSW and the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, is running community workshops to help guide us towards a more sustainable, livable, ‘water sensitive’ future. This is an exciting opportunity for people from the community, government and business to get together and help shape our future.  The workshops will be dynamic and interactive, exploring:

  • How we might benefit from a ‘water sensitive’ approach to development;
  • successful ‘water sensitive’ case studies from Australia and overseas; and
  • potential local projects to implement as part of Council’s new Water Sensitive City Plan.

You can choose a workshop time and location that suits you:

Date Location Time
Tuesday 30 October Lawson Mechanics Institute Hall Evening: 7-9pm. Dinner provided
Wednesday 31 October Katoomba Cultural Centre Daytime: 9.30am-12.30pm. Lunch provided
Wednesday 31 October Springwood Sports Club Evening: 7-9pm. Dinner provided

To secure your place, go to: www.watersensitivecityworkshops.eventbrite.com.au

Enquiries: ekennedy@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

Phone 4780 5000 (ask for Emma Kennedy or Geoffrey Smith)

Swampcare at North Hazelbrook

Do you have a swamp in your backyard or interested in swamp restoration?

Then come join us for this very special event in Hazelbrook, where you will learn the basic principles about swamp restoration whilst giving this swamp a helping hand.

The swamp is located off Rocklea Street, which is the very north end of the urban area and is still in its early stages of being restored, so there is plenty of primary work to be done on a variety of weeds – Erica, buddleia, privet, crofton weed.

A FREE delicious lunch and morning tea has been kindly donated by Hominy Bakery.

Bookings are essential so please RSVP via the link on this page or contact Stephanie at schew@bmcc.nsw.gov.au. by Thursday 20 September.

https://www.bushcarebluemountains.org.au/event/swampcare-at-north-hazelbrook/

Where: Rocklea Street, North Hazelbrook
When: Friday, 28 September @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Nature Based Recreation Tourism Licenses

Notice of intention to issue Licences for the use of BMCC managed lands for Organised Nature Based Recreation and Tourism activities for the 2017-2018 Licensing Year

This process will legitimise the ongoing use of these lands. The term of any such licence will not exceed one year and renewal is only available through reapplication.

Submissions need to be made by 5pm Wednesday 2 August 2017.

blue mountains have your say here https://www.bluemountainshaveyoursay.com.au/NBRT with an online submission form.

With a link from our council website as well here http://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/yourcouncil/publicnoticesexhibitions/nbrtlicencerenewal20172018

Some stuff we’re finding interesting on the web

  • Invasive Species Council newsletter

  • Questagame

    Vanessa Keyser from Redgum Park Bushcare and Local Land Services  suggests: Questagame You take photos of wildlife you see and earn points. It links directly to the Atlas of Living Australia, and all records are independently verified.

    In Vanessa’s words:

    Would be great for local schools or for young people who come along to Bushcare. There are teachers’ resources. Very groovy, baby.

    Here is a pdf with more info.

  • Citizen Science

    The Atlas of Living Australia continues to support a variety of Citizen Science projects – and is now making it even easier for people to get involved. Have a look at ALA Citizen Science Central to find a project that might interest you.

    And remember that the Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA) is now up and running. Check out their website for information on joining and ways to get involved.

  • Birdlife Australia Bird data Atlas

    (as opposed to NSW Wildlife Atlas)

  • Creating urban habitat

Updated Weed Website

The Bushcare office, Ray Richardson and Hugh Todd have been working quietly away on updating the new platform for the weeds website, and it is now live!

The finished website will have 64 weed profiles, and resources to help with weed control. We have changed the system so the website can intelligently resize to look good on all screens used for web browsing – from phones to desktops.

It can be found at www.weedsbluemountains.org.au, for those who would like to have a look around.

We have retained some of the fantastic features that Barbara Harley and John Penlington worked on, like the weeds brochure and some of the original articles.

Weeds website

Due to the advancements of user friendly web design we (at the office) can add articles and information quickly and easily. If anyone within the bushcare community would like to donate some time to work on the website with me, or photographs that are better than what we have, we would be very grateful.

An Introduction to Social Media and Networking

Last week there was a course open to volunteers about how social media can be used to promote your group. The Bushcare website can link to your Facebook, Instagram pages that some people have set up for their groups.

If you feel inspired to make you own webpage on the Bushcare site talk to your group to decide what you want to put on there and Bushcare Officer and we can get started.