Die hoofdoel van hierdie halfjaarlikse nuusbrief is om beter kontak met lede te maak en hulle meer op hoogte te bring met al die aksies wat gedurende die jaar plaasvind. Weens verhoogde posgeld, is dit egter nie moontlik om die nuusbrief te pos nie en sal dit net per e-pos versprei word - dus 'n vriendelike versoek om die nuusbrief aan alle belangstellendes beskikbaar te stel.

Firstly, thanks to all members who made the effort to attend the AGM on 20 December 2006. Our guest speaker Anne Bean, performed a sterling task, with her talk on what the earth would look like without humans. She then conducted the ecological footprint quiz. This quiz is available on the website www.myfootprint.org and gives an amazing insight into one's own lifestyle and the effect that this has on the earth's restricted natural resources.     <<Back

CleanMarine
The CleanMarine project has been conceived locally and is aimed at developing sustainable mitigating measures to address the adverse effect that marine pollution has on marine life in general and birds in particular. CleanMarine is a pilot study that will be developed in the Overberg and will hopefully later be implemented along the entire South African coastline. The main project partners are BirdLife South Africa, represented by BirdLife Overberg and BirdLife Walker Bay, CapeNature, Coastcare, Dyer Island Cruises and the Overstrand Municipality. Two campaigns are being launched: (1) The voluntary cleaning of stretches of coastline, that includes the statistical analysis of litter collected; (2) A campaign to get fishermen to bring litter found at sea and their own waste back to shore. We invite all volunteers to contact us at birding@overberg.co.za. It now seems evident that we are going to need all the help we can get.

How you can help CleanMarine
Locally, Warren Rutherford is the project leader. The whole coastline of Pearly Beach has been divided into sections and we are looking for volunteers to pick up litter in each section on a regular basis. The necessary forms that need to be completed, as well as refuse bags will be provided. Please contact Warren on 028 - 381 9596 should you want to be part of this project. The majority of marine litter and debris is generated by beach users, or is washed or blown onto the beaches from the land. A study conducted by Heather Incarfield showed that caps, lids, food wrappers and straws featured on the top ten items collected worldwide from 1996 - 2000. These 4 items all consist of plastic which is detrimental to all marine ecosystems as plastic is not designed to biodegrade. A plastic bag can take up to 20 years to degrade, a plastic container up to 80 years and a Styrofoam container never degrades! Entanglement and ingestion are the 2 main contributing factors behind the death of marine mammals and birds.     <<Back

Herbarium
Die Overstrand Munisipaliteit het uiteindelik, na 'n baie lange onderhandelingsproses, toestemming verleen dat 'n permanente herbariumstruktuur opgerig kan word op 'n gedeelte van Erf 1780 waar die huidige herbarium staan. Daar het 'n behoefte aan 'n terrein vir 'n fynbostuin ontstaan sodat bedreigde inheemse fynbosspesies op veral privaat onbeboude erwe, met die eienaar se medewete uitgehaal en op 'n beskermde terrein hervestig kan word, voordat die persele ontwikkel word. Hierdeur word verseker dat die spesies nie uitsterf en verlore raak nie. Die herbarium het 'n drieledige funksie, naamlik dat vars plantmateriaal op 'n weeklikse basis geïdentifiseer en uitgestal word om die publiek meer bewus van die inheemse fynbos te maak. Verder word voorbeelde van alle fynbos wat in die gebied voorkom gedroog, geïdentifiseer en gedokumenteer om sodoende 'n volledige databasis van die fynbos op te stel. En 'n verdere baie belangrike funksie wat die herbarium verrig, is natuurlik 'n inligtingsfunksie, asook opleiding en opvoeding van die plaaslike gemeenskap en die skole. Dit dien as vertoonvenster vir die Bewarings-vereniging.     <<Back

HACKING PARTY: SATURDAY 15 DECEMBER 2007
We want to call on all members of the Society, as well as friends, family and residents to come and join the planned hacking party on Saturday 15 December 2007. The idea is to get a group of volunteers together and to make an active and aggressive effort to clear the public open spaces and frontal dune area of aliens. Come and join us for a day of hard labour and fun, all to the benefit of the environment! We will meet at 09:00 at the Parking Area in Rotunda Road, please bring along equipment, e.g. pruning shears and saws, as well as a hat and sun screen lotion - hope to see you all there!     <<Back

2007 AGM
Please note that the AGM will be held on Wednesday 19 December 2007 at 10:00 in the NG Church Hall, Pearly Beach.     <<Back

BYDRAE TOT BEWARING VAN SA SE VOëLSPESIES
Jy kan 'n bydrae tot die bewaring van die ryke verskeidenheid van meer as 900 voëlspesies in Suider-Afrika lewer wat jou nie veel tyd of geld sal kos nie. Laai voëlsang vir jou selfoon se luitoon af deur www.birdlife.org.za te besoek, op "ringtones" te klik en jou gekose voëlroep te kies. SMS dan die sleutelwoord vir die voëlroep na 38110. Die koste van R10 per SMS gaan aan Birdlife SA se bewaringsprojekte.
    — Erina Botha, BuiteBurger     <<Back

WATER - A SCARCE COMMODITY
Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last century, and, although there is no global water scarcity as such, an increasing number of regions are chronically short of water. By 2025, 1 800 million people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under stress conditions. Just taking a five minute shower very day, instead of a bath, will use a third of the water, saving up to 400 litres a week.     <<Back

SAVE ELECTRICITY
Timing is everything - put a timer on your geyser. A geyser timer (they're fairly cheap) will switch your geyser on a few hours before you need to use it (eg in the mornings and evenings), and switch it off during the times it is not being used.
    — Earth Life Africa (ELA)     <<Back

This is your Society and the success or failure of this Society will depend largely on inputs from you as members. Please feel free to contact any of the Management Committee members with suggestions or proposals on ways and means to promote this Society.

Elrina Versfeld
Voorsitter/Chairperson
Tel 021 850 4107     <<Back