ENVIRONMENT & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

2 March 2015 – 6 May 2015

See separate Board paper for progress report on external funding.

General Policy and Planning

  • Revision of volunteer policy and procedures.
  • Revision of Pesticide Notification Plan.
  • Review commercial tour operator draft licensing system.

Biodiversity Management

  • Coordinate and implement Flesh-footed Shearwater Surveys in April 2015.
  • Continue to monitor for ABhA.
  • Plan for BMP meeting on 8 May.

Research & Volunteers

  • No research proposals were received during the reporting period.

The following persons were approved to stay in the Research Station during the reporting period.

Name / No. People / Project / Address
ANNA SCOTT / 1 / MPA research / C/o LHI MPA
ROCHELLE FARRIS / 2 / MPA research / C/o LHI MPA
Andrew Logan / 2 / Runway Reseal Project / NSW RMS
Mark Miller
Nicholas Carlile Chris Wilcox / 3 / Wedge tailed Shearwater surveys / OEH Hurstville
Robert Wheeler + 1 / 2 / Rodent eradication – Reptiles / OEH Hurstville
Jen Lavers project (Katrina Richards) / 1 / Shearwater surveys – Plastic ingestion / University of Tasmania
Nicholas Carlile
Lisa O’Neil / 2 / Rodent eradication – seabird monitoring, wind monitoring mast monitoring / OEH Hurstville

Pest Management

  • LHIB staff have continued to monitor and treat African Bigheaded Ant (ABhA). Two residual ABhA infestations were detectedon two leases used for public accommodation. One infestationwas detected around a chicken pen where ant cafes had previously been removed by the leaseholder immediately following placement by Board staff due to the leaseholders concern with the chickens accessing the bait. The other infestation was detected around the units, kitchen and restaurant where ant cafes had been previously removed by the manager immediately following placement by Board staff due to the manager’s concern that guests, staff and restaurant patrons would be exposed to the bait. Both infestation areas werere-monitored, mapped and treated using Amdro®Granular Ant Bait in open areas and Advion Ant Gel®within the buildings and chicken pen. Follow up monitoring of all other priority sites (except for active seabird nesting areas) has been undertaken. Monitoring will recommence in October 2015 when the weather warms up again and prior to the next seabird nesting season.
  • Monitoring sites with active nesting seabirds will be conducted as soon as possible in the Spring of 2015 and will be completed by the end of November prior to egg laying.

Quarantine

  • Assess plant, mulch/potting medium, dog, livestock and chickenimportation requestsas required and inspect imports upon arrival;
  • Commenced treatment of Phytophthora at known infestation at Mulley Drive. Site is taped off with quarantine tape. All affected trees have been cut and poisoned, all grass within the site have been controlled and the site has been treated with a registered fungicide.
  • Contract awarded to AECOMfor Review and evaluation of LHIB Quarantine Strategy 2003. Site visit to LHI and Port Macquarie and consultation with key stakeholders complete. Draft update report on revised Biosecurity Strategy due 8 May and draft Biosecurity Strategy 2015 due 26 June 2015;
  • Installation of Ipad visitor user guides at airport terminal and LHI visitors centre.
  • Brochure on Phytophthora and Myrtle Rust finalised and ready for dissemination to lodges, airport terminal, LHI visitors centre and LHIB administration building.
  • Finalise quarantine educational/interpretation materials for dissemination/installation at key entry points.

Rodent Eradication

  • See Board Paper - Rodent Eradication progress report.

Weed Management

  • See Board Paper - Environmental Grants progress report.
  • Seek legal advice regarding Noxious Weed control

Revegetation

  • Undertake maintenance of revegetation sites in accordance with Revegetation Work Schedule;
  • Planning revegetation program for winter planting season.

Compliance

  • No compliance issues were recorded during the reporting period.

Incident Management

  • On 21st March 2015 a yacht attached to a Board mooring in the South Passage broke free of the mooring.An investigation was conducted by Board staff and the NSW Police/Port Operations Manager (POM) immediately after the incident. The investigation deemed:

that the vessel had not attached to the mooring appropriately as directed by Board staff who had assessed the vessel to be too heavy for the existing mooring rope prior to attachment and

The mooring rope snapped because of the weight of the vessel, the vessel reattached to the mooring using their own ropes (as directed by Board staff in first instance).

  • On 4th April 2015 a yacht attached to a Board mooring in the North Passage broke free of the mooring and grounded on the reef south of the North Passage. An investigation was conducted by Board staff and the NSW Police/Port Operations Manager (POM) immediately after the incident. The investigation deemed:

that the vessel had attached to the mooring incorrectly after not following directions from the POM and

The mooring system was intact minus the yellow marker buoy which the yacht had accidently attached to.

  • Board staff assisted SES with the retrieval of a walker who broke their ankle on the Goat House walking track.

Community Programs & Education

  • Prepare draft articles for CEO column in Signal and for LHIB Community Information Bulletin.
  • Disseminate letter to households within FFSW nesting habitat advising of April surveys.

Cultural Heritage

  • Heritage assessments of relevant OC/DAs

Visitor Infrastructure

  • General maintenance of walking tracks, bridges and the North Bay picnic facilities;
  • Heli-lifted track materials from LHIB fuel shed and Northern Hills to Muttonbird Point track to repair track in vicinity of landslip and lifted pre-fabricated viewing platform and associated materials to Intermediate Hill to construct viewing platform (funds donated by Dick Smith).
  • The Intermediate Hill viewing platform has been constructed and is now open to the public.
  • Repair of the Muttonbird Point track has commenced.
  • Replaced rope at the Get Up Place on Mt Gower track.
  • Undertake priority actions from track audit.
  • Paint timber walking platforms with wet & forget.

Marine Management / Moorings

  • LHIB monthly mooring inspections were completed on 16 & 17 March 2015.
  • The biannual mooring inspection was completed by the Board’s mooring maintenance contractor ProDive LHI on 30th April 2015.

Human Resource Management

  • N/A.

Training

  • Code of Conduct, Communication and Leadership Training

Work Health & Safety

  • Review Job Safety Analysis as required.
  • Reviewed priority Risk Treatment Plans.

Environmental Assessment

  • Ecological assessments for all OC / DAs
  • Tree risk assessments.

Land Administration

  • Estate of Ysobel Allen Heffernan – respond to general enquiries
  • Airservices Australia - Permissive Occupancy Deed of Surrender
  • ASA Commonwealth Lease - finalise access, rent negotiations
  • BoMprogress renewal of Permissive Occupancies and Leases (including anemometer site)
  • BN to Minister –G. Wilson suspension of residency
  • Letter to T. Wilson regarding extension of suspension of residency
  • Liaise with MPA regarding tenure for Customs House

Development Assessment

  • .See separate Board paper – Bi-annual Audit

Strategic Planning

  • Assist with the review of land allocation and land tenure arrangements on Lord Howe Island
  • Progress an amendment to the LHI Local Environmental Plan to provide residents and business owners with a simple and more efficient process when they upgrade their domestic and commercial wastewater management systems, in line with the Lord Howe Island Board’s On-Site Wastewater Management Strategy.
  • Refer planning proposal to amend the LHI Local Environmental Plan to update the mapping of Significant Native Vegetation

Health & Wellbeing

  • Select applications for community grants