People – people!
The vlei is particularly low as we have had hardly any rain, hot weather and high winds all leading to lots of evaporation which has successively reduced the water level further than it would normally be at this time of the year.
All the exposed area has left the Typha Capensis high and dry and there are some that intend cutting this down ahead of the Draw Down which takes place on Freedom Day in April.
Typha capensis is a rhizome, also called creeping rootstalk, with horizontal underground plant stems capable of producing the shoot and root systems of a new plant. Rhizomes are used to store starches and proteins and enable a plant to perennate (survive an annual unfavourable season) underground. In addition, those modified stems allow the parent plant to propagate vegetatively (asexually), and some plants, such as poplars and various bamboos, rely heavily on rhizomes for that purpose.
Check this link: http://www.friendsofrietvlei.co.za/ecobites-typha.html
Text from this link:
Controlling Typha:
Controlling excessive Typha growth is extremely difficult and can be quite costly, particularly in natural systems. Various methods have been tried and tested all over the world, but there is no easy way to control the plant.
Herbicides can be effective when applied while the plant is flowering, but the disadvantage is that the decaying plant material accumulates and results in hypertrophic conditions, this plant material also provides a good substrate for regrowth of Typha.
Some herbicides may also have negative effects on other plant and animal life in the system.
Mechanical removal is difficult because of the depth and volume of the rhizomes, but it can be effective in reducing the size of infestations. Manual removal works best on small seedlings when they can be easily pulled out of the damp soil.
The best way to control Typha seems to be using fire and physical cutting in conjunction with flooding. NOTE IN CONJUNCTION WITH FLOODING. If the reeds are burnt and/or cut when water levels are low, and then flooded, growth is considerably inhibited but NOT stopped.
An effective control can be achieved by a combination of mechanical and hand cutting at the end of the growing season and when water levels are low, two clippings about a week or two apart will achieve best results, but then the cut area MUST BE SUBMERGED AS SOON AFTER after in at least 8 to 10 cm of water when water levels rise again.
SO CUTTING THE TYPHA NOW IS A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME AND COST as it cannot be submerged in time.
A waterside resident for 26 years now I can attest to the above and have manually removed the Typha, roots and all, on a piece by piece basis each year in accordance with my shore side plan.
But there are also other reasons, besides the obvious of clearing rubbish – repair of shore edges that have eroded – repair of Lotus River catch fences – etc etc., why the shore side plans are ONLY TO BE tackled during the draw down period.
The MOST important of these is that there is very little, if any, breeding taking place during this time – so to do any clearing / cutting etc will be to disturb this very necessary cycle in nature.
Ignoring this basic tenant of nature to further the ‘me or I want’ is to demonstrate a total lack of environmental awareness – an awareness that has to be foremost in all the minds of residents at the vlei especially since the inclusion of the Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve in the RAMSAR certification just awarded.
In dealing with all matters environmental at the vlei for more than 25 years, it has always been, as a fundamental, that the thousands of hours spent at the many, many meetings during this time by the Zeekoeivlei Environmental Forum (ZEF) were for the benefit of Zeekoeivlei and its community.
Can you count yourself in this same endeavour for Zeekoeivlei, your neighbours and the community at large?
To this extent attached are the Bye Laws:
CoCT Public Parks By-law 2010.doc
Recreational Water and Boating By_ Law 2010_2.pdf
Recreational Water and Boating By_ Law 2010_2
Streets Public Places and the Prevention of Noise Nuisances By-law.pdf
Streets Public Places and the Prevention of Noise Nuisances By-law
compliance of which is especially important to Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve.
Roger Godwin
MAY I SUGGEST CUTTING OFF OF ALL THE FLOWERS/SEEDS BEFORE THEY BLOW ALL OVER YOUR AREA AND WASHING – Richard
Thanks for this useful info.
Many thanks to you and Nicki for all the good work that ZEF did!!!!!
Personal environmental responsability towards our False Bay Nature Reserve is definitely called for.
Dalton, maybe it’s a good time for the Homeowner’s Handbook to be published.
We have had a different experience with the bullrushes. A few years ago, one of the waterside residents on the North Shore of Home_bay removed his Bullrushes and dumped it in what became an island. Needless to say, it flourished to the point of being invasive. A new resident tirelessly over a period of three years successfully curtailed the wild weed and has created an area never seen before. This island now has pristine white sand and sufficient growth which has attracted birds in their myriad never seen before in this area. Its also the first time in years that we see otters and their young frolicking at dusk nearby before turning in for the night on this island. So yes, in our case cutting them down during the drawdown has certainly helped.
This is wonderful news!
I received this…
Hi Richard
I downloaded daily rainfall data for the last three summers because I wanted to see why the vlei was so low – you’ll see that we did not have the spring rains that are typical each year and are obviously fundamental to maintaining levels over the summer, despite a wet winter. Just thought you might find it interesting. Cheers Justine
If anyone is interested, I have an idea of removing all sorts of horizontal root type vegetation from wetlands, or sandy areas. Need someone with lots of old mechanical farm type implements for experiment. Anyone?
I fully recognise that factors that allow this Typha to persist (water and nutrients) are not going to change by any attempt to treat the symptoms. No amount of cutting, herbicide application, or burning will change the cause of the reed growth. While you can definitely treat a portion of the symptom there is no doubt that the reeds will persist in the system
To say that you can eradicate a reed bed is just plain folly- agreed and yes there are expectations from the public that any treatment methods will completely eradicate entire reed beds, but this is totally unrealistic of course.
So you can control to a certain extent, but never eradicate…which brings me to my thoughts on the green finger areas on the Peninsula (I would also like to say I have years of experience through the work with Kelvin Cochrane at the Bottom Road Sanctuary, at the most part with no assistance from the City whatsoever- Bottom Road of course is one of the most successful rehabilitation projects ever undertaken on the Cape Flats)
I moved from Bottom Rd to the Peninsula recently and unfortunately found myself off the water- not that that mattered as I knew there was a green lung opposite my house so i would still be able to use the water to take my canoe out etc. However to my astonishment i discovered there was no access to the water at all- the whole area was covered in reeds even some distance away from the shoreline.
The green finger has clearly been neglected. I have removed tons of rubble from the site even before the shoreline.
Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve recently gave me permission to carry out limited activities on or near the Shoreline- this did involve the removal of some reeds. The only reason in doing so was to carve out a small area through to the shoreline. This was achieved.After this was achieved we informed everyone that no more reed cutting would take place. The Reserve agreed and the Reserve Manager then said he would apply limited herbicide to just control the typha growth along the pathway and in a small area on the shoreline. This was not done as promised by the Reserve.
Since then the worker that i employed to assist with the work has been threatened and told to leave the green finger in no uncertain terms on two occasions.This despite the fact that he was merely collecting the debris from the shoreline to place on the bundle and was in the process of removing some invasive plant species- eg the gooseberry, wandering jew etc
Since that time the area that had been cleared has grown back again and access to the water is now frought with difficulty. This wouldn’t have been the case if not for the interference of persons who have no legitimate claim over the area- remember the green finger is zoned public open space; it does not belong to anybody, and is managed by the Reserve.It is indeed questionable why there is a border fence with a padlock in front of it as it is public open space, ie the public has a legitimate right to have access.
Last week the Reserve gave formal permission for some further light work to be undertaken at the site and be completed by 5 March. This work merely involved cutting the re-sprouting reeds. (only the reeds that have re-sprouted in the area that was previously cut.) I have written permission to carry out the work but a few days ago I was blocked again from sending my worker back on site.
I agree that any cutting of reeds must be done by having an approved shoreline maintenance plan issued by the Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve. All work undertaken has been delicately handled in accordance with the maintenance plan. So why the fuss?
All i want is to be able to access the water near my home with a canoe. The people off the water have a right to be able to utilise the said area for recreational purposes.
I, and many others off the water, find the attitude of some to be totally selfish and offside
What is so wrong to want to beautify an area, to have access to the water (just 2 m wide)
It is recommended that the three attachments be read and complied with.
Until otherwise advised by documentary proof to the contrary, the ‘green fingers’ and the area in the front of properties abutting the vlei from the West side of Erf 142 right around the peninsula up to the West boundary fence of the last Western property Erf 163 in Kingfisher Close while being ‘Public Space’ (Erf 71) are not ‘recreational’ as persons are required to be ‘on the move’ at all times i.e. not permitted to sit and picnic or to stand and observe which activity is further not permitted between sunset and sunrise and so the assumption that the ‘The people off the water have a right to be able to utilise the said area for recreational purposes’ is erroneous.
Until otherwise advised by documentary proof to the contrary ‘Public Space’ (Erf 71) excludes the area, designated Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve, below the high water mark which area falls under a separate set of bye laws.
From a security perspective, there is even more concern for everybody that abuts the ‘Public Space’ (Erf 71) and the exposed area (Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve) during the draw down as it simply cannot be a matter for ‘the people’ to be able to simply have unfettered access as they, the properties that abut ‘Public Space’ (Erf 71) and Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve, are the affected group that are exposed to any security event while those that live ‘off the water’ retreat to a safe space behind their collective walled residences.
Although the Special Rates Area (SRA) encompasses the properties and little else on the peninsula, none of the patrolling Security staff are permitted to exercise any oversight or armed response on the ‘Public Space’ (Erf 71) and the exposed area (Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve) as described above.
Additionally, the CoCT has also no longer any accredited Armed Response personnel as these posts have been curtailed.
The net result is that all the abutting properties are fully exposed to any intruder along the ‘Public Space’ (Erf 71) as well as the exposed area (Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve) during the draw down and the ‘green fingers’ add immeasurably by offering any intruder/s a number of access and exit points.
It beggars the mind that ‘people off the water’ wherever they may be are themselves so uncaring whilst the residents that abut the ‘Public Space’ (Erf 71) as well as the exposed area (Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve) have to protect themselves against intruders besides any other ‘work’ that they may do to their immediate shore sides.
I fail to see any community spirit in this attitude, as it appears, from the third last paragraph, to be what: ‘I’ want (All i want is to be able to access….).
It is the requirement that any ‘work,’ done in compliance with the approved shore side plan, is undertaken and supervised ONLY during the draw down period so I repeat the paragraph as above:
“The MOST important of these is that there is very little, if any, breeding taking place during this time – so to do any clearing / cutting etc will be to disturb this very necessary cycle in nature.”
A satellite image of the ‘work’ thus far undertaken BEFORE the draw down shows that ‘work’, which should have been confined to the shore of the green finger, to be undertaken during the draw down period, shows that indeed a channel has been opened that falls OUTSIDE of this area and is therefore in contravention of any shore side plan and which somewhat detracts from the assertion:
“What is so wrong to want to beautify an area, to have access to the water (just 2 m wide).”
The question therefore is this: does the channel ‘beautify’?
Is it any wonder that, for many reasons (some above), abutting properties to ‘Public Space’ (Erf 71) as well as the exposed area (Zeekoeivlei Nature Reserve) are concerned.
I am afraid I do not buy this security argument.I take it you have never been to Bottom Road where there aren’t even boundary walls between the properties? Oh by the way what about the other green finger areas on the Peninsula? The ones along Peninsula Road spring to mind? There is one nr the end where an owner of an abutting property is maintaining the space? I notice quite a lot of shoreline work has been done recently.
Just a reminder that the residents off the water had express permission from the Nature Reserve to cut down the resprouting reeds.
We also made sure there was no breeding taking place in the tiny area cleared.
Of course I have a right to canoe on the vlei!!I bought the property on the understanding that I would be able to access the water.
The channel that was opened was carried out to prevent stagnancy in the water.
It was agreed at a meeting that the work was indeed done in compliance with the Plan.Nature Reserve Mgt agreed.
This Erf is zoned public open space and there shouldn’t actually be a padlocked fence in front of it. This is non compliant.
This matter needs to be sorted out. Works will commence shortly to cut down the resprouting reeds as approved by the Nature Reserve Mgt.
So are you saying one doesn’t have the right to launch a canoe from the green finger?
Good day
The above articles proved interesting reading as we are residents living close to an overgrown green finger, and would love to be able to see the water (doing the name “Boat Road” justice). When we bought the house just over 3 years ago we could see the water which was so beautiful, but since then it has become overgrown and impenetrable (besides looking untidy)…I do understand the security aspect, and would suggest a fence be extended partially into the vlei (even if only above the waterline like the property near the end of peninsula road) and this area cleared, so that we can all enjoy the beautiful environment. Unfortunately we cannot all live on the water’s edge, so being able to see it is something we do value…
Can someone email me the Constitution that governs Zeekoevlei please james@compliserve.co.za or a resident’s code of conduct. Thanks