Peninsula road in a wet winter

Dear Friends,

Thank you to those who responded with offers of help to refurbish the Zeekoevlei Recreation Club in Peninsula Road and those who have helped in the maintenance of Van Bloemenstein Park. (There seems to be some debate as to how Van Blommerstein should be spelt and in fact who Van Bloomenstein was – any thoughts?). The work has started on the re- fencing of the tennis courts and we trust that that will be completed in time for the Christmas break. The perimeter fence around the club house is not included in this contract so we must do that ourselves. Labour and expertise required there! A big thank you to FOZR who have donated equipment and cleaning materials from their most successful fund raiser the other night at the yacht club. It goes to show how our social events can help to make a difference in the community.

Planting phase 2

A number of people have asked that the fourth court be made into a basket ball court. This is indeed very doable! The main cost there is the poles and hoops themselves. Does anyone have any contacts or is there a basket ball enthusiast who would like to make a generous donation? ( We also need to know who Noel Tunbridge is, as one of the courts is named after him and whether his family still live on the Vlei?)

after the first planting

Weather looks good tomorrow so we will be working in the park again. Please just pop in and have a walk around or better still bring spade rake or hoe and help clear the paths. (Does anyone know who has left a heavy duty goods trolley at Grysbok Hoekie?)

Look forward to meeting you in the park!

John

John Oliver
082 7333500
revjohn@iafrica.com

Please Note: this entry has been entered LATE by MoonDance and the last paragraph applies to Saturday past – how useless is me? please vote… I did get another letter from a resident regarding the park see below

Hi John,

Way back in the days of the Civic Association, I did tell you about van Blommenstein Park. (Note from MoonDance – Seems to be implying that John is suffering from old age)

Van Blommenstein was the Vice Chairman of the now defeunct Cape Division Council who controlled all the non urban affairs/land in the then known Cape Province

Through his actions he made the land (Park) available as public open space so as to never allow any private development on it

Noel Tunbridge is a leading lawyer still alive in Cape Town who gave the founding members of the Zeekoevlei Recreation Club, much assistance on the legal side in the obtaining and constitution of the Club.

He currently lives in a retirement village in Rondebosch.

Cheers

(name deleted to protect the innocent)

I seem to remember a Tunbridge living in the home on Flamingo road that had the squash court on it – anyone confirm this?

park signs

Fluffball – in danger

I was out trying to find a reported squished tortoise when I came across exhibit A in a dangerous position, obviously having left the nest, after consulting the Nat Con people I dropped it out of harms way into the reserve where it did a spectacular face plant, flight not yet being its strong suit. This was on the 4th of November 2011. Skilled Nat Cons people returned it to the nest that evening, however the 2nd bigger chick obviously wanted its own room and the fluff ball has visited the ground often since then only to be rescued by those in the know. Mum bird is keeping a careful eye on the goings on and apparently it is perfectly normal for the chicks to be cared for on the ground. So should the weasels from 100 acre wood try anything – beware, you will be dinner for owlets…

Mum keeping a watchful eye

At one point the chicks were moved or moved themselves much higher in the tree as they were probably getting to much attention, however Exhibit A still attempted flight and on 9-November I found it on the ground near the road again so after further consultation with the pros and to much hooting encouragement from mummy bird, I unceremoniously dropped it back into the reserve, this time it glided rather than the undignified face plant of the previous dumping. The chick clicked away at me as I picked it up and the beak is already looking scary and feathers growing fast -

Safe in the reserve

If you know where these wonderful gifts are – keep the secret safe – IF YOU MESS WITH THEM – BEWARE! It is an honour to live here and have such beauty around us.

The sad part of the story is I did find the tortoise – crushed under the wheel of a car, please drive carefully, you may kill an owl or an otter, a tortoise, turtle or snake…

Pippa and Friends

We had some sad news over the weekend, Pippa the tame porcupine at Rondevlei died on Saturday afternoon. Please could you put word out to the Friends about this, as I know Pippa was much enjoyed by children & families in the community.

Pippa was Loved

Pippa had recently recovered from a bout of biliary for which she received treatment, so we suspect that perhaps she may have had a sudden relapse, however, it could also have been natural causes, given that she was already eight years old.

Goodbye Pippa, we will miss you

We will all miss having Pippa at Rondevlei, where she became quite a personality over the years & a part of our “family”. We would like to thank all her “fans” in the community for all the loving attention & donations of fruits & vegetables she received over the years, for which we are very grateful.

Kind regards
Tamaryn

Enjoy a romantic walk and watch the sun go down!

Many thanks to the residents who have responded to the redevelopment programme for Van Bloemenstein Park and Recreation Centre.(see below). Another ten bags of garbage have been removed from the park! Including the ‘first condoms of spring’ !

The path is now open from ‘Victoria Junction’ to ‘Vlei View’ and the ‘painted ladies ‘ have appeared on all their glory.
Another challenge is the Commelina bengalensis which is destroying the reed beds and must be removed. As an Interfaith activist I hesitate to use the popular name – Wandering Jew – although maybe like the Commelina bengalensis, I can acknowledge the Jewish Community for always being well rooted in their tradition and having a wide ranging influence in their community. If any one wants to join me in the water on a hot sunny afternoon, the Commelina is easy to remove, much like water hyacinth but with a little more of a tug!

Call 082 7333 500 if you can help in any way.( Hackers, gardeners, womblers!)

Stop Press: The tendering process for the replacement of the fencing at the Recreation Centre is well under way.
We hope to have the new fence up by the end of November.!

John

The view from Fisherman’s Rest

The major factor is believed to be a lack of flushing during drawdown resulting from a lack of rain.

The bacterial measurement for September was above the water quality guideline for recreation, as was the algal sample in August. Unfortunately real time data is not available at present. Further advice and clarification has been requested from scientific services. The possibility of more regular testing is also being explored.

In light of this, City of Cape Town Nature Conservation advises all users to avoid contact with the water until such time as advice is received from scientific services.

A second notice will be issued at that time.

Kind regards,
Joshua Gericke
Manager: Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve
Biodiversity Management Branch
ERMD
City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 396 4281
Fax: 021 706 2405
Email: ZeekoevleiNature.Reserve@capetown.gov.za

Hi there

I thought you might be interested in this poem written by a boy who lives near Rondevlei…

Many thanks

Andrew Caldwell
Gr 6 Teacher at Bishops Prep.

Rondevlei Nature Reserve

Be quiet and observe the otter’s play-fight,
Catch the pink wings of flamingos in-flight,
Only at Rondevlei.

Listen to the Hippos snort and grunt,
Watch the Fish Eagle swoop down on the hunt,
This is Rondevlei.

Prepare for a night at the rustic island camp,
Remember to ensure there’s oil in the lamp,
Forever at Rondevlei.

Kingfishers, Herons, Ducks and Owls,
Make up the collection of fresh water fowls,
Together at Rondevlei.

What they are and how to minimise their ‘impact’ on you

Spring has arrived, with summer on its way, and with these seasons comes the arrival of swarms of midges (or commonly known as ‘miggies’) in and around Zeekoevlei. Following on from complaints by residents about the ”plagues of miggies” experienced in previous years, and the nuisance impact of these, a study was conducted by an intern at the City of Cape Town, in conjunction with Dr Liz Day of The Freshwater Consulting Group.
Some of the main objectives of the study were to:

• Describe the extent of the midge problem at Zeekoevlei
• Highlight its impact on the community
• Comment on the ecological significance of midge populations in the vlei ecosystem
• Recommend environmentally sensitive control measures to minimise midge impacts

What is a midge?
A midge is the most common wetland invertebrate and belongs to the Class Insecta (insects), Order Diptera (flies). There are 300-400 species in southern Africa, and 10 000-15 000 species worldwide.
The midges one sees flying about are the adult form, and have very short life spans out of the water.

The diagram below shows the life cycle of a midge:

Males form breeding swarms over distinct objects at particular times of the day (species dependant)

Females lay 1 000-2 000 eggs

Study approach and results
Sediment samples were taken in both muddy and sandy sites, and these were analysed in terms of the number of larvae per square metre (m2) and the dominant midge type or species.
Sandy sites were dominated by midge larvae of the genus Cladotanytarsus, which are small (2-3 mm) mainly tube-dwelling larva, whilst muddy sites were dominated by midge larvae of the genus Chironomus, which are large (>20 mm) red in colour and adapted to low oxygen conditions.
Very low populations of midges were found in muddy sites ( As water quality in the vlei improves, it is likely that the extent of sandy areas will also increase. Sandy areas are desirable from both a recreational and an ecological perspective, as they represent a decrease in areas of thick, anoxic, foul-smelling muds.)
Although undoubtedly a nuisance to local residents, the midge populations at Zeekoevlei are not approaching ‘plague densities’, which are regarded as 50 000 individuals per m2. Further, literature suggests that the peak populations that occur in spring in the Zeekoevlei area are a natural phenomenon even in unimpacted wetlands.
Management options
It is clear that whilst natural predation of the insects by, for example, fish and birds will help control the populations of midges, they will still be prevalent in the area, especially during spring and summer, given their life-cycles and the type of wetland areas they inhabit.
Behavioural control, that is our adaption of behaviour in response to the ‘miggie issue’, is the most effective way of minimising the midges’ nuisance impact on our lives.

What can you do to minimise the impact of ‘miggies’ on your life?
The following are some proposed measures that could reduce the impact the midges have on you, the resident living in proximity to Zeekoevlei:

• Manage property lighting, by avoiding the use of white light;
• If possible, avoid hanging your laundry up to dry on calm sunny days in spring/ summer whilst the midge populations are at their greatest;
• Close doors and windows at night during peak periods of midge activity;
• Install insect screens on doors and windows;
• Try to avoid painting buildings/ structures white.

It is important to remember that living close to a wetland such as Zeekoevlei, will result in sharing your space with the natural creatures that survive in such ecosystems. These can both be beautiful, such as the majestic birds, or annoying, such as the midges. Both however are part of an integrated ecosystem, and fundamental to it.
The advantages of living close to such an amazing natural resource as Zeekoevlei need to be considered in offset against some of the ‘natural nuisances’ that can be experienced.
For more information contact Asieff Khan or Joshua Gericke at the False Bay Ecology Park on telephone 021 396 4281.

September 2011

MEDIA RELEASE

10 OCTOBER 2011

Disruption of water supply in sections of Grassy Park/Pelican Park/ Zeekoevlei on Tuesday night

The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Department will be installing the connection to a new pressure management system on the water supply lines situated at the intersection of Perth and Rooikrans Avenue in Grassy Park on Tuesday night 11 October 2011.

This will result in the disruption/reduced pressure of the water supply to residents in the general area from 22:00 until 04:00 on 12 October.

This forms part of the City’s Water Demand Management Strategy that aims to optimize the City’s water resources by eliminating undue pressure within the water pipelines thereby reducing the probability of bursts and subsequent water losses.

In order to minimize the inconvenience, residents are kindly requested to store sufficient water in clean sealed containers for domestic consumption.

A water tanker will be located close to the intersection of Fisherman’s Walk and Victoria Roads, Grassy Park should residents require any water for domestic consumption.

Residents must also ensure that their taps are closed whilst the work is in progress to eliminate the possibility of water loss or damage being incurred when the water supply and pressure is restored and nobody is at home.

The City wishes to apologize for any inconvenience caused. It is imperative that we maintain our water supply infrastructure to ensure the continued supply of quality drinking water to our citizens.

End

Issued by: Communication Department, City of Cape Town

Media enquiries: Farouk Robertson, Communication Officer: Water and Sanitation Department, City of Cape Town, Tel: 021 487 2318 or Cell: 084 307 2001