Conservation
Vacant
TBC
The Battle For Betty’s Bay: HACK Report No. 727
An unusual hack site for us in Betty’s Bay for our September Hack: The Harold Porter Gardens. The management there have asked us, via the Friends of the Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens’ (FHPG), if we would clear a large number of dead trees and wood from one...
Updated Leaflet for Butterfly Effect
In last months BBC article on the Throwaway Society, we included a leaflet on the large variety of items that that the Butterfly Effect re-purpose and re-use. As there was no Afrikaans version of that leaflet the Butterfly Effect has kindly produced a one page poster...
The Nesting Shorebirds in Betty’s Bay
The BBC4thSaturday event, held on the 24 August in the Stony Point Eco Venue, was a tribute to the late Sara Starke on the anniversary of her passing. Sara was a natural pioneer “oystercatcher monitor” in Betty’s Bay and a super example of how “one person CAN make a...
Nature Based Solutions
BERG ADDER Bitis atropos This lovely small snake, measuring only 14cm, was recently discovered on my patio at Betty's Bay (figure 1). It was readily misidentified (by me) as a puffadder, but upon further examination and with the assistance of informed snake-loving...
Hack No 725 – 6th July 2024
We continued where we left off last month in the area bounded largely by Vlei Road, where we returned to the dense masses of Myrtle. Access this month was a little more difficult after the recent rains. The main bulk was, as before, smaller ‘weeds’ and...
BBC Penguin Pals Activities
The hard working Hackers cut rooikrans in Crassula Crescent on Wednesday 19 June and kindly left some large piles of branches near the road for easy access for us. They also cut it into smaller pieces to make our task easier. Thanks Dave and team – that was really...
Throwaway Society
BBC 4th SATURDAY on 27 JUNE 2024 The Stony Point Eco Venue was a great place to host the recent BBC event that highlighted ways to reduce what we throw away. Our overabundance of waste has such a detrimental impact on the ocean and marine life and being at the...
Betty’s Bay Conservancy (BBC) – June 2024
BETTY’S BAY CONSERVANCY PENGUIN-PALS PROJECTS Betty’s Bay has the amazing privilege of having the third largest African Penguin colony as neighbours. Not only can you stroll around the colony and observe these neatly dressed neighbours in their daily activities as...
Conservation – June 2024
Unpacking the Environmental Management Overlay Zones in Betty’s Bay: PROTECTED AREA BUFFER ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OVERLAY ZONE ("PROTECTED AREA BUFFER EMOZ"): - Part 3 The segments in each newsletter that will be unpacking the environmental management overlay zones...
HACK No 724 – June 2024
We returned to the area that we last hacked just after the Covid lockdown eased up in August 2020. Hack No 687! The Myrtle has really flourished in the interim, as well as a few Gums. It is the area bounded by Vlei Road, south of...
Conservation Update – May 2024
NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS Unpacking the Environmental Management Overlay Zones in Betty’s Bay: Urban Conservation EMOZ - Part 2 The segments in each newsletter that will be unpacking the environmental management overlay zones are merely an introduction to what the reader...
PART 2: The BBC Supports Stony Point, The African Penguin and the #NOOW Campaign
PART 2: THE BBC SUPPORTS STONY POINT, THE AFRICAN PENGUIN AND THE #NOOW CAMPAIGN Guidelines for visitors to Stony Point African Penguin colony There are many rental homes and B&Bs in Betty’s Bay and surrounds and visiting Stony Point is one of the top...
Conservation – November 2023
MY WEEKEND WITH A RAIN SPIDER One rainy Saturday morning a few weeks ago, I was having coffee with two guests discussing tourism and tourism initiatives in our beautiful region. Outside on the deck, we found a very wet and miserable rain spider unable to move....
Annual Penguin Palooza 2023
The annual Penguin Palooza will be taking place at Stony Point Penguin Colony at 10h00 on 28 October 2023. Watch the penguin release, enjoy a light meal and good company. Celebrating our collaboration for African Penguin Conservation. ...
FOCUS ON: The African Penguin – endangered species
Did you know? The African Penguin is one of the three species of penguins globally that are in critical need of conservation action. It’s the only penguin species that occurs off the coast of Africa. They are endemic to the coastline of southern Africa, from...
You Can Help Preserve the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve!
You can help preserve the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve! The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve Company (KBRC) is appealing to our community (and our visitors!) to help collect biodiversity data from our area on an ongoing basis. It is as simple as taking photographs of...
Dunes Update: January 2023
We are delighted to have Michel and Saskia Brink on board as new members of the BBRA committee. They are new residents of the area, young, passionate and dynamic. They write: When we planned our move to beautiful Betty’s Bay, our aim was to build with a light...
Save our environment – it is worth it
Some of us are already saving our environment. We go out there and just do it so that our descendants may also enjoy this exquisite natural bounty! We are constantly hearing "there is so much to do and too few hands to do it". Has the time perhaps come to ask...
Waste Management
When you buy an existing house in Betty’s Bay, you don’t know if the previous owners practiced proper waste management or if they fed birds, and ultimately baboons, in so doing attracting the troop to the property. If so, you will have to deal with baboon-proofing...
Bioblitzes and the Botanical Society’s Gardeners’ Circle
The Overstrand participated for the first time in the Great Southern Bioblitz in October 2021, coming an amazing second in the Southern hemisphere as well as in the global City Nature Challenge in April/May 2022, where we came 2nd in Southern Africa and 14th in the...
Dunes, Beaches and our RUBBISH
The Dunes and Amenities portfolio is an exciting and developing portfolio for the BBRA's TEAM that will benefit ratepayers and residents! More residents and visitors enjoy the beaches and the dunes than any other part of Betty's Bay. Visitor numbers vouch for that....
City Nature Challenge 2022: Overstrand
In October 2021 the Overstrand participated in the Great Southern Bioblitz for the first time ever and came an astonishing second in the Southern Hemisphere! This year we joined up for our first City Nature Challenge from 29 April – 2 May. This is a global bioblitz...
Successful Baboon Monitoring
This month, with the long Easter weekend accompanied by relatively good weather, a plethora of reasons prevailed to go to Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens, not least of which the park run, plant sales, Easter egg hunts and face-painting for the kids, apart...
Baboons are protected by law
"In terms of the Cape Nature Conservation Laws Amendment Act, 2000, Ordinance 19 of 1974 and the Provincial notice 955 of 1975: It is illegal to feed baboons. It is illegal to poison, trap, hurt or kill a baboon by driving at it with the intent to kill. It is illegal...
WETLANDS in BETTY’S BAY
The legal definition of a wetland – National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) “Wetland” means land which is transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface, or the land is periodically covered with shallow water,...
Dunes and Amenities Update: April 2022
Dunes and Amenities is a many-pronged portfolio with a multitude of challenges. So many in fact that slow and steady progress would be the only way to approach resolution. Mark Fletcher has been approached to take over this portfolio to free up Wendy Lucas for the IT...
Update about shooting of Brutus
The situation regarding the investigation of the shooting in Betty’s Bay of our key adult male baboon, known as Brutus, has been entirely unsatisfactory. HWS Monthly Report for Overstrand – February 2022 On 26 February BBM3 and 2 other baboons (an adult female...
Baboons, dogs and people with guns: A lethal combination
It seems that Betty’s Bay has two serious issues that are emerging, one concerning the use of weapons against wildlife and the second the danger posed by aggressive dogs against both people, their pets and our wildlife. It is a complete misconception that...
Just reduce, don’t STRIP!
During this past month, the Policy for Creating and maintaining fire wise vacant erven in urban and suburban areas of the Overstrand Municipality was yet again opened up for public comment. The Conservation (flora) portfolio submitted feedback on the policy as...
CONSERVATION, Flora Update: February 2022
We live in the beautiful Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve known for its rich biodiversity, both flora and fauna. As custodians of the piece of this Biosphere in which we are privileged to live, we should take care to preserve the habitat of our local wildlife. As...