COMING EVENTS

Sunday 18 June 2023, 2pm-4.30pm – Field of Mars Reserve Heritage Walk
Phillip Ward will share his first-hand knowledge of the Reserve over the last 70 years, and lead a walk to see remnants of various activities in the Reserve since European settlement. The walk will be followed by afternoon tea.
Meet at the Visitor Centre, 2pm. Please bring covered shoes, a hat and water. The walk is free, but donations are welcome.
Registration is essential as numbers are strictly limited; email for enquiries and registration: onetonner@gmail.com

Sunday 16 July 2023, 10 am & 2pm – Winter Wildflower Walks
It’s amazing how many wildflowers we see in the Reserve during winter. This is really the perfect time of year to see many species of colourful native flowers in our bushland.

Sunday 17 September 2023 (provisional date) – “Music on Mars”
We are planning a spectacular event! Watch for more details closer to the date.

DATES WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS:

Get Tickets
PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNITY FORUM:
- To provide evidence-based information that upgrading sports fields with natural turf is the best choice for players, the environment, and the community.
- To provide evidence of the environmental, health, and safety dangers of plastic turf.
- Present the facts about how the processes used by the Ku-ring-gai Council to proceed with the construction of a synthetic turf field at Norman Griffiths Oval lacked proper environmental assessments and thorough community consultation.
- Provide an opportunity to ask the scientists, experts, and community members’ questions.Outline recommendations and suggest actions to ensure proper Governance.
Doors will open at 7.00 pm for a 7.30pm start; expect to finish by 9.00 pm. Bring your own refreshments and a jacket with you. It could get cold. The forum is free to the community, but donations will be appreciated.
CODE OF CONDUCT: The issue of synthetic -v- natural turf fields can be contentious. Come prepared to be direct and respectful.
KIDS:This is a forum that would be great for kids over 10.
Lots of interesting science will be presented.
We expect the event to be booked out so if you decide later on you cannot make it please cancel your tickets.

We welcome members’ suggestions for events we may hold. If you have any great ideas for things you’d like to do, please let us know! Email rhhffps@gmail.com

Win this bright Yarnknit* rug!

Tickets $2 each / 3 for $5 available at the Field of Mars Visitor Centre (when opened), or pay to Bendigo Bank account:
RYDE HUNTERS HILL FLORA AND FAUNA PRESERVATION SOCIETY, BSB 633-000, Account number 190716589.
Put “Raffle” + your name and phone number in the comment, and we will then make the tickets for you.
Proceeds support the work of our Society.

The winning ticket will be drawn at our Society’s next Annual General Meeting.
* Hand knitted and kindly donated by members of the Holy Spirit Yarnknit Group.

PRESIDENT’S NOTE

There is some good news to report following the recent Field of Mars Consultative Committee meeting.
This meeting includes representatives from Ryde Council, the Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre (EEC) and the management committee of the Society. The Consultative Committee discusses management issues for the Field of Mars Reserve and there are two important matters to report.
The first is a grant obtained by Ryde Council of $848,000 and allocated to the “Field of Mars Nature Trail Improvement Project”, scheduled for completion by 24 December 2023. This includes new pathways, upgrade of existing pathways, disability parking, water station, teaching areas and signage. It also includes bike racks where cyclists may lock their bicycle before entering the Reserve on foot.
The management committee will consult actively with Ryde Council and the EEC as the project plans are developed to ensure that the natural heritage is enhanced by the project.
The second important matter is the saltmarsh management plan. Saltmarsh is an endangered ecological community and can be found in the Field of Mars Reserve. Recently Ryde Council conducted an investigation of the status of saltmarsh located in the Ryde local government area and the report was discussed at the Consultative Committee meeting. This included a walk to inspect the saltmarsh areas in the Reserve.
A plan will now be developed in consultation with the EEC prioritising actions according to effectiveness and budget. This will be discussed with Ryde Council.
Working cooperatively with Ryde Council and the EEC to protect and enhance the natural heritage of the Field of Mars Reserve is a primary focus for the Society and these two initiatives are encouraging.
Frank Breen, President

About RHHFFPS

The Society has been active in local conservation issues since 1966 and is well networked with the broader conservation movement across NSW.

The Society's Constitution states its Aims and Objectives as:

a. The education of the members and the community, particularly in the local area, in nature conservation and protection of the environment;

b. To promote ecologically sustainable land use and development;

c. To promote nature conservation including an adequate system of national parks, wilderness areas, nature reserves, wildlife refuges and corridors and urban bushland reserves; adequate protection measures for native wildlife;

d. Achieving satisfactory measures to safeguard the environment from all forms of pollution to ensure clean air, clean water and a healthy environment;

e. To work for the permanent retention and conservation of all natural areas in the local district and an increase in the area set aside for nature conservation and

f. To undertake the management of the Field of Mars Reserve with Ryde City Council as a major conservation project

We have a regular newsletter Wallumetta which is issued six times a year which attempts to update members on both local environmental issues and issues of wider impact. Our volunteer members keep the Visitors Centre open each weekend. Please contact us if you have concerns about threats to our local natural areas and the precious native fauna which depend on our sensitive bushland areas and waterways.

History of The Ryde Hunters Hill Flora and Fauna Preservation Society

In the mid 1960s, with an increasing amount of waste needing disposal, Ryde Council looked to an expansion of the small tip in the Field of Mars Reserve. Council proposed to pipe Buffalo and Stranger's Creeks to facilitate a landfill area to a depth of up to 15m feet which could then be re-developed into playing fields. Local residents united to form the Anti-tip Action Group and lobbied to reverse Council's plans for a tip at the Field of Mars. The tip was moved to Porter's Creek which to this day still requires substantial funds to control the environmental damage arising from past use as a tipsite. With the Field of Mars saved the Society was established in January 1966.

In September 1966, Ryde Council advised the Society that it agreed to their proposal to development of the Field of Mars Reserve as a flora and fauna sanctuary. Hard work over following decades has seen restoration of old degraded areas of the Field of Mars and protection of the area as a Wildlife Refuge. A Visitors Centre was built and then the Environmental Education Centre which is visited by about 10,000 students each year.