The Glen Austin Conservancy (GAC) group has several plans lined up for the year.
Chairperson Dave Allanby said among those are environmental preservation, beautifying areas, eliminating alien vegetation, combating illegal dumping and protecting the wetlands.
He added there was a dire need for maintaining and enhancing the rural, agricultural atmosphere at the Glen Austin Bird Sanctuary, also known as Bullfrog Pan.
Allanby was speaking shortly after the Glen Austin Residents Association (Gara) AGM, which was followed by the GAC AGM on March 4 at the Midrand Chapel in Glen Austin.
He was elected as the chairperson and Judy Bird as the vice-chairperson.
Christiene Morris and Angela van Antwerpen were voted as treasurer and secretary, respectively, and Cedric Bessit as a consultant.
Lesley Allanby and Theo Heymans will serve as non-executive members while Nadia Brits and Thys Erasmus will be additional non-executive members.
“Key focus needs to be about pan preservation – fauna, flora and the bullfrogs in particular. Unusually high water levels precluded most normal maintenance and as such probably contributing to reduced sightings of the giant African bullfrog,” said Allanby.
“Alien vegetation clearing conducted by City Parks and Zoo, and helper Edmund sponsored by individual residents, was a success. Other community work included halting the removal of topsoil close to one of our wetlands on Olifantsfontein Road.”
He said they needed to work with the mother-body, Gara, to develop a greenpoint for the future infrastructure and environmental plan.
He added that they needed professional input specifically with legal, environmental and social media.
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Illegal dumping in Glen Austin affects species at the Bird and Bullfrog Sanctuary
