Community get say on Hayters Hill

THE National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is inviting the community to have a say on the management of Hayters Hill Nature Reserve, south-west of Byron Bay, with the release of a Draft Plan of Management for the reserve.

NPWS Byron Coast Area Manager, Sue Walker, said that the plan will ensure the protection of this significant area of endangered lowland rainforest, which contains a range of plant and animal species listed as threatened under the Threatened Species Conservation Act.

"Hayters Hill Nature Reserve is eight hectares in size and forms part of a wildlife corridor linking the coast to the Nightcap Range and beyond," Ms Walker said.

"It is part of the group of rainforest remnants that once formed The Big Scrub, which was 75 000 hectares in size.

"The Draft Plan of Management recognises the need to manage threats to the reserve's values, in particular lantana, madeira vine and cat's claw creeper.

"The area is within the traditional lands of the Bundjalung of Byron Bay (Arakwal) people and is jointly managed with NPWS through the Byron Coast Area Management Committee.

"Its cultural significance to Aboriginal people includes its role as a lookout where the ancestors could observe people travelling along the coast."

The Northern Rivers community is invited to provide make a submission on the Draft Plan of Management for Hayters Hill Nature Reserve. Submissions close on April 30 and may be made in writing to NPWS at PO Box 127 Byron Bay or by email to cape.byron@environment.nsw.gov.au.

Copies of the plan are available free of charge at the National Parks and Wildlife Service office at Byron Bay by calling 66209300 or on the web at www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au