by KBergReserve

A Tribute to Penny Palmer

PENELOPE AYLIFF PALMER 16 Janaury 1936 – 23 October 2017 Penny P, first female wielder of chain-saws at the Betty’s Bay Hack, birder, frog finder, music-lover, writer, mimic, comic, past chairman of the Kogelberg Branch of BotSoc SA. Penny lived in Kleinmond when she first came to the Kogelberg in her early fifties. There she was a co-founder of the Hiking Club, keen member of the Nature Conservation Society, even sang in a choir. She discovered the Betty’s Bay Hack - Joy Ruger tells of how she and Penny cycled all the way to hack…
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by KBergReserve

GREY-BEARDS OUT IN FORCE – THE WEDNESDAY HACKERS

- Merrilee Berrisford It is 8.30 am, I am driving from Kleinmond, just before turning into Sunny Seas, I see grey-bearded men emerging from cars, crossing over to the mountainside and carrying arms. What on earth? Then I realise it is the Wednesday Hackers out to do battle with a nasty potential forest of wattles, that for years has been growing, spoiling the sweep of fynbos, threatening to engulf it. I learn that the owner of this large small-holding has asked the intrepid band of weekly hackers to eradicate this menace. All hail to that…
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by KBergReserve

WALKS PLANNED FOR 2017

Saturday 20 May 2017: Jean’s Hill, Kleinmond Winter is coming and so is Protea time. Protea compacta, Protea longifolia, Protea lepidocarpodendron, Protea neriifolia, Protea coronata, Protea cynaroides, Protea repens and more. How many canwe find? A good place to look is on Jean’s Hill above Kleinmond. Protea compacta           Protea longifolia The Jean’s Hill Trail is short (just over 2 kilometres to the top and back), quite steep in places and offers splendid views over Kleinmond to the sea. Time allowing, the search for Proteas in bloom can be extended to the…
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by KBergReserve

KLEINMOND FYNBOS EXPO

Earlier this year, our branch donated R5000 to Whale Coast Conservation (WCC) towards the Kleinmond Fynbos Expo. The aim of the project was to provide environmental education about Fynbos to 200 local school children. Here is the report on the exhibition, sent to our Branch by the WCC. On 19 August, Whale Coast presented an Expo on Fynbos to the Grade 6 and 7 learners from Kleinmond Primêr and to the Siyabolela Pre-Primary School.   The Expo was kindly sponsored by the Kogelberg Branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa. We, and the children,…
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by KBergReserve

JULY WALK REPORT

- Tim Attwell Saturday 16 July It often happens. Cold rain and wind in the lead-up to the monthly walk makes the prospect daunting, then, as we set off, the clouds part, the sun comes out and we feel smug that we braved the weather and won. This time was no exception. The route took us from the lagoon parking area at Kleinmond beach to the Frank Robb walkway along the coast, to the Kleinmond harbour. Calling it a ‘walkway’ doesn’t really do justice to this delightful trail. It winds its way just above the…
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by KBergReserve

KLEINMOND FYNBOS EXPO

Earlier this year, our branch donated R5000 to Whale Coast Conservation (WCC) towards the Kleinmond Fynbos Expo. The aim of the project is to provide environmental education about Fynbos to 200 local school children. Past experience has shown that knowledge of learners in the Overstrand about fynbos is extremely low, which is a matter of concern. If the next generation is not fully informed about the importance of fynbos and the real threats it faces, there will be little will to protect it. The Expo will consist of 5 exhibits, each illustrating different aspects of…
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by KBergReserve

AN IDEAL CHRISTMAS GIFT

Your Place in the Kogelberg by Tim Attwell is more than a book about gardening. Filled with interesting facts and useful information about the natural environment in the Hangklip to Kleinmond area, the book entertains as much as it informs. Readers are introduced to the animal life and the seven different vegetation types of the southern coastal transition zone of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, each one different from the others. They will find out the many ways gardens can be both part of the natural landscape and provide beauty, recreational space and endless delight. The…
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