Featherstone Kloof is the valley immediately to the south of the Mountain Drive area. This magnificent wild valley forms the headwaters of the Kowie River system which, after combining with the Bloukrans River which drains Grahamstown city basin, meets the ebb and flow below Bathurst, and the sea at Port Alfred.
Featherstone Kloof is the valley immediately to the south of the Mountain Drive area. This magnificent wild valley forms the headwaters of the Kowie River system which, after combining with the Bloukrans River which drains Grahamstown city basin, meets the ebb and flow below Bathurst, and the sea at Port Alfred.
This valley was formerly a private farm, at one time occupied by relatives of the author Olive Schreiner (Story of an African Farm), and the landowners bequeathed this 1 500ha property to the municipality during the early 20th century.
Ever since then, the valley has remained a pristine and valuable natural resource for Grahamstown, forming as it does, the Southern Commonage, and part of the Oldenburgia Conservancy.
Featherstone Kloof is typical mountain fynbos veld. Facing south-east, it receives about 25% more rain than Grahamstown itself, and is a classic example of Zuurveld: wet, often rank, with sour mountain grasses and restios, sponges, wetlands, and springs everywhere.
Since clearing of alien vegetation by the Working for Water organisation in the 1980s and 90s, the valley has recovered much of its pristine floral quality, and the headwater source of the Kowie River now flows strong and clear all year round.
An abundance of rare and valuable plants are found in both open veld as well as kloof forests in the valley, but is under threat from too frequent burning.
To conserve this valuable and irreplaceable natural resource, moves are under way to have the valley declared a Protected Area under the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act of 2003.
This act makes particular provision for both private and public land that has particular value in terms of natural history.
The act is particularly strong with regard to headwater catchments, which Featherstone Kloof is a prime example of, and provides protection from too frequent burning, unsustainable land uses, invasion by alien vegetation and other negative influences that would otherwise soon destroy it.
Public support for this initiative has so far been very strong, and members of the public interested can approach the Oldenburgia Conservancy with comment or assistance.
Contact: by email nickjames@intekom.co.za.
A wet winter
Did anyone notice how wet this winter has been in Grahamstown?
According to Robin Stobbs’ rainfall figures for Grant Street, July 2015 was the fourth highest total for that month in 41 years, although not as wet as July 2011 which recorded 160.3mm, but at 152.5mm for July 2015 we were very close.
May, June and July are traditionally dry months, but at Rivendell, just south of Featherstone Kloof, a total of 116mm and 146m was recorded for June and July respectively.
August can produce very variable rainfall, from dry periods such as August 2007 (17mm) to extremely wet ones like August 2006 (252mm).
At present, the soil water table is still high, and many farm dams and wetlands in the Lower Albany area are full and overflowing.
Wind farm latest
Construction of the eight wind turbines on Waainek wind farm was completed in July, and the sight of the windmills from the Port Elizabeth road is becoming a familiar one.
The latest information is that spin-testing will commence this week, and the first power should be generated towards the end of September. In a project of this scale, weather and other variables can alter schedules without warning. More info: contact the project manager Sebastiaan Brokken at 072 170 2768. Find us Online: www.grocotts.co.za/environews
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