Newsletters
August 2005 - President’s Report
Dear Friends,
It has been not so long - May 2005 - since our Secretary wrote to you. In the last 3 months The Friends have:
- Been in contact with the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, regarding the Masters of Wildlife Health and Population Management Scholarship that the Friends have provided to encourage students to undertake research that will increase knowledge of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) and/or other Australian native animals and/or their habitat. A student from the Faculty has been nominated for 2005 and a cheque from the Friends will be sent to the University in August. Given that the Friends are presently in a quiet phase until the release of captive-bred BTRW to the wild in a few years, and are a small group with limited resources, we have deferred the third year of the scholarship to 2008, when we expect to be fundraising again.
- Been contacted by a member of the Friends of the BTRW, Mr. Anthony Graham, regarding his ideas and efforts to help more people to become aware of the plight of the BTRW, and to let people know that the Shoalhaven and surrounding environs are the home of the BTRW. Anthony has met with Mr. John Downton, a well-known and experienced artist in the Shoalhaven area, and John has just completed a painting of BTRW’s in their habitat. There are now discussions underway regarding the possibility of using the painting for billboards/signs in the area.
- Lodged a funding application, prepared with the assistance of the NPWS Pest Officer, to the Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority (CMA) for funding of alternative methods of fox control (shooting and trapping) in the areas where there are bait-shy foxes or where baiting cannot be done due to the 1080 permit distance restrictions.
- Planned a working bee for October at Waterfall Springs Conservation Park, Central Coast, to help out with the extensive amount of work that needs to be done to prepare rock-wallaby enclosures, in this case the enclosure sponsored by The Friends, for the captive breeding program. We will provide more details about this weekend closer to the date, and do hope that many of the Friends will be able to lend a hand for either one or both days.
Our AGM is just around the corner and we hope that members consider attending and having their imput into the efforts to conserve the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby. On behalf of the Friends, I encourage you to encourage others to support the Group and our work by becoming members, to help save this magnificent little animal from extinction.
We appreciate your support. Please renew your membership.
Susan Robertson,
President.
NPWS News
The NSW Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Recovery Plan will be out for public comment in the next month or so. The plan details the management priorities for the species within NSW and includes actions to be undertaken under the headings of site management, research, captive breeding and community involvement.
The has been further progress in the push to get a captive breeding program for Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies within the central ESU. This area includes the Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains and Shoalhaven BTRW colonies which have all been found to have similar genetic makeup. It is planned that approximately 20 BTRW from colonies within the Central ESU will be caught and bred up by a handful of breeding institutions. When sufficient numbers are achieved the offspring will be released back into the wild into existing colonies. Animal ethics approval for this program has just been received and now the finer details of how and when this will be conducted are being worked out by the NSW BTRW Recovery Team.
The 2005-2006 financial year is the fifth and final year of the NSW Fox Threat Abatement Plan (TAP). The results of the fox baiting and fox/rock-wallaby monitoring from selected sites across the state (including the Shoalhaven) are being collected and analysed by Head Office staff. A meeting at the end of August is planned to enable discussions amongst the areas involved on what the results are showing and where to from here. It is hoped that the Fox TAP will be funded for another five year period which will allow a greater time span over which to assess the impact of fox control on BTRW numbers.
On the local front, firstly a congratulations to Jacob Adams and Jodie Dunn who were the two successful applicants for the casual technical officer positions on the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby program. They will be conducting the fox baiting and monitoring works in the Valley and Bugong/Illaroo areas. In Kangaroo Valley fox baiting is being conducted for one week every second month and we are using poison for the whole week. In Illaroo/Bugong the baiting is being conducted for 2 weeks every quarter with poison out for the whole period.
The next round of BTRW monitoring is planned for September 05 and this will include another visit to the Glengarry colony. This colony returned a zero scat count last season and it is thought that this colony which has been struggling over the past years may have gone extinct. Sand pad monitoring of fox abundance is about to be conducted at both Kangaroo Valley and Bugong/Illaroo areas.
And finally, another reminder that the baiting process being used by NPWS now involves 1080 baits buried in bait stations for the duration of the baiting session and no free feeding. Residents living in close proximity to bait stations are notified prior to baiting commencing and the dates of each baiting session are recorded on permanent signs at the entrance to properties, Parks and Reserves being baited. If you do own domestic pets, please ensure that they do not enter the baited areas during the baiting period. Any landholders with inquiries or interested in joining the fox baiting program can contact Melinda Norton at NPWS Fitzroy Falls Office on 4887-7244.
