Newsletters
July 2008 - President’s Report
Dear Friends,
Since the the last Newsletter, the Friends have:
- Held two Executive Committee meetings.
- Continued to keep up to date and participate in the NSW captive breeding programme.
- Finalised a Business Plan for the group.
- Positioned donation boxes and membership forms at several locations in the Kangaroo Valley.
- Participated in a WIRES Fundraiser in Bowral, NSW, and donated the Friends' video "Bouncing Back" to the event. The Friends' BTRW costume was also worn on the night.
- Kept in contact with Waterfall Springs Conservation Park on the progress of "Warugul", the young male from one of our local BTRW colonies who was included in the captive breeding programme at WSC. Warugul is now breeding and the two females from the Watagan Mountains both have pouched young. Maybe the Kangaroo Valley and Watagan Mountains genetics together will produce some robust offspring! Let's hope so.
- Kept in touch with the happenings and progress at the Shoalhaven colony where, last November, three BTRW's were translocated from the wild to this colony to endeavour to prevent the colony from becoming extinct.
- Participated in ongoing and intensive fox control. As a result of all the rain over the last 18 months, fox numbers have increased and foxes are on the move. It is important that the Community continues to support fox baiting, as fox control is an integral part of the BTRW recovery programme. The Friends appreciate this support, which contributes significantly to the success of the programme.
- Had a meeting with Shoalhaven Council representatives on the next stage of the Bushcare Plan on BTRW habitat. The Friends are waiting to hear from Council on what has been proposed.
The Friends' AGM will be held in September with the date to be advised. Please come along, and also consider nominating for the Committee. The Friends encourage you all to maintain your memberships, and encourage others to join.
Many thanks for your support,
Susan Robertson,
President.
NPWS News
Three Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies have now had a little over 6 months to settle into one of our colonies in the Shoalhaven. This colony had only a single female remaining at it - Roxy. Two males (Adam and Hunter) and a female (Rosie) from a colony in the Hunter Valley were released into the colony in November 2007 to give Roxy a chance to breed and rescue the colony from its threat of immediate extinction. The animals were released with radio collars fitted so that they could be regularly tracked to see whether they settled into the colony or moved off post release.
Over the first 4 months all the BTRW settled in well and were regularly seen on a number of remote cameras set up around the colony. The older of the two males (Adam) began to turn up in all the photos that Roxy was in and both males were photographed showing interest in the two females. While to date there have been no photos of pouch young with their heads out of the pouches, we have had a few photos of the females with potential small pouch bulges but nothing yet confirmed. Fingers crossed.
Unfortunately over the past few months, despite extensive efforts, we have been unable to pick up a signal from Hunter's collar at or beyond the colony. We are unsure whether this is due to a faulty collar, whether he has moved out of the colony (being the non-dominant male) or whether he is no longer alive. Prior to his disappearance he has moved right down one end of the colony away from where our remote cameras were positioned. Despite moving a camera down his end of the colony following his signal loss, he has not been seen on any of the remote cameras since. We are now trying to get an aircraft to fly over the general area and radio track from above in case we can pick him up further a field from the air.
Fox baiting is continuing in Kangaroo Valley, Illaroo and Bugong areas to help protect all the colonies from fox predation. We are now baiting one week a month in Kangaroo Valley and for 2 consecutive weeks every second month in the Illaroo area.
Other news on the BTRW front is that the biannual fox shoot program in Kangaroo Valley and Illaroo has just started up again. A number of private properties in these areas have given consent to allow a contractor to conduct fox shooting and trapping to take place for the protection of local BTRW. The wet weather has stalled the program which is now expected to be completed in early July. At a small BTRW colony near Goulburn a goat shoot has resulted in 18 goat removed from the area. The area is also fox baited regularly throughout the year. It is hoped that the goat shoot will further reduce pressures on the colony as goats are known to compete with BTRW for rocky habitat.
