Humpback whale swim tour season starts along Ningaloo Coast
Humpback whales have been spotted along the spectacular Ningaloo Coast, with Western Australians encouraged to support tour operators amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the humpback whale swim tour season starting soon, visitors to the Ningaloo Coast have the opportunity to swim with these magnificent creatures in their natural environment.
Be Crocwise in the Top End
With the dry season in full swing and school holidays just around the corner, Territorians and visitors are being urged to be Crocwise when exploring the Top End. So far this year, crocodile management teams have removed more than 160 crocodiles from Top End waterways.
Dunoon koalas: Water Northern Rivers explores local koala population
Nan Nicholson. The Dunoon Dam koalas are even more important than first thought. They can help other koala populations to recover robust genetics. New information has been revealed about the local population of koalas which would be impacted by the proposed 15ML dam at Dunoon.
Winter is here – and so is Cuttlefest!
A sense of excitement has arrived along with the cold weather as Whyalla kicks off Cuttlefest 2021, a colourful celebration of all things cuttlefish. The Giant Australian Cuttlefish (sepia apama) swarm into rocky areas off the Whyalla coast during May, June, July and August to mate and reproduce, in the process creating a remarkable spectacle of cunning games, underwater lightshows and colourful kaleidoscopic displays.
Groundbreaking translocation of WA’s rarest bird
In an effort to boost numbers of the Western Ground Parrot, a critically endangered bird now only found in areas near Esperance, scientists and volunteers have taken the bold step in translocating a number of birds with the hopes of establishing a new mainland population ... The delicate operation involved locating and capturing the birds, with a vet and zoologist from Perth Zoo on-site to assess the birds in preparation for travel.
Torres Strait turtle released after four long years
A turtle that was found trapped in a crab pot in the Torres Strait has been rehabilitated and released back into the wild. After four long years, a group of wildlife carers were overwhelmed with emotion as they finally released a turtle which had been found as a juvenile.
Artwork featured in France
Visitors at the Le Harvre Natural History Museum in France will get to witness artwork from Erub (Darnley) Island in the Torres Strait after last week’s exhibition opening. Erub artists were pleased to once again work with curator Geraldine Le Roux on an ambitious ghost net project.
New outback reserve to protect diverse Western wilderness
Environment Minister, Matt Kean has today announced the second largest land acquisition for national parks in the last 10 years with the purchase of the neighbouring Langidoon and Metford stations, 65km east of Broken Hill. The plan for the two properties, totaling 60,468 hectares, is to create a new outback reserve conserving significant biodiversity and Aboriginal heritage in the region ... The purchase follows on from the recent creation of another outback reserve - Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp National Park which was the largest purchase of private land for the national parks estate.
Land purchase creates region’s largest environment reserve
Doonan Creek Environment Reserve in Peregian Springs is now the largest reserve in Sunshine Coast Council’s conservation estate thanks to the acquisition of an additional property. The latest purchase adds 94 hectares to the existing reserve and brings it to an impressive 474 hectares in total.
Finding Nemo: monitoring the McCullochs Anemonefish
The McCullochs anemonefish (Amphiprion mccullochi) is an endemic species which only occurs in waters around Lord Howe Island, Elizabeth Reef and Middleton Reef. The Lord Howe Island lagoon supports the world’s largest population - approximately 75% of all McCullochs anemonefish – and is therefore a critical area for monitoring this species.
Duck hunt decisions under scrutiny
An independent inquiry has stated that Field and Game Australia should rightly be concerned that serious efforts by Victoria’s Game Management Authority (GMA) are underway to restrict duck hunting in the state, regardless of scientific evidence. The veiled threat about whether duck hunting may no longer continue in Victoria should be taken seriously.
Emu parade gathers momentum
Geoff Helisma. The Lions Club of Clarence – Environmental is a rare breed of Lions club and, just like the threatened coastal emus it is campaigning to protect, its vital numbers are growing. The nature-focussed group, the first of its kind in Australia, has gathered 1,318 signatures on its petition to reduce the speed limit on Brooms Head Road from 100kph to 80kph, particularly where emus regularly cross.
Dingoes in the Grampians – response from the Australian Dingo Foundation
Melinda Browning responds to Beverley McArthur MP's media release ... "Mrs McArthur has been misinformed. The correct interpretation of the research is as follows: Out of a sample size of 623 wild canids killed in Victoria as a result of ‘Wild Dog’ (Dingo) Control activities 98.5% proved to be either pure dingoes or have greater than 50% dingo ancestry. Conversely, just 1.5% proved to be domestic dogs with less than 50% dingo ancestry ..."
Turtle flurry
Kirstin Nicholson. It has been a flurry of turtle activity around the district over the past couple of months as broad-shelled turtles nest, and eggs hatch. Graham Stockfeld from Turtles Australia returned to the area recently to record data on turtle sightings, nest locations and condition ... Barapa Country Elders were actively involved in locating turtle nests in the Gunbower Forest on this visit.
The danger of dingoes in the Grampians
There is increasing anxiety around the potential for dingoes to be re-introduced into the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park in Victoria’s west. The decision is currently in the hands of the Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio after submissions to a draft Grampians Management Plan closed in January. Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, said farmers are exceedingly concerned about the dingo plan, given another dingo attack on a person on Queensland’s Fraser Island just one week ago.
Riverdance
A stunning projection on the waters of the Murrumbidgee River was the backdrop for an historic meeting of the Wiradjuri and Barkandji nations with Narrandera residents to return native fingerlings to the southern Murray Darling basin ... The culturally significant event was filmed by the National Museum of Australia. It was pre-empted by the historic fish kill in the Menindee on Barkindji Country in December 2018 and January 2019, with an estimated one million dead fish in the Barka/Darling River.
Koala haven
Narrandera may be a future home to a critically important research centre for one of the nation’s most iconic species, the koala. A notice of motion was submitted by deputy mayor David Fahey to Narrandera Shire Council to lobby Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke, Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley and the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service to establish a Koala Research Centre in Narrandera. Cr Fahey said the centre would research and protect the koala population in the Shire, create a tourism opportunity and employment for the town, and protect the disease-free status of the local koala population.
Seedling donations supports Port Macquarie Koala Hospital tree giveaway
Forestry Corporation of NSW is halfway through the delivery of 25,000 koala food tree seedlings to Port Macquarie Koala Hospital for their annual koala food tree giveaway program ... The seedlings were grown at Forestry Corporation’s Grafton nursery and have had an exceptional start with the perfect growing conditions and look extremely healthy and luscious, said Forestry Corporation’s Partnerships Leader, Sandra Madeley.
Coastal fox control program set to begin for 2021
The Coastal Fox Control Program will be underway again this autumn in an effort to protect our native wildlife from the predatory fox in coastal bushland areas from Maroochy River to Peregian Springs.
Turtle spotters wanted
Kirstin Nicholson. A turtle nest – a wonderful construction, dug by the female to lay her eggs in and filled back up to keep the eggs safe from the world until they hatch up to a year later ... Despite being backfilled, the eggs are still in danger from predators like foxes and water rats. While we may not be able to easily identify a turtle nest, unfortunately a fox can ... Graham Stockfeld from Turtles Australia has been visiting the Gunbower and Cohuna area several times a year to protect the nests and collect data.
Buzzing with excitement to educate their community
Emma Pritchard. Let it bee known, Grafton couple Ken and Carol Faulkner are extremely passionate about the Clarence Valley’s native bees, and they are dedicated to educating their community, particularly children, about the important roles these humble flying insects play in the environment and how we can all help to keep their population buzzing.
Wild dogs or dingoes? Study says they are dingoes
Almost all wild canines in Australia are genetically more than half dingo, a new study led by UNSW Sydney shows – suggesting that lethal measures to control “wild dog” populations are primarily targeting dingoes ... Rio Tinto Weipa and the Weipa Town Authority recently embarked on a “feral animal control” program that targeted “wild dogs”. Both bodies did not believe they were killing dingoes.
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