Treetops - April 2016 Edition

Transcription

Treetops
Kim’s story
I
have no experience with raising children but my description of Kim would
most
definitely
be
“TROUBLE
CHILD”.
When I met Pat at Keen Street Vets, she
told me that this one was, “as wild as a
March hare”. Surely she’s exaggerating,
right? I held her as she awoke from her
anaesthetic thinking how sweet she
looked sleeping. As soon as she began to
regain consciousness, the biting and
scratching started. March hare? More
like banshee!
The poor darling had a really rough start
to life though. Her Mum had been suffering chronic Cystitis for a long time
and was so sick, by the time Marg Russell rescued them both, she was barely
responsive. Due to her Mum’s health,
Kim had been weaned very early and
was probably defending herself and her
mother as well. In addition, she had
contracted Chlamydia from her Mum
and was also suffering the pain of cystitis. As a result, she was a very frightened and stressed little girl. She was
thin and her fur was brittle and brown.
We waited a week before starting treat-
What’s Inside
» President’s Message ................................. 2
» Care Coordinator’s Report ....................... 3
» Koala Care Statistics ................................ 3
» Hard lessons for new ‘soft releasers’........ 4
» Dirty Harry’s story ................................... 4
» Care Centre Coordinator’s Report ............ 5
» Dates for your Diary................................. 5
» Friends of the Koala Awards 2016 – Call
for Nominations ....................................... 6
» Membership Support & Outreach Officer 6
» Save Ballina’s Koalas Campaign Update 7
» Remembering Pat ................................ 8,9
» To burn or not to burn: Tyagarah koala .....
habitat regeneration trial.................... 10,11
» Our Hinterland Koalas .......................... 12
» Introducing Yasmin Cabôt ..................... 12
» Bulletin Board ....................................... 13
» A Plan for Saving Koalas
Over the Range............................... 14
» Annual Narrandera Koala Count .......... .14
» Member Profile – Jane Konz ................ .14
» Application/Renewal Form .................... 15
» Contact Details ....................................... 15
ments in the hope she would settle into
her new life in care. No luck there, I’m
afraid. She fought me the whole way,
biting, scratching and squawking - we
formed no bond and she refused milk.
Kim and Lauren were not fast friends, in
fact I’m pretty sure Kim bashed Lauren
on a regular basis. Pat often told me she
would yell at Lauren, “FIGHT BACK!”
but little Lauren was a gentle soul and
always conceded defeat.
Although they weren’t friends, our plan
worked! Kim was as much of an acrobat as Lauren and Lauren’s appetite
greatly improved.
They both moved to the Care Centre
when Pat became sick and everyone fell
in love with them. Kim continued to
grow in strength and size while Lauren
struggled to gain weight.
Her saving grace was her insatiable appetite for leaf. I have not, before or
since, seen a koala shred a stick of leaf
the way Kim did. It didn’t matter which
variety it was – old, new tip, flowers,
buds – it was all ridiculously delicious.
She was so scared though, she never left
the top perch of her indoor tree. She
wasn’t climbing or exploring so while
she was gaining weight and growing in
size, she had no muscle. Every night I
listened to her eat (she ate with her
mouth open I’m sure because she was a
very loud eater) and wondered what else
I could do. She needed strength if she
was going to make it in the wild.
While I complained about Kim’s lack of
exercise and crazy eating habits to Pat,
she complained about her joey “Lauren”
who wouldn’t eat but was excessively
active. So we made a plan … put the
two girls together and see if the habits of
one would rub off on the other. Unfortunately, Lauren was a shy girl who
loved Mummy cuddles so they were
very much like chalk and cheese. When
they were both ready to move outside,
they moved into Pat’s new home enclosure.
The decision was made to release Kim
alone as she had passed 3.5kg. She
luckily had the opportunity to try out
Bill Sheaffe and Ros Irwin’s new soft
release enclosure on their property in
Caniaba. Bill built an excellent fence
and framework around a massive Forest
Red Gum and he and Ros were both
very excited to have their first release on
their property.
Kim was apprehensive at first, but
scaled the tree quite easily once she got
started. In the days that followed, we
had some pretty fierce weather but she
took it all in her stride, perching high in
the tree every day and coming down for
the supplemented leaf every evening.
Then, one morning (about 10 days later),
she was gone. Apparently, she decided
she was ready to go and we were taking
too long, so she made a kamikaze jump
to freedom.
I’m pretty sure she’ll never be seen
again but I wish her a long stress free
life in the trees. And to any boys that
want to take their chances with her,
good luck!
—Susannah Keogh
To follow Kim’s story, read Ros Irwin’s piece on
page 4
Licensed by the Office of Environment and Heritage to rescue, rehabilitate and release koalas—Licence No. MWL000100225. ABN. 9322819171
Fundraising authority CFN 17840 P.O. Box 5034, East Lismore NSW 2480 . Phone 02 6622 1233 . www.friendsofthekoala.org.
The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of ‘Friends of the Koala’ Inc.
Treetops … the Newsletter of Friends of the Koala Inc.
government’s koala conservation project
had not been exhibited with the rest of
the amendments to the NSW Threatened
orobi the blue, surfer koala has
Species Priorities Action Statement. The
been announced as the official mas- reason given was
cot for the 2018 Gold Coast Common- the extent and
wealth Games.
collaborative nature of the work
His creator is happy required in its
that feedback on the development.
design
had
been
With 90% of koa"extremely positive". la populations in
Commonwealth
NSW
having
Games Minister Stir- plummeted over
ling Hinchliff was
the last 20 years
reported as saying the need for multi
Borobi was an in- -disciplinary colLorraine Vass
spired choice: "Borobi laboration is obvi— the Yugembah language name for
ous
however
koala — is a great mascot, a great way stakeholder conof telling a broader story for the Gold sultation appears
Coast, … the koala is obviously the fau- to have stalled.
na symbol of Queensland so wonderful
Here it is April and there’s still no sign
for the first time to have a koala being of a draft koala conservation plan, much
used. "
less its exhibition. The same thing can
be said about the government’s proposed
Gold Coast Commonwealth Games orBiodiversity Conservation Act.
ganising committee CEO Mark Peters
was a bit closer to the mark when he If enacted, the new Act will replace a
said "Koala is internationally known as number of hard-won pieces of environAustralian and there's a whole lot of
mental law. From being a world leader
conservation issues around koalas that in environmental regulation with adwe will pick up."
vanced laws on protecting threatened
President’s Message
B
Let’s hope that happens and let’s hope
that visitors to the Games listen, donate
and speak out about the decline of koala
numbers in south-eastern Queensland
and elsewhere. Until such time as our
governments demonstrate commitment
to protecting koalas, Borobi is just another bizarre koala image created for our
puerile purposes; a source of sadness
and frustration for koala lovers everywhere.
Some of you might be wondering why
this issue of Treetops is so late? Well,
Rick and I did have a few weeks break
in February and the Save Ballina’s Koalas Campaign, which is at a crucial
point, continues to take up an enormous
amount of time. If there’s one thing I’ve
learned over the past couple of years, it
is that campaigning when nothing else is
let go, can drive you into the ground.
What’s more it diverts your attention
away from other core business that
simply slips past, loose ends unravelling.
Friends of the Koala has dealt with its
fair share of challenges in recent times
thanks to a strong management team. It
has also embarked on a couple of new
ventures which may test us further.
Quite honestly, there comes a point
where the baton must be handed on and
for me, I think that time is fast approaching.
Last time I mentioned that the NSW
species and controlling vegetation clearing, protection of NSW’s natural environment may be influenced by ecological triage underpinned by unreliable
habitat mapping produced through reductionist modelling methods.
It’s been said that the application of triage in nature conservation is advocated
by influential scientists with access to
government and industry who, in turn,
are attracted to simplistic solutions to
the complex issue of protecting biodiversity.
Triage would allow particular habitats
and species to be destroyed with compensatory funding allocated to protecting habitats that are less in the way of
development. In this sense, the new Act
could facilitate the loss of habitats and
their species under the most threat from
intensification of agriculture, mining and
urban development. A complementary
issue is the rise of reductionist theoretical modelling in biodiversity conservation. Increasingly, politicians and bureaucrats are attracted to modelling for
decisions, blaming theorems if things go
wrong. As they often do especially if
data are limited. Using inaccurate mapping in land-use decisions facilitates a
form of triage. It could compound losses
of species and ecosystems already under
stress.
Perhaps a reason for Government delaying release of the exposure draft is the
Page 2 Friends of the Koala 1989 - 2016 - 27 years of licensed koala rehabilitation
April 2016
eleventh hour campaign being conducted by the Nature Conservation Council,
the Total Environment Centre and regional environmental groups to draw
public attention to
the erosion of environmental protection that the new
legislation will inflict.
Among others the
campaign is targetting the seat of Lismore, held by the
Nationals who have
pushed strongly to
scrap the current
land clearing controls. Lismore is
now looked upon as
a marginal seat and
in recent months a well-attended public
meeting and a street-rally have attracted
good media coverage. Let’s face it
though, when it comes to biodiversity
conservation, making any impression on
public opinion is hard going.
But enough of that. Friends of the Koala’s Face Book page now has over 2,300
likes. The page focusses mostly on the
koalas in care and their releases, with
the odd event or visitor to the Koala
Care Centre thrown in. Care Coordinator Susannah’s lovely koala photos and quirky commentary are by far
the most popular with Likers. Save
Ballina’s Koalas is also on Face Book
with some 2,100 likes. I suspect, but
don’t know that quite a few Treetops
readers follow these pages. If you don’t,
then I encourage you to because they are
both regularly updated and of course
they provide an opportunity for comments and questions which we enjoy
answering. We are presently considering
our next foray into social media which
looks like opening an Instagram account. So watch this space.
I trust you enjoy this issue of Treetops.
Bowing to reality, I have made an executive decision that as in 2012 there will
be only 3 issues of Treetops in 2016.
Hopefully everything will have settled
down sufficiently for us to get the September issue out on time!
—Lorraine Vass
T
his quarter has
been a bit quieter
than previous years
but not short on excitement. We’ve had
some amazing highs
(particularly in February) but also some
devastating lows.
Susannah Keogh
Not long after we lost
Edward in December, we lost Clancy.
Clancy had been in care for nearly 12
months in total – the last 6 months, in
preparation for his new life in the Species Management Program. He was
originally sent to Currumbin Wildlife
Hospital with a fractured wrist (in addition to Chlamydial symptoms Conjunctivitis and Cystitis) where he spent many
months in rehabilitation. Once it was
established his left arm would never
fully recover from the
fracture, he
returned to
the
Care
Centre
to
await
the
process of
finding him
a
new
home. Unfortunately,
he
develRIP Clancy
oped bone
cancer and had to be euthanased. After
long periods of care with both us, in
Lismore, and the Hospital in Currumbin,
there were many tears shed for this gorgeous boy.
We’ve had many wonderful releases,
including Bliss – a now one eyed female
from Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus; Kadina – a disoriented
juvenile from Goonellabah; Elvis – a
April 2016
stunning male that made a miraculous
recovery (thanks to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital) from a fractured pelvis
after a car hit, Lucia – a juvenile female
from Pottsville, and Slash.
Whilst we love all of the koalas that we
see, we do occasionally have favourites
and Slash was undoubtedly one of them.
He arrived skinny and injured after his
habitat was lost to the Pacific Highway
upgrade at the eastern outskirts of Bangalow. For months we watched him
transform from a wasted, depressed boy
to a picture of health and strength; truly
amazing work by all of our volunteers.
But where to release him? Under normal circumstances, we release koalas as
close to their rescue location as possible
(taking into account safety and habitat)
but there was nothing but roads and
clearings where Slash’s home used to
be. After much discussion with people
familiar with the area, Wendy (Slash’s
rescuer) and I found him a small patch
of trees a few kilometres from where he
was found. It was not the lush habitat
we would have liked to see him released
into, but the best of a bad situation.
Slash scrambles to freedom
Our home care joeys have started leaving their carers for either kindy (outdoor
home care) or soft release over the past
few months. Home carers can have joeys for a few weeks or many months but
most of the joeys getting ready for re-
lease have been with their carers for
between 4-8 months.
Enya, who was brought in at a tiny 182g
last June is now 3kg and enjoying life
outside very much with her two kindy
sisters, Georgia & Charlie. Their foster
Mums have spent many a sleepless night
tending to these girls, but when you look
at them, it’s hard to believe they were
ever anything but the robust monkeys
that they are today.
A new joey came in from the Tweed in
February and stayed with me for a few
weeks. Heughan was a delight to look
after and I was very sad to see him go,
however, another joey, Robbie, needed a
buddy so he moved up to Sue Johnson’s
place to pair up with her. During Heughan’s stay, he saw Ray at Keen Street
Vets a few times and they had a short
but sweet “bromance” (as you can see in
the picture).
Many thanks to our fantastic volunteers
coming to the Care Centre every day to
do their bit – Lola’s got the place running like a well-oiled machine. A huge
thanks to Sue Johnson and Barb Dobner
for all the late night advice and as always Ray, Bec and all the staff at Keen
Street Vets, Currumbin Wildlife Hospital and Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital
for their constant compassion and support.
—Susannah Keogh
Koala Care Statistics 1 December 2015 – 29 February 2016
Friends of the Koala attended to or provided advice on a total of 103 koalas
In
Care
Injured (3)
HBC– Road strike (9)
Dog attack (5)
2
Diseased/Sick (51)
1
Health status unknown/ unrecorded (6)
Healthy/Assumed Healthy (24)
Orphaned/Abandoned (3)
Died
1
1
1
Dead on
Arrival
Euth.
Unable to
find/capture
1
1
1
2
2
3
2
1
2
3
25
19
1
1
1
Advice
3
24
1
Unsuitable Environment (2)
Total (103)
Released
1
1
1
4
3
1
6
8
31
24
27
Friends of the Koala 1989 - 2016- 27 years of licensed koala rehabilitation Page 3
April 2016
Hard lessons for new ‘soft releasers’
A
s we gather leaf for koalas, we had
already planted a plantation of koala food trees at our place to be harvested
for koalas in care at the Care Centre. In
mid-2015 Pat and Susannah brought
Tikka out to be released here, and they
had a good look around our place and
asked us to consider making a ‘soft release’ enclosure here. For those like us,
who didn’t really know what this meant,
to create a soft release enclosure you
need to have a single mature koala food
tree that is well away from other trees,
because koalas are great jumpers – about
2 metres. We had one mature Forest Red
gum that ticked all Pat’s
boxes so late last year Bill
constructed the enclosurewith colorbond kindly
donated by Sidney &
Hacking.
Kim, who wasn’t at all pleased!! We
didn’t think to check which ear the tag
was in – females in the right and males
in the left – but we’ll do so in future.
Kim settled in fine, always coming
down the tree and waiting at about 5 pm
for us to bring the Swamp Mahogany
and other species to put in their pots.
She got quite used to us and was determined to have the best of the leaf before
the boys came down. One day we noticed Mitch sleeping next to the extra
leaf, which wasn’t unusual, but when we
checked next morning he was still there,
which wasn’t a good sign.
Susannah came out and
just picked him up with no
resistance and she could
tell that something was
wrong with the little fellow who had lost 700 mgs
in the time he’d been here.
He’s now at Currumbin
and when cleared of any
diseases will go back to
Sue Johnson to get him to
a pre-release weight and
then come back to our
place for soft release.
As you will have read in
Susannah’s article, Kim
was our first koala in care,
and we learnt that a determined koala can leap even
further than the norm to
escape, which led to a minor readjustment to the
enclosure to make this less Ros and Bill’s soft-release encloWe’re keeping our fingers
likely. In late February, sure
crossed but it may well be
Jerry and Mitch were rethat the same thing may
leased here and it was fascinating to see
happen
again
and, like Sweetie, Mitch
the different personalities. Mitch, who
might
just
have
to be in permanent care
came out first, climbed part way up the
sloping branch into the first fork of the at the Care Centre or go into the Species
tree and stopped. Jerry came up behind Management program.
him, tried to get around him or under As for Kim, Susannah had wanted her
him then finally pushed his way past and examined again before we let her go, so
leapt up the tree leaving Mitch behind. we set the trap and she walked into it.
Finally both climbed high in the tree and No fuss, she settled in and just munched
we all breathed sighs of relief – a good on the leaf we put in there all the way to
start!
the Care Centre. That
night Susannah rang to
As was the case with
say in the short time she
Kim when she arrived,
had been ‘free’ Kim had
the first nights were
mated, and had a bub,
wild and stormy, with
which didn’t survive.
really strong winds,
Even more sadly Kim
particularly one night.
had four large cysts and
The next day Bill was
was
euthanased. We
checking our plantation
buried her here. Such a
to see what we could
sad end for a very sweet
harvest for the Care
and feisty little girl!
RIP
feisty
Kim
Centre koalas when he
sighted a tagged koala
running down our drive and jumping
into one of the trees. We thought ‘oh
no, not again, one of the boys must have
been blown from the tree’ and after consulting with Susannah, captured it - not
without a fight – and then put it back in
the enclosure. The following night we
were showing our neighbours’ son the
two koalas eating from their pots when I
happened to look up and saw another
koala in the tree. We had recaptured
The night after we
trapped Kim we left the gate open for
Jerry, who was well gone when we
checked the next morning, so one success so far out of our first three soft release orphans. Unfortunately, as one of
my wildlife carer friends said, that’s
probably par for the course, which is
why we at FOK celebrate every successful return to the wild of one of ‘our’
koalas.
—Ros Irwin
Dirty Harry’s story
T
owards the end of January summer
storms left parts of the Northern Rivers looking like a war zone – trees down,
fences askew, cane flattened, rooves lifted; debris-strewn yards and roads; wildlife the forgotten collateral damage.
Such a storm tore through the core of
Ballina’s koala population during the late
afternoon leaving a swathe of destruction.
We don’t know how many food trees
came down. We do know that a juvenile
koala was trapped under one for perhaps
24 hours before he was noticed.
Dirty Harry was found on a property on
Old Bagotville Road south of Ballina. He
was pinned by his left arm and with his
right he frantically scratched the trunk
around his head trying to escape. In all
likelihood Harry fell with the tree that
had pinned him. He survived, only to find
that he could not move. He stayed that
way for a terrifyingly long time.
The people who eventually found him
quickly contacted neighbour and koala
rescuer, Maria Matthes. While the tree
was being jacked up off Harry’s arm Maria was ringing the Friends of Koala Care
Centre to let them know he’d soon be on
his way. Care Co-ordinator Susannah
Keogh was waiting. She administered
pain relief and set off for the 24-hour
Animal Emergency Service at Carrara on
the Gold Coast.
Harry had suffered significant abdominal
trauma as well as a broken left arm. Because he was trapped for so long some of
his arm tissue had already deteriorated.
Unfortunately Harry died during Sunday
morning.
Harry pinned for approximately 24 hours
Dirty Harry was a very special little koala. Maria first met him when he was in
his mother’s pouch in February 2015.
She was working in the Biolink team
engaged by Roads & Maritime Services
to gather more information
Continued p5
From p4 on local koala demographics
and genetics in the important
koala area of Section 10 of the Pacific
ife at the Care Centre over the past
Highway Upgrade.
three or four months has been
eventful, not so much for the number
Harry’s mum was named Little Suzie. It
of animals (the
had been raining when she was caught
phone has been
and she was nice and dry and comfortaunnervingly
ble in the bag, not wanting to leave. She
quiet), but for
sat on Maria's leg for a long time sleepthe number of
ing. She woke listening to Maria talking
people coming
to her and singing "wake up Little Suzie,
and going.
wake up Little Suzie, it's time to go
home".
The start of the
academic year is
Maria instructed Little Suzie that her
always
busy
little one was the future so she had to be
because of the
a good mum. Dirty Harry's instructions
influx of SCU
were that he grow up big and strong, a Lola Whitney
students.
This
fighter, and when it was time to leave his
year, many who are interested in volunmum to head away from the proposed
teering with us are from the USA. UnHighway.
fortunately they’re only here for one
semester, from February to June, however those few months all help.
April 2016
Care Centre Co-ordinator’s Report
L
what we look like and how we operate.
It was fun sharing our experience with a
colleague from another rehab. group.
Carmel’s visit overlapped with that of
Douglas Kerlin, Chief Ecologist with
the Australian Koala Foundation who
was also visiting us for the first time.
Needless to say, a steady stream of tourists also visit the Care centre each week.
So far this year the Centre has hosted
two events, the first a Koala Tour for
Lismore Council’s Green Army Team
and some of the landholders whose
property they are working on. Trees
Officer, Mark Wilson talked about koala habitat and Care Co-ordinator Susannah talked about koala health. The second was a visit by pupils from Caniaba
Public School (Years K-2).
We also continue to receive Work for
the Dole referrals, many of whom turn
out to be really good and involved
workers for our koalas.
Harry’s frantic scratchings
Dirty Harry’s death was sad and tragic.
It’s also a timely reminder that for those
of us who live with koalas, we need to
check as soon as possible that the koalas
that we share our lives with are okay
when trees and branches are down.
—Lorraine Vass
Dates for your Diary
30 April 2016: Friends of the Koala
Koala Education Workshop, 9am to
early afternoon, Southern Cross University, East Lismore
06 May 2016: Tweed Byron Koala
Connections Forum, 8.30am-4.30pm,
Byron Community Centre, Byron Bay
07 May 2016: Friends of the Koala
Koala Rescue Workshop, 11am-1pm,
Koala Care Centre, East Lismore
22 May 2016: International Day of
Biological Diversity
28 May 2016: Friends of the Koala
Management Committee Meeting,
2pm. Southern Cross University, East
Lismore
03 June 2016: Northern Rivers Fire &
Biodiversity Consortium, Community
Workshop, Southern Cross University,
East Lismore – Details to be announced
05 June 2016: World Environment
Day
26 July 2016: Contributions due for
Treetops (September issue)
Over the past three months I have been
training eight people, all but one of
them from outlying areas, to rescue Green Army Koala Tour
koalas safely. They have all made at
least three journeys to the Care Centre
Our plans for a new building seem to
to receive training which we appreciate
be as far away as ever. Grants awarded
because of the time and fuel costs inunder the 2015 Community Building
volved, not to mention them adding to
Partnership program were announced
our spread of trained rescuers.
just before the New Year. Sadly we
weren’t among Lismore’s 24 successful
Some of the visitors we’ve shown
applicants. Not to be deterred, Vice
around the Centre over recent months
President, Ros Irwin is having another
have been Ballina Shire Council’s Suscrack, this time under the Federal Natainability Programs Co-ordinator, Sutional Stronger Regions Fund. In March
we applied for $78,028, being about half
zanne Acret, Lismore City Council’s
Environmental
Strategies
Officer
the project’s cost. Let’s see if the FederNRM, Angie Brace, and most recently
al Government is any more generous
Labor candidate for Page, Janelle Safthan the State.
fin and Shadow Attorney-General,
Mark Dreyfus QC. While not Janelle's
Volunteering and managing volunteers
first visit, it was Mark's. Lorraine
seems to become more involved each
talked to him about some of the issues
year. In March I attended a training day
for koalas in the Northern Rivers, inon Legal Issues in Managing Volunteers
cluding the Pacific Highway upgrade,
which was hosted by Northern Rivers
as well as in
Community Gateway. The course was
his home state
presented by a lawyer and trainer in the
of Victoria.
Not For Profit Law Program of Justice
Connect which provides free and low
Carmel
cost legal assistance to not-for-profit
Northwood
community organisations in NSW and
from
the
Victoria. The day was very well spent.
Hunter Koala
Preservation
In concluding I want to thank each and
Society spent
every one of our great volunteers for
some
time
their commitment to looking after our
with us for a
koalas through the sad times as well
Saffin, Sweetie and
very different Janelle
sharing the good moments. You are all
Mark Dreyfus
reason. HKPS
valued members of Friends of the Koais considering a proposal to establish a
la.
– Lola Whitney
Koala Care Centre so she wanted to see
April 2016
Friends of the Koala Awards 2016 – Call for Nominations
E
ach second year since the inaugural
awards presentation was made in
2004, the Committee has called for nominations for the awards of Honorary Life
Membership, Tree of Fame and Certificates of Appreciation to formally
acknowledge the contribution made by
Friends of the Koala members and supporters. As in previous years, the award
ceremony will take place during the Annual General Meeting. The award categories and nomination procedure are set
out below:
Honorary Life Membership
Purpose: To acknowledge the contr ibution made by a member to the Friends
of the Koala Inc. over a long period of
time.
Eligibility: Member s of Fr iends of the
Koala, Inc.
Criteria: A minimum of 10 years productive membership, including some but
not necessarily all the following components:
• Service on a range of FOK committees and or sub-committees
• Making a significant impact on FOK
operations
• Promoting FOK through public
presentations to community groups or
professional forums
• Peer respect
Friends of the Koala Tree of Fame
Purpose: To acknowledge outstanding
(i.e. above and beyond the call of duty)
and sustained work which has been instrumental in ensuring the organizational
success of Friends of the Koala, Inc.
Eligibility: Members of Friends of the
Koala, Inc and others
Criteria: Outstanding and sustained
work should include some but not necessarily all of the following:
• Leadership in identifying and applying initiatives which have strength-
ened FOK
• Applying new knowledge which has
resulted in successful operational
outcomes
• Championing FOK and its work in
the wider community
• Community recognition
Certificate of Appreciation
Purpose:
To acknowledge actions
which support the Friends of the Koala
Inc’s objectives
Eligibility: Any individual or corporation, institution, etc.
Criteria: Broad range of koala-friendly
activities which could include
• Assistance in a rescue
• Koala spotting
• Responsible koala management
around the home
• Services in kind
• Sponsorship
• Fundraising
Nomination Procedure
The purpose and selection criteria for
each award will be published in
Treetops from time to time as decided by
the Committee. Financial members of
Friends of the Koala may make nominations for all three categories.
Nominations for Honorary Life Membership and the FOK Tree of Fame
gallery must be made in writing and
address the selection criteria. Nominations can be forwarded to the Committee
throughout the year but awards will be
made, if possible, at a special event.
All nominations received will be assessed by the full Committee and a decision made on a simple majority vote.
The nomination will form the basis for
preparing a citation. This, together with
a certificate and memento will be pre-
sented ceremonially.
Nominations for Certificates of Appreciation can be made verbally to the President either by telephone or at a Committee Meeting throughout the year and
should include the reasons why the nomination is being proposed. All nominations will be assessed by the full Committee and a decision made on a simple
majority vote. Certificates will then be
forwarded or presented to recipients as
appropriate.
The Committee will receive nominations for the awards of Honorary Life
Membership and the FOK Tree of
Fame until Thursday 30 June 2016.
Nominations may be emailed to
info@friendsofthekoala.org
Posted to: The Secretary, Friends of the
Koala Inc., PO Box 5034, EAST LISMORE NSW 2480
or left at the Koala Care Centre, Rifle
Range Road, East Lismore.
Previous Award Recipients
Honorary Life Members: Dr . Effie
Ablett, Ruth Barratt, OAM, Richard
Barratt (dec.), Barbara Dobner, Audrey
Hyde, John Hyde, Alister Janetzki, Patricia (Patty) O’Brien (dec.), Angela
Owers, Wendy Reynolds, Margaret Russell, Dr. Geoff Tomkins, Lorraine Vass,
Rick Vass, Magda Verbeek, Isa Webb,
Lola Whitney, Mark Wilson.
Tree of Fame: Ruth Bar r att, AOM,
Prof. Peter Baverstock, Bert Berriman
(dec.), Audrey Hyde, John Hyde, Sue
Phillips, Dr. Stephen Phillips, Dr. Geoff
Tomkins, Mark Wilson, Lorraine Vass.
Certificates of Appreciation: Austr alia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Currumbin
Wildlife Hospital, David Keep, Fran
Horstmann, Keen St Veterinary Clinic.
Membership Support & Outreach Officer
If you want to contribute significantly
to the future of koalas in our Region,
and are comfortable with working
from home, you might be interested in
this key volunteer role we’re seeking
to fill.
This person will manage our membership list, ensuring it is current and that
our members are financial. S/he will
also play a key role in making members feel welcome and valued, as this
person is often the earliest/main contact members have with us and is re-
sponsible for forwarding news/messages
and publications to members, electronically and by post.
We’d also love it if the person could
suggest ways to grow our membership,
including how to reward existing members, and to improve our membership
data base
The only skills and experience needed
are a real interest in the position and
koalas, the ability to communicate easily
with people about FOK and the benefits of volunteering with us, some
experience with Excel data bases
and Word documents, and an interest, and some skills, in information
technology including e-newsletters.
If you’re interested in taking on this
position, please email Ros Irwin at
roslyn.irwin@gmail.com or phone
her on 6621 5906 for a Position Description.
Save Ballina’s Koalas Campaign Update
T
he Campaign is at a crucial point.
of koalas recorded on or near the proThe Ballina Koala Plan released by
posed route (residents claim the numthe NSW Roads & Maritime Services
ber is actually 18 but could be as high
(RMS) in mid-February) is presently
as 25).
with the Federal Environment Minister • The Plan assumes that all of these 5
Greg Hunt. This is the document which
displaced koalas will be relocated,
will inform his decision whether or not
therefore there will be zero impact,
to give the green light on proceeding
the assumption being that the animals
with the contentious route chosen for the
will move of their own accord or that
Pacific Highway Upgrade through the
they will be translocated. TranslocaBlackwall Range.
tions elsewhere have had mixed success, therefore it should not be asWhile an increasing number of scientists
sumed all displaced koalas, be they 5,
are critical of the population modelling
18, or 25 will survive.
underpinning the Plan, we know that the • Mortality during construction of the
political pressure to approve is intense.
new road has not been accounted for.
Indeed, RMS has already advertised for
Koalas will likely be killed as a direct
registrations of interest for the design
result of vegetation clearing – disand construction of the bridge that will
placement will increase disease and
go over the Richmond River at Broadthe chances of predation by dogs, not
water.
to mention vehicle strike.
Friends of the Koala has sought the
EDO’s assistance for an independent
expert review which is still in preparation. Partner, the International Fund for
Animal Welfare (IFAW) has obtained a
damning technical review of the PVA
from IUCN specialist, Dr Phil Miller.
Within a few weeks of release FOK,
IFAW and Save Ballina’s Koalas campaigners submitted to Minister Hunt
their immediate concerns. Here’s a summary:
Concerns regarding data used in the
Population Viability Analysis (PVA):
• The PVA uses an overly-optimistic
estimation of the current koala population (236), at odds with that provided to the PVA author by the field
study (196).
• The PVA underestimates the number
of koalas likely to be displaced by
the road’s construction (5 koalas),
compared to the number,10-14 estimated from field study observations
Concerns regarding the assumptions
made about the proposed mitigation
measures’ likely success:
• RMS has committed to offset 34ha of
koala habitat loss by planting 130ha of
koala food trees. The estimate of 34ha
is inaccurate. Independent mapping of
one of three key habitat areas shows
more than 40ha of vital habitat will be
cleared in that area alone.
• The Plan also assumes all 130ha of
planting will be successful, ignoring
the difficulty of establishing tree cover, in particular factors such as soil
suitability,
wallaby
predation,
drought, flood, insect attack, weeds,
fire and water logging.
• The Plan fails to account for the time
it will take for the trees to become
suitable habitat for koalas. RMS proposes to plant half the 130ha prior to
construction but the minimum time
trees will require to reach a size that is
suitable for koalas to utilize is 4-7
years, likely longer. The other half
will be planted post construction.
• The Plan seeks to
achieve a 20% increase
in fecundity by proposing the application of
the vaccine designed to
counter the effects of
chlamydia on breeding
females. The vaccine is
still in development and
besides, only low levels
of chlamydia were detected in this koala population.
• The current major
cause of mortality appears to be road strike
and dog attacks, with
juvenile males disproportionately
affected.
April 2016
Unless these issues are tackled, it
will not be possible to reduce mortality or substantially increase breeding
rates. Adding a new Highway, increasing motor vehicle traffic, and
driving animals away from current
habitat, will increase mortalities.
• Despite the inclusion of a large number of wildlife crossings, the Highway will still result in habitat connectivity being reduced by 60%. It
can take two or three koala generations for koalas to use overpasses;
even underpasses can take a long,
long time.
• As for fencing, too often it fails due
to human error [gates are left open]
and poor maintenance [holes in fencing are not fixed, weeds take over].
Besides, koalas are creatures of habit.
If there’s a fence in the way, their
instinct is to climb it.
• Mortalities on subsidiary roads and
appropriate mitigation measures have
not been properly addressed e.g.
mortalities from increased activity of
quarry trucks moving materials.
While some fencing of subsidiary
roads is proposed, there is no mention wildlife crossings on these
roads, therefore connectivity will be
further reduced, a factor not included
in the PVA model.
More recently an even more comprehensive submission has been forwarded to
the Minister by residents of the study
area localities of Meerschaum Vale,
Bagotville, West Wardell, Lynwood,
Uralba and Rous.
Greg Hunt is not required to consider
only the impacts on the koala population. He must also consider other impacts that are listed in the EPBC Act, i.e.
economic aspects like the cost of road
options and social impacts such as cultural heritage, but how he ultimately
weighs up thoise issues is largely a matter for his discretion.
In the meantime IFAW has posted an ealert to which well nearly 6,500 people
have responded, while others have also
emailed Minister Hunt. It’s still not too
late for you to add your voice: http://
www.ifaw.org/australia/get-involved/
demand-a-koala-friendly-ballinahighway
More information can be found on the
Save Ballina’s Koala’s FB page.
—Lorraine Vass
Treetops is printed on recycled paper.
April 2016
Remembering Pat
In December’s Treetops we invited our
readers to share their feelings on Pat’s
passing and some took up the invitation.
Some of the messages of condolence are
also recorded.
From Care Co-Ordinator, Susannah
Keogh:
Pat
When I think back over the past few
months, of all the conversations I’ve had
with friends and strangers
about our dear Pat, three
things really stand out: honesty, generosity and friendship.
Honesty. If you spent any
amount of time with Pat, you
would know this about her.
You never had to guess how
Pat felt. She was the friend
to tell you if you had spinach
in your teeth of if you needed a haircut (John from Keen
Street Vet knows all about
this). But she
wasn’t
being
nasty – she was
just letting you
know.
Her
honesty almost
always
came
with good intention.
She
was also the
first person to
acknowledge
she was wrong
or to apologise
if she’d been
rude.
Okay,
maybe she didn’t always apologise, but when
she said “sorry”, she truly meant it.
Generosity. Beyond her work with koalas and her church, Pat was ridiculously
generous. Whether she was helping out
a friend with a loan or picking someone
up from hospital, it was never too much
trouble. She loved to give gifts too –
she never forgot a birthday or special
occasion.
– she had friends everywhere, and she one other things that her position reconsidered them all to be her extended quired.
family.
Pat and I became firm friends over the
Pat and I disagreed on a lot of topics but nine years we worked together. We had
she was still one of my best friends. I many good and bad times together workmiss our talks, our coffees and our ing at the Care Centre, out on very sad
rescues and releasing healthy, happy koalaughs.
las back into the bush. Pat loved the work
that she did and was devoted to looking
Love you Pat.
after sick and injured wild koalas.
From Care Centre C-ordinator, Pat was a very honest person and she
Lola Whitney:
would never shy away from apologising
Pat
if she thought she had offended someone.
October
2015 She could also tell a good story against
was a sad time herself. I often have a giggle to myself
for us at the when I think of some of her stories.
Friends of the
Koala Care Cen- I have always appreciated what a good
tre. Our Care Co lad Pat was. She was very generous and
-ordinator
Pat had a very strong faith and believed in
Barnidge
had the power of prayer. We often said praybecome very ill ers together when going on rescues or
and passed away hospital trips.
on the 23rd of
October.
These are the special memories I have
when I think of Pat. I know she is
resting in peace.
From Tweed home-carer, Jenny
Graham:
Pat
Special people always bring special
memories to mind. But I cannot
help always having a giggle when
my thoughts turn to the day when
Pat, Susannah and I were walking
up to check on the koalas at the
release tree on our property.
Pat was a very hard working
lady and she tried very hard to keep
working and did not let on to her friends
how sick she really was.
She did three shifts a week at the Care
Centre, co-ordinated and manned the
Rescue Phone at least three times a
week. She went on many rescues day
and night. She also did a hundred and
Friendship. She had a
great many friends and
seemed to stay connected
to them all. From her
colourful younger years
(that she refused to elaborate on but I’m pretty sure
there was some serious
misbehaving), her many
travels, her workplaces,
her church & her charities
There is a slight incline to walk and
I was leading the way with Pat and
Susannah behind. I could hear my
daughter’s horse Danny trying to catch
up to us, “frolicking” - jumping and kicking with excitement, as he was getting
closer. All appeared normal to me until I
heard sounds of distress from Pat and
Susannah. I turned to see their faces and
realised that their impression of Danny’s
antics was not of joy but fear, maybe it
was something to do with him kicking
and bucking??
I don’t remember if they were in each
other’s arms or not but their expressions
on their faces were priceless. I couldn’t
stop laughing I should have realised that
not everyone is used to a horse going on
a walk with them!!
Pat would
always
remind me
of this day
when
Tasha’s
horse was
going
to
trample her
and Susannah – we
would have
our laugh
together,
Pat telling
me
how
Danny was going to kill them and me
telling her how poor Danny was just like
a little puppy!! I am sure Danny felt the
love as I do about these two special people and it was a day to be remembered
with love. I feel privileged to have been
a small part of Pat’s life. Her presence is
felt here on many occasions. How lucky
am I!!
April 2016
From University of Sydney Koala
Health Hub Director, Damien Higgins:
Caroline passed on the sad news about
Pat on the weekend. I was very sorry to
hear the news - I know she was a real
mainstay of the organization and I am
sure both she and her contribution to the koalas will be
sorely missed. I know that
Caroline really valued the
interactions she had with her.
Please pass on my condolences.
From Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers
member, Sandy Norris:
We are very sorry for everyone at FOK's
loss in Pat's passing. Pat was always so
lovely and positive to us and we know
how involved she was and what a hole
she would have left for all at FOK. Our
thoughts are with you all at this time.
From Tweed Shire Council Biodiversity
Project Officer, Tanya Fountain:
I never let you know how sorry I was to
hear about Pat. I am not sure how everything is going without her but Pam Gray,
Marama and I always appreciated the
amazing work she did.
From EDO NSW’s E Bulletin – 30
October 2015: Number 932:
Our respects to Pat Barnidge of Friends
of the Koala. NSW's koalas lost a devoted carer and advocate last Friday
when Pat Barnidge, Care Co-ordinator
for Friends of the Koala, passed away.
We acknowledge Pat’s dedication to the
protection of koalas and offer our condolences to her family.
From University of Sydney’s Koala
Health Hub e-bulletin- November
2015
NSW's koalas lost a devoted carer and
advocate on 23rd of October when Pat
Barnidge, Care Co-ordinator for Friends
of
the
Koala,
passed
away.
Pat was passionate about native wildlife, koalas particularly. Her willingness
to take on an increasingly diverse range
of tasks and responsibilities over the
past decade, quietly stepping-in to those
holes that always need to be filled in an
entirely voluntary organisation, not to
mention her 24/7 availability for taking
"rescue" calls and undertaking many of
those rescues herself,
that really demonstrated her exceptional
commitment to sustaining the Northern
Rivers’ koala populations into the future
and to Friends of the
Koala's effectiveness
and longevity as well.
From Canadian Friends of
the Koala
member, Angelica
Stavnitzky:
Farewell Pat
May you see
with eyes of
light
in
everdark, may
your
mind
walk free and
unfettered amongst all, touching wisely
and well. May you go in peace.
Don't cry for Pat. Young and cancer free,
she's crossed the Rainbow Bridge with
her beloved koalas and is now in paradise, where the koalas here on earth have
now their very own patron saint.
Managing Director and FOK Tree of
Famer, Steve Phillips:
I heard the news yesterday. With you in
thought. The journeys of life eh?
From University of Queensland Postdoctoral Wildlife Researcher , Sean
Fitzgibbon:
I am terribly sad and sorry to hear about
Pat’s passing. She was certainly dedicated to the cause of helping koalas and
I’m sure you will feel the loss enormously.
From Southern Cross University Associate Professor, Ross Goldingay:
Very sorry to hear about Pat. She made a
big contribution.
From Tweed Shire Council Biodiversity
Senior Program Leader, Scott Hetherington:
That is very sad news, thanks for letting
me know as I have been wondering how
things were going.
Pat was a loved and respected member
of the Friends of the Koala family who
will be sorely missed by her many
friends in the group, its partners and
among other stakeholders.
We pass on our condolences to her family.
From Biolink Ecological Consultants
April 2016
To burn or not to burn: Tyagarah koala habitat regeneration trial
Editor’s note: This article is a more
detailed report on the Tyagarah Regen
Pilot we ran in Treetops, March 2015
This project, a part of the larger Koala
Connection Program, tested field methods to germinate native trees via seed
fall onto plots adjacent to remnant sclerophyll (Primary Koala Habitat) vegetation.
The project site was along a fenceline,
inside the paddock adjacent to the remnant edge (total distance 400m x 12m
wide), a total area of 1ha of formerly
grazed paddock containing mixed exotic
pasture species adjacent to existing koala habitat.
Five treatments (each with 30 replicates) were applied to 3x3m (9m2) plots
within the fenced area (Figure 1). The
treatments were: pile burns, scraping to
produce bare soil (>50mm depth),
spraying with herbicide (glyphosate
100:1 with surfactant), rotary hoeing
(100mm depth) and untreated controls
(ungrazed). Half of the replicates for
each treatment were then seeded with
two species of koala food tree: Swamp
Mahogany (Eucalyptus robusta) and
Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis), two of the dominant koala food
trees in the local Coastal Floodplain
Forests.
koalas in the adjoining forest prior to
burning in case the smoke or fire
stressed them. There were total fire
bans during part of the proposed burn
period. All treatments including burning
were undertaken in late spring before the
summer wet season in 2014 under permit from the Rural Fire Service . A
range of restrictions were placed on the
burn process.
Height restrictions
(300mm) were placed on the burn piles
and we were required to have one person in attendance at each pile while it
was alight, along with a water tank and
firefighting hose and pump. The wind
had to be less than 10 kph and notification had to be provided to the Rural Fire
Service and neighbors 24hrs before each
burn. The range of constraints associated with the pile burns meant scheduled
burns were regularly postponed until the
right conditions coincided. This resulted in only 20 of the 30 planned burns
being undertaken.
Results. After 6 months the burn pile
treatment resulted in control of approximately 70% of the cover of exotic pasture
species in each plot. Where burns were
effective, germinants of both Forest Red
Gum and the Broadleaved Paperbark
(Melaleuca quinquinervia) occurred
(Figure 2). After 6 months native tree
germinants were present in 15% of the
burned plots.
spite the exotic pasture growth. The
average height of the germinants in the
burn plots was 30cm after 14 months.
The bare soil treatment achieved 100 %
removal of exotic vegetation and resulted in the germination of a total of over
(30) native species including sedges,
grasses, herbs, Forest Red Gum, Broadleaved
Paperbark,
Swamp
Box
(Lophostemon suaveolens), Wattle
(Acacia melanoxylon) and Cheese Tree
(Glochidion sumatranum ) (Figure 3).
The bare soil treatment (scraping and
removal of the top soil) achieved the
best results with 83% of plots containing native tree germinants after 6
months.
Unlike the burn treatments many of the
bare soil treatments have not regrown to
be dominated by pasture species during
the past 14 months. Instead there has
been mix of native sedges, grasses,
herbs and native trees that were absent
during the base line survey or were low
in abundance. The successful germination and establishment of native species
in the bare soil plots was attributed to
the removal of the upper soil seed bank
where many of the pasture species may
have been present. The process of removing the first 50 – 100mm of top soil
also created depressions in the paddock
that allowed water to pool. This is likely
to have favoured species used to water
logging and inundation.
The herbicide, rotary hoeing and control
treatments were less successful (7% of
plots had tree germinants), presumably
because they retained biomass that suppressed or competed with tree germination. These treatments also retained the
upper soil seed bank allowing recolonisation of pasture species.
To date we haven’t seen any difference
in the plots that had Eucalypt seeds added to the ones that did not. Most of the
native tree germinants occurred near to
a parent tree of the same species indicating the need for a local seed source
close to the treatment area.
Lessons learned and future directions. The fir e and bare soil have been
our most effective treatments to date.
Bare soil was considerably easier to
implement than fire and has had more
successful results.
Fig 1: Treatment design (bottom) and existing forest composition (top) at the Tyagarah Regeneration
Trial site
Considerations in the use of fire included smoke hazards to the Pacific Highway, a railway corridor and effects on
koalas. Searches were undertaken for
After 14 months many of the burn plots
had been recolonised by the exotic pasture species that occurred pre-treatment.
The native trees that geminated during
the first 6 months were still present de-
All of the plots that contain native trees
after 14 months are going to be retained
and monitored for survivorship and
growth. All of the remaining plots
(those with native trees) are going to be
retreated in early Autumn using the bare
soil, fire and spraying treatments. This
April 2016
will allow comparison with the results
from the 2014 trial and assess the importance of seasonal timing for native
tree germination.
The spray treatment is being reapplied
to half of the previously sprayed plots.
This will allow us to measure the effectiveness of two spray runs 14 months
apart. Most of the original vegetation
cover that was killed in the first spray
has decomposed with minimal weed
regrowth. It is thought that once the
bare soil is exposed following the second spray application that native trees
may germinate.
The fire treatment will be repeated in
autumn or early winter to reduce the
constraints associated with the original
burn treatment. The existing control
plots with a high accumulated biomass
will form new burn plots as the new
burn plots. We will also trial spraying
out the grasses before burning to make
sure that we get an effective kill on the
ground layer. This burn methodology is
thought to be the easiest to replicate on
a larger scale
Acknowledgements: This pr oject has
been a partnership between Mallee Environmental, Brunswick Valley Landcare and the Koala Connections project
being managed through Tweed and Byron Shire councils. Funding has been
provided by the Australian government
and the Bjarne K Dahl Trust. The project would not be possible without assistance from the Tyagarah site land
owners
Fig 2: Burn Plot after 6 months. Insert of Melaleuca quinquinervia growing in the burn plot
Fig 3: Bare Soil Plot after 6 months. Insert of Lophostemon suaveolens and Melaleuca quinquinervia
growing in the plot.
—Jo Green
Byron Shire Council
joanne.green@byron.nsw.gov.au
—Justin Mallee
Mallee Environmental
j.ecologic@gmail.com
April 2016
Our Hinterland Koalas
T
he hills and escarpment ranges behind Byron abound with koalas. I’m
talking about the area encompassing
Upper Wilsons Creek, Huonbrook, Goonengerry, Federal, Rosebank, Eureka,
Dorroughby, Corndale, Dunoon, Numalgi, The Channon, Whian Whian and
Tuntable that spans north-eastern Lismore and the western part of Byron
Shire
Approximately a sixth of Friends of the
Koala’s annual rescue and sighting records relate to this locality. Koala habitat
in these areas is not covered (or intended
to be covered in Byron’s case) by a
comprehensive koala plan of management. Habitat and the koala populations
it supports are not considered to be at
high risk. Nevertheless during 2014-15
over 40 koala mortalities from the area
known as the [Byron] hinterland were
recorded by Friends of the Koala, advanced disease being the primary cause
of death.
So, what’s the state of play up in the
hills? Without the assistance of formal
field studies, it’s difficult to be sure.
Paradoxically, we only learn about the
status of koala populations and how they
tick when they are under threat by development, be it a residential subdivision,
music festival, highway or mine.
In the not so distant past much of this
area was covered by 75,000 ha of subtropical rainforest known as The Big
Scrub, which may have affected koala
distribution as it prefers dry or open
woodland. Certainly there would have
been eucalypts on the ridges and this is
perhaps how a few precursor koalas,
over time, might have made their way
south from the north.
The rapid and almost total destruction of
The Big Scrub from about the 1840s to
the 1890s by Europeans provided an
opportunity for koala expansion which
was apparently energetically seized because as early as 1908 The Northern Star
reported a rather inept attempt to
“rescue” a boorabee or native bear
which was perched on top of a telegraph
pole in Conway Street “near Lane’s cordial factory”. Interestingly, the short
piece, In Pursuit of a Native Bear, never
refers to “koala”. It also indicates that
the “rescuers” and onlookers may have
been somewhat fearful of the animal. Do
we assume that koalas weren’t often
seen in town, as it was then, hugging the
Wilson? The hapless boorabee was finally “…secured in a bag and carried to
inglorious captivity”. The piece concludes by reminding readers that “The
boorabee is a harmless herbivorous animal, and is, if we mistake not, now included in the protected animals of this
State.”
Boorabee’s protected status was the
subject of this notice in the Clarence and
Richmond Examiner, Saturday, 12 November, 1910, p.7: Protected Kangaroos
and Bears. “The country police have
been circularised regarding the sale of
grey kangaroo, red kangaroo, and native
bear skins in Sydney. These animals are
protected for a period of three years and
five years respectively from 11 August,
1909. Anyone disregarding the law in
this respect will be prosecuted.” In regard to native bear skins, they were noted as having been sent for disposal in
Sydney from Goolmangar, Chillcott’s
Cross (probably Grass), Murwillumbah
and Lismore - dealers in skins perhaps?
So koalas were around. Indeed, a 1989
study of koala distribution and habitat
undertaken in Byron Shire included an
anecdotal reference to over 3,000 koalas
being taken for their skins from around
the Wilsons Creek/Huonbrook area in
the depression years. In 1989 however,
the same study could only solicit 35
responses from across the entire shire
although most were from residents of
Goonengerry to Upper Wilsons Creek
and west to Huonbrook.
During 1989 Friends of the Koala obtained its rehabilitation licence and it
wasn’t long before we were accumulating records from the area. In the decade
from 1990 to 1999 there were 87; from
2000 to 2005, 272 and from 2006 to
2010 the number was 355, reflecting an
eastern expansion from the Goonengerry
– Wilson’s Creek area in Byron Shire
and establishment of a source population
in north-east Lismore which was undergoing a southwards expansion made
possible by planted windbreaks.
In the five years 2011 to 2015 the number of records had grown to 477 but with
little change to the number of calls each
year (83 in 2011 and 101 in 2015) or to
their nature. About 50% were sightings
and of admittances 85% ended in death,
disease accounting for 70% of them and
the other 30% succumbing either to road
strike, attack by dog or simply unknown.
The good news is that, as far as we can
tell from our records, on-going recruitment processes are sustaining these losses and the population is relatively stable.
But we can’t afford to be complacent.
Should excessive removal of windbreaks
continue, or a decent wildfire occur, or
even extreme weather events increase,
the Hinterland’s koalas too could find
themselves in trouble.
—Lorraine Vass
Introducing Yasmin Cabôt, Training Officer
R
ecently I agreed to take on the position of Training Officer for Friends
of the Koala. I extend a warm invitation
to the first event I am arranging which is
our annual Koala Education Workshop
to be held on Saturday, 30th of April at
Southern
Cross University.
The venue for
the Workshop is
room Z182 in
the Health and
Human Sciences School on
Rifle
Range
Road..
Care Co-ordinator, Susannah Keogh,
will be presenting on basic koala behaviour and health, as well as handling and
rescue techniques. This workshop is
suitable for koala novices as well as
those interested in learning more. You
may also hear a few tales about our charismatic koala wards.
So whether it’s to learn something new,
brush-up on your skills and knowledge,
catch-up with friends, or meet likeminded people we would love to see you
there.
If you are interested in attending, or if
you know someone who might be interested, we’d like you to RSVP on:
(02) 6622 1233 or
info@friendsofthekoala.org.
Registration commences at 9am for a
9:15am start. The workshop is expected
to run until early afternoon.
The cost is $10 for members and $15
dollars for non-members to cover morning tea and lunch.
I’m looking forward to the workshop
and the opportunity to meet existing
members, who I might not yet have
come across, as well as newcomers.
—Yasmin Cabôt
Bulletin Board
New Members
A very warm welcome to the following
members who have been formally accepted into Friends of the Koala over
recent months: Karen Monson of Drake,
Christian Marley of Numulgi, Wendy
Anthill of Dunoon, Jack Georgouras
of Possum Creek, Kita Kerford, Malcolm Garraway, and Emily Smart of
Goonellabah; Vanessa Delandre, Grace
Hoenisch, Ivy Biederman, Katrina
Lenhart, Tara Weller, Noreen Jay,
Jason Knetter, Rachel Ericson, Honami Yamamoto and Haruka Sasaki of
Lismore, Jayalekshmi Suyambu and
Dani Suslov of Byr on Bay, Kirsten
Chambers of Feder al, Ina Gooley of
Lennox Head, Demmi-Lea Hall of Casino, Lucas Cameron of Brunswick
Heads, Tanina Mills of Upper Burringbar, Annika Hallinan of Alstonvale,
Desley Lopez and Mel Yakas of Meerschaum Vale, Aydan Wyse of Tregeagle
and Vera Sandel of East Lismore.
Rochdale Theatre Signage
Over the summer the Lismore
Theatre Company very kindly,
through the good offices of
Luke Kane who is active in
both organisations, allowed us
to display our sign outside the
Rochdale Theatre on Ballina
Road. Thanks also to Graphiti
Design Studio which made the
vinyl skin. LTC now has its
own need of the signboard, but
while it lasted the offer gave us
absolutely priceless exposure
on Lismore’s busiest road.
Koala Champions Workshop
In mid-March about a dozen
FOK members and others came together
for a weekend workshop presented by
Cate McQuillen and Melania Stevens of
Mememe Productions focussed on the
principles of social change and using
social media to influence people’s be-
Koala champions in training
April 2016
haviour and share information. The
weekend covered preparing, planning
and creating content for a successful
campaign, developing a social media
strategy and exposing participants to a
range of platforms. The next step is for
FOK to come up with a list of priority
campaigns for the Champions to rollout.
Koala Health Hub Forum
President Lorraine and Care Coordinator Susannah joined 60 other
stakeholders recently at the KHH’s rerelease and translocation workshop held
at the University of Sydney. In a jampacked program an incredible amount of
information drawn from Queensland,
Victoria and NSW was shared and discussed. The presentations and a draft
position paper will be circulated to participants in coming weeks.
Raising the Bar
Community education and capacity
building are integral to conserving our
koala populations but it’s a monumental
task. Being a voluntary organisation we
don’t have sufficient resources in our
own right so we work with a range of
partners, notably local councils. Thanks
to Ros Irwin and Aliison Kelly for preparing a grant application under the Environmental Trust’s Lead Environment
Community
Group
program, and to Maria
Matthes for preparing
an Expression of Interest for the Environmental Education Program. Should these
applications succeed
we believe we can
make a big difference
in community-led koala recovery in our region.
Northern Rivers Koala Facts
Hallelujah, we have
finally revised and are
presently
reprinting
this popular brochure which has been
out of print for some months. With inknd assistance from Graphiti Design
Studio and funds from the Australian
Government National Landcare Programme, the new brochure will be in
circulation very soon.
Trinity Students’ Generosity
Mark Wilson and his team still hold a
stall at Lismore’s Car Boot Market once
a month. Business was a tad slow in
March, but lo and behold a group of
Trinity College students were conducting a clothing stall and kindly nominated
Friends of the Koala as the 'community
service' group to receive a % of their
profits. At the end of the day they presented Mark with a donation of $91.10.
Mark has since receipted the donation
and written a letter of thanks to the students who we hope will get around to
visiting the Care Centre soon.
Old Friends
Imagine our surprise when during Mark
Dreyfus’ recent visit to the Koala Care
Centre one of his staffers, Phil Clarke,
said that he had volunteered with
Friends of the Koala in 2006 and 2007.
A student at SCU, he graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts majoring in Journalism
at the end of 2007. Phil went on to study
a Masters of International Development
at Macquarie University in Sydney,
worked in several jobs, including as a
journalist at the Wentworth Courier in
Sydney, teaching English as a second
language in the Marshall Islands and for
the past two years as a media adviser to
Mark Dreyfus in Melbourne.
Phil and his partner Victoria have kept
up their FOK membership. They come
back to the Northern Rivers as often as
possible. He was very excited when
Janelle Saffin suggested that as part of
Mark's trip to Lismore that he visit us to
hear about issues facing the Northern
Rivers koala population, and to meet
Sweetie and Lauren.
Phil Clarke catching up with Lorraine at the
Koala Care Centre
A Plan for Saving Koalas Over the Range
T
owards the end of 2015 a group
known as the Western Woodlands
Alliance announced plans to map koala
populations and their habitats west of
the Great Dividing Range as the first
step towards creating a landscape-wide
Western Woodlands Koala Park. The
land for the proposed Park could come
from some 390, 000 ha of the public
estate in areas identified as being important for future koala survival.
The recently formed Alliance is a union
of local and state environment groups
and organisations intent on conserving
NSW’s inland koalas. As well as developing a map and preparing and promoting the Park proposal it plans to gather
evidence to support the end of logging in
the State’s native forests, undertake further work to verify koala persistence in
historically populated areas, support
community groups to obtain funding to
assist koala conservation on private land
and seek an increase in the reserve system in order to better protect koala habitat. Ultimately the Alliance envisages
undertaking koala ‘citizen science’ surveys at key locations and to involve
landowners who wish to help.
The scope of the Alliance’s proposal is
vast, extending from the New England
Tablelands and Nandewar bioregions to
south-west of Kosciuszko National Park,
including the Moree Plains, Gwydir Riv-
er, Pilliga Forest, Liverpool Plains,
Monaro Tablelands, Southern Highlands, the Darling floodplains, and along
the Murray River. Rather ambitiously,
the mapping is planned to be completed
by the end of this month.
The plight of NSW’s inland koalas may
well be worse than that of our coastal
koalas. In addition to the common
threats of habitat removal, fragmentation
and degradation of habitat remnants
brought about by land clearing and rural
development, koalas out west have to
contend with mega-mines such as
Whitehaven at Maules Creek and
Shenhua Watermark near Breeza. They
have already been impacted by climate
change - ongoing drought and prolonged
periods of excessive heat which have
decimated koala numbers in the iconic
Pillaga Forest and even the “Koala Capital”of Gunnedah.
The Western Woodlands Alliance is
presently conducting a crowd-funding
campaign to raise $10,000 in order to
publish and disseminate the Western
Woodlands Koala Park proposal (The
Plan) to local communities a well as to
government agencies.
For more information go to: https://
chuffed.org/project/help-save-thewestern-woodland-koalas
Annual Narrandera Koala Count.
W
ouldn’t you love to be involved in
a koala count that’s been going
on for 27 years?
They say that between 1900 and 1972
not a single koala was in evidence in the
Narrandera District. A local councillor
decided to change that around by promoting the idea of introducing koalas to
breed in a reserve specially set aside for
the purpose.
The first koalas were introduced to the
Narrandera Flora and Fauna Reserve
in1972. Three females and one male
were the first to arrive. Over the next
two years a further nineteen adults were
brought in and the population has grown
ever since.
Koalas have been counted since 1989.
The count is undertaken annually by the
National Parks and Wildlife Service in
conjunction with the Narrandera Koala
Regeneration Committee, although a
few years have been missed due to
flooding.
The Reserve hugs the Murrumbidgee
River and provides an ideal diet of River
Red Gum leaves. Despite both fire and
flood, it is now colonised by upward of
200 koalas, although the most that have
ever been sighted during a count is 71.
Of course over the past 40-odd years
sightings both upstream and downstream
of the Reserve demonstrate that the
population has spread well beyond its
boundaries.
This year’s Count will take place on 17
April. The way it works is that groups of
spotters spread quietly throughout the
Reserve. Once sighted a koala's location
is marked with a ribbon and sightings
tallied at the end of the day.
What a fantastic opportunity for the
local community as well as visitors to
see koalas in their natural habitat. And
of course the more people who participate, the more koalas that are counted.
April 2016
Member Profile –
Jane Konz
Jane
was
looking for
some voluntary
work
with animals
and came to
the Care Center where she
met Lola and
a few others.
The following week she
came to a training day and signed up
that afternoon. That was in 2010. She
has been part of the Wednesday team
since.
What's the best thing about where
you live? The peace and quiet the
wildlife in the garden; the local beaches
and endless sunshine.
What are you reading? ‘The Century
Trilogy’ by Ken Follett and learning
more from that than I ever did from History at school!
What is your favourite movie? ‘The
English Patient’, ‘About a Boy’, and
‘Children of the Silk Road’ to name a
few.
What's
your
favourite
hobby/
pastime? Long walks on the beach;
reading and travel.
Your idea of a perfect Sunday? Family lunch at a local beach restaurant up or
down the coast.
Your most memorable travel experience? A tr ip to a safar i lodge in Tsavo
National Park in Kenya. We had fantastic views across the plains. Dawn safaris
showed us all the wildlife you could
dream of. In the evenings the animals
would come down to the lit waterhole by
the lodge.
What would you most like to be doing
in five years’ time? Enjoying r etir ement with my husband and travelling
more.
Who is the person you'd most like to
meet? David Bowie. Too late now. His
music is woven through my life.
What has been your favourite koala
moment? Rescuing Scooter and Konzie. Knowing they have and will make it
back to the wild. The biggest impact was
having the privilege to care for and share
in Joanna’s short life.
April 2016
Application/renewal form — ‘Friends of the Koala, Inc.’
Membership runs from 1st July to 30th June.
Name………………………………………………………..………………….
Postal address…………………………………………………………………..
City/Suburb…………………….
Postcode……….Country……………...
Phone……………………….…..
Mobile…………………………………
Email…………………………………………………………………...............
Membership category (please tick)
Ordinary—Individual/Family (within Australia) ................................. $20
Concession—Full time Student/Pensioner (within Australia) .............. $10
International—Individual/Family (outside Australia) .......................... $50
I/We would like to make an additional donation of :
$ ...................
[Donations over $2 are Tax Deductable]
$..............$AU
Total payment is:
I/We are interested in: (please
tick)
Tree Planting
Plant Nursery work
Caring for sick & injured koalas
Leaf collection
Koala rescue
Committee / Administration
Fundraising
Publicity
Education
Surveys / Mapping
Information Technology
Rescue Phone Roster
I/We would like someone to
phone and explain about
volunteering with Friends of the
Koala
Payment by:
Direct Debit (your name and “Membership” as reference) to: Friends of the Koala Inc., BSB 722-744
A/C 38533 Southern Cross Credit Union Ltd.
or Cash (preferred)
Cheque
Paypal
Credit card (amounts over $20)
Cardholder Name…………………………………….
Card Type (e.g. Visa)….…….………..….Number…………………………….…….Expiry Date (mm/yy)…./.…
Post to: The Treasurer, Friends of the Koala Inc., PO Box 5034, East Lismore, NSW 2480
I/We agree to abide by the licensing requirements of NPWS and Friends of the Koala Inc. policies and constitution.
Signature…. ………………………………………………………………………………Date….…/….…/……..
The Management Committee reserves the right to refuse any application for membership or renewal.
Please tick here if a receipt is required
Please tick here if you would like to receive Treetops by email (~ 2 mb pdf colour file)
Office Use Only
Date Received……………Receipt #...................Donation Receipt #.....................Date Passed by Committee………..
Contact Information: 24 hr Rescue Hotline: 6622 1233 Koala Care Centre: 6621 4664
email:info@friendsofthekoala.org
web:www.friendsofthekoala.org
Follow us on Facebook
President
Lorraine Vass
6629 8388
president@friendsofthekoala.org
Vice President
Ros Irwin
6621 5906
roslyn.irwin@gmail.com
Secretary
Aliison Kelly
0428 216 079
aliison@internode.on.net
Treasurer
Katrina Jeffery
0402 009 884
treasurer.fok@gmail.com
Trees Officer
Mark Wilson
Care Coordinator
Susannah Keogh
0431 707 883
sjk1@iinet.net.au
Care Centre Coordinator
Lola Whitney
0412 153 739
lola.fok@hotmail.com
Training Officer
Yasmin Cabôt
6688 8072
yasmin_cabot@yahoo.com.au
Leaf Harvesting Coordinator
Ros Irwin
6621 5906
roslyn.irwin@gmail.com
Phone Roster Coordinator
Lola Whitney
6624 5032
0412 153 739
lola.fok@hotmail.com
Volunteers Working For: Koala Rescue and Rehabilitation . Advocacy . Education . Environmental Repair
IF UNDELIVERABLE RETURN TO:
‘FRIENDS OF THE KOALA’ INC
PO BOX 5034
EAST LISMORE NSW 2480
PRINT POST APPROVED
1100002148
April 2016
POSTAGE
PAID
AUSTRALIA
Deadline for next newsletter:
Tuesday 26 July 2016
Contributions gratefully accepted
– please post to FOK or email

Treetops - April 2016 Edition

Transcription

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