Council’s plan for the bats - FULL ARTICLE
Excerpt from Sumpton’s Gold Rush Gazette - Friday 29th of November 2024
Lissner Park in Charters Towers
Lissner Park in Charters Towers
The following is a statement given by Mayor Liz Schmidt on the status of the flying fox management program
We held community meetings on 14/11 which were sadly not supported to the extent that we would have expected and hoped for.
As discussed at that meeting, the council has engaged Eco Sure to develop a management strategy for flying foxes, not to disperse them. Previous dispersal contract was with Biodiversity Australia.
There was robust discussion around past, current and future management of the Flying Foxes and the consensus from the evening meeting was that we pursue the program to move the existing colony of approximately 8000 black and 1000 little reds out of the CBD and towards the back of the sewerage treatment plant.
It was understood from the feedback of the residents affected by the roost at Holliman Street that communications was the biggest problem for them and it was agreed to let residents in areas where they may roost en route to the desired environment would be informed that the roosting in house yards was a short term issue and that they would continue to be moved on further as soon as practical.
It was also noted that the well-intentioned interference of local residents during the process of moving them was also a communication issue. The big take away was that there needed to be a consistent message and for two-way communications within the community.
It was discussed that I had investigated and informed the private land holders at Holliman Street of the rules around removal of roosts and that the owners had the vegetation removed (knowing the facts) in line with environmental laws.
The consensus of the meeting was that
Communication is the key and that the people potentially impacted should be approached and their concerns addressed
That it is acknowledged that the existing roost should be moved to the area behind the sewerage treatment plant near Gladstone Creek which is a previous roost and suitable for this colony. It was however agreed that the roost at Gladstone creek would not support the very large influx that comes with a good season of native flowerings in the region.
It was agreed that whether we like it or not there will be very large influxes of little red flying foxes from time to time and that it is impossible to manage those influxes because we don’t know when they are coming. We do, however, know that the huge influxes are short term.
There was talk about potential assistance with mitigating some of the negative impacts of the large influxes i.e. car and clothesline covers.
There was some discussion around lethal removal, but it was explained that there is legislation to prevent such actions, and that council would not put staff in the position of doing anything that is illegal.
It was noted and agreed that there needs to be a single point of truth and that everyone must be given the same answers to the same questions,
The historical information was noted and discussed
It’s important that the community knows the council continues to seek long term attainable and sustainable solutions to the flying issue in the town but that the legislation we are working under is imposed by state and federal governments. All local government can do is lobby on behalf of local communities to get the legislation modified if necessary.
It’s my opinion that for too long the state and federal governments have been shuffling the issue to local governments while imposing legislation that prevents real movement and that the local ratepayers are expected to pick up the bill.