For many years we have been warned that an excellent pocket of rainforest at
Moore Park Beach, near Bundaberg, Queensland was going to be bulldozed for
housing. The land belongs to the foreign owned Bundaberg Sugar, a huge firm in
our city. Members of Bundaberg Bird Observers Club wrote objecting submissions
to the council and later to the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage &
the Arts. That Federal government body contacted me on January 29 to tell me
"This is a courtesy notification that the EPBC referral for the Moore Park
Residential Development has been withdrawn by Bundaberg Sugar upon our
recommendation. The project will be referred to us again in the near future to
include all components of the project, including the proposed water treatment
plant."
We had good coverage in the local press and I was asked as president of Bundy
BOC to meet the press at the site. Prior to doing this I contacted Stephen
Ambrose who was most helpful with his suggestions. I took a press release
stating our case, a pair of binoculars for the reporter and fortunately the
press photographer was also a good birder and brought his long lens. About 100
metres down the track a Rose-crowned Fruit Dove landed in the tree above the
reporter and she was stunned to see the beautiful bird as I pointed out its
fate should the forest be logged. The reporter got the shot and we had very
good coverage for our case in the press.
We were able to point out a Coxen's Fig Parrot was seen there just a few years
ago and I was able to show the reporter Black-breasted Buttonquail platelets
all over the forest floor.
Big companies seem to never give up getting their own way so I am sure we
haven't heard the end of it.
Trevor Quested
Bundaberg, Qld.==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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