re the rabbits at Kellys. I happened to speak to a couple of
passing rangers the other day, one of whom turned out to be in charge of
a project to do something about the rabbits at Kellys. He said they
had finally received money in this FY to carry out a rabbit reduction
program but unsurprisingly the problem is how to carry it out.
Candidate methods are shooting, ripping the burrows, dogs then gas into
burrows, and poison. None of these is easy to do at Kellys and so
far there has been no decision as to what to do. Ripping burrows or
blocking burrows and poison would not be effective there because
many/most of the rabbits live on the surface under the shrubbery and not
in burrows. Baits are problematical because of the range of
wildlife and feeding habits that have to be protected from accidental
access to the baits. I gathered that even with the money nothing is
likely to happen until next calendar year at the earliest, even assuming
they can settle on a method that is practical and politically
acceptable.
Julian Robinson
At 07:54 PM 18/09/2008, Alastair Smith wrote:
I am very concerned with the
increased visitation to Kellys Swamp and the effect that this is having
on the bird life. Quite obviously the development that is going on in
nearby Kingston will see much greater numbers of visitors in the future,
many of who appear to have no idea that Kellys Swamp is such an important
wetland for waterbirds and waders.
In the past, we have seen evidence of canoeing and dog exercising in and
around Kellys, and on father?s day Sunday afternoon I was frustrated
while birding by people walking in front of the hides and flushing the
birds. There was a game of cricket going on in the grass area near the
southern end of the swamp and children riding scooters at the north. It
would appear that the decision to cut the grass in front of the hides and
on the banks of the swamps has meant that people feel comfortable walking
right up to the water?s edge, which completely defeats the purpose of the
hides and screening plants.
As a conservation organisation may I strongly suggest that COG makes
representation to Environment ACT to have them desist from the practice
of mowing as this seems to be the major catalyst for people?s behaviour
and is only a relatively recent practice. Also could they consider
signage to advise the casual visitor to be mindful of the birds and to
use the paths when moving between hides. Furthermore, many of the
screening trees and plants have died in recent years and I have seen no
effort to replace these plants and rabbit numbers are again on the
increase with the damage that this brings. To date I have seen no
evidence of a baiting program. Perhaps the government's efforts could be
better utilised here.
While I am happy to write as an individual, I think that in this case the
collective voice of COG needs to be heard.
Regards
Alastair
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