hunting in nsw national parks

[Denis Wilson <>]

Hi Daniel

Re shooting in National Parks, my main concern is personal safety.
Last year there was a tragic accident when a NZ shooter mistook a school teacher for a deer, and shot and killed her.
Such "accidents" are not unknown - though usually shooters shoot other members in their own group.

I live adjacent to the huge Morton National Park (see map attached).
It had two State Main Roads which run through it ,  the Braidwood to Nowra Road (Main Road 92) and Fitzroy Falls to Nowra road. And it can also be accessed from the Ulladulla side.
And it has numerous other entry points (especially around Kangaroo Valley).

The media for these far-spread  areas are controlled in Nowra, Goulburn and Bowral.
One cannot listen to all sources of media in any one point.
How are they going to get the word out to me that the Park is closed?

There is no way they can possibly close main roads of economic and strategic significance leading to and from Canberra to Nowra. So, short of blocking 100 minor roads, how do they "close" this Park?
NPWS have inadequate staffing to do that at the best of times - let alone when the NPWS Staff are openly hostile to the idea. 

The NSW Game Council, the State Organisation "responsible" for this Shooting Program has hardly any staff at all. It really exists as a revenue raiser for NSW as the Licensing body for the Shooters.

Beyond issues of safety, my personal interest is in rare and endangered Orchids (of which this Park is well endowed). What chance is that a bunch of ill-informed shooters will take any notice or concern for tiny Orchids in the leaf litter, when slipping and sliding down a steep hill-side, in search of their prey?

They would have no idea of what damage they might be doing.
Need I really go on?

Incidentally, in the hundreds of hours I have spent in this Park I have never seen any Deer, nor Goats and only one suckling Pig which I reported to the nearby farm from which it had escaped several days before.

This is a vastly different situation from the large numbers of wild Pigs and Goats in the Far Western region, near Broken Hill.

Incidentally,. my personal experience of shooters I have known is that they like to take their "Pig Dogs" out in the bush and let them chase "Game". The usual result is badly mauled Wombats and Kangaroos - both of which are protected species.

Mark Clayton has already affirmed that after hundreds of banding trips to Charcoal Tank and Buddigower, he has seldom seen any "game animals" in those Nature Reserves (both listed on the Parks to be opened to shooters)

Denis Wilson
Robertson NSW 2577

On Mon, Feb 4, 2013 at 5:44 PM, Daniel Hoops <> wrote:

Hi All,

Maybe I'm just ignorant, but why are you against this hunting? From what I understand, the hunt will be on invasive large mammals, which are unbelieveably destructive in a lot of National Parks. Isn't it a good thing to allow people who want to shoot them for free shoot them? The parks will be closed during the hunts, so what's the danger to the public? 

Also, according to this website, duck hunting cannot take place on National Parklands.

Cheers,
Dan

Daniel Hoops
PhD Candidate, Keogh Lab
Ecology, Evolution & Genetics
Research School of Biology
The Australian National University
Room B17, Building 44, Daley Road
Canberra, ACT, 0200
Australia
02 61251097

On 04/02/2013, at 5:37 PM, Denis Wilson wrote:

Hi everyone

To satisfy Mark's concern, let me say that in NSW, there is a very strong campaign against hunting in National Parks being led by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, the Total Environment Centre, National Parks Association of NSW, and the NSW Greens.

That having been said, Mark is correct in his interpretation of everything else.

It is a political problem for NSW to deal with, however, and as ever, politicians are inclined to ignore people outside their constituency.

But don't feel bad, Mark - my local Member in NSW is ignoring my vehemently expressed opinions.
There will be a rally outside his office, In Kiama, on 23 February. But already we know he will not be attending.

Yours - in Hi Vis apparel

Denis Wilson

On Mon, Feb 4, 2013 at 5:18 PM, Mark Clayton <> wrote:

Jude,

 

I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for a sensible reply from the Premier, Robin Parker who is the Environment Minister (I wonder if she actually knows what the term means?!!!), nor from Bob Conroy, the Director “Conservation Operations Division” (my quotation marks) for the National Parks and Wildlife Service. As I think I said in a previous email, I received a reply from the Premier’s Parliamentary Secretary, the “Honourable (again my quotation marks) Marie Ficarra that was almost word for word to a reply a colleague received from Conroy when she emailed the Premier. I also know of a retired senior Federal Government researcher who worked on feral species who received essentially the same reply. Basically we have been treated like idiots!

 

One thing that really gets on my goat – excuse the pun (intended) – is that the Game Council, a section within the Premier’s Department, has now declared that the deer “hunting” season has now CLOSED. What sort of morons are running this show. The whole thing smacks of hypocracy!!!

 

I must add that I am disappointed by what appears to be the apathy shown by most COG members to this problem and I have not heard of the committee doing anything – I hope I am mistaken. Only a few people have replied to my original email. If people don’t protest then we deserve what we cop.

 

Mark

 

From: jude hopwood [
Sent: Monday, 4 February 2013 4:44 PM
To: COG
Subject: [canberrabirds] hunting in nsw national parks

 

Dear All,

Appended:  cut and paste direct from current NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service website

                         Protest form letter from http://nohunting.wildwalks.com/  for those who might like to express an (edited) opinion before this legislation is enacted in March

 

Further to Philip's original email and Mark's comments on dogs with hunters, I was inspired to look at the NSW Parks website and found something to make one's gobsmacked brain reel a  little more.  How has the description of 'Illegal Activities in National Parks' gone from that selected and noted below to the new legislation? How are hunters going to move around the parks with shooting equipment and remain on the 'authorised' roads?  Does their 'bag' lie where it is shot? Are the shooters permitted to 'harvest' their kill?  I am awaiting response from premier's department.

 

Thank heavens we also have those who are brave enough to attend to the deadly and pesky duck problem! Kind of the dept to encourage them to 'enjoy their harvest'. Surely a re-introduced and expanded duck destruction season is just what we need...

 

Respectfully,

Jude

Illegal Activities in Parks

If you see anyone doing anything suspicious in a park or reserve, please report it. Illegal activities may include:

·         hunting of any kind

·         trapping or collecting birds, birds' eggs, reptiles or other animals

·         driving or riding vehicles, bikes and horses on unauthorised track

3.Conservation Hunting
to assist rice farmers

Over the past two years NSW and inland Australia have been experiencing significant rainfall. As a result of this, ducks have been breeding up over the past 18 months. The rainfall has also meant that this year there will be significant areas of rice grown in southern NSW. Holders of NSW Game Hunting Licences can participate in the NSW Game Bird Management Program and assist farmers by controlling ducks that have the potential to ruin crops by eating the freshly planted seed, young emerging plants and, later, the mature crop.

Will I be able to utilise the ducks harvested under this program?

Yes, although the program is a mitigation program, hunters must hunt ethically and legally. Game Council also encourages all hunters involved to remove and utilise the ducks taken in the program so that they can enjoy the wild harvest.

--
Denis Wilson
If you're not pissed off with the World, you're just not paying attention.
(Kasey Chambers)

"The Nature of Robertson"
www.peonyden.blogspot.com.au

-- 
Denis Wilson
If you're not pissed off with the World, you're just not paying
        attention.
(Kasey Chambers)

"The Nature of Robertson"
www.peonyden.blogspot.com.au

Attachment:

*******************************************************************************************************
This is the email announcement and discussion list of the Canberra 
Ornithologists Group.
Please ensure that emails posted to the list are less than 100 kB in size.
When subscribing or unsubscribing, please insert the word 'Subscribe' or 
'Unsubscribe', as applicable, in the email's subject line.
List-Post: <>
List-Help: <>
List-Unsubscribe: <>
List-Subscribe: <>
List archive: <http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/archives/html/canberrabirds>
List manager: David McDonald, email <>