At 08:07 24/09/00 +1000, Terry Pacey wrote:
I presume Tony and Michael do not mean that Birds Australia should be
making approaches to the relevant bodies for permission to enter land for
"tickers". Ornithological study groups would seek permission in the first
place and I very much doubt they would be refused entry if they could show
that they would act in a responsible manner.
Why shouldn't Birds Australia make approaches for "tickers"? They are
members of Birds Australia.
I get sick of people lumping "tickers" in the red neck brigade!! In my
experience the people I would call tickers have contributed the most to
the knowledge of birds. They publish papers, they note bird behaviour,
they assist others, they support their local organisations, they support
their local sites, they contribute to tourism, ........ Take a look at
Tony Palliser's web site and look at the people on the Birders Totals
page. I could not name anyone who is not responsible, and I have met a
large number of them.
Perhaps the pastoralists and graziers don't want people seeing the
devastation done to large areas of Australia due to overgrazing and poor
land management. But of course I am generalising and laying the sins of
the worst on all pastoralists and graziers.
I believe that everyone should have access to leasehold areas. Certainly
you should let the lessee know beforehand so that they can inform you that
the roads are wet, or that mustering is in progress, or that contractors
are shooting feral goats / pigs and don't enter those areas for own
safety. Certainly you should follow the rules for all land and leave
gates as they are, don't light open fires, remove all your rubbish, etc.
But the lessee should not be able to refuse you the right of entry.
It is a stroke of the pen on the map that often includes many natural
sites on leasehold (or freehold) land. Maybe these sites should be
excised from these areas. I have been to Koonchera sand dunes. It is an
area that should be fenced of from grazing animals and preserved. There
are sufficient bores, etc for these animals. Animals able to get to the
lignum swamp would very likely get stuck in the mud and perish, and so it
is in the pastoralists advantage to fence these areas off.
I know that in Broome Western Australia, areas such as Lake Eda have been
fenced off from cattle.
As Tony Russell and others have said (and in my experience) nearly every
pastoralist and grazier is happy to grant permission, so in practice
enabling access by law would lead to very little change.
So yes, I do believe that Birds Australia is the most appropriate body to
make approaches to the relevant bodies to ensure that access is available
to sites such as Koonchera.
Frank
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
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