Peter,
The Lake Wollumboola Little Terns have had a hard time from a certain
group of locals based at Culburra for many years - with, in the past at
least, differing amounts of support from certain local politicians with
commercial interests in the area. Local supporters of the LT colony
(which includes breeding Red-capped Dotterels) have copped physical and
verbal assaults, harassment and worse over some several years. Much of
the opposition is from a group who believe that the value of their
property is affected by the smell of the lake when it is at low water
levels - and the hydrogen sulfide does smell! Their answer (which basic
science and commonsense easily refutes as just plain dumb) is to open
the lake to the sea...problem with that is that (my memory may be
faulty?) the lake is above sea level - it is one of the 'perch' lakes
found the length of the south coast of NSW.
Somehow these people just don't understand that the lake has been there
for some time before they bought their expensive pieces of real estate.
Local NSW NP staff have (to my knowledge - I haven't lived in NSW for
some years) done a great job installing the fencing and notices etc for
the LT nesting area every year - it shifts dependent on the size of the
colony, season, seas and how the sand spit is formed each year. Often
the colony (as with others on the south coast) will suffer damage or
destruction from the seasonal king tides.
I thought that a lot of the hooliganism had dropped off in recent years
- when last I was at Lake Wollumboola a couple of years ago there was a
great interpretive sign and the hard work put in with local schools (one
way of getting to the boofheads is through their children!) who have
'adopted' the colony.
Apart from the local opposition the other major seasonal problem has to
do with the annual influx of tourists (refugees?) from Sydney and beyond
who think that just because their body is on holiday their brain has
gone as well - lots of senseless behaviour can be seen on just about any
day down that way 'in-season'.
Blahhhh...I had my rant - Lake Wollumboola is a great place, the LTs and
their kind deserve some greater protection and I'd encourage anyone to
spend some time to get to know the place a little better. See:
http://www.wollumboola.org.au/
Cheers from the desert!
Bob
Peter Shute wrote:
Any theories about the vandalism (to Hooded Plover nests, etc)? Is this people
having fun, or a deliberate campaign to get rid of the birds to get the
restrictions on beach use lifted?
Peter Shute
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