Annual General MeetingThe FOK AGM was finally held on 27th Sept. 2022 after delays caused, first by COVID and then by ill health. Elected committee details on page 4. Next AGM planned for first half of 2023. Dates for your diary Birdlife Bass Coast: Outing to Kongwak Pioneer Reserve Friday 24th Feb. 4-6pm. Meet in the car park next to the tennis courts. To register email [email protected] Contact outing leader Dallas on 0428 764 903 Outing to Baxter’s Wetland Wonthaggi Sat.11th March 9-11am. Meet in the Guide Park car park. Registering and contact same as for Kongwak. Phillip Island Conservation Society (PICS): See PICS Facebook page and website for details of events. Clean Up Australia Day: Sunday 5th March 2023 – see page 10 for details. Membership EnquiriesMemberships are due on 1/1/2023 membership benefits have now been confirmed by the Phillip Island Nature Parks – see page 11 for details. All money received used to assist koalas and other wildlife, to improve habitat and provide newsletter. Enquiries: Pauline Taylor – 0415 721 439. Payment can be made by direct deposit at Commonwealth Bank Account 063835 10015713 with your name as a reference, then forward your membership form to us by post, indicating payment method. We value your support. Website: www.friendsofthekoalas.weebly.com FOK can be contacted on 0419 552 385 or 0484 921 028 Presidents Report The past year has been a difficult one for the group. Our planned AGM in January was postponed because of a rise in COVID cases, and then I became ill. Following an operation in May and recovery time I then had precautionary radiotherapy treatment which meant more rest time. So we were unable to produce newsletters or have regular meetings. We did keep in touch per phone and email and tried to keep up to date with any news about koalas and respond if necessary. Koalas certainly need all the help they can get! Other committee members were also struggling with their health, and sadly, in June our long time committee member Jan Beales died. Jan was our very efficient secretary for many years and will be greatly missed. I relied on her for sensible advice and support and her friendship. Our Annual General Meeting was finally held on 27th September at the Koala Conservation Reserve. There were 13 people in attendance. Much discussion was held about our future and it was decided that we would continue. It was felt that we still could be effective responding to issues affecting koalas and their habitat by making submissions and writing letters. Also, membership money could continue to provide assistance to other like-minded groups and wildlife carers. Our newsletter was also felt to be worthwhile. The committee was elected – see page 4 for details; and Friends of the Koalas’ Incorporation was updated. I also contacted the Phillip Island Nature Parks to confirm the eligibility of our member for concessions (after some confusion about our entitlements during the year). Members continue to have free entry to the Koala Conservation Reserve and a discount on entry to other PINP attractions. Full entitlements are listed on the membership application form on page 11. We look forward to your continued support after such a disrupted year and wish all our members and friends a happy and more positive New Year in 2023. Patsy Hunt President Contacts: Phone and Website A phone call was received from Lillian from the Ballarat Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation Group very concerned about reports that a cull was proposed for koalas on French Island. Friends of the Koalas emailed Parks Victoria, who are responsible for French Island and their reply thankfully confirmed that no such cull was proposed: “Thanks for your enquiry, there is no planned cull of Koalas on French Island. Our current control program only includes hormone implanting of female Koalas. We do have a significant over population issue of Koalas on the Island which impacts preferred canopy trees and other species which utilise these trees. Ideally we would love to translocate several thousand animals off the Island however the translocation requirements are very specific and no sites are currently available. The animals on French Island also have some genetic issues which need to be considered when releasing them into other populations.” This information was forwarded to Lillian by phone and email and was received with great relief. The problem with French island koalas is that they are becoming inbred and their genetics are poor. Relocation to suitable habitats on the mainland has become increasingly difficult due to habitat decline which has been exacerbated by recent bushfires. Website Information was received via our website from Anne Osborne of Friends of Chalumbin advising of concerns to koalas and other wildlife from a proposed renewable energy proposal in Queensland: “Chalumbin is the wrong site for a wind farm located between World Heritage Wet Tropics and Yourka Reserve. High Altitude Wet & Dry Sclerophyll Forests to be cleared over a parcel of land of 78,000 acres. Herbert River Catchment area, pollution and erosion will end up in The Great Barrier Reef, this whole area is the equivalent to the Amazon of Australia. “There are Koalas in the Chalumbin area and the Koala experts have said that the area contains many areas ideally suited for Northern Koalas and also it will be an important last refuge for Koalas if the climate gets warmer. “Biodiversity is just as important as Climate Change. Solve both or solve neither. Wind Turbines only last 25 years, remnant forests last and REGENERATE FOR THOUSANDS of years. Cutting down forests is not ‘GREEN’ and will ultimately add to Climate Change. “There is already cleared land in Queensland that can be home to this wind farm.” FOK examined the 83 VOLUMINOUS ATTACHMENTS by the proponent in support of the application and made a submission to the federal Environment Department (with copies to Minister Plibersek and others) as it seems apparent that the proposed project is in the wrong area and should not proceed. Article in the Melbourne Age newspaper The proposed Chalumbin Wind Farm mentioned on page 3 of this newsletter is one of the, “…up to 140 developments that could worsen the koala extinction crisis, in a test for the government’s pledge to halt the decline of native species.” reported on in a December 31, 2022 article by Mike Foley in The Age – ‘Plibersek faces koala challenges’ . The article goes on to say, “New documents tabled in federal parliament in response to a query by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young show the federal Environment Department is assessing 140 proposals with potential to have a detrimental impact on koalas”, and, “In Queensland, the projects include a wind farm near Biloela and an industrial park and residential development on the Gold Coast”. Annual General Meeting Our AGM was finally held on 27th September and the following committee elected: President: - Patsy Hunt Vice President: - Jan Fleming Vice President + Membership Secretary: - Pauline Taylor Secretary: - Maurice Schinkel Treasurer: - Jeff Maltman Committee: - Irene McKell, Ann Stocker, Lee Tierney SUBMISSIONSToondah Harbour DevelopmentFriends of the Koalas have made a submission to this development which proposes an unacceptable threat to the environment and wildlife. A healthy population of koalas will be affected, and it will also impact greatly on migratory shorebirds. The FOK submission stated: “Friends of the Koalas Inc. is a voluntary conservation group based on Phillip Island, Victoria; one of our objectives is to comment on any development proposals that adversely impact koalas. We have read the Executive Summary, Chapter 15, Chapter 23, Chapter 24, Chapter 26 and Chapter 30 of the EIS. These are the comments of Friends of the Koalas Inc. There is an apparent over-reliance in the EIS on ‘1000 trees’ to be planted to mitigate the highly undesirable loss of mature trees at the site. These ‘1000 trees’ would take years to provide habitat, and are not a solution. The comment in the EIS that ‘landscape scale conservation efforts’ are required is valid, however it has been proven consistently that offsets do not work. Tree planting and ’landscape scale conservation efforts’ should be undertaken regardless, to provide ADDITIONAL habitat. The claim of ‘least possible clearing’ cannot be sustained in relation to the local koala population, which requires the RETENTION of EXISTING HABITAT. The claim in the EIS that “The project will not have a significant impact on the koala” is obviously not the case, in particular for the local koala population. We are aware from the local koala group in the vicinity of the site that there have been many sightings (including back young) of koalas in the area recently. This proposed development should never have been considered (particularly adjacent to, and in a Ramsar site) and SHOULD NOT proceed”. Birdlife advises that there have been 16,450+ comments sent from Birdlife supporters and up to 30,000 comments from the Toondah Alliance. Vale Jan Beales
Jan (4th from left) was a stalwart at working bees – including at Clean Up Days Koala Conservation Reserve While our koala walks and other volunteering have been curtailed, in the past year some members have visited and seen the Rangers at work. We thank members Jim and Elaine for providing these photos. Hopefully 2023 will see more opportunities for visits to the Koala Conservation Reserve and a better connection with the Nature Parks. PINP Rangers getting ‘Bundy’the koala down from a tree for a research study on the treatment of mange Bass Coast Distinctive Area and Landscapes Project Friends of the Koalas has been allocated time on Tuesday 18th April to speak to our previous submissions to this project over a long period of time. A Planning Panel has been convened and the Hearing will commence on Monday 6 March and conclude on Thursday 27 April – 27 days ! Proposed Church Street subdivision A Planning Application for a 59 lot subdivision at 273 – 297 Church Street has been lodged with Council, and has resulted in this article from the January 5 edition of the Phillip Island Advertiser. Comments on a local Facebook page include: ‘Where is the allowance for vegetation, park area for children, amenities… ‘Totally inconsistent with community standards…This is not what Cowes living standards are about’. FOK has lodged an objection to this subdivision proposal, with our grounds being that there have not been adequate attempts in the plans to retain vegetation at the site. The photo below is of some of the 55plus trees on the site. Fallen Giant
Clean Up Australia Day The photo on page 6, of a Clean Up Australia Day, shows what is involved when FOK takes part. Rubbish is collected (gloves and bags supplied) at the Fiveways area, with the meeting point at the intersection of Coghlan and Harbison Roads. This years Day is on Sunday 5th March at 10am – please bring water and a hat. Herald Sun 22/11/2022 This article from the Melbourne Herald Sun in November 2022 shows the contradictions in the situation of the koala in Australia at the moment. While one region is planning to link fragmented habitats (Gwydir Shire, NSW), in another there are plans to fragment and destroy koala habitat for a wind farm at Chalumbin, QLD (see page 3). Meanwhile, as reported in the Melbourne Age on 31 December (page 4), Minister Plibersek has before her 140 developments that could worsen the koala extinction crisis ! Members are entitled to: Participate in the care of Phillip Island’s koalas with Phillip Island Nature Parks Rangers
Please enrol/re-enrol me/us as a member of Friends of the Koalas Inc. Surname ______________________________________ First name/s_______________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cheque/money order to the value of $______________enclosed Please indicate type of membership required:
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