Read more in the attached Noosa News article that appeared on 29 December 2009.

Koala Habitat is Threatened - Glen Elmes

Look out for the Northern Quoll and the Spotted Tail Quoll and let us know of any sightings or evidence of these endangered species.
Note: the Northern Quoll does not have a spotted tail and is smaller than the Spotted Tail Quoll.

Spotted Tail quoll

The following information is from the Queensland Govt. Environmental Protection Agency website – reproduced with thanks (http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/wildlife/threatened_plants_and_animals/endangered/queenslands_quolls/)

Northern Quoll

Scientific name: Dasyurus hallucatus (Dasy = hairy; urus = tail; hallucatus = refers to the presence of a hallux or big toe on the hind foot)
Animal group: Marsupial carnivores
Description:
Head–body length: 123–310mm (males); 125–300mm (females)
Tail length: 127–308 mm (males); 200–300 mm (females)
Weight: 400–900 g (males); 300–500 g (females)

Habitat and distribution

Their distribution ranges over northern Australia including the northern and eastern half of Queensland. The present distribution of the northern quoll has contracted throughout its former range and in Queensland it is now fragmented into a number of populations with the highest densities found in Cape York, the Atherton Tablelands and the Mackay–Whitsunday area.

Northern quoll

Occasionally there are records of northern quolls as far south as Maleny on the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Behaviour and reproduction

Females lack a pouch but the area develops around the six or eight teats, creating a flap of skin that helps to contain the young. The young are born in July after a short gestation period of just less than a month and are carried by the mother for another eight to ten weeks. After this time the young detach from the teats and are suckled in a nest until they are five months old. Up to one-third of a litter may die during this period. The surviving young have been observed still suckling from the mother on a stretched teat while clinging to her back.

Threatening processes

Habitat destruction for agriculture and urban development is the main threat facing the northern quoll. The fragmentation of its habitat then exposes it to a range of other threats ranging from vehicle mortality and predation by feral animals to poisoning by cane toads.

Recovery actions

There is a need to raise community awareness about northern quolls to ensure that they receive greater protection outside protected areas. In particular, landholders need to be encouraged to protect these animals on private land through habitat protection and responsible pet management. Building quoll-proof poultry yards will ensure that quolls are no longer a problem to poultry.

Dear Stuart

As you are aware, the residents in the Eerwah Vale and Ridgewood community take the preservation of the environment very seriously and are deeply concerned with the impact that the proposed transmission lines will have on the local flora and fauna. This is clearly identified by the number of Land For Wildlife signs in the area, the catchment programs currently run by Land For Wildlife, the number of trees planted by residents and local council, as well as the recent documented sighting of the Richmond Birdwing butterfly to name a few.

More residents have asked me to request that you provide a schedule in the draft EIS of environmental studies undertaken by Powerlink/Parsons Brinkerhoff that include detail on the following information:

• date, time and length of each visit by PL/PB survey party (we will be checking with local residents and verifying this)
• area surveyed (specifically which properties)
• specific findings relating to each property
• methods of fauna surveys, and different types of trapping methods used for fauna in each ecosystem and habitat type
• what season and frequency, and whether the fauna is diurnal or nocturnal
• flora surveys assessing all vegetation in the regional ecosystems, and all microhabitats that have been searched and the floristic
• assessment including seasonal variation, including aquatic plants

As we understand, your studies have been undertaken over a short period, so please outline what assumptions have you made in relation for migratory or seasonal patterns of the fauna temporarily resident in the area for any part of the year not covered by your survey period.

We will be asking independent environment consultants to review this schedule and determine if this is satisfactory. We also seek to ensure that the  environmental studies have been completed thoroughly regardless of the statutory requirements – it would be environmentally irresponsible to know a study has been inadequately completed as a result of minimal statutory guidelines being adhered to.

We also see a clear conflict of interest between Powerlink and Parsons Brinkerhoff (where PL are paying for PB’s services) and this information would go some way to allaying residents concerns that the studies and surveys have not been undertaken thoroughly.

If the detail outlined above is not provided in the draft EIS, we make this request of you now in preparation of the release. Also, if there is a delay in getting this information to us, we expect an extension to our, and other party’s submissions, as this information is key to any submission to the draft EIS.

Regards
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Congratulations to the Eumundi Community Gardners’ Group for thier support of the Richmond Birdwing butterfly, which needs community assistance if it is to survive locally.

The Richmond Birdwing Recovery Network is holding a free workshop on  the butterfly and local strategies for survival on 28 February in Gympie, and Eumundi residents are welcome to attend. Details are available at www.richmondbirdwing.org.au or by emailing eerwah@westnet.com.au.

Steve Hooper, Information Officer, Richmond Birdwing Recovery Network

Thanks to everyone who has been keeping an eye out for the Pararistolochia praevenosa (Richmond Birdwing) vine. I have found what seems like 1000 variations of the vine. It is very difficult to spot so I will give you a brief description of it again. The leaves are alternate which means that there is one going off one side then the next leaf goes off the opposite side a couple of cm further up the stem. The very common weed silkpod vine is almost identical but has the leaves opposite. The other characteristics of the RB Vine are that it has a deeply veined (like quilting) rough textured leaf with smooth edges that can be any length but fairly narrow with a pointed tip with a curly stem attaching it to the vine. The vine itself has corky bark and will generally be found in sheltered riparian areas but has been known to grow in full sun if it has supplementary watering. Please let me know if you suspect you have found it and I will have a look for you (better to be sure than to die wondering).

I was fortunate to attend a workshop hosted by our local Wilvos. Wilvos are a very dedicated group of people who care for our sick and injured wildlife and release them back into the wild when they are rehabilitated. The workshop was about ‘Tracks and Scats’ and was a revealing look at nesting sites, scratches and tracks and what our wildlife eat and how it looks when it comes out. It was a bit like reading a book and with a lot of practise can be a very valuable tool for researching our wildlife.

We have a resident population of possum gliders in the area and they are in decline and certainly worth our efforts to save them. Gliders have a thin membrane of loose furred skin that stretches from wrist to ankle. They spread it out when they jump between trees for a distance of up to 100 m. They are adept climbers with slender, jointed toes and sharp curved claws. Their hind feet have opposable first toes that provide a pincer-like grip. Several species also have a thumb on their front feet that comes in handy for climbing and holding food.

The ability to glide gives possums greater access to scattered and seasonal food sources as well as a means of escaping predators, such as pythons, quolls and cats. Possums rely on plants for food. Some are herbivorous feeding on leaves, flowers, fruit and tree sap. Others supplement their plant diet with insects and some have slender brush tipped tongues to feed on nectar and pollen. Possums are known to disperse pollen and seeds on their fur in exchange for food and nesting material. All family members use their long sharp lower incisors to dig our insects and to slash neat grooves in trunks and branches to release sweet sap which they then lick off. Most gliders return to the same feeding spots every night with a set route and markings on the same side of a tree, then they glide from tree to tree feeding as they go often in a zig zag path on a downward slope. Generally the bigger the scratch marks the larger the animal.

All are nocturnal and live in trees, resting during the day in tree hollows. While most of these mammals are relatively quiet, yellow-bellied gliders and mating striped possums are extremely vocal. Most gliders are solitary, except when males accompany females before mating the couple share a den until the mostly single young leaves the pouch about four months after birth. The gliders tend to communicate by scent to mark trees rather than sound. Their only call is the females shrill twittering as she nears the den containing her young. She rarely carries the young on her back. Once the young leaves the pouch it is den bound for a further 4 months and then sets out and explores its surroundings. So keep your ears and eyes open for marks on trees and if you have time record what you find as it will help Scott when he comes at the end of July. Thanks for your help.

All of the sightings and data that is collated will be incorporated in the records of Faunawatch. This is the database that is used by Government Departments to get a better picture of the distribution of wildlife and the viability of a species. I have attached an introductory letter from Keith Hickman, Co-ordinator of Faunawatch. I am on dial-up internet so have been unable to attach photos but will put them on a link for anyone who is interested.

My email address is a.house@skymesh.com.au. I look forward to receiving lots of great informative emails.

Fauna monitoring on the Sunshine Coast

“Faunawatch is a fauna recording system operating throughout the Sunshine Coast supported by the Sunshine Coast and Hinterland branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland. The aim is to build a database of records of all species from as many people as possible scattered throughout the Sunshine Coast. The greater the number of records, and the broader the area covered the better the picture we can build of the current state of our native wildlife. Started in 1998 it is a long term on-going project.

If monitoring your own property we suggest a monthly record of sightings is kept, starting a new list at the beginning of each month. Information required is simple and straightforward. Obviously we need to know where you are, what you have seen, when you saw it and how many were seen. Also if you can recognise juveniles or are aware of breeding activities then that is of great importance to establishing the future viability of a species. It is important to know the food sources of animals, so if the plant being eaten, or the species predated upon can be recognised this too can be added. Records from other locations, such as outings to national parks or bush care sites can also be submitted.

We encourage everyone to become involved, you do not have to be an expert. Record only the species that you can positively identify. Hopefully, in time and with the help of our identification workshops you will be able to include more species to your list.

Download easy to complete Faunawatch forms here: http://www.wildlife.org.au/faunawatchreg.pdf

The Faunawatch program started in Maroochy and has expanded to include Caloundra, Noosa and Caboolture and now with council amalgamations the Pine Rivers and Redcliffe areas are recent additions.

If you are interested in participating are just wish to know more about the project please contact me or if you have digital photos of species you would like identified then please email them to Scott Burnett at burnettscott@hotmail.com.

Keith Hickman
Faunawatch Coordinator
WPSQ Sunshine Coast and Hinterland Inc.”