Welcome to issue 198 of Feral Flyer.
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Roadshow dates released
The Invasive Animals CRC will be conducting a national PestSmart Roadshow in the first half of 2012. The information roadshow will showcase best practice pest animal management, including the latest innovations, brought to you by the species experts.
Dates and locations for the Roadshow are:
| JANUARY 2012 | MARCH 2012 | |||
| Monday 30th | QUEANBEYAN, NSW | Wednesday 14th | CHARLEVILLE, QLD | |
| FEBRUARY 2012 | Friday 16th | TOOWOOMBA, QLD | ||
| Wednesday 1st | FORBES, NSW | Tuesday 20th | ARMIDALE, NSW | |
| Friday 3rd | ALBURY, NSW | APRIL 2012 | ||
| Tuesday 7th | NARACOORTE, SA | Tuesday 17th | BAIRNSDALE, Vic | |
| Wednesday 8th | HORSHAM, Vic | MAY 2012 | ||
| Friday 10th | MILDURA, Vic | Tuesday 1st | TOWNSVILLE. QLD | |
| Tuesday 14th | PORT AUGUSTA, SA | |||
| Thursday 16th | PORT LINCOLN, SA | |||
| Monday 20th | CARNARVON, WA | |||
| Wednesday 22nd | KOJONUP, WA | |||
| Friday 24th | ESPERANCE, WA | |||
| Tuesday 28th | BOURKE, NSW | |||
More information about the PestSmart Toolkit and Roadshow can be found at http://www.feral.org.au/pestsmart/
Latest NRM Notes available on-line
The September issue of NRM Notes is now available online. This is a specialised newsletter that focuses on current pest animal projects, issues and events that are happening across Australia.
In this issue, you will find details and information about: Lachlan CMA manages goat impacts on Malleefowl; Responsible cat ownership in the ACT; Coordinated fox control in the Namoi CMA; Upcoming AWMS Conference 2011; ‘Reading the Landscape’ conference; Ferals in the Classroom workshop in Dubbo
See: http://www.invasiveanimals.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/NRM-Notes-Issue7-Sept2011.pdf
Out and about with PestSmart: Parkes Landcare Forum & Henty Field Days
PestSmart‐ a new set of resources focusing on pest animals and their biology, control methods, and long-term management techniques, composed by the IA CRC has been the main focus of various exhibits across NSW in the past few weeks.
PestSmart has been on display at the NSW Landcare Forum held in Parkes and the Henty Machinery Field Days which were held during September. The array of fact sheets and case studies look very impressive. There has been significant interest and uptake of the information by farmers, public land managers, catchment groups and teachers.
Thanks to all those we met at both Parkes and Henty, your interest and follow up contact is greatly appreciated and we will continue to provide up to date information and support to you all. See www.feral.org.au for more information and more PestSmart resources.
Carp plague Darling River catchment
The Invasive Animals CRC would love to receive your mobile phone vision of any and all invasive animals. For example, a YouTube video of the carp plague in the Darling River during August which the IA CRC issued a news release on which has garnered its own avalanche of media coverage. “Many metric tonnes of carp” all in one place is the comment by the camera operator, so do email contact@invasiveanimals.com with your invasive animals clip.
Click here to see the video
Participants Committee Meeting
Another IA CRC Participant’s Committee Meeting to coincide with our Annual General Meeting is to be held in
Canberra at the Belconnen Premier Inn, 27 October 2011, so please put this date aside in your diaries.
The Annual Award Dinner will be held the previous evening – 26 October and we are planning a special evening with a retrospective look at the past 20 odd years, and presenting the final awards for this CRC.
We will review the performance and achievements of the current CRC over the past year. There will be a substantial presentation on ‘Pest Smart Information Toolkit and Roadshow’ activities, with information on how we are getting our tools and techniques demonstrated and taken up nationally.
As we have got through to Stage 2, we also plan that the meeting will recap the extension bid, receive Program Overview presentations from the Program Leaders of the extension CRC and discuss preparations for interview.
We are also planning to have one or two guest speakers. Many of you will recall the excellent presentation made by Atticus Fleming from Australian Wildlife Conservancy a couple of years ago, and we hope to have another interesting address for you.
Please RSVP to Kate Lawrence on kate.lawrence@invasiveanimals.com by 1 October, and as soon as possible
Invasive Animals CRC Photography Competition 2011
For your chance to win fabulous prizes, send in your photos of one of Australia’s pest animals or the damage they cause? http://www.invasiveanimals.com/feral-photos/
Competition closes 31 October, 2011
Study suggests asking hunters to help control feral pigs
One of the IA CRC PhDs, Dr Carla Muerk now at the University of Queensland, was interviewed by ABC Radio this past week. Her PhD study called for hunters to be more involved in the management of feral pigs. Carla looked at 100 years of feral pig control programs in the wet tropics to find out why they haven’t worked completely. She says the different groups involved in management programs have consistently disagreed. Dr Meurk says it’s vital that secure, long-term funding is dedicated to controlling feral pigs. There also needs to be a new look at attitudes to hunting. “I think we need to start overcoming some of the cultural opposition that we have over the environment and find ways that we can make strong collaborative relationships,” she said.
The Australian Innovation Challenge
The Australian Innovation Challenge has extended its deadline (ie very few entries and apparently NONE from CRCs). You’ willll get good recognition, plus prize money is involved. Take things that have won previous awards (or come close) – so you can always recycle.
Click here for more information
National Zoo Biosecurity Manual
Reiss, AE and Woods, RW (2011) National Zoo Biosecurity Manual. A cooperative initiative between the Zoo and Aquarium Association, the Australian Wildlife Health Network, the
Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Australian Zoo Industry.
Human dimensions of invasive species management: deer in Australia
Congratulations are in order for Adriana Ford-Thompson who submitted her thesis last week. The aim of Adriana’s research is to examine human dimensions in order to learn from and inform management practices, with a specific focus on Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) in the Royal National Park, New South Wales.
Well done Adriana.
Publications
Seedling recovery on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island, after eradication of Pacific rats Rattus exulans
G. D. Haynes (et. al, 2011). Cryptic hybridization and introgression between invasive Cyprinid species Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus in Australia: implications for invasive species management. Animal Conservation, Online early. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2011.00490.x
Media
Funding boost requested
CRC Association suggests whole-of-government approach to Cooperative Research; an additional $250 million over five years and positive design improvements. More
Push for research funding overhaul
Australia is squandering its intellectual wealth through a federal system of short-term grants rewarding publication of academic papers ahead of long-term research to develop and manufacture new products, a leading scientist says. The Canberra Times More
Mouse plague highlights need for new research
Australia is likely to experience the worst mouse plague in living memory by late spring-summer 2011-12 based on state government reports. The Young Witness More
Fox, wild dog bounty starts
FOXES and wild dogs now have a price on their head, with the Victorian Government’s fox and wild dog bounty underway. Northern Times More
A pox on the fox
COLDSTREAM lamb producer Guill de Pury has welcomed the reinstatement of a fox bounty. Mountain Views More
Fox bounty is back
Foxes and wild dogs now have a price on their head. The new fox and wild dog bounty came into effect on Saturday, October 1. Country News More
Project to aid mouse battle
The Grains Research and Development Corporation is spearheading a new research project as Australia prepares to face potentially the worst mouse plague in living memory. Country News More
Upcoming conferences
For more information on these and other events, please see details on our website.
2011.
- Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities Conference (AMRRIC). Townsville Queensland, 11 October 2011
- 2011 MDBA Native Fish Forum, Canberra, ACT. 18-19 October.
- AELERT (Australian Environmental Law Enforcement and Regulators neTwork) 2011 Conference, Darwin Convention Centre 26-28 October 2011
- 38th Natural Areas Conference: Adaptation and protection of biodiversity in a changing world. Tallahassee, Florida, USA, 1-4 November 2011.
- HWCC Conflict training: Analysing and Transforming Conflict to Create Sustainable Solutions for People and Wildlife. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, The Big Island, Hawaii, 1-4 November.
- 18th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. The Big Island, Hawaii 5-10 November.
- Ecological Society of Australia annual conference. Hobart, Tasmania. 21-25 November.
- Biolief: Biological Invasions and Ecosystem Functioning. Mar del Plata, Argentina, 21-24 November.
- AMWS Conference. Bathurst NSW, November 29-December 1.
- International Congress for Conservation Biology. Auckland, New Zealand 5-9 December.
2012
- 25th Vertebrate Pest Conference (USA). Monterey, California. 5-8 March
- Collaborate | Innovate | 2012 National Wine Centre in Adelaide from 15-17 May 2012.
- 4th International Wildlife Management Congress. Durban, South Africa. 9-12 July
- 3rd European Congress of Conservation Biology. Glasgow, Scotland. 28 Aug-1 Sept
- Fertility Control Conference. Jackson Wyoming, USA. 29 Aug-1 Sept
