The work of the pest management team within the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service northern region technical support unit was recognised with an award for team excellence when the Weed Society of Queensland held its fifth Pest Animal Symposium in Townsville recently.
Accepting the award on behalf of the team, which included Claire Grant, Robert Fishburn, Jonathon Roth, Leigh Wills and Jack Hargreaves, Colin Dollery said their region, from the tip of Cape York to the Burdekin, covered areas of international significance and diversity, along with many stakeholders with conflicting views.
Control activities are subject to the full spectrum of criticism
- Colin Dollery
“Control activities are subject to the full spectrum of criticism, from ‘it’s cruel’ to ‘you’re not doing enough’,” he said.
Colin outlined three programs that he was particularly proud of, including one to reduce feral horse numbers following tragic circumstances on the Bruce Highway near Townsville.
“We had two aerial actions and it was incredibly challenging,” he said. “The level of emotions never ceases to amaze me. The long and short of it was, numbers were significantly reduced.”
The second involved a feral pig reduction action on freehold Aboriginal land with national park tenure over the top.
Colin said the oldtimers at Lakefield said the pig numbers there were incredible, but they were “gobsmacked” at the reduction in numbers and the damage done.
“The third was Nest to Ocean and it’s one I’m particularly proud of,” he said.
“We had been controlling feral pigs on the north east coast of Cape York for a number of years but the results hadn’t been stunning.
“A chemical barrier was the only thing, and 100 per cent of nests were being smashed the night they were laid.
“It was snakes and ladders, wins and losses.
“Last year, 94 per cent of the nests were intact.”
Colin said they were combating the notion that everything bad in the landscape comes from national parks, adding that some of it was justified and some of it wasn’t.
“It’s still an impediment to everyone working together,” he said.
Weed Society of Queensland president Iain Jamieson said the dinner and conference, with 190 attendees, had been a great success.
“In terms of numbers we were turning away presenters,” he said, indicating its popularity.
The next conference, set down for 2018, will be held in Port Douglas.