By Dominique Tassell
The Pest Management Advisory Committee minutes were passed at last week’s Southern Downs Regional Council meeting, providing an update on the region’s pest management situation.
The committee provided updates on grant projects such as the deer project, which will publish its final report on 30 June 2021.
The exclusion fencing project has now reached their 5 percent construction milestone, which three EOI exclusion fencing projects completed and a completion date of 30 June 2021 “looking very likely”.
The current cats project underway was delayed due to COVID-19 impacting the supply of CERES tags, which are now expected to arrive in late June 2021.
A survey seeking feedback from the Southern Downs community on the impact of cats in our region has concluded and will be published in full shortly.
Key findings have been released, including very high community support for de-sexing and microchipping domestic cats. These received 88 percent and 89 percent approval respectively.
Two thirds of respondents supported domestic cats being registered, while almost 80 percent of respondents would support a limit of the number of domestic cats allowed at a single residence.
Almost three quarters of respondents would support a fine for straying cats.
A number of private landholders have been in contact with USQ and are willing to have cats trapped on their property, which will commence mid-July.
A project to track wild dogs in the region is scheduled to commence in late July in conjunction with the feral cat project.
Council also reported that their officers and contractors have completed works destroying 20 rabbit warren systems with 90 openings at RAMS Park and the adjoining laneways and road reserves at Wallangarra.
Following two major rain events, 20 floodways along the Stanthorpe dingo spur fence line have suffered considerable damage including some being completely knocked down. The majority of the floodways have now repaired.
Some floodways have only been temporarily fixed but are stock and dog proof and will be attended to once access and water levels allow it.
Replacement work has commenced on a 1.5km section of the fence between Nundubbermere Road and Fall Road in Nundubbermere. Work commenced on 21 May 2021.
Replacement of a section of the Killarney dingo spur fence is almost completed, with rain causing more damage and hampering construction efforts.
SDRC last week passed a motion calling for Mayor Vic Pennisi to bring the impacts of the current mice plague on the Southern Downs Region to the attention of the Darling Downs South West Council of Mayors, and discuss a path forward with addressing the plague.
