The lead-up to the Cooloola BioBlitz to be held next weekend, 24-26 August, has been a particularly busy time for FIDO activities. The BioBlitz has been a wonderful collaboration with Cooloola Coast Care. It is on target to have 100 participants as it attracts attention from far and wide. It should advance both citizen science and our understanding of the biodiverse Cooloola.
Meanwhile other key projects are progressing very positively. On Wednesday FIDO and collaborating partners yesterday launched the $25,000 research study into Great Sandy Strait.
FIDO is continuing to advance the planning forthe 2019 Community Collaborations and Culture Conference. We are collaborating with the Butchulla to stage our first conference on Butchulla Country at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Fraser Coast Campus on Saturday 31stAugust 2019. It is shaping up to be the most interesting and interactive of FIDO’s 8 biennial conferences.
While this is ticking along FIDO continues to take a lead in weed management in and surrounding the villages of Eurong and Happy Valley. FIDO has been dealing with urban weeds on K’gari for decades. For the last decade we have been supported by the BMRG though the National Landcare program.
The Turnbull Government’s undeclared war on conservation groups in particular and the natural environment in general is very subtle but it has now cut off FIDO’s funding to assist volunteers to carry out this labour of dedication. It seems more than coincidence that the only Federal funding, a paltry $145,000 per annum provided to assist Fraser Island management, hasn’t increased for 15 years and this continues to be eroded in value by annual inflation.
These and other stories are elaborated in more detail on other pages so please read on.
Download FIDO’s K’gari E-News No 14