By JONATHON HOWARD
NOOSA Today has thrown its support behind the nationally recognised koalatracker.com.au website and will feature a monthly column.
The column will highlight koala sightings, local koala news and hotspots for koala crossings as well as other points of impact which concern residents.
Motor vehicles are the single biggest killer of koalas on the Sunshine Coast followed by diseases and domestic dogs, according to KoalaTracker creator and Noosa local Alex Harris.
But another indirect killer of our furry friends is complacency.
Ms Harris is calling on Noosa residents to band together and use community power to help koala numbers bounce back.
Although it can appear like an up-hill battle to prevent dwindling koala populations, through the use of koalatracker.com.au and community awareness – “we can all make a difference,” Ms Harris said.
“I don’t want Noosa residents to give up hope for koalas – it’s not too late to start helping track and monitor koalas in our region as well as being mindful on the road where koalas cross,” she said.
“Saving one or two might not seem like much use, but two can lead to generations more to follow.”
A real estate agent with Ray White Noosa River, Ms Harris has received national recognition for her self-funded koalatracker.com.au website, which crowdsources the location of alive, dead, sick and injured koalas, enabling risk mitigation and empowering communities to undertake localised conservation efforts.
Koalatracker.com.au is Australia’s national koala map – with councils, State and Federal governments recognising the map as a crucial tool. Our own Noosa Council has the data as a layer on its planning department map.
Residents can actively join and engage with koalatracker.com.au, to ensure the mapping and monitoring continues.
Noosa Today will run a dedicated monthly KoalaTracker Column, which will give our readers the exact locations of sightings and points of impact, and the stories that accompany those. As a safety measure for the koalas there is a delay between reporting a sighting and having it appear on the map, as it is not about having people run out to see one, but to know where they are being seen so they keep their dogs on leads, pay attention and slow down on the road at night, or call a rescue group when they see one that is unwell.
The column each month will include information such as where koalas have been seen, where they cross roads and whether a koala was spotted with a disease or injury and requires rescuing.
It is hoped this support will give residents the chance to look out for koalas, but also engage with and support KoalaTracker, and other wildlife organisations, to assist the struggling species.
Koala hotspots for road crossings to watch out for:
1. Weyba Road, Leslie Drive and Noosa Drive at the Leslie Drive roundabout.
2. Eenie Creek Road at the base of Monks Bridge through to the Tarina Street roundabout, and near the Walter Hay Drive roundabout.
3. Noosa Drive between Pinaroo Park and Settler’s Cove.
4. McKinnon Drive from Noosa Banks to Cooroibah.
5. Cooroy Noosa Road from the golf course in Tewantin to Sunrise Road Tinbeerwah.
