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NSPNR Launch "Palli & Atte" on the ...
NSPNR Launch "Palli & Atte" on the Horsepower Highway

Can Gnowangerup bag more foxes than Jerramungup?

Date of Media Release: 9th February 2023

 

Gnowangerup to challenge Jerramungup’s fox tally

 

·       North Stirlings Pallinup Natural Resources has challenged Fitzgerald Biosphere Group to see whose teams can shoot the most foxes.

·       The events are supported by NSPNR’s project, Expanded predator control program in the Fitz-Stirling Corridor that aims to reduce the number of feral cats, foxes and rabbits in the area.

 

Foxes in the Great Southern are the target of a challenge between the two natural resource management groups in the Shires of Gnowangerup and Jerramungup.

 

North Stirlings Pallinup Natural Resources (NSPNR) has made a friendly challenge to Fitzgerald Biosphere Group (FBG), who will hold their feral animal tally a week later, that the NSPNR - Yongergnow tally will bag more foxes.

 

NSPNR has partnered with Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre to hold the 2023 NSPNR - Yongergnow Feral Animal Tally and Community Breakfast on Saturday 18th February. From 5pm the night before, registered teams will target foxes, feral cats and rabbits in the Shire of Gnowangerup, Broomehill East, and Gnowellen. FBG’s Fitzy Fox Shoot is planned for Friday 24th February.

 

Both events are supported through NSPNR’s project, Expanded predator control program in the Fitz-Stirling Corridor that aims to reduce the number of feral cats, foxes and rabbits in the area. The Fitz-Stirlings connect the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River national parks in the Great Southern Region. The project is supported by funding from the Western Australian Government’s State NRM Program.

 

The NSPNR tally in 2022 was 251 foxes, 7 feral cats and 88 rabbits in the Gnowangerup Shire and Gnowellen.

 

Coordinating the culling of pest animals across the shires of Gnowangerup and Jerramungup will increase the impact on populations of foxes, feral cats and rabbits in the Fitz -Stirling Corridor.

 

Foxes, cats and other invasive fauna have a devastating impact on the numbers and biodiversity of wildlife species in the North Stirlings - Pallinup sub-region. Foxes may have been a primary cause of the extinction of many Australian small and medium-sized native species1. About 80 endangered and threatened species are at risk from feral cat predation in Australia2.

Pest animals are also a cost to farmers who lose production and have to undertake control measures. Foxes were estimated to cost Australia more than $35 million in lost production in 20133. They are highly mobile and can travel up to 10 km per night3. Diseases spread by feral cats can cost Australian agriculture up to almost $12 million each year4. Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that can be transferred from feral cats to pregnant ewes, potentially causing embryonic fatalities and miscarriages.

 

NSPNR’s feral animal tally is registered for the Red Card program, through which Sporting Shooters Association of Australia WA is donating $5 for every cat and fox culled (to a capped amount) to the Regional Men's Health Initiative5.

 

Teams can register for the NSPNR/Yongergnow Feral Animal Tally and Community Breakfast visit the website: https://yongergnow.com.au/centre/tally2023/ .

Community members are warmly invited to attend the breakfast at 6.30am Saturday (Yongergnow Centre or Soul Van opposite Gnowangerup Post Office) to hear the results of the tally. RSVP indicating Ongerup or Gnowangerup and number of people by Wed 15 Feb to visitor@yongergnow.com.au or call 9828 2325.

 

The NSPNR – Yongergnow Feral Animal Tally and Community Breakfast is possible thanks to our sponsors State NRM, South Coast Natural Resource Management, Shire of Gnowangerup, Bush Heritage Australia, Elders, WAMMCO, Summit Fertilizers, Farmers Centre 1978 Albany, Gnowangerup Hardware, Stirling Steelworks, Rays Firearms and Archery, Ongerup Farm Supplies, Trailblazers, and Red Card.

NSPNR is a natural resource management (NRM) group that works with landholders in the Shire of Gnowangerup and the localities of Broomehill East and Gnowellen.

 

NSPNR was established at Borden as a not-for-profit organisation to address natural resource management issues. NSPNR is delivering a range of projects and services in the North Stirlings - Pallinup region with a current focus on protecting threatened native species, supporting sustainable food production, protecting and monitoring the Pallinup River and tributaries, and supporting feral animal control by landholders. The organisation  is managed by a volunteer board of community members and industry stakeholders, and has five part-time staff who enthusiastically work with NSPNR partners to carry out the group's activities.

International Rural Womens Day - Cassy Beeck

International Rural Womens Day - Cassy Beeck

In Cassy’s words meeting her now husband Tim, was a real life “farmer wants a wife” story! The couple met at a mutual friend’s wedding and were married within the year. Coming from Adelaide where Cassy studied a Bachelor of Music, she hit the ground running in Gnowangerup teaching everything from music to sex ed, growing and learning things she may not have had the opportunity to do if she’d been in a bigger school & town just teaching music. Being involved in many different groups and developing leadership skills has lead to a very diverse ‘resume’ for Cassy.

“I’m a natural leader, and sometimes that means stepping off the cliff and not really knowing what’s going to happen and just trusting that you’ll be able to grow a few wings! Rural women end up being quite brave. In the city people may have mentors & support, here its not like that – sink or swim!”

However, despite the lack of professional support systems in small communities, Cassy acknowledges that the networks you form in small towns are arguably stronger!

In 2018 Cassy worked on a big project to improve the towns water security and reduce reliance on scheme water by capturing water run off in a big dam. The incredibly difficult process of acquiring extra funding when the quotes doubled from the original application really “toughed [Cassy] up”. The hard work paid off as the Gnowangerup school now has an oval!

The Horsepower Highway project came about as a way to get visitors off the Albany Highway and through the Gnowangerup Shire as they through the Stirling Ranges. Cassy & the GNP360 group have worked tirelessly to not only restore & display vintage tractors, but to tell stories of the area through the instalments. One instalment named 'Lucinda', is dedicated to rural women who in Cassy's words are "the backbone of rural communities". Alongside the tractor (pictured) is 'Lucinda Tanks" which feature artworks of 8 local women by Jerome Davenport.

A couple of the women that inspire Cassy are Fiona Gaze & Wendy Gordon. Cassy says that Fiona is an important leader in the community who has a special ability to recognise things in people that could be developed and encourages them to grow. And Wendy, Cassy says, is a “behind the scenes here” bringing important infrastructure and resources to the area.

Cassy has been working this year with NSPNR on a new instalment for the Horsepower Hwy & is excited to see it come to life in 2023! The Stirlings are our X-factor, and as a shire Cassy hopes we all continue to work together to promote and shine a light on our incredible part of the world.

Pest animals culled by fox shoot participants

Congratulations to everyone who undertook pest animal culling for the 2022 Fox Shoot on Friday 25th February. We had 16 teams registered to take part.

The tally for teams who attended the two count locations was 251 foxes, 7 cats and 88 rabbits; the winning team, Amelup Cat Cullers, alone brought in 40 foxes and 3 rabbits. In addition, there were a further 43 foxes, 2 cats and 3 rabbits from teams that were late or did not attend the tally.

After the Ongerup count, nearly 80 people enjoyed the breakfast at Yongergnow, which was held outside for the first time. Competitors at Gnowangerup enjoyed breakfast from the Soul Van after their count.

We'd like to acknowledge the competition from Fitzgerald Biosphere Group's Fitzy Fox Shoot which greatly added to the anticipation in the lead-up to the event. We claim bragging rights for most foxes counted - but only until next year!

Without our sponsors the fox shoot wouldn't happen. So thanks to our sponsors WAMMCO, South Coast Natural Resource Management, the Australian Government's National Landcare Program, Bush Heritage Australia, Summit Fertilizers, Elders, Rays Firearms and Archery, Gnowangerup Hardware, Ongerup Farm Supplies, Farmers Centre 1978 Albany, Animal Control Technologies (Aust.), and Shire of Gnowangerup.

Thanks to the Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes program, through which Sporting Shooters Association of Australia WA is donating $5 for every cat and fox culled (to a capped amount) to the Regional Men's Health Initiative.

National Recycling Week 9-15 November

National Recycling Week  runs next week from Monday 9 to Sunday 15 November 2020!

Borden supporting recycling

Residents in the Borden area have been doing their bit to support recycling and the students at the Borden Primary School at the same time.

The Borden P and C is taking part in the Cash for Containers program, receiving and delivering certain items to Albany for recycling. The P and C has established a community drop-off point with the help of The Pub, Borden, at the Pub car park.

Already in about a five-week period, locals have dropped off enough items for recycling to almost fill four bulk containers. The bulk containers have been delivered to the Cash for Containers depot for the eligible bottles and drink cartons to be recycled, earning a 10c refund per container.

The Bluff Knoll Cafe is kindly donating funds from their recycling to the P and C.

The funds raised are going towards supporting the educational outcomes for all students at Borden Primary School.

To check whether specific items can be left at the community drop-off point, check the Eligible Containers page https://www.containersforchange.com.au/wa/how-it-works

NSPNR’s Freya Spencer interviewed on ABC Weekend Breakfast

 
Freya_Spencer_and_Dimity_McMorran.jpg
 

Our own Freya Spencer (above, left), an ABC Trailblazers winner for her involvement in the NSPNR Waterways Restoration project, was recently interviewed on South West and Great Southern Weekend Breakfast by ABC journalist Jacquie Lynch who wanted to know what it takes to take on a project of this scale. Freya explained that land clearing and grazing of riparian zones have led to sedimentation, nutrient overload and salinity that have degraded the Pallinup River. To protect the river, this project is focusing on tree planting, fencing to exclude stock, river monitoring and engaging cultural education. Freya said that it is a slow process, however NSPNR is making small changes; it is important and will make a big difference in the long term.

Sat 11 Jul 2020, 6:00am Total Duration: 1hr 45min Freya’s Interview: 18:44 to 23.50

This website has been updated with the support by funding from the WA Government’s State NRM Program, supported by Royalties for Regions.