Koalas are on the Move!
Between July and December, be aware. Drive with care.
The number of koalas being injured or killed on Noosa roads is increasing each year. Most strikes occur during breeding season when koalas are on the move. Juveniles are dispersing from their mothers to find their own range while others are looking for a mate.
Koalas can be on the move anytime, anywhere.
That’s why we’re asking you to be aware and drive with care this breeding season.
If you see an injured animal by the roadside or accidentally hit one, call it in! Phone the Wildcare Noosa 24-hr Emergency Rescue Hotline 5527 2444.
Watch video here (some images may be distressing to some viewers)
Community survey on attitudes to koalas around Toowoomba
A collaborative Griffith University project that successfully helped reduce the number of koala deaths in South East Queensland (SEQ) has moved into its next phase.
Social Marketing at Griffith researchers used co-design strategies to determine what locals wanted to know about the furry animals and to learn how people living in SEQ could assist in protecting the endangered species.
In its first year, the project, which is supported by Queensland Department of Environment and Science funding, delivered a communications campaign across the Logan City Council area in the 2021/22 koala movement season.
The survey is open to residents of Toowoomba & Darling Downs.
Read more here (survey link at bottom of article for residents)
A plan to vaccinate koalas against chlamydia
How do you vaccinate tens of thousands of Australia's koalas to protect them from the deadly chlamydia infection, which is decimating their numbers?
After all, it's not like COVID; you can't just build vaccination centres and send out an invitation for them to drop in.
‘Queensland Great’ Prof Peter Timms of University of Sunshine Coast has a plan to vaccinate koalas via wildlife hospitals and relocation programs.
Building a new National Park from the ground up
Something truly transformational is happening – mostly out of sight – in our hinterland.
The Yurol-Ringtail Conservation Project – described as the last link in the crescent of National Parks around Noosa – is rapidly changing from a logging forest into a magnificent 2400 hectares of National Park.
In 2020, Queensland Koala Crusaders partnered with The Body Shop Australia and Noosa District Land Care to plant thousands of trees in the Yurol Ringtail Forest. Two years on, the saplings have grown to over 1.5 metres tall!
This National Park gift to the next generation was the brainchild of Noosa Parks Association’s Michael Gloster, embraced by the previous Wellington Noosa Council and the State Government, and now transforming from brilliant concept to reality.
Meghan is a co-founder and past President of Queensland Koala Crusaders. Sometimes called "that koala lady" she is well known throughout the Australian conservation world for her passion and collaborative efforts on behalf of koalas and the wildlife that live under them.
As the driving force behind QKC since its founding she has established strong relationships with a wide variety of stakeholder groups urging a more coordinated and effective alliance and her dream of establishing koala sanctuaries.
Tree planting at the State Heritage Park, Graham's Road, Strathpine - commemorating National Tree Day
What a great morning! There were over 100 people who turned up to plant trees and other species to support wildlife. Huge thanks to Moreton Bay Regional Council for allowing us to be part of their project and for teaching us so much.
And thanks to the Lions Club for the sausage sizzle-morning tea was morning feast!
It was great to dig in the dirt alongside Councillor Cath Tonks and Wendy Simpson from IFAW, as well as our wonderful Queensland Koala Crusaders volunteers.
We would especially like to acknowledge the support of Nuway Landscape Supplies Pavers & Walls Pine Rivers and MEM Earth Moving Pty Ltd for going above and beyond to help us get our site prepared.
Check out the days event in the below video:
And speaking of planting...
The wonderful donation we received last month from the St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, we have purchased our very own auger drill from Mower Supastore in Brendale!
This workhorse will enable us to power through our planting preps in the coming months, and along with the help of our Vice President, Terri Harvey’s auger drill, we’ll get through prep in half the time! We love our power tools!
Become a member or volunteer with us
Upcoming Events
We have two plantings coming up that you’ll want to be part of!
On August 21, we’ll be planting on two private landowners’ properties to provide much-needed koala food plantations for carers in the area.
This is being done under one of our three primary areas of focus for 2022, Caring for Carers.
Koala carers selflessly take on the challenge of hand-rearing orphaned joeys, usually bottle-feeding them every two hours around the clock and providing them with the love and support they need to grow.
Once they’re big enough to go into the “big kid” enclosures on the property, they must be fed fresh leaf which must be collected every single day.
People who collect this leaf often drive hours each day, searching for just the right trees and cutting the leaf in just the right way, so as to provide nourishment for the growing joeys while still preserving the integrity of the donor tree.
Establishing these “food farms” for carers means they don’t have to search far and wide, but can visit the plantation as needed for leaf.
Generous and caring landowners in the area are volunteering to have their properties used as these plantation sites and we will be putting those food trees into the ground to support our beloved carers.
Please join us for the first of these plantings on August 21, and watch our website and socials for announcements of more such plantings in the coming weeks!
To register your interest you can RSVP here
Donate here to support the carers
Queens Jubilee Tree Planting event at Alsahwa, Verrierdale 25th September 2022
Join us as we celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Jubilee by planting 500 native trees at Alsahwa, a farm-based eco wellness retreat located at Verrierdale, near Noosa.
This event will feature our local elected officials and members of the media and promises to be quite the event!
We will begin the day at 9.00AM with a commemorative ceremony and plaque dedication, where remarks will be delivered by local elected officials and leaders from QKC and Alsahwa. At 9.30, we will commence planting and when completed, be treated to a sumptuous BBQ lunch!
Please RSVP here as spaces are limited. We hope to see you there!
Jane Welsh Koala Painting
At a recent open studio, Jane Welsh sold a gorgeous image of a local well known koala. A percentage of sales from Jane’s koala images are donated to QKC. Thank you Jane for your valued support!
Jane Welsh creates art to uplift people's spirits, to brighten their homes visually and energetically. She celebrates the joy of life with sculptures of people 'in the joy of living', with her images of people dancing, or the joy in bright colours and rich opulent textures in her abstract paintings.
Check out her art wonderful collection here
Clothing retailers set to support koalas
We have been contacted by two clothing retailers who are interested in providing us with a portion of their sales to raise much-needed funds for our work. It’s quite exciting and as those partnerships are formalized, we will be promoting them here and on our website. WATCH THIS SPACE!
Thanks for all your gifts
As we’ve closed our financial year, we want to extend a huge THANK YOU to our monthly donors. Your generosity keeps us going and gives us the needed energy to provide support to our beloved koalas. We’ve seen donations come in from all over the world and we’re eternally grateful.
You too can become a monthly donor for as little as $5/month. List our website for more details.
On 21 July, QKC leadership met with the Toowoomba Regional Council to discuss policy addressing land clearing in Crow’s Nest and other local areas. Currently, the Crow’s Nest area is not contained in the DES Koala Conservation Strategy mapping, even though koalas have been seen and documented there for many years. Through the initiation of these discussions, we hope to be able to make some progress at the Council level to support those koala populations.
Last week, QKC was invited, along with other advocacy groups and carers to provide input on a proposed policy to establish safe and preferred release sites in the State for koalas being released from care, and for adult koalas having been raised by carers. QKC is so gratified to be included in these important discussions to shape the future for our koalas and their survival.
2021 State of the Environment Report released
The federal government finally released the 2021 Australia State of the Environment report on 19 July 2022. The report mentions koalas many times, and quotes several koala scientists.
Zoo visitors raise $8,800 for koalas
Visitors to the Rockhampton Zoo have collectively raised $8,800 for koala research. The donation will go to Koala Research CQ, part of CQ University.
Protecting paddock trees
A new study from University of Sydney has shown the importance of isolated trees to koalas. Lone paddock trees may have foliage rich in nitrogen, which koalas will travel some distance to feed on.
7000 signatures so far to save Sydney’s koalas
A new petition started by Save Sydney’s Koalas calls on NSW Government to:
Declare an Upper Georges River Koala National Park; Stop the rezoning of Stage 2 of the Gilead development and review the approval of Stage 1;
Build five effective Koala crossings on Appin Road and; Implement minimum 450m wide Koala corridors across the rivers and creeks of Macarthur.
The petition needs 20,000 signatures to go to parliament. Signatures from NSW residents only.
NSW residents can sign the petition here
