WILDWATCH   by LAWRIE MARTIN.

“We knew very little about the mahogany glider and finding one in a fallen tree on our club grounds brought home the reality of the plight facing this little Queenslander,” John Guyatt said.

Mr Guyatt, involved in the Cardwell Reconstruction programme, was speaking at the Cardwell Country Club last week when a group of concerned citizens gathered to discuss the allocation of Federal Government funding under the Caring for Country programme to improve habitat for mahogany gliders (Petaurus gracilis).

Myrtle Rust - Alert
"Last Friday (25 May )was the Cassowary Recovery Team meeting at the Wet Tropics Management Authority.   One topic of discussion was the rapid emergence of Myrtle Rust in the region. This destructive exotic fungal disease has now invaded Mossman Gorge, Smithfield Conservation park and has been detected North of the Daintree River"   It has been found to be particularly infectious on the soft fleshy fruited members of the Myrtaceae family (over 50 species).

These also happen to make up a large part of the diet of Cassowary putting this already endangered species under even greater threat".  Alan Sheather, Daintree Cassowary Group facebook.

Read the latest news from the southern region of the Cassowary Coast in the June edition of Phoenix published by ASH.

Hello from cold and very wet Coquette Point,

The weather systems combined to bring heavy rain to the Wet Tropics on Thursday night. Around 350 mm fell in the Innisfail, Mossman and Cairns’ hinterlands overnight and on Friday all the rivers ran red to the Coral Sea Lagoon.  A low over Victoria has pushed cold air up along the Queensland coast and it was winter woollies all day to-day with the temperature not getting over 18 - freezing for FNQ.

WILDWATCH by   ANNE WILKINSON.

What an amazing region this is!  When one really looks around, how well the forest is recovering after the ravages of Cyclone Yasi.

Yes, there are still dead and dying trees, many having fallen and now lodged in others. There are still out-of-reach “hangers” waiting for either wind or natural decay to bring them down necessitating care when walking and the need to remember to look up every now and then to make sure it is safe.

From that point of view this is still heartbreak country.

Lot 11 SP171882 Explorer Drive,
Sth Mission Beach

There is a lot of concern, or to be more correct, disbelief being expressed by community members as they watch a hillside lot at South Mission Beach being developed.

Hello from Coquette Point,

I was told by Jake a CCRC staffer that on Wednesday he saw a small male cassowary with three chicks near the new sewerage works alongside Ninds Creek. The chicks were about 40cm tall and their stripes were only just visible. Before Jake or the other workers could take a photograph Dad and the chicks disappeared into the rainforest: wonderful and surprising news.

It is most unusual for cassowary chicks to be born during winter. However, as no chicks were born last year in the Moresby Range/ Coquette Point area perhaps the cassowaries are catching up, after cyclone ‘Yasi’,  now that the forest is producing food again.

Dear Mr Brennan

I have noticed flagging tape through the Cowley dune last weekend south of the boat ramp, presumably marking the proposed new road route? I understand all permits have not yet been obtained to undertake the works and would like to ask why the work to date was ever performed, given that there is presumably a possibility that permits might not be granted to allow the work to continue?

Here is an update on correspondence to the CCRC regarding the battle to protect Cowley Beach from  vehicles driving on the sensitive beach environment most recently threatening the survival of  the young turtle hatchlings. 

On the 10th May 2012  Richard Piper emailed the CCRC
as follows;  Dear Kim and others copied in,
I would like to discuss what is still going on with vehicles at Cowley beach with you.

Hello from the fairy garden at Coquette Point,

I was walking in my garden early Wednesday morning and low and behold I found a van and beside it a tent full of French backpackers. I took a few photos and left them undisturbed to sleep. Later that morning, quite coincidentally,  my neighbour brought his big tractor through on our internal connecting track and he was astonished to see a tent with eight legs running before him.  Above the French screams John W roared with laughter.  Take a look down the bottom of your garden, you never know what you may find.