Mission Beach Cassowaries
  • ABOUT CASSOWARIES
    • Cassowary ID and tracking >
      • Sightings maps
    • World Cassowary Day 2015
  • NEWS
  • Information
    • Developments
    • Thorsborne Trail NOT FOR SALE >
      • MARGARET 'T' AO 1927-2018
    • Walking tracks
    • Birding
    • Lot 66/Garrett Corridor
    • Publications
    • Mission Beach Naturally >
      • Community Identity
    • Heritage
  • Photo Gallery
    • Fauna >
      • Cassowary
      • Birds
      • Mammals
      • Reptiles
    • Flora >
      • Flowers
      • Plants and trees
      • Fungi
    • Scenic
  • Contact
    • Privacy policy

Cowley Beach

14/5/2012

 
Picture
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.
Have phoned and left messages a couple of times on your mobile.

There has been more damage to the bollards at Cowley Beach and we again have large 4WDs as well as quads driving over the spit and along the beach. It looks like another bollard has been removed and large vehicles are accessing through this gap.  Last weekend I walked the beach and noticed where cars and quads are driving through gaps and over the dune vegetation.

Also in relation to what happened at Easter time, is Council proceeding with any action against the driver of the 4WD who purposefully destroyed the bollards? Photos are available of this incident if you do not have them and a police officer took details etc. Mayor Shannon who I phoned over this on 22 April, indicated to me that it was "probably not a good idea to prosecute someone before the election". Now the election is over will the matter be moved forward and acted on? This action would I assume be up to Council rather than the Councillors, regardless of an election.

Council has previously asked ratepayers for information on vandals and this time there is surely enough information for a successful prosecution? This is becoming a costly exercise repairing the damage and I suggest it will continue to occur unless a firm stance is taken.

I was very disappointed to hear that the Mandubarras turtle  monitoring sign was recently removed by Council officers yet you the two signs installed illegally on the cattleyard were left in place. I understand that you may have removed the turtle sign because you were told that people found it offensive. I hope this is not true as I actually find the two signs attached to the cattleyard offensive. These two signs should have been taken away and the legitimate monitoring sign left where it was.

It may have been that you doubted the Mandubarra's advice that there was a turtle nest actually there adjacent to the parking area at the southern end of the track. Of course this was not the case and the wonderful emergence of the turtles occurred despite one vehicle driving along during the hatchlings scurry down to the water.  I will supply a stat dec detailing the person's identification, photos, video etc if you doubt any of this information. My family and many others present saw what took place. We had to stop her from driving over the hatchlings which she would have no doubt done had we not been present. The juvenile turtles are covered in sand and difficult to see even by someone on foot when they stop moving. On the quad bike she would have driven over them as she would not have seen them. See photo taken on the day of sand-covered hatchlings.

I understand that permissions are still required regarding access to the track. In the meantime can we perhaps have the gate locked again until the track is legitimate? The current situation with vehicles driving along the beach is a disgrace and defies all logic. The work to install the track, remove the vegetation etc should never have been done I believe until all permissions were in place.

North of the boat ramp there are vehicles still accessing the beach unlawfully through the reserves yet no signage is in place. This should also have been addressed long ago.

The Cassowary Coast Regional Council needs to protect our beach not facilitate its destruction.
Many thanks
Richard Piper

You can read other posts  on the Cowley Beach  situation here



Comments are closed.
    Mission Beach Cassowaries facebook page
    Follow the lives of individual cassowaries on facebook

    Picture
    Friends of Ninney Rise
    Ninney Rise
    - the inspiring
     conservation history of Mission Beach

    Lot 66
    a Mission Beach buyback success story
     


    Picture
    Russell Constable's blog is packed full of information about Ella Bay and region

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011

    Categories

    All
    Ash
    Birds
    Boat Bay
    Bush Tucker
    Butterflies
    Cassowaries
    Cassowary Coast
    Cca
    Coquette Point
    Cowley Beach
    Crocodiles
    Cyclones
    Cyclone Yasi
    Development
    Flowers
    Flying Foxes
    Frogs
    Fungi
    Insects
    Johnstone River
    Little Terns Nesting
    Mahogany Glider
    Mangrove Dieback
    Marine
    Mission Beach
    Port Hinchinbrook
    Rainforest Fruit
    Sediment Runnoff
    Snakes
    Spiders
    Threats
    Tourism
    Tully Heads
    Turtles
    Wildwatch
    W P S Q Tully Branch


© All content on this website (except where otherwise stated) is copyright Mission Beach Cassowaries All Rights Reserved If copying or publishing  content or information from this site please credit and link to Mission Beach Cassowaries Inc. website Except where otherwise credited, all photos on this website are copyright and must have permission to reproduce