South Burnett council says rate reductions may help flying fox battle
The council of a sleepy town in the South Burnett has devised a cunning strategy to deal with the tsunami of complaints it is getting about a local flying fox colony.
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The South Burnett council has come up with a new strategy to deal with the tsunami of complaints it is getting about a colony of flying foxes that have set up home in Blackbutt.
Rates reductions for affected residents and land buy backs are among the radical ideas being proposed as the council grapples with the problem.
Residents have raised growing concerns over the influx of flying foxes first into the centre of Blackbutt, in trees growing along the Taromeo Creek in 2021, which has since spread to nearby trees between Hart and John Streets.
The Taromeo Creek roost is within 20m of houses.
A report by Redleaf Environmental, which will be tabled at a council meeting on November 20, said this offshoot “roost” was created because of the clearing of trees on private property near the main roost.
The three flying fox species identified by the third party group were protected under the Nature Conservation Act.
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In the wake of Redleaf’s report, the council has proposed several steps to resolve the issue:
Short term steps would include revegetating the main roost on Tarameo Creek to encourage the offshoot foxes back to Blackbutt and expand that roost so that it is no closer than 30m to any houses, and create vegetation sound buffers to help minimise noise.
Long term solutions include creating an entirely new roosting site at Blackbutt 50-100m away from any homes, a plan which “may need the purchase of land or rate reduction for those living within these limits”.
A ban on building any new houses near the area could also be established, and residents encouraged to avoid planting any trees that might be suitable flying fox roosts near their homes.
Councillors are expected to decide the next steps on Wednesday, which would likely include further consultation with residents.
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Originally published as South Burnett council says rate reductions may help flying fox battle
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