Friends of Stradbroke Island

Friends of Stradbroke Island Issue #76 - April 2017 In this issue  Minjerribah's Wild Places Rehabilitation Obligations Not Being Enforced By State Government Island Conservation Cyclone Side-effects 2017 Glossy Black-Cockatoo Survey Bus Shelter Poetry Nature Notes Have you considered making a donation to support FOSI’s work?  Minjerribah's Wild Places A Nature Guide to North Stradbroke Island, Minjerribah. Book review by Julie Kearney Affectionately known to many as Straddie or Minjerribah, North Stradbroke Island has been a favourite holiday destination for south-east Queenslanders since it first began attracting boating parties to its shores in the nineteenth century. Millenia before this it was regularly visited by Indigenous mainlanders for similar purposes, as well as ritual business with the Quandamooka people. Now, hot off the press in 2017 we have A Nature Guide to North Stradbroke Island, Minjerribah , the first-ever compre...

The serious risks to human life, property and to flora and fauna associated with out of control bushfires on North Stradbroke are obvious. The miners’ Environmental Studies Report (2003), required before mining could commence under Queensland law at the Enterprise mine acknowledges the risks:- “Bushfires frequently occur on North Stradbroke Island as a result of both natural (eg lightning strikes) and human induced events (eg arson). Periodic low intensity fires are essential for the reproduction processes of many native vegetation communities on the island. However high intensity or unnaturally frequent fires can result in loss of property, human life and significant harm to native flora and fauna communities” (ESR section 3.2.6) Considering its enormous profits are derived from mining and permanently damaging an internationally recognised, sensitive sand island, most people are likely to consider that Sibelco should strictly comply with its bushfire obligations. Its mining le...

A photograph of the recent bushfire on Stradbroke Island by Soren Martensen Stradbroke is no stranger to bushfire. We all have our recollections of fires of past years, power cuts and close shaves. Many an interesting conversation on the island gets on to how different areas are recovering: Blue Lake regenerated quickly after the fire of ’95, but the slopes near the S-Bends had bare trunks visible for many years. But the fierce 2014 fire will go down in history and will, we hope, be a turning point in the adoption of proper fire management strategies for the island. Fire adapted Banksia aemula Although the bush looks devastated in parts, the natural processes will in time bring it back. In areas where the natural biodiversity has been replaced by miners’ revegetation the bush is reportedly more severely damaged and will likely need human intervention to replant and keep weeds under control. Some plants of the coastal bushlands on Stradbroke Island have developed...