The National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) is about to again embark on the annual Community Koala Surveys in Bongil Bongil National Park and they’re asking the Bellingen Shire community to participate as trained volunteers.
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NPWS area manager Glenn Storrie said Bongil Bongil National Park provides some of the most important, permanently conserved coastal habitat for koalas in NSW and is critically important to the continued presence of this iconic Australian animal on the Coffs Coast.
“What we are trying to do with these community surveys is to establish a sound estimate of the relative abundance of the Koala in the national park over time,” Mr Storrie said
“Keen community volunteers will be trained up and equipped to conduct night time surveys over fixed transects within the national park to identify koala presence and any other wildlife they might encounter.”
The surveys will be conducted from 7pm each night during the koala breeding season beginning on September 25 and ending on October 11, a time when koalas are on the move and most vocal.
The teams will be asked to do one 2-3 hour survey every four nights, a total of five nights work over 16 days.
An information session and training will be conducted for prospective volunteers Saturday, September 20 at the NPWS Coffs Coast Jetty office beginning at 10am. Those interested in participating in the program are urged to contact ranger Martin Smith at the NPWS Coffs Harbour office on 6652-0900.
