Hello all,

The New Year is off to a roaring start with many environmental issues needing
attention. Here is just one of them.

Regarding the EPBC Referral on the small Wild Duck Island east of Carmilla.

This referral has a huge number of attached files on the EPBC Compliance referral
website so is a very sensitive issue withmany potential impacts, namely being on an
island next to a National Park that is one of three major Flatback Turtle nesting
sites in Central Queensland. The old resort caused a lot of damage and was not
well managed from what I hear. The main CQU Flatback Turtle researcher on that
island recently retired so the nesting site has probably lost a strong defender and
champion.

As EPA and QPWS are not expected to expand their management staff or get
better funding I do not see how a new resort would not continue adverse impacts
on the nesting site without proper oversight. I have informed Mackay Turtle Watch
and they are looking at the proposal. I urge everyone else to do the same. If you
have any comments let me know before February so I can get in some comments
to EPBC (federal government agency dealing with nationally significant
environmental matters).

I hear that all GBR islands that are partly freehold and partly National Park are up
for grabs for tourism development and the associated impacts they bring. This is a
big concern when the State government has no plans to my knowledge to increase
financial and management support to address such impacts.

We have seen inadeqaute management of turtle nesting sites in Mackay with
lighting and foreshore erosion issues still not adequately managed so we need to
ensure this does not happen offshore.

To locate go to the main EPBC website at
http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/index.html
Under the Public Notices section (RHS second main heading down) click on Recent
Referrals. You will be directed to
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl

Scroll down to Reference Number 2008/3971 for the developer's submission files on
the Wild Duck development. You will be directed to
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?
name=current_referral_detail&proposal_id=3971
There are 32 attached files. Usually referrals have only two or three files so this
indicates how sensitive this development is and why it is important to review it
carefully and get comments in. I have attached some background information from
a brief Internet search FYI.

Patricia Julien
Coordinator Mackay Conservation Group
Ph: 4966 8025