Council to consider draft flying fox dispersal plan on Tuesday

Eurobodalla Council will consider a draft flying fox dispersal plan at its meeting next Tuesday.

The plan, prepared by environmental consultants EcoLogical Australia, was received today and says a dispersal attempt at this time will cost more than $6.2 million and require approximately 70 personnel.

The report states that a successful attempt at dispersal is highly unlikely to be achieved at this time and that the risks and costs will be substantially lower if the dispersal is attempted when the camp is smaller, suggesting February 2017 as a more suitable time.

Office of Environment and Heritage ecologists have today been in the field and confirmed that the number of flying foxes are naturally starting to decrease. They anticipate this will continue as the weather cools and the local food source declines.

In his report to Tuesday’s Council meeting, Mayor Lindsay Brown is recommending a brief consultation period for residents and local agencies such as Essential Energy and NSW Health to comment on the plan, and that a community survey be undertaken during that time to gauge the broader community’s understanding of the flying fox issue and the level of support for dispersal.

The Mayor is also recommending the Batemans Bay Water Gardens be closed until further notice to prevent people entering and disturbing the flying fox camp, which in turn impacts nearby residents.

Once endorsed by Council on Tuesday, the draft dispersal plan will also be submitted to the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and the Australian Department of Environment for their review and comment as part of the consultation.

Feedback from the community and advice from these agencies will be considered in preparing the final dispersal plan.

As required by Australian and NSW Government legislation, the final plan will be submitted to the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage for assessment and approval.

If councillors agree on Tuesday to the public exhibition period, residents will be able to respond in writing to the draft dispersal plan until close of business on Friday 25 May.