Happy new year to all our readers – we hope 2019 will bring a good outcome with regards to the Blue Care development at Sunrise Beach.
Much has happened in the background at Glossy Team Sunrise and we thought it is time to give an update.
- We have had great letters of support from Birdlife Southern Queensland, Sunshine Coast Environment Council (SCEC), Noosa and District Landcare, Noosa Integrated Catchment Association (NICA), Noosa Parks Association Bird Observers Group and various local ecologists and environmental scientists. We will publish some of them shortly.
- We are waiting for the operational works plan to be made available to the public. This should enable us to identify how many of the Glossy feed trees will be retained.
- We are waiting for the confirmation of a meeting between GTS and the developer Blue Care (Uniting Care), aiming to open discussions on options that will lessen the impact on the Glossies as well as the local community. We welcome more quality aged-care provisions in Noosa, but not at the cost of losing our Glossies. We would like Blue Care and Council to work together with the community on a better approach.
- We have set up a petition hoping to be able to show Uniting Care that many people in this community care about protecting the Glossies and their habitat. We are so pleased about the response so far, especially the many comments we can take to Blue Care. Your support is going to give us the backing we need going into the meeting. Thank you, please keep sharing. Note this is not a fundraiser – more info in the media release below.
MEDIA RELEASE
Petition to save the Sunrise Beach Glossies
A Sunrise Beach neighbourhood initiative called ‘Glossy Team Sunrise’ (GTS) has launched an online petition to prevent the clear felling of Glossy Black Cockatoo feed trees in their neighbourhood.
The threat of bushland clearing for a new aged-care facility came as a shock to many in the Sunrise Beach and wider community. The will to protect the glossies and their native habitat brought together a diverse group of locals made up of conservationists, wildlife photographers, architects, teachers, nurses, artists, real estate agents, ecologists, cleaners and more. They decided to form ‘Glossy Team Sunrise’ in September 2018.
GTS collaborators all share a love for the native post-dunal bushland called ‘Wallum’ and its iconic Glossy Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus lathami, one of Australia’s rarest cockatoos. ‘Glossies’ are listed as vulnerable under QLD and NSW law.
The area to be cleared is a well known glossy hotspot and GTS wants to make sure the impact on these birds is minimised. GTS have approached the developer, Blue Care (owned by Uniting Church) to protect and retain as much of the native flora and fauna as possible.
Bob Carey from GTS said “We have set up the Change.org petition, because we believe it is important for Uniting Church to know that the community is greatly concerned about the destruction of Wallum habitat. We hope to get the best outcomes for the birds and the community.”
GTS have received many letters of support including from Birdlife Southern Queensland, NICA, Noosa and District Landcare, SCEC and the NPA Bird Observers’ Group.
GTS activists are anticipating a meeting with the developer Blue Care in early January and are eagerly awaiting the operational works plan to be published shortly. It should show how many Glossy feed trees will be retained.
Of further concern to the local community is the traffic impact of this development which will exacerbate delays on Ben Lexcen Drive particularly during school hours.
What can the community do to support this cause?
GTS collaborators have set up a change.org petition with the aim to to impress onto Uniting Church, that the community wants to protect the Sunrise Glossies and native Wallum. Please read, sign, comment and share to support the cause. GTS advise, that this is not a fundraiser. Change.org by default might prompt signatories to give money to promote the petition. This is not going to GTS.
To stay informed about developments at Sunrise Shops and the Blue Care Development, please view, contact or join Glossy Team Sunrise on Facebook.
