Friends of the

Orford Bird Sanctuary

The jewel in Orford's crown!

Link - ORFORD BIRD SANCTUARY IN CRISIS

Link - SUBMISSION SUGGESTIONS

Link - BirdLife Tasmania - Letter of Support

Orford Bird Sanctuary in Crisis!

Re: Public Consultation - Proposal for management of the Orford Bird Sanctuary (sandspit, lagoon & beach)

At the December Council meeting Councillors voted to put out to public consultation a plan for proposed changes to the way the Orford Bird Sanctuary comprising the sandspit, lagoon and beach at the mouth of the Prosser River is managed in respect of the protection of the breeding bird population.

The area is the home and, or, breeding site of a number of shorebird species. Of particular concern are the THREATENED Hooded Plovers which breed here and are resident all year and the THREATENED Fairy Terns which breed here and raise their chicks.

The area currently (Jan 2020) has over 30 Fairy Tern nests and therefore at least 60+ Fairy Terns. This represents a significant proportion of the 100 Fairy Terns pairs known from Tasmania. This site is not only the southern most colony in the world but a critical breeding site for the species in Tasmania.

If successful, the proposal would remove, or alter, the current fencing of the Orford Bird Sanctuary area, including the lagoon, to allow human access. Human activity within the Bird Sanctuary area would severely disturb the breeding and feeding of the threatened adult birds and their chicks.

The proposed changes to the management of the Orford Bird Sanctuary, recognised internationally as an IBA - Important Bird Area are not supported by Dr Eric Woehler, Convenor of Birdlife Tasmania, or by Birdlife Australia. The propsed plan was developed without any professional input by Glamorgan Spring Bay Council's Natural Resource Management Department or, Parks & Wildlife Service.

The survival of these birds which depend on the Orford Bird Sanctuary is threatened due to impacts from humans & dogs on nesting & foraging all YEAR ROUND You must act now to ensure that our most vulnerable bird species the THREATENED Hooded Plover and the Fairy Tern have a safe and secure home for generations to come. Like us they want their home to be a sanctuary where they are protected from unwelcome visitors.

There has never been a more critical time, for we humans, to make genuine commitments and sometimes personal sacrifices to protect the most vulnerable species.

Australia is going through an Extinction Crisis – we all need to do our part to save Threatened Species and their habitats.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
The Council has released a poorly considered & incomplete proposal for management of the Orford Bird Sanctuary (sandspit, lagoon & beach) for public comment :
https://gsbc.tas.gov.au/community-projects/community-consultation/

Write or email Glamorgan Spring Bay Council (General Manager, Po Box 6 Triabunna 7190 Tas or admin@freycinet.tas.gov.au) by the 7th February 2020, Jason Jocobi, Director Parks & Wildlife Service jason.jacobi@parks.tas.gov.au and the Tasmanian Government, urging them to ensure that this important bird sanctuary remains fenced to help protect the birds from disturbance by humans & dogs.

See link the below to SUBMISSION SUGGESTIONS which contains some text and questions to help with your submission. Please feel free to copy & paste all or some of this, or do your own thing.

PLEASE send a submission from every member of the your household.

If you have any questions please send us an email: info@friends-of-orford-bird-sanctuary.org and will try to answer or put you in contact with someone who can.

Kind regards,
Friends of the Orford Bird Sanctuary

Link - SUBMISSION SUGGESTIONS


http://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/fairy-tern

https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/hooded-plover