Progress on measures in a Port Macquarie flying fox camp management plan is a success story in the making, the mayor says.
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Cr Peta Pinson said it took a while to get here but everyone had worked together and we were starting to see the results.
A quarterly update report on the Kooloonbung Creek Flying Fox Camp Management Plan went before Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's March 18 meeting.
The council started work on the level one and two management actions after the plan's adoption.
The plan aims to manage community impacts and concerns associated with the camp, while conserving flying foxes and their habitat.
Some 14 residents have been provided with the property modification/service subsidy information package.
Half of those residents took up the package.
Sprinklers have been installed in a step towards maintaining a buffer between residents and the flying fox camp.
The full irrigation system, which is in place, includes a recycled water tank, pump and sprinklers.
The council report said the irrigation system was ready for use and it would be turned on when there were flying foxes in close proximity to the system and when it warranted use.
Buffers through vegetation trimming and removal would be investigated by June 2024 if canopy-mounted sprinklers and the subsidy program had not managed the impact adequately, the council report said.
The council report said routine camp management was ongoing.
The last flying fox census in February 2020 showed 1706 grey-headed flying foxes, 85 black flying foxes and 426 little red flying foxes over over the camp area of 1.4 hectares.
Community information sessions are held twice yearly.
Funding for the plan's implementation was included in the 2019-2020 operational plan.
The council received $30,750 from the state government to support the plan's implementation.
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